Amber smiled as she hummed, her legs swinging beneath her while she flew above the wetlands. The swampy forest wasn't particularly cold, but it wasn't warm either. It possessed the damp, quiet atmosphere typical of an ancient forest.
The space between the trees was enormous, and so were the trees themselves. Some rose so high that Amber had to fly higher and higher simply to see beyond their branches. Eventually the air began to thin, forcing her to descend once more.
Rather than continue flying normally, she sat comfortably atop a thick chain made from an unfathomably durable metal. The chain had been refined using her enormous reserves of mana. It could change its size, its shape, its length, and so far it had never failed to obey her. Amber happily swung her legs as the enormous chain carried her through the forest.
For the first time in her entire life, she was somewhere she knew absolutely nothing about. There were no familiar landmarks.
No maps she could trust.
No certainty that she would survive the next three weeks.
And yet she felt nothing but peace. Nothing but calm. Lexa had trained her to the point where very few things still frightened her. Her Master. Vexion. Lexa herself. Those three were exceptions. Everything else was different. Of course, something stronger could still defeat her. But understanding that someone was stronger, and being genuinely terrified of them, were two entirely different things.
The reason was simple. Amber could now defend herself, with her own skill. Even now, she didn't know whether someone could successfully ambush her.
But several chains constantly protected her.
One rested around her waist.
Another wrapped around both wrists. The enormous chain she currently sat upon flew beside her like a loyal companion.
Each possessed enough durability to withstand a strike containing nearly eighty percent of Lexa's strength.
And if necessary, every chain Amber created could possess similar durability.
It didn't matter whether she formed them from metal, stone, or another naturally durable material. Her skill would refine the material into something far stronger.
Amber considered her Mana Chain skill nearly ninety percent mastered.
Three of her other skills had reached similar levels.
She smiled as she glanced toward her academy bracelet.
The closest objective wasn't a location.
Nor was it another student. It was a monster.
The bracelet had already identified it. Amber's smile widened.
She casually jumped from her chain.
"Ah!"
She giggled as she fell through the air.
Her body flipped once.
Then twice.
The enormous chain suddenly shot beneath her before flattening itself into a wide seat. Amber landed comfortably.
The chain was nearly one hundred meters long and twenty meters wide.
It was enormous. Its surface possessed a dark green and black sheen, reflecting faint light through the mist surrounding the forest.
Amber smiled as a powerful roar echoed from somewhere ahead.
"RRAAAWWWRR!"
Her eyes brightened.
"Oh. My prey."
The chain suddenly accelerated. Amber became a blur as she flew through the enormous forest.
Several trees shook violently beneath the pressure created by her passing.
Far ahead, a massive figure stood between the ancient trees. Amber slowly approached before examining it with obvious curiosity.
"A Cyclops Lord."
She tilted her head.
"I heard your species is supposed to be about as strong as a typical Sage?"
The creature was enormous, nearly three times Amber's height. A gigantic stone club rested within its hands.
Its teeth were long and sharp.
A single enormous eye carefully followed Amber's movements.
Powerful muscles covered its entire body, making the monster appear terrifying even while standing still. Tattered brown robes hung loosely around its waist.
Amber smiled.
"I wonder if Master would even know what you are."
She rested her chin against one hand.
"Master and reading don't exactly go hand in hand."
The Cyclops released another furious roar.
"RRAAAWWWRR!"
Amber remained seated. Her chain gently lowered until she was lying comfortably against its surface.
"Not having to worry about mana really is a wonderful luxury." She smiled. "To think people used to make fun of me for being nothing more than a mana battery."
Her expression brightened.
"Master turned me into—" She paused. "—what did he call me again?"
Then she remembered.
"An energy bomb."
Amber giggled. Still, she understood something important. Possessing nearly endless mana didn't automatically make someone stronger.
It didn't guarantee victory. Lexa had made certain Amber understood that. Repeatedly. Painfully.
The enormous chain slowly shrank before circling around Amber, moving gently, almost like an obedient pet protecting its Master.
Amber chuckled. The Cyclops watched her with obvious confusion. It didn't move closer. Nor did it retreat. It simply observed.
Amber found that interesting. Legendary-tier monsters might not possess the intelligence of Mythical-tier creatures, but they certainly weren't fools.
She smiled before mentally commanding her chain.
Fold.
The chain immediately obeyed. Its enormous body compressed before taking the form of a gigantic metallic whip. Then it bent. The chain lashed toward the Cyclops with terrifying speed and incredible power. The Cyclops immediately raised its stone club. It swung.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided. The Cyclops' enormous eye widened. Its body was violently thrown backward.
It crashed against one of the gigantic trees before collapsing onto the ground. Several enormous branches broke apart.
The monster slowly stood. Rage filled its single eye. Then the color of that eye changed.
Amber immediately noticed.
She had spent countless hours observing mana, studying it, understanding it. She perceived mana differently from most people.
The moment it began gathering, she smiled. A circular symbol appeared within the Cyclops' eye. Then a thick, cylindrical beam shot toward her.
The beam possessed a dark red color. Its power was enormous.
Amber remained completely calm. Her chain folded before her. A massive metallic wall appeared.
TINGGGGG!
BWOOSSH!
The dark-red beam collided with the chain. The forest trembled. Trees cracked. The surrounding air violently shook.
Yet the chain didn't bend. It didn't crack. It didn't yield even slightly. Its enormous thickness absorbed the attack without difficulty.
Amber smiled.
Split into two.
The chain immediately obeyed. One large section remained before her as a protective wall. The other separated, coiling around Amber's body like a loyal creature protecting its owner.
The Cyclops suddenly disappeared from her sight.
The forest contained countless sounds — cicadas, rivers, wind passing through the branches, leaves rustling against one another. Yet none of those sounds could hide the heavy footsteps rapidly approaching her. Then Amber's eyes widened.
"SPEED?"
The Cyclops had circled around her. Using the dense forest as cover, it had rapidly approached from her right. Both hands gripped the enormous stone club. The monster appeared directly beside her. Then—
POWWW!
The club swung. The impact struck Amber's chain with enough force to send both of them flying. The enormous chain rapidly pulled her backward.
Her body remained safely seated as she was launched through the air like a ball struck into the sky. Amber's hair flew wildly behind her.
For several seconds, she remained silent. Then a wide smile appeared across her face.
"Oh. So you're actually interesting."