Chapter 30
Kaian decided to reduce unnecessary mana consumption first.
He dismantled the entire maze except for the walls surrounding the chamber containing the residual mana.
He also removed every unnecessary piece of equipment, leaving only the essentials.
Crystal spears continued flying toward him.
SWISH!
Tap tap tap!
CLANG! CLAAANG!
"Come on."
"Couldn't you go easy on me at a time like this?"
Kaian moved skillfully through the attacks.
Then redistributed half of the mana he had just recovered into his arms and legs.
"[Double Enhance, All Limbs.]"
Intense turquoise light entered his limbs.
Shhhhh...
Reducing the area and number of spells he maintained immediately weakened his headache.
"Haah."
"Finally."
"That's much better."
But Kaian knew the relief was temporary.
The excruciating pain had lessened.
So for a moment, he felt fine.
But the fact that his mana was approaching its limit had not changed.
The pain will return soon.
Can my body survive one more attack...?
The thought brought fear rushing back.
What if he collapsed and never woke up?
Would his inner world be stolen?
But Kaian immediately shook his head and discarded the thoughts.
If I only have enough stamina left for one attempt...
Then I just have to succeed in one attempt.
Kaian concentrated his remaining mana into the edge of the pickaxe.
HMMMMMMMM...!
Dark crimson fire mana gathered so densely around the blade that it looked ready to melt the metal.
Kaian slammed the pickaxe into the floor.
CLAAANG!
And he did not stop.
He continued sprinting at the same speed.
Heavy resistance pulled against his arm.
"Uraaaaaah!"
With his normal strength...
Forget running.
He would not even have been able to drive the pickaxe into the floor.
But right now...
He had gone beyond [Enhance].
He was using [Double Enhance].
The pickaxe embedded in the floor began to move.
Tap tap tap tap tap!
SKRRAAAAAANG!
Cracks spread through the wooden floor wherever Kaian passed.
Hidden crystal pillars appeared one after another.
"It worked!"
If he could not identify the single place to deliver a critical hit...
Then he would simply break everything.
But...
"I'm not doing this twice!"
He had to finish it now.
Still running...
Kaian dragged up even more mana.
Shhhhhhh...
Turquoise light once again entered his legs.
Then...
He planted both feet on the wall.
WHOOSH!
For a short moment...
Gravity stopped mattering.
Kaian raced along all four walls.
And mercilessly dragged the pickaxe across them.
SKRRAAAAAANG!
CRRRRRRRACK!
Deep scars appeared across walls composed of crystal pillars.
Crystal spears chased after Kaian from every direction.
SWISH! SWISH!
But subduing his repeatedly enhanced body without killing him was not easy.
At last...
Kaian shattered every surrounding wall.
He landed on the floor.
Then immediately cast another spell.
"[Ignis Vein, Trace!]"
Like lighting a fuse...
Fire spread through every crack the pickaxe had carved.
FWOOSH!
The flames entered the fractures in the crystal pillars and spread throughout their interiors.
A noise like the entire room breaking apart filled the space.
CRACK...! CRACK!
The crystal spears raining toward Kaian disappeared one by one.
Did it work...?
But the fire spreading like red veins never found the point where mana had concentrated most heavily.
Eventually...
It began fading away.
Kaian's eyes shook violently.
"It's not there?"
"Why?"
"I scratched everything!"
Then...
Pain stabbed through his brain like a needle.
"Khk!"
Kaian's knees buckled.
The backlash from recklessly using mana had finally struck.
The residual mana immediately seized the opportunity.
It gathered what remained of its power and began creating crystal spears in the air again.
...Is this the end?
Kaian's body swayed.
His head fell backward.
And just before he collapsed...
He saw it.
The high, smooth ceiling.
The one place his pickaxe had never touched.
Kaian's eyes burned with determination again.
Then...
Without realizing it...
He smiled strangely.
Ah.
It wasn't beneath the lamp.
It was above my head.
Shhhhh...
Kaian squeezed out the last of his mana.
His vision rippled from the headache.
But he did not think about impossibility.
Instead...
He focused entirely on one fact he knew and believed.
Magic was not difficult.
It's simple.
Understand.
Imagine.
Make it real.
Kaian placed his left palm against the floor.
Until now...
He had used magic only with his right hand.
He had not used the left since the day he burned the border forest.
He had been afraid he could not control the power gathered around that wrist.
But...
For what I'm about to do, this power is perfect.
Turquoise mana erupted from Kaian's body.
In an instant...
It engulfed the entire room.
FWOOOOOSH!
One move.
Let's do it all at once.
Kaian spoke another message to the world.
As always...
Short.
Precise.
Powerful.
"[Axis Flip!]"
A thunderous noise like enormous gears interlocking filled the room.
The entire chamber rotated vertically.
RUMBLEEEEEEE!
Kaian had anchored his feet to the floor.
So in an instant...
