After leaving Tzaleah behind with those randoms because I didn't need her anymore, I passed through annoying bugs—even slapped one of them.
Now, after entering and using [Cleanse] on the also annoying mist that blocked my vision, it dissipated.
It struggled a little, but it did its job. Way too much actually.
Only the mist remnants stayed at the jungle floor. They moved as if conscious, dodging me as if feared.
"Huh? Since when was [Cleanse] this strong?"
In the past years, I've used it for minor things here and there, like the time when I was a baby, to get rid of that illness.
"But the effects never came close to such this."
I rubbed my chin, thinking.
'The range of effect is way too big. It was also supposed to focus on me, and even though it makes sense to affect things nearby me, taking the whole mist down was kinda nuts.'
Considering the setting of me being a reincarnated person and a the cheat, there's only one logical conclusion:
"Cleanse evolved?"
An insane statement, if true that is.
"I don't understand why. Did I do anything?"
Hm.
"Whatever. I'll think about it later,"
I turned. Feeling my ankles being tickled by what was left of the mist. There was a current stretching from somewhere far.
"...What's this?"
I followed the breeze, cautious.
And soon, I reached the source,
A fist-sized dark-violet flower. Large petals moving individually, emanating a natural gas similar to the mist from before.
I bent down on my knees,
"Could this be the cause of that mist?"
'Anyhow, it looks valuable. I'll take it with me.'
But before touching it, I remembered something.
"Oh, right. I should use that."
I opened the UI.
Tap. Tap.
≡ RUNES . . . [Ixtali Seedjar] >
I equipped one of my minor-runes.
Zing!
A jar materialized into my grasp.
And now without hesitation, I ripped it from the soil.
I felt that my hand was losing strength, my skin color paled. The flower was probably a poisonous type.
But poison is not a problem as long as I had [Cleanse] and [Second Wind] with me.
'There's also no pain… well, there is, but this much is fine.'
I placed the flower inside the jar and shut it.
Pling-pling!
At the place I took the flower the air scintillated as a perfect copy sprouted instantly on the ground. It was as if light particles conspired to reassemble it.
But somehow it was different this time: Larger, wider, with darker veins.
My eyebrows twisted.
"Is it stronger?"
I've tried using this rune before, nothing major, just research. But all it did was make a weaker duplicate of the original—a one time use per plant. It also served as a mini-storage because the items inside remained when it disappeared, even as I changed runes.
'Yet just large enough for two plants.'
But the rose I'm seeing right now looks almost twice as strong.
I smiled.
"My luck is great today."
Both went into the jar.
.
.
…After about a week since I left the villa, my map showed that I was getting close. But now another annoying thing got in my way:
A vast abyss.
It split the jungle in two, too wide to jump and too deep to climb down.
'I can't go around either. Too much time.'
The only way across was a stone pillar rising from the center, its surface carved with glowing circuits. At the top, a circular platform.
'There seemed to be people there.'
"..."
'Clear enough. Reach the pillar, then the other side.'
Like before, kids had gathered here too, staring at the abyss like it was a puzzle.
'Why's the jungle infested with kids? I don't remember any mention of this.'
After measuring the distance, thought over a bit on a method, I opened the UI. Then closed it.
I gazed upon my hands and focused.
With a thought, heat ignited from my palms. Dust and small water particles rose slowly.
After theorizing for a bit, I concluded with a nod.
'Worth giving it a try.'
There were easier ways to get there through the UI, but I figured I'd take the chance to practice my fire.
I still wanted to be stronger on my own. Not just relying on the cheat.
I walked to a giant rock and used to practice.
Beneath my feet, heat increased rapidly. I pressed against the air and pushed my weight into it, successfully stepping off the ground.
"Damn. I'm crazy at this."
Yet when I tried doing the same with my other foot, I fell like a sack of potatoes.
I was trying to use the pressure to hover in the air.
…On my fifth try, I managed to get both feet for a few seconds, but stabilizing was a different matter, so I fell again.
...After my twentieth try I noticed I was making no progress, so I simply resorted to hacking.
I sat above the rock.
[Clarity] was activated.
My eyes shined blue. A gaseous aura of the same color waving around me.
I focused ahead on the monolith.
I felt all my body tension being washed away as my brain worked hard to sprout ideas.
…Once the energy dissipated, I gave out an exhale.
I stood up.
'I understand now... There wasn't enough pressure.'
I adjusted my loadout.
Standing on the rock's edge, I coiled my body like a monkey, bringing my hands next to my feets. I tilted forward.
As I fell, the heat under my hands and feet combined and formed air pockets, gradually increasing.
I glided through the air.
'I did it.'
My fingers twitched with micro-corrections. I was hovering. Shaky, but hovering.
It lasted way more now.
Then I fell again.
'I need to keep my body loose, hands and feet still.'
.
.
"Hey, look—" One kid elbowed his friend.
After climbing the tallest tree I could find, I used the technique I'd just come up with to glide my way to the cliff.
FWOOSH!
I noticed the stares from the kids on the ground.
Woosh.
A breeze stronger than I expected hit me. Only then did I understand that higher altitudes meant more fuel because of higher air resistance.
"Shit. I'm losing stability."
Then,
I fell halfway through.
"Shit-Shit-Shit!"
But as I fell, I noticed I was getting closer to the pillar, so I turned my body sideways and drew my twin blades—
CLENCH!
The impact came hard. I slammed into the side, my blades struck the pillar but failed to stick, sliding down. I reacted fast, clenched one between my teeth and drove the other in with both hands.
It pierced, but the force bounced me back. My blades dragged across the surface, sparks flying. I felt my wrists and shoulders dislocating, but I didn't let go…Speed diminished slowly until it stopped.
I hung there, panting, every muscle burning. I forced myself upward, pulled the blade from my mouth and slammed it in.
I looked up. The top was just ahead.
With a final burst, I kicked off the wall, yanking my blades and throwing my body onto the platform. I rolled, chest heaving, arms weak.
[Second Wind] activated. Somehow stronger than before.
I recovered fast and straightened up in a beat.
Five kids already stood on the platform. Four boys, one girl. They didn't pay me much attention.
A dark haired girl gave me a 'not impressed' look. The faint scar tracing from her lips to her neck moved,
"Hey, you—"
Thud!
I stomped the ground hard, arms snapped into earth-bending form.
"..."
Nothing happened.
"Strange." I frowned. "I should have enough mana."
I tried again.
Stomp. Arms.
"..."
Same result.
I turned toward the girl.
"Explain."
She looked visibly confused. Annoyed.
"We can't use elements here," she said with her arms crossed. "Obviously."
"...and why is that?"
She shrugged.
"How should I know? The monolith does it somehow."
The monolith. Fantastic. A type of magic-nullifying pillar.
"It's faster if we help each other come up with a plan," a shirtless boy commented, arms on his hips.
I ignored him and studied the platform.
Enough runway to build speed. A jump could halve the distance…if one was as fast as me.
I jumped a couple of times, warming up.
I switched my loadout, then stepped back. The others tracked me like startled deer.
"He's not actually going to—?"
[Boots of Speed] [Pathfinder] [Nimbus Cloak] [Ghost] …all equipped.
I moved.
The next moment, shit happened fast.
My fist sinked itself in the talkative boy's gut as I passed—elbow and shoulder. Three strikes.
[Phase Rush] triggered. I zapped.
Then leaped.
The boy I'd punched folded like wet paper, gasping. The others' faces froze in horror.
I was halfway across the gap.
'Almost there,'
—Gravity won.
But this time I was prepared.
[Flash] !
Reality paused…
…Then resume with me out onto solid earth.
My boots struck the ground first, knees buckling as momentum betrayed me. The world tilted; my stomach lurched.
The word tasted sour.
"Ugh...I thought I was going to fall onto the wall, not actually close the gap."
Back at the monolith,
Still wheezing on his knees, the boy forces a glare with a mix of fury and shaken awe.
"Ughhh–Fuc-cker.."
The scar girl's composure broke. One brow raised. Her eyes fixed on me as her lips parted, mumbling something. Like she wasn't sure what she'd just seen.
Everyone was shocked.
"…Today was unusual."
Too many strange occurrences.
First [Cleanse] working at expanded range;
[Ixtali Seedjar] producing better duplicates than the original one;
Now even [Flash] exceeded its range.
Even the abilities I'd just used had been stronger.
"What the hell is happening?"
"H-hey!" A skinny one screamed, voice trembling. "T-Throw us a rope or something!"
My eyes rolled as I turned and walked away. Ignoring them.
.
Shuffle-Shuffle
The vegetation engulfed me whole.
Swing!
My blade swung, opening a leaf in half.
"The changes started after the Basilisk fight."
I said it thoughtfully, eyes scanning the surroundings for movement.
"What could it be?"
One blade spun between my fingers out of habit.
"...The level up."
I halted in realization. Then resumed.
"I thought my body would improve...or just use the level points to skills later. But the UI was the one who changed?"
I let out a sigh.
Whatever the logic behind it, I wasn't going to complain. A win is a win.
.
Thirty minutes later.
Still inside the dense jungle.
I climbed to the top of the biggest tree I found. I looked around and... saw only the jungle. No sign of the capital.
After clicking my tongue I slid down and kept marching.
"When will this fucking jungle end?"
I refreshed myself at the water current and continued. Basically lost.
'I followed Mapaka's map so I should be close—'
PLING!
My eyes bulged at the sound. It didn't belong to the jungle.
'...the UI?'
I opened it.
After a full check I finally noticed the change.
SPELLS ≡ . . . [Recall] >
It wasn't 'turned off' anymore. Finally, it was clickable like the others.
I smiled.
"Should I click it?"
Even though I made the question, I pressed it by reflex.
Click.
The wind blew stronger,
Slowly the ground dust started to swirl around me, creating a circle of light with a delimited area.
'Is it working?'
My skin started to glow, then sparkled. My body levitated. The ground became a spotlight. It was like being abducted by a spaceship.
'So cool. It feels refreshing.'
The world blurred.
ZAP!
.
.
… ..
. .. . . ... .
..
.. . . .. .
.
. .... ..
...
.
.
Ixaocan. Central area.