Chapter 321: Mana!

After finishing his speech, Alex returned to the command tent with Pipi and Hoot following him. Since he had already introduced them to the people at the Base, there was no reason to keep the two pigeons around any longer.

"I’ll draw you a map of where we’re staying in Hell Difficulty. You can find us there once you arrive," Alex said, taking a piece of paper from the table.

He quickly sketched the surrounding terrain, marking the hill where his group had established their temporary camp. His drawings were surprisingly still bad, although they should’ve been better since he could now control his muscles to a fine degree. He realized it was his artistic sense that was lacking.

He felt the pigeons were staring at his drawing judgmentally, but he must’ve been mistaken.

"Our group will probably be away during the day, so it’s better if you come at night. Someone should be around by then," Alex explained.

"Understood. We’ll gather our brethren and meet you there tonight," Hoot replied after exchanging a few hoots with Pipi.

The two pigeons nodded before taking the map and leaving.

After watching them fly away, Alex found a quiet place inside the Base and entered the Land of Origin.

...

Alex woke up on the familiar hill in Hell Difficulty. He stretched his arms before getting up and looking around, noticing that everyone had already arrived except Frank.

"You’re finally here," Emma greeted him, looking unusually cheerful.

Alex nodded and approached the others, noticing that everyone had completed their Species Evolution and had become considerably stronger.

Emma and Joseph, in particular, seemed quite happy about something, so Alex couldn’t help asking what had happened.

"I managed to find a Merchant on Earth and bought a Skill. I haven’t had the chance to test it properly yet, but it should be quite useful," Emma replied excitedly.

"You can purchase skills?" Alex asked.

"Yes, it’s possible for Rogues!" Emma made a peace sign.

Alex had a strange expression, but he suppressed it quickly and congratulated her before joining the others for some training while they waited for Frank.

After a while, Frank finally woke up and approached the group, prompting Alex to ask about the situation in his city.

"Not particularly good. We’re managing for now, but there are still too many things to deal with," Frank replied, shaking his head.

"I’ve more or less stabilized the situation in my city, so I’ll come to yours soon. Don’t worry too much," Alex assured him, earning a grateful nod from Frank.

Alex then told everyone about his negotiations with the intelligent pigeons and explained that they had agreed to cooperate with his faction. "They should arrive here tonight, so you’ll probably get to meet them when we return."

Everyone nodded, clearly looking forward to meeting their new allies. With that settled, the group prepared to leave for the Sunken Vault.

As they approached the enormous hole, Alex looked toward Joseph and asked, "Was this thing here before the Dark Night? I don’t remember anyone mentioning something like this."

Joseph shook his head. "No, I’m quite sure this was normal land before that. We passed through this area several times, and nobody noticed anything unusual."

Alex wondered how such a massive hole could have appeared overnight, but nobody had an explanation. They continued through the surrounding terrain, eliminating several monsters along the way before finally reaching the water-filled hole where the Sunken Vault Dungeon was located.

Alex looked down into the water, but even from the edge, he couldn’t see anything beneath the surface. The depths were completely dark, making it impossible to determine how far down the Dungeon actually was.

"Meow!" Mia suddenly cried out, glaring at Alex as though he had personally offended her.

Everyone looked surprised by her reaction, but Alex merely waved his hand.

"It’s fine. She’s just being a drama queen because there’s water involved," Alex explained before looking at Mia with a teasing smile. "You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but don’t complain when we surpass you."

Mia immediately hissed at him, clearly annoyed by his provocation. Fortunately, the other two Netherclaw Prowlers she had brought along began meowing at her, eventually calming her down.

"All right, let’s get ready," Matthew announced, opening his Inventory and taking out scuba diving suits, oxygen cylinders, pressure gauges, and several other pieces of equipment. He had purchased everything after discussing their plans with the group.

Everyone stored several spare oxygen cylinders in their Inventories while Matthew demonstrated how to use the equipment. He explained how to monitor their oxygen supply, replace cylinders before they ran out, and check their gauges as they descended.

"Since we’ve all completed our Species Evolution, we don’t really know how much water pressure our bodies can withstand. If the pressure becomes dangerous, don’t force yourself to continue. We’ll retreat and figure something else out," Alex reminded everyone.

Matthew agreed and continued his demonstration, while Emma and Joseph occasionally added useful pointers. Everyone listened carefully, knowing that making a mistake underwater could be considerably more dangerous than fighting monsters on land.

While listening, Alex noticed Mia secretly approaching the water. She glanced around before cautiously dipping one paw into it, apparently believing nobody was watching.

The moment her paw touched the water, she jumped backward, her fur standing on end. Emma nearly burst into laughter, and Alex noticed that everyone else was smiling as well, clearly having witnessed the entire incident.

Mia snapped her gaze to the group after hearing Emma, but everyone was back to their calm expression.

After Matthew finished demonstrating the equipment once, Alex nodded and said, "All right, I’ve got it. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble remembering the procedures."

"Are you sure? You should probably watch it another time," Matthew suggested, looking somewhat doubtful.

"There’s no need. I’ll remember everything you demonstrated," Alex replied confidently.

Ever since he started reinforcing his brain with mana, his memory had improved considerably, so remembering a few instructions wasn’t particularly difficult.

’Mana really is the best thing,’ he thought, feeling increasingly satisfied with its usefulness.

..

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