[6/30 (Monday) – Afternoon]
[Labyrinth — VESTA 10]
"From here, I can sense it," Mary said through their communications. "There seems to be a powerful presence waiting on the floor beyond this one. Stronger than the 'mini-boss' you encountered previously, as humans would describe it."
Clerval placed a hand on his hip as he stared at the sight before him.
Instead of the usual path leading toward the stairs to the next floor, a void-like mist stood before him, acting as a barrier that prevented him from entering the chamber beyond.
Even after using multiple elemental, physical, and support Skills in an attempt to brute force his way through, the barrier remained unaffected. Unless something changed on its own, there was no way for him to proceed.
"Perhaps the countdown above the Labyrinth's entrance reflects the time remaining until this barrier is dispelled?" Mary suggested.
He nodded in agreement before asking whether there were more floors of VESTA beyond this one.
After a brief moment of silence, Mary answered.
"The floor after this one will be the last."
So he had finally reached the end of the VESTA section.
Clerval glanced down at his watch, checking the remaining time.
[2D : 9H : 16M : 59S]
There were still a whole two days remaining before the countdown reached zero.
"So, what will you do now, Wanderer?" Mary asked. "Perhaps it would be wise to call it a day?"
For some reason, he felt as though Mary was subtly encouraging him to leave the Labyrinth earlier than usual today. It had only been three hours since he entered the Velvet Room. Normally, he would remain in the Labyrinth until late into the evening, maximizing every opportunity he had to train and explore.
"Do you have something planned for today?" he asked, curious whether she had other matters to attend to.
Mary hummed, her tone filled with mystery.
"Perhaps~ I certainly wouldn't say no to some entertainment."
She giggled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Standing silently, Clerval's thoughts raced as he considered his options before asking another question.
"Do you think I am ready for whatever awaits on the next floor?"
He had grown considerably stronger.
His Personas had been leveled significantly, and his combat experience had sharpened after days of continuous battles where every mistake could have cost him his life.
If he compared his current self to who he was a month ago, the difference was almost incomparable.
He even had a feeling that fighting against Pyrrha wouldn't be such a one-sided battle anymore.
"Well..." She took a pause to compare the presence she sensed against his current abilities and 'level.' "You would have a good chance. You are the Wanderer of the Velvet Room, after all."
Her answer, much like Igor's, was vague.
Clerval sighed before making his decision.
He would continue clearing the lower floors, defeating Shadows and exploring further to gain more experience before facing whatever awaited him.
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Crushing the Life Stone in his hand, he breathed a sigh of relief as the stone's rejuvenating properties took effect. A warm green glow enveloped his body, slowly knitting together and healing the wounds he had suffered from the Shadow's sudden ambush.
If only he had reacted fast enough—the Wealth Hand he had been fighting earlier had blinded him with a flash of illuminating gold, causing him to lower his guard for even a brief moment.
That single second was all a stray Shadow needed to catch him off guard, sending him into a spiral of consecutive ambushes.
At the very least, fighting that many Shadows consecutively had allowed his weaker Personas to gain a significant amount of experience, bringing their strength within the Stock almost on par with his stronger Personas.
Reaching for his utility belt, he considered using a Bead to fully replenish his stamina and recover from all his injuries.
In the end, he placed it back among his healing consumables.
Even though he had stronger items capable of restoring more of his Health, he decided to save them for now. Who knew when he would need a healing item capable of instantly recovering a large portion of his Health?
He would simply sleep off the pain and allow his Aura to recover naturally.
Unfortunately, the items he had discovered could not restore his Aura. The only consumables capable of recovering his resources were limited to restoring Health and Spirit.
Pocketing the Golden Pieces dropped by the numerous Shadows from the ambush, he checked the time and chose to return to Beacon.
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[6/30 (Monday) – Evening]
[Vale — Zone 8 (Commercial)]
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After fusing several new Personas and refining his existing ones with the help of Igor and Mary, he gave them a nod before leaving the Velvet Room.
Standing outside the door to the mythical space between dream and reality, Clerval double-checked that the items he had brought into the Velvet Room were still present before hefting them back into his arms.
A sudden chill ran down his spine as he quickly looked around.
That was strange—he had sensed something a moment ago, only for it to disappear immediately.
He shrugged it off a moment later.
Whatever it was, it could wait until later. Right now, he was craving the Seafood Platter he had eaten earlier that afternoon for dinner.
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TIME TILL THE FIRST DAWN...
[2D : 04H : 38M : 15S]
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