Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

When Mash claimed to be unaware of the class's expedition, she had been telling the truth. Still, this didn't mean she and the other girls were unaware of the dangers they would subject to while attending school at the Clock Tower. They had all received special training and, in many ways, it was this reason that led to girls like Astrid and Zoë being even more cautious than they otherwise would have been.Sakura understood that her status as an Imperial Princess would quickly be discovered by their enemies so she and Mordred had received the strictest and most comprehensive explanation of what to expect and how to determine whether or not they were in danger. There would be no end to the number of people that would want to exploit them for benefits so they needed to be aware of any potential dangers at all times.Currently, though they were unaware of it, Sakura was directing her group toward the area where Astrid's party was located. They had developed a system of silent communication alongside their Companions so all five groups were aware of what was happening. This allowed them to quickly congregate toward each other as the Companions each had a detailed map depicting the layout of every chamber and passage that had been dutifully mapped by Da Vinci's micro-golems over the last month.While the preceding month was to allow the students a chance to familiarize themselves with each other, the primary reason behind the delayed Baseline training was due to the fact that Da Vinci was still collecting information. She understood Vahn's nature well so, even without him telling her to do so, she had been secretly investigating the interior of the Clock Tower and using her flea-sized micro-golems to piggyback onto students venturing into the Spirit Tomb. Once they were inside, they could use the raw materials and magical energy to reproduce so, by the time a month had passed, her golems had mapped most of the Vein Corridor and Great Heart regions of the dungeon-like structure.It was only once a comprehensive network was established, allowing the Companions to easily communicate with each other, that the children were finally allowed access to the interior. After all, there were bound to be a few people seeking trouble and, with 'accidents' happening inside the Spirit Tomb on a near-daily basis, it was easy to cover things up. This meant the students of the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory were in the greatest amount of danger while inside the Spirit Tomb, at least from the perspective of their enemies...By the time a few minutes had passed, most of the teams, many following the direction of their Companions, were actually very close to each other. This was entirely unknown to the group that had been pursuing Sakura so, once the latter had her group stop to take a rest, a young man with stylish clothing and three other students, two males and a female, entered into the chamber.Acting as if he was surprised to encounter the trio, the man raised his brows before smiling as he said, "To think we would have the pleasure of encountering one of the famous groups belonging to the Empire! I believe your name is Miss Sakura, is it not...?"In a casual and disarming fashion, the boy attempted to walk over toward Sakura, Irene, and Kana as the trio behind him fanned out slightly. This seemed to be a natural movement at a glance but, if you were observing them closely and interpreting the meaning behind their actions, it was easy to understand that they were trying to cover the exits.Before the boy could get any closer, Sakura manifested a sword out of thin air, giving the youth pause as she stated in a plain tone, "State your name and purpose. If you've come here seeking trouble, prepare yourself...!"Sakura wasn't the most talkative girl but, when it came to a situation like this, she wasn't going to even try to put on an act. She had learned about how monstrous some of the Magi belonging to the Association were so the boy would need a very good excuse if he wanted to avoid a very long stay in the hospital.Though he put on a mask of shock, complete with an awkward smile, it was obvious that the boy was actually more afraid than he let on. Still, he did his best to keep up the act as he stated in the same disarming manner as before, "Whoa, whoa, there is no need for such hostility! I'll admit that we were following your group but it was primarily due to our curiosity. The students belonging to the Empire's class are a popular topic within the Clock Tower so I just wanted to come and see for myself what kind of people were accepted into the class...!"Despite the boy attempting to deescalate the situation, Sakura noted that he didn't state his name. At the same time, Momo's fur was sticking up a bit and, though it wasn't very intimidating, they were barring their fangs towards the boy performing a gesture of surrender. This was all she needed to understand that the boy was lying as, in order to better protect their partners, even the earlier generation Companions were able to read a person's biometric data to determine if their partners were ill or if their enemies were lying.Without any hesitation, Sakura activated her [Cantus Bellax], forming a shroud of vibrant violet mana around her body. This was enough to get the boy to take a few steps back and, realizing his ploy wasn't having any effect, his demeanor quickly changed as he grimaced and stated, "You do not stand a chance against me. Unless you want this play to be your burial ground, you'll listen to my offer and behave. Don't make me have to hurt that pretty face of yours, little miss Princess...!"Though Sakura was much stronger than even adult Magi, her inexperience put her at the slightest of disadvantages in this situation. She didn't actually want to hurt anyone so she had waited until the boy finished speaking before moving. This allowed his allies to activate some kind of magic circle that quickly spread through the room but, with her speed, their attempt at trying to trap the group was ultimately futile.The boy hadn't even considered for a moment that he wasn't a match for the young brunette so, a testament to his own lack of experience, he was unable to react by the time a hot sensation could be felt from his left leg. He then heard the sound of a barrier shattering before a crashing sound, followed by the croaking of a person gurgling on their blood, reached his ears. This caused him to instinctually turn around to investigate but, the moment he placed weight on his left leg, he tumbled to the ground hard and fast.It was only after he ate a face full of dirt and grime that the boy realized his leg from the knee down had been severed. This caused a rush of adrenaline to course through his body but, by the time a blood-curdling shout of pain escaped his lips, a hard impact scattered his thoughts as his body was sent skidding across the ground. He then felt a weight on his chest and, after emitting a painful cough, he couldn't help but shout, "What the fuck is going on...!?"As if to answer the boy's question, Sakura placed the tip of her sword which, if you looked closer, had neither a blade or a sharp point. It was purely a catalyst for her magic in the shape of a sword so, if not for her skill, strength, and speed, cutting with the dull edge would be nearly impossible. All of this escaped the boy's notice, however, as the loss of a leg made him believe the blade had one of the sharpest edges in the world...Though only a few seconds had passed, there were now four students on the ground with varying levels of injuries. Sakura herself was struggling to prevent her body from shaking but, with more than two years of training, she wasn't completely unaccustomed to blood and gore. This gave her the wherewithal to stay focused on the task at hand so, once again, she stated, "You will tell me your name and the purpose behind your actions. Do not make me cut off your other leg..."Sakura felt nauseous threatening another person in such a manner but she managed to hold the contents of her stomach as the rounded point of her sword touched the boy's collarbone. This seemed to return his senses to him and, realizing he had walked headfirst into a hard wall, he lowered his head in a subservient manner with both arms raised as he stammered, "Please, do not kill me! I was only sent to gather information...!"Even with a leg missing, the boy still kept his identity a secret and, based on Momo's reaction, Sakura knew he was still lying to her. She remained completely silent, watching for even a slight reaction from his body as her [Instinct] told her he was up to something. Then, not fully aware of the foolishness of her actions, Irene muttered, "S-Sakura...is-isn't this going too far...?"At nearly the exact same moment that Irene finished her question, the boy groveling on the floor attempted to tackle Sakura's legs but, never taking her eyes off him, the latter was able to easily evade the desperate action. This didn't seem to deter him, however, as he pulled out a crystalline orb that radiated a pristine white light and shouted, "Fuck you and your shitty Empire...!"Extending his arm back in an obvious wind-up motion, the boy glared back at Sakura with hate-filled eyes tinged with tears and the light of desperation. This quickly morphed into a look of despair, however, when Sakura's body flickered out of existence before another hot pain wracked his body, this time emanating from the stump that now replaced his right arm. At the same time, the crystalline orb he was about to throw was contained with a black cube that Sakura had pulled out of thin air, sealing the unknown object safely inside.After falling to the ground a second time, the boy held the stump of his arm, screaming madly as a chain of heinous curses escaped his lips. He not only tried cursing Sakura but her entire family and the Empire as a whole. This caused the shaking of her body to gradually decrease and, by the time the boy had tired himself out due to screaming and blood loss, a deep chill had begun to spread through her body.Despite her relatively mature and kindly disposition, Sakura's primary affinities were Darkness, Ice, Water, and Space. This made it a lot easier for her to develop negative emotions so, hearing all of the terrible things the boy wished upon her family, the patient and kind smile she usually showed had faded completely. Even her serious and focused battle expression was nowhere to be seen and, though it wasn't visible to the naked eye, a terrifying violet light was glowing at the center of her teal-colored eyes...Fortunately, before Sakura could do something she regretted, Momo came over to her side and began to gently pat her thigh. This brought Sakura back to her senses and, realizing the boy was on the verge of death due to blood loss, she forced a potion into his mouth. These were made by Paracelsus based on his research of various items given to him by Vahn. Though not nearly as potent as the originals, they were capable of even recovering lost limbs. The downside was that they used up a considerable amount of the person's energy so you would feel extreme fatigue after consuming a single dose.Once she had treated all four people, Sakura turned to the pale Irene and Kana, saying, "They did not come after us with good intentions. Help me tie them up. It shouldn't take long for Professor Alpha to send someone down to retrieve them..."Though they were still a little shaken by witnessing how fierce Sakura could be when action was called for, neither Irene or Kana hesitated to help tie up the bodies. They had grown up within the Magus community so they were well aware of the plots and schemes perpetrated by people who thought highly of themselves while looking down on others. If they had been the weaker party, it was all but guaranteed that they wouldn't have had a pleasant experience. Thus, while Sakura had now become a rather scary person to them, they were still grateful to have her on their side...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Imagine thinking you can scheme against Vahn and Da Vinci xD...','Do not piss off the silent and quiet types...','You were not prepared...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

At around the same time that Sakura was being stalked by their enemies, Vahn was sitting atop the Leviathan, pale blue light radiating from his pupils. His expression was blank but, based on how his finger was rhythmically tapping against his knee, it was obvious to any observer that he wasn't calm. Rather, it took more restraint than he knew he had to remain idle while viewing the scene play out through the perspective of Sakura's Companion, Momo.Vahn had chief administrative access over the Mother System and, as a sapient entity, it qualified as one of his Subordinates. This allowed him to share senses with the System and, regardless of the fact it was an Artificial Intelligence with very few biological components.In the grand scheme of things, life wasn't simply formed of flesh and an amalgamation of complex neural processes that were driven by electrical signals firing in unique sequences. If a person had a sufficient understanding of the Laws, being made purely of elemental forces could be given life. This was one of the reasons why he never looked down on Artificial Humans and Homunculi as, despite the nature of their being, there was never a doubt in his mind that they were living creatures that deserved the same rights as other people...The only 'people' that weren't deserving of this recognition were those that lived by exploiting and victimizing others without any real rhyme or reason. He saw many of the nobles as monsters wearing the guise of humans as, other than themselves and their own interests, they seemed incapable of the most basic form of human decency. It incensed him to no end and, if not for his past promises and a strong desire to never lose himself to hatred and anger, Vahn wouldn't be able to stop himself from wreaking havoc on the people who set these kinds of events in motion.Fortunately, Sakura's training was not without results so, while she was visibly shaken, he was more worried about the 'calm' that had washed over her towards the very end. She still had sequelae from her time as a vessel of Angra Mainyu's corruption as, while memories could be altered and erased, the Soul and body could still remember. Her Ego carried the echoes of her past self and, while the odds of her having a relapse were relatively slim, they weren't negligible.Realizing this, Vahn closed his eye to focus while, back in the real world, his primary vessel awakened from its meditative state before teleporting back to London. At the same time, he sent a telepathic message to Sherlock Holmes who, mere seconds later, transmitted all of the pertinent information necessary to resolve this issue. This wasn't something outside of their expectations as Sherlock had already profiled every major and subsidiary family associated with the Clock Tower. This, combined with the data provided by Da Vinci and CHALDEAS, allowed him to instantly understand the greater plot that had been set in motion.With this information at his disposal, Vahn's body seated atop the Leviathan teleported to London, this time directly into the Clock Tower. He knew Solon and Zelretch were keeping tabs on him so, in a cold and commanding tone, he called out, "We need to talk. Bring me to you or I will force my way inside."Moments after his demand, a circular portal appeared in front of him, one which showed an endless expanse of blue sky and marbled structures. Vahn wasted no time in passing through, finding Solon frowning as they asked, "What has you in such a dour mood? Did one of those idiots touch one of your reverse scales...?"Rather than answer Solon's question directly, Vahn plainly stated, "I will be causing an incident at the Trambellio family estate. They may have taken several steps to hide their tracks but I don't play when it comes to protecting my children. I'm only letting you know so their resources are not engulfed by other factions."Solon's expression immediately turned dourer than Vahn's as they brought their palm to their head in a show of exasperation. They had gone to great lengths to get the other two Monarchal families to lay low but, based on this development, it was obvious the two families weren't as unified as the Barthomeloi family had been. This was the main reason they had been unable to usurp the former Monarchal family's status as the most prestigious family; they simply had too much infighting and internal competition.Vahn was, of course, very aware of this fact but, as the Trambellio family flaunted its status while manipulating the Democratic Faction from behind the scenes, it was high time to teach them a lesson. He wasn't planning to destroy the family but, by the time he was finished with them, they would have to part with a lot of their power and resources. These assets would be absorbed by the Clock Tower, causing the other families to speculate that Solon was trying to centralize power within the Association by using the Empire as a proxy.Unfortunately for Solon, Vahn was only here to give them the courtesy of a forewarning. By the time the green-haired Magus asked, "When will you strike...?", he was already tearing apart the roof of the largest Manor and destroying its wards. Thus, with the same severe expression that he entered with, Vahn coldly stated, "Three minutes ago..." before disappearing in a flash of pale blue light. This left Solon with a binary complexion that morphed between pale white and red as they shouted, "Old Bastard, return this instant...!"---Though Vahn was actually proud of Sakura for showing mercy to her would-be attackers, he didn't have much to spare against people that plotted against children. So long as they had darker auras and showed any signs of hostility, the only mercy he would afford them was a quick death. This was the limit of his compassion for these human-shaped monsters who, despite having more power and wealth than almost anyone else in the entire world, they were never satisfied.Eventually, Vahn reached a large hall that was filled with powerful wards and more than fifty first-rate Magi. They were all standing in a formation and, immediately after his entry, each member formed a hand seal as they shouted in unison, "Ath nGabla, Sacred Dueling Formation...!"When the group finished their chant, Vahn found himself surrounded in a field formed by [Primordial Runes] while, on the surface of his heart, another rune tried to embed itself. He knew the purpose of this Magecraft and, under normal circumstances, it would force the target and the challenger to face each other in a life and death duel. If he refused or tried to retreat, the rune on his heart would curse him to death but, as could be expected, even [Primordial Runes] weren't able to affect the interior of his body.It actually took a concentrated effort on Vahn's part to keep the rune from immediately vanishing as he was curious to see what these fools had in mind. The formation imposed one-on-one combat so they were either hoping he didn't know its purpose or someone among them intended to battle him.As if acting on some divine cue, a middle-aged man with a faded hairline and two peculiar tufts of hair poking from the sides of his head walked into the circle, explaining, "This formation was used to bind the Hero Cu Chulainn in the distant past. Upon activation, you are forced to fight everyone that had triggered the formation in single combat..."While speaking, the man began to slowly take off his aristocratic-style clothing, revealing an aged and emaciated body that was covered in scars. He seemed calm on the surface while, beneath this facade, Vahn could feel his mana surging as a commendable amount of power began to course along his Magic Circuits. His control showed a great deal of mastery but, knowing the man had left a few details out of his explanation, Vahn smiled slyly as he said, "I'm guessing it restricts me to only being able to fight one person per day...?"Rather than surprise, the middle-aged man began to laugh in an uninhibited manner before smiling as he said, "We never expected that the Emperor himself would invade our home like this. This was originally intended for that monstrous woman, Scáthach, so imagine my surprise when my nephew alerted me to your arrival. You'll have to forgive me, Your Majesty, but I'd rather not see my family so easily wiped from the fact of this world. I hope you will come to see reason by the time you finish slaughtering myself and my men..."Hearing the man's words, Vahn was tempted to snort but, frustratingly, he could tell from the man's aura that he wasn't one of the evil members of the family. Rather, with the information provided by Sherlock, Vahn knew this man's name was Bancroft Lyle Trambelio, the younger brother and Steward of the Trambelio family Patriarch. He was known for his fair treatment of other people so it annoyed him quite a bit that the Trambelio family had sent him out as a sacrifice to buy time for themselves.Deciding not to play their game, Vahn shattered the rune on his heart while grasping the air with his right hand. This caused the runes forming a circle to fracture like glass as the people who triggered the formation all collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from their mouths and noses. They had received a powerful backlash and, after a month or so of rest, everyone that Vahn hadn't directly put pressure on would make a full recovery.With commendable composure, Bancroft just looked around at his subordinates before shaking his head and musing, "I can't say I'm surprised at this point. Unfortunately, I have a duty to uphold so I'll have to trouble Your Majesty for a short while..."The moment Bancroft finished his words, his wirey body suddenly inflated to the point that even an Olympic athlete would have to do a double-take. He no longer seemed like a middle-aged man and, if not for his balding head, his age would be impossible to guess.Even though he was deeply incensed, Vahn never looked down on people that were deserving of his respect. He knew the man was willing to die to protect his family so, while it would have been easy to just crush him outright, he went on the defensive for a short while. The Trambelio family was actually very famous for their unique [Reinforcement] Magecraft so he was interested to see just how powerful one of their experienced Magi were.Adopting his Xuanwu stance, even without transforming, Vahn deflected Bancroft's surprisingly heavy blows as the man vaulted around the battlefield as if he had springs in his feet. He was able to accelerate to supersonic speeds in short bursts and, rather than damage the surroundings with his movements, Vahn was surprised to see him disperse his magical energy into a surface before quickly retracting it to power his next spring. It was a masterful use of magical energy, one which Vahn had never thought of due to the advanced movement techniques he was capable of performing.Still, there was a massive gulf in their parameters and, while not as monstrous as Sakura, Vahn's own Od had reached a sizable amount. He was sitting just over 27,000 but, rather than magical energy, his reserves were purely comprised of Source Energy. If converted, it was comparable to 27,000,000 units of magical energy so, while his aura may not be that intimidating at a glance, the truth would horrify all but the Gods and a few unique Tier 4 and Tier 5 entities.Bancroft could tell that Vahn was restraining himself considerably in their battle but, rather than be offended, he adopted a wry smile before coming to a stop a few meters away. He had a somewhat grandfatherly appearance for a brief moment as he said, "I've no doubt you have a good reason for being here. My family is not without its skeletons...this is something I am painfully aware of. Despite this, I would ask you to be lenient with them...a few bad apples may spoil the bunch, but it does not mean the entire orchard is rotten..."Despite his fury hiding just beneath the surface, Vahn managed a slight smile as he nodded his head and stated, "We are aware of this. Today will serve as a lesson for the Trambelio family and all others who believe themselves untouchable. Our intention is not to cull, only to educate..."As Vahn spoke, he adopted a low stance with his right hand forward and his left hand retracted, both formed into the shape of claws. At a glance, he would appear to be off-balance but, the moment he crouched down, Bancroft felt as if he was walking down a jungle path, an unseen threat lingering in the shadows. He adopted a stance of his own but, the stronger his desire to fight, the more powerful the suppression he felt on his aching joints...With no other words necessary between them, Bancroft was the first to act. He converted almost all of his magical energy into raw physical power and, for a brief moment, exceeded even the limits of his prime. A powerful aura shrouded his body and, from his striking hand, a column of destructive energy traveling near the speed of light shot out, carrying with it much of his vitality in the process. At the same time, Vahn's body seemed to move in slow motion as he performed a low sweeping movement before sliding forward with both of his hands, seemingly forming a 'mouth' with both hands that simply snapped down on the air in front of him. Immediately after this movement, the massive column of energy 'blinked' out of existence as a phantom white tiger closed its jaws around both the attack and Bancroft himself...(A/N: I woke up with chest congestion so I'm publishing this chapter early and going back to sleep. There will still be a few more chapters today but the schedule will be a little janky.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After being provided with the opportunity to eat breakfast, all of the students within the department were gathered outside the entrance to the Spiritual Tomb: Albion. Most of them had explored the Mining City, Magi's Fair, in the past so they weren't particularly interested in the hustle and bustle surrounding them. Rather, as students of the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory, they were the center of attention, much like rare and exotic beasts that everyone was interested in but too afraid to approach.Everyone had already been assigned their groups at this point so, with Companions included, there ten groups with six individuals, one group with eight, and one group with twelve. The largest group was only so due to the fact that Astrid had brought along her small entourage of Companions as she specialized almost exclusively in support and healing Magecraft. Her seven Companions had grown quite attached to her so, while it was possible for her to leave some behind, they would be restless if she was in danger while they were just idling about in their room.Teams were distributed in a way that allowed power to be spread across each team so, as the most powerful student in the class, Mordred ended up paired together with the three weakest students. This gave her the largest team, sans Companions, but, due to the massive gap in strength, it wasn't an exaggeration to say her team members were anchors. She would have to protect them and make sound judgment calls to keep them out of trouble as, while it was easy to complete the simple tasks and just leave, her pride didn't really allow such things.As could be expected, the three weakest members of the class were all former members of the Clock Tower's Department of General Studies. They consisted of a single male student, David, and two of the more shy and demure female members of the class, Alissandra, and Berenice. Despite the girls' shy nature, however, the boy seemed a lot more nervous than everyone else as, while it was lucky of him to be paired with Mordred, his instinct as a Magus warned him of the coming danger.Mordred knew what must be going through all three of her teammate's minds but she kept her calm and confident smile as she explained, "We'll focus on the D-Rank Objective before moving our way up the list. This will be an opportunity for you to grow so I'll leave the easier objectives to the six of you to complete. If there is any danger, Neko and I will step in to protect you. Once we encounter an enemy beyond your capabilities, I'll deal with it personally. Any questions?"Of the three, Berenice, a girl with light brown hair and grey-blue eyes sheepishly raised her hand and asked, "If we are unable to complete the objectives before the closing of the gate...will we stay inside overnight...?"Hearing the question, Mordred gave a somewhat sly smile before shaking her head and saying, "Not this time. My intuition tells me that we're also being graded on how quickly we complete our given tasks so we'll return to the surface before the gate closes. Don't worry, though, even if we do end up getting stuck inside, I have plenty of supplies to last for upwards of a month."The trio was able to relax a bit when they heard the first part of Mordred's statement but, hearing the second half, they couldn't help but feel she had triggered some event. Berenice and Alissandra gave each other knowing looks while David, despite earning a few laughs from students in the surrounding area, hugged his sheep-like Companion a little tighter. It, in turn, gave him a gentle pat on the arm so he was able to calm down a little bit while internally remarking, ("After today, I'll work harder to become stronger...").David was one of the trio of male students that believed themselves to be ostracized by the rest of the class so he had a lot to reflect upon after learning the value of points. As it was possible to earn bonus points by showing up to non-mandatory training sessions, he suddenly felt that idling about in his room had been a mistake. His Rank was actually the lowest in the entire class so, in the past, Mordred had even offered to help him out after their usual lessons.Believing that Mordred had just wanted to hang out but, David had ignorantly believed his fortune had turned around but, after an hour of hellish training, he was certain she was just bullying him. It was due to this initial incident that he sought the other male students to complain to and, as they had all experienced 'hardships' of their own, it had been easy for them to become friends. It was only now, after a month of classes, that David began to realize that they were quickly being left behind by the rest of the class.This expedition was an opportunity for those with few points to earn a considerable amount due to the fact that they were all assigned to groups with a powerful leader. As for people like David, this was a wake-up call that reminded him that the Empire wasn't looking for people that only did the bare minimum. The rewards of the shop were beyond anything he could have imagined in the past so, in order to secure his future, he needed to obtain a few precious resources to strengthen himself as both a Magus and a Magic Knight...David's sentiments weren't uniquely his own as, after seeing the items listed on the monitor, even the students of the Atlas Temple seemed motivated. They had noticed some items that were almost impossible to obtain in the modern world so, if it was true that they could be purchased, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the Empire's capabilities already exceeded their Temple and it's near-three-thousand years of history.---At precisely 10:00 AM, it was finally time for the Baseline Expedition to begin so, after another short reminder to stay safe, Da Vinci released the teams into the Spirit Tomb. Each group passed through a large transparent blue portal that, at a glance, looked like a perfectly circular pond. However, while it was active, the portal connected to a large spiraling staircase that led into the Spirit Tomb's highest layer, the Great Magic Circuit known as the Vein Corridor: Od Vena. Here, the mana saturation was a startling 11%, making it more than five times more potent than the mana found on the Surface.All of the students felt the increase in mana but, back in her own group, Sakura turned her eyes toward the rainbow-like aurora winding down the long spiraling path. It was quite beautiful and, though they were supposed to be descending into the earth, the surroundings actually opened up wider as they descended while, outside of the few gaps that were present, an endless void seemed to stretch out into eternity. This was due to the fact that, after passing through the Gate, you would enter into a unique Bounded Field, a sub-dimension created by the True Dragon's will...Upon reaching a landing, each of the groups began to split off in random directions, some choosing to stay together for mutual protection. As for Sakura, she had been designated as the leader of her group so, after glancing at her classmates, two girls named Irene and Kana, she turned to Momo and said, "Momo, please lead us to the area where we can find Crystal Mandrake."Irene and Kana were momentarily confused by Sakura's decision to task Momo with leading the way but, before they could ask, she explained, "Our Companions aren't just adorable. They are extremely intelligent and have access to a larger network of information. That diagram Professor Alpha put on display should be stored within their shared network. So long as the location of an item is known, it should be possible for our Companions to lead us there."Hearing Sakura's explanation, the two girls looked at their own Companions, a dog and fox variation, with glittering eyes. In response, their Companions adopted somewhat silly smiles on their faces that caused the girls' hearts to do backflips as they picked up the adorable creatures to snuggle. Sakura saw this and offered a smile of her own but, rather than idle for too long, she gestured to the duo and said, "Come, we should hurry. If the area is looted by other people, we'll have to wait until the materials respawn or risk having to venture deeper to obtain them."With Sakura's reminder, the girls became more serious as complacency really was the number one cause of death within the Spirit Tomb. They also recognized this as an opportunity to make a good impression on Sakura as, for the first time since they had started attending class, this was the only instance they had seen the Imperial Quintet split up. The only one that seemed to move about on her own was Mordred so this was a rare chance to become friends with someone they believed to be an Imperial Princess...---As the Spirit Tomb was the body of a legendary True Dragon, many parts of it were still full of vitality, despite more than two thousand years having passed since its death. Though most of the 'walls' had solidified into an extremely hard substance, there were areas where fleshy bits could be found. These places served as monster nurseries and, if not purged periodically, a horrifying phenomenon known as a stampede could occur.Fortunately, this was an extremely rare occurrence and, with the increased flow of traffic into and out of the Spirit Tomb, the density of monsters in the upper chambers had reduced significantly. Because of this, Sakura's party had an easy time reaching the location where Crystal Mandrake could usually be found. The downside, however, was that the alchemical material had already been looted so they would have to wait upwards of four hours for another one to be produced.Sakura didn't particularly care about things like points but, considering how important such things were to her classmates, she wanted to support them. With this in mind, she spread her mana out like thin threads and, upon detecting a foreign mana signature, she turned to allies and said, "We'll try and hunt some monsters by wandering the surrounding chambers. We can earn some extra points by killing weaker enemies and periodically check back to see if the mandrake has respawned. Is that okay with the four of you...?"Points were heavily sought after right now so, upon hearing Sakura's words, Irene and Kana were more than willing to go hunting. This wasn't their first time in the Spirit Tomb so the only monsters were things like Giant Rats, Slimes, and other magical creatures. You would have to venture to the upper floors of the 'Ancient Heart', the middle region of the Spirit Tomb, before you started coming across truly dangerous enemies.With her team's consent, Sakura had the two girls take the lead so that she could protect their real and view the entire situation. Since point allocation depended on contribution, the girls would have to kill their own monsters if they wanted the most benefits. Sakura understood this and, knowing it was a lot easier for her to obtain resources compared to other students, she didn't mind letting them benefit.In this manner, Kana and Irene, using single burst [Sagitta Magicka], began to clear out every single monster they encountered. This spell was quickly becoming even more popular than [Gandr] as the flexibility it provided was something only advanced users of [Gandr] would be able to pull off. The students of the True Mage course had been surprised that such a simple and versatile spell existed but, as this was only scratching the surface of the mountain of revelations they had received from their brilliant Professor, it had already become 'normal' for them...Sakura was happy to see her fellow classmates having fun but, as she had trained under both Artoria and Galahad, she never once dropped her guard. She continued to send out threads of mana, one of the unique ways in which she could make use of her overwhelming Od. Using these, she could easily probe ahead to find dangerous monsters and, in some situations, other students. This allowed her to guide the group towards safer pathways but, despite changing course several times, she was also aware of the group of people that had been following them shortly after they split off from the rest of the groups...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP David','Everyone is point hungry~','What is it that people say about those that go seeking trouble...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1300: Lure