Chương 108: 105. Jade Entrance

Adolin watched as Eury and Clay meditated. At some point, Clay's body had floated as well, and it wasn't his doing. Now that he thought about it, from a distance, they did look like a group of monks. They just needed to shave their heads and get some brown robes to look the part. Eurynomos had learned the basic breathing technique as well. Well, he guessed so when a creepy smile appeared on the boy's face some fifteen minutes after he explained how it worked. Both of them learned it much faster than he thought.

In his old world, it didn't really matter how fast they learned it, but here it did, because Clay had increased his level four times just for learning the most basic form of the technique. Adolin did feel a bit jealous, so he decided to try a few techniques he knew and see what happened. But first, he needed to expel the feeling from his mind, which was more difficult than usual. It took him a few seconds to clear his head, and he focused on his breathing.

He'd meant to use the technique previously, but after thinking about it for a few moments, he'd found the right way to teach it to Clay, even without using it himself. He took a deep breath and held it for three seconds before exhaling. It was followed by six quick breaths before a long break without any pulses from his core. In less than a minute, the technique was active. As soon as the technique was active, he felt his mana pool increase.

It was the same amount of increase in his mana pool he usually got from a single level.

"Lucky bastard," he muttered. It really wasn't fair. Why did the boy get four levels while he only got one? Well, he was well aware that Clay was just a few levels past level thirty, as he'd heard the boy talking about his Class Selection. And Adolin had increased his level over fifty times in less than two months, while the boy had had the blessing for at least a few years. His speed was the unfair one, but he didn't really care about that.

Soon, he gave up on his jealousy once again and changed his breathing to a different technique. This one was meant to increase his speed and agility. How did it work? He didn't have a single clue. Luc had taught him the technique even before they left the human continent. It was one of the techniques he'd learned in preparation for the war against the gods… This time, his level didn't increase, so he moved on to the next one. That one increased his level again.

He used five more and only managed to increase his level twice more. In the span of five minutes, he'd increased his level four times. He glanced at Clay again and smiled. It occurred to him that it had been some time since he last checked his status, so he decided to do just that.

"Status," he muttered. During the last month, he'd also learned that he didn't really need to say "status" out loud. All he had to do was think about it, and yet, for some reason, it still felt more natural to say the damned word. The status appeared before his eyes.

[Status:] Name: Dareth Wood Race: Human Mana: 2760/2760 Level: 58 -> 66(+8) Class: Convenience Mage Class Skill: [Cleanse] [Attributes:] Strength: 71 -> 79(+8) Agility: 72 -> 80(+8) Endurance: 73 -> 81(+8) Intelligence: 236 -> 276(+40) Constitution: 71->79(+8) Attribute Points Available: 8(+8) He stared at Mana and smiled. He really had improved a lot since he woke up with the measly thirty mana. Now, he had more than enough to do whatever he wanted.

He was still far off from the strength from his previous life, but that was getting closer with every day. He glanced at his notifications next. [New Skill Detected: Mana Signature Beacon.] [Skill Tier: 5] [Level Increased.]... [New Skill Detected: Mana Control.] [Skill Tier: 13] [Level Increased.]... [New Skill Detected: Full Focus Breathing Technique.] [Skill Tier: 9] [New Skill Detected: Stronger Heart Breathing Technique.] [Skill Tier: 5] [Level Increased.] [Level Increased.]...

[New Skill Detected: Mind Strengthening Breathing Technique.] [Skill Tier: 10] [Level Increased.] [Attribute Points Available: 8] The blessing had recognized Mana Control again as a higher tier, the highest tier he'd gotten so far. That was probably because of the Last Stand he'd used during his fight with Eury. Last Stand wasn't really a spell. It was more about controlling his mana and unleashing it after enough pressure had built up inside his core.

There were also all the spells he'd used during the fight with Eury and afterward. He really needed to start using more techniques, especially since they didn't even cost mana or time… Well, he already used the ones that didn't cost any time, but there were a few dozen more as well. The others would require a quiet room to practice, because he never really had the time—or the desire—to master them. His favorite techniques was the Mind Strengthening Technique.

It made his mind, or perhaps his soul, stronger against Mind Magic. It didn't stop it completely; it simply reduced the effects the magic had on his mind. He would have to keep that technique active. The organization used Mind Magic, and he really didn't want to get brainwashed like all those people at the Count's Estate. Adolin hadn't really thought about it before because the technique needed a long time to strengthen his mind, and time wasn't something he had back then.

Well, that made it clear what he needed to teach his party.

"Mage," the voice brought him back to reality. Adolin glanced at the silver-haired boy in front of him. He had a huge grin, and his eyes almost seemed to glisten.

"What do you want?" You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Umm… what do I need to do to get a few more techniques out of you?" Eurynomos asked after a few seconds of awkward staring.

"Well, for one, you need to pay me for the first technique I taught you. As for the others, I'm not sure if I even want to teach you anything else."

"Hey! That's not fair! Do you think I carry a whole food shop in my inventory? I will do it as soon as we're back in the city. And why wouldn't you want to teach me other techniques?!"

"Well, think of a good offer. A really good one." Eurynomos frowned.

"I…"

"I don't need to hear it now. Anyway, how many levels did you get from the technique?" Adolin asked. He really was curious, as Clay had gotten four, while Adolin had only gotten one. Perhaps even less, depending on his progress toward the next level from before. But there was no way to check it, and he'd cast a lot of spells during his duel with Eury. The fight had been intense enough that he didn't even have the time to care about what new spells he used during it.

"Only two levels," Eury said with a shrug.

"It's not terrible." Adolin managed to keep his face from changing and didn't say anything other than a small smile.

"What? How many did you get?" Eurynomos asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"Hmm… enough?" Adolin said.

"That's not really an answer." Adolin ignored him and glanced at Clay. The boy had opened his eyes some time ago and was listening to their conversation. He didn't look too shocked that his body was floating in the air. Well, all of them were floating. He also looked… amused?

"You two sound like old friends," he stated. Eury turned toward him.

"Meh," he muttered.

"How can we be old friends? The old fart is old enough to be my grandfather." Adolin chuckled inwardly. If that had come from anyone else, he might have been offended. But coming from the being that was literally a few centuries older than him… well, maybe not that much, but it was still at least a century. He didn't really care too much and just ignored the comment. Eury continued, his expression one of disbelief.

"Look at that. He isn't even trying to deny it!" Clay laughed at that.

"It does seem so." Eury and Clay continued making jokes about Adolin's age, but he didn't really mind it. It all felt like background noise to him. Instead, his focus was mostly on what to do in the dungeon. He needed to let Clay fight most of the battles so he could evaluate his fighting style and come up with a plan for what skills and techniques would suit him the most. Then, he could make a plan for how to train the boy.

Adolin had watched Clay fight in the previous dungeon, but he really hadn't been in a great state of mind back then. So, his memories weren't really focused on Clay's fighting style and were practically useless for what he needed now. He also wanted to learn more about the dungeons and, if possible, get a few more of the perfect healing potions the dungeon had given him the last time. It would be much better if he could also find a mana potion.

His expertise lay in healing, but he'd made quite a few mana potions during his life as well. Their purity was nothing to brag about, though. All he could say about them was that they were passable and did their job. Since he already planned on perfecting the healing potions, he could try to do the same with the mana potions as well. But all that would have to wait until he had a place to live and a big alchemy room. That would hopefully happen when they arrived at Revel's estate, or wherever she lived. And…

spellbooks! He needed a lot of them. That was the first step he needed to take to be able to start his job. Teaching healing magic in a world where mages relied on cheats. Were the spellbooks cheats? It didn't really matter to him. He had yet to come to terms with how easy learning magic was in this world. The way learning a spell with the spellbooks worked made magic accessible to everyone. Or at least to a lot more people. Learning magic in his old world was time-consuming and used a lot of resources.

Not everyone had the coin or time to spend learning magic, even though most people had enough mana for the most basic spells. The time needed to learn simply didn't make it worth it. Soon, footsteps approached them, and he turned. It was Eury's party. They did look confused, and Adolin didn't really blame them. They were still floating in the air in a meditative pose. He was curious about how weird they looked from afar.

"We are ready to advance to the next floor," Xenia said, or at least Adolin guessed that was her name. He'd overheard a tiny bit of their conversation before he left. He didn't know the names of the other two. Eury turned and faced her, mostly looking at the ground around her.

"I think we are ready as well."

"Are you going to be reliable in a fight?" Adolin tilted his head, expecting anyone other than Clay to speak up. He would normally agree with the boy if he didn't know Eury's powers. It didn't really matter what the dungeon held, as he was pretty sure Eury himself would be enough to clear it in a day. The time was merely a guess, as he still had no idea how big the dungeon was. Still, since they wouldn't really be the ones clearing it, he just nodded in agreement.

The young man who wielded a spear was the first to speak up.

"There won't be any problems from us." Xenia and the other man nodded in agreement. Clay studied them for a few long seconds. The boy really did look like a noble. At least now, he was usually more childish during their journey. Whatever had happened in his party had made him a tad bit more serious. Or perhaps it was the dungeon that had changed him… Adolin wasn't exactly sure, as he didn't pay that type of attention to anyone. Well, there was also the fact that he had decided to grow up a bit...

whatever that meant.

"We found the entrance to the next room," Xenia said, turning toward her right.

"It's about two hundred meters from this location. The entrance is a dark green polished stone that almost comes across as translucent. I'm not sure if that gives us a hint about the next room." Adolin had no idea, so he remained silent, listening. Clay gave them a look. More specifically, he gave Adolin a look. It was pretty obvious to him that he wanted them to put him on the ground, but he was powerless, as Eury was the one floating the boy. A few seconds passed in silence as his look became even more obvious.

Adolin coughed twice. Eury didn't seem to be taking the hint, so he hit him on the head with his stick. Eury didn't say anything as he returned to his "avoiding gaze" face and lowered Clay softly to the ground.

"Thanks," Clay said, looking at Adolin. Well, he wasn't going to correct him. That would just make his life more difficult. How was he going to explain that a nine-year-old brat was the one using magic to keep him in the air? It probably wouldn't be as difficult as he thought it would, but that didn't mean he would. Clay's hand closed around the hilt of his sword.

"There are a few dungeons where the entrance usually signifies what could be expected in the next room. While in most, the entrance is just there for passing through, without any hints about the next room." He took a brief pause before continuing.

"The entrances in this dungeon so far have been a good representation of what the rooms were. I need to see the entrance before I can say for certain." They talked for a few more minutes before they headed toward the entrance. Clay kept testing them throughout their short journey, and in the end, he looked satisfied with the results. Adolin also learned some new information about dungeons, but it really wasn't anything too important or something he couldn't learn himself from a few expeditions inside one.

Still, he welcomed any new information, as the dungeons just kept piquing his interest. The entrance stood in front of them. It was circular, and the material was jade. He wasn't sure what that meant, and neither did Clay, judging by the look on his face. From his limited information about jade, the material could be found in mountains, rivers, or similar environments. That really didn't help them understand what the next room would be. Perhaps it was hinting at the enemies inside?

"Any thoughts?" the swordman asked. Clay stared at the entrance for a few moments longer.

"I have no idea. I think it's made from a single jade stone. That doesn't really tell us much." The boy unsheathed half of his sword and took a deep breath.

"There's one way to find out," Clay said as he dove into the entrance. Adolin chuckled and followed behind him. He had to agree that it really was the best and quickest way to find out about the next room.