The chain shifted beneath her once more, forming a wide seat before slowly lowering her toward the ground.
The Cyclops Lord stared at her, visible confusion appearing in its enormous eye. It frowned and took a single step forward.
Then it vanished.
Amber's heart suddenly accelerated.
Hey, hey... What's this spe—
Her chain moved before she could finish the thought. A massive section rose from her left and hardened into a wall just as—
BOOM!
The Cyclops Lord reappeared beside her, its club crashing into the chain with enough force to send Amber flying across the forest.
This strike was different.
The chain trembled violently beneath the impact. Whatever strength the monster had put into that swing, it was at least twice as powerful as its previous attack.
Amber frowned as she stabilized herself in midair. Only then did she remember the defensive wall she had abandoned earlier.
Almost simultaneously, a dark-red beam curved through the forest, changing direction as it pursued her.
"What the hell...?"
"Are Cyclops Lords normally like this?"
Her chain immediately moved between them.
TINGGGGG!
The beam struck the metallic barrier, releasing a violent wave of energy that exploded outward. Despite the tremendous impact, the chain held firm. It neither bent nor cracked, stopping the beam just a few feet away from Amber before the attack finally dispersed into the surrounding forest.
Amber stared toward the Cyclops Lord, her expression growing increasingly serious.
It has more abilities than an ordinary monster.
Speed, physical strength, and a ranged attack capable of tracking its target.
Her eyes narrowed.
This is starting to feel less like a simple monster... and more like an actual combatant.
The Cyclops Lord disappeared again.
This time, however, Amber was ready.
She immediately called upon another skill.
...
Several days earlier...
"Master."
"Besides this skill, what else should I learn?"
Dante rested one hand over Vexion's chest, almost as though touching her had become his preferred method of thinking. Vexion lay comfortably across his lap, her crimson hair spilling over his legs as she watched a projected drama on the opposite side of the room.
Dante glanced toward Amber.
"You chose a telekinetic style of fighting. The same general principle I use with my Mythical skill."
Amber nodded.
"I think attempting to learn martial arts would be difficult. I've never trained my body that way, and I already need to study mana, its structure, and the structure of the skills I possess. Trying to master physical combat on top of everything else might be too much."
Dante nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. Then think within that category."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Telekinetic users are essentially commanders."
Amber tilted her head.
"Commanders?"
"Think about it. Corpse control, fire manipulation, wind manipulation, most elemental abilities, buffs, debuffs... they all operate according to the same principle. You command from a distance."
He raised another finger.
"Or think of a king. A king doesn't necessarily fight every battle himself. He commands, creates multiple advantages, and uses different forces to protect himself while attacking his enemies."
Amber slowly nodded as she considered the comparison.
"So... my skills should operate together?"
"Exactly."
Dante gestured toward her chain.
"For example, split the chain. One section attacks while the other remains beside you. Your offense continues, but your defense never disappears."
Amber considered the idea for a moment before asking, "So I should search for another skill whose structure follows the same principle?"
Dante nodded.
"Try to find abilities that complement one another. Don't collect skills simply because they're powerful."
He looked toward her.
"Every skill should cover a weakness or strengthen something you already possess."
Vexion shifted slightly before looking toward Amber.
"Basically, Master is saying you shouldn't choose abilities that make it difficult to use multiple skills simultaneously."
Dante nodded.
"Exactly. Your greatest advantage is your enormous mana pool. Don't waste that advantage by learning skills that require all your concentration."
Amber fell silent, contemplating his words.
A commander... A king... Multiple abilities operating together.
The concept made sense. She couldn't become an all-rounder like Vexion, but she didn't need to.
Amber turned toward the half-elf.
"Lady Vexion, if you were me, what kind of skill would you learn?"
Vexion placed a hand over Dante's before answering.
"What would help me end a fight... flashily, powerfully, and quickly."
Amber blinked.
That answer was surprisingly simple.
...
Amber smiled as she recalled the conversation.
She had seen the skill used several times before, and at the time, she had thought exactly what Vexion had described.
Flashy. Quick. Powerful.
The Cyclops Lord reappeared, its enormous body rushing toward her.
Amber calmly raised one finger.
A faint green light appeared above it as mana gathered and compressed. The energy folded inward again and again until an emerald sphere no larger than a marble rested at the tip of her finger.
"Boom."
BOOOOOOM!
The forest shook as a violent explosion of raw mana erupted before her.
The Cyclops Lord was blasted backward, its massive body tearing through several trees before crashing into the ground. Its hand, which had been holding the stone club, was caught directly within the explosion.
Blood covered the ground.
Several fingers had disappeared entirely.
The monster screamed in agony.
Amber watched quietly.
The attack wasn't fire. It wasn't lightning, nor was it any other element.
It was simply... mana.
Mana compressed into an impossibly small space, forced to rotate faster and faster until it could no longer maintain its unstable form.
Mana was energy, and energy naturally resisted being confined. The more Amber compressed it, the more violently it attempted to return to its natural state. Eventually, the structure collapsed, releasing the accumulated energy in a devastating explosion.
Mana Bomb.
A skill Amber had initially disliked.
It was simple and direct, lacking the elegance of her Mana Chain. There was nothing particularly sophisticated about gathering mana, compressing it, and making it explode.
But after imagining Vexion, she had begun to see it differently.
Vexion was intense. Powerful. A living bomb.
She couldn't be contained, and she couldn't be fought safely from a distance. Yet fighting her up close was equally dangerous.
Vexion was destruction waiting to happen.
And yet, she was controlled, peaceful, and obedient.
Only in Master's hands.
That was why Amber had chosen the skill.
She had once considered it unimaginative, but now she understood its value. Sometimes, an ability didn't need to be elegant or complicated. Sometimes, overwhelming destruction was precisely what she needed.
The Cyclops Lord continued screaming as it clutched its injured hand.
Amber chuckled.
"You're lucky. This skill requires a ridiculous amount of concentration, even for me."
She slowly lowered her hand.
Controlling the compression was difficult enough. Ensuring that the Mana Bomb didn't explode directly in front of her was even harder.
Her mana reserves were enormous, but that didn't mean every skill came effortlessly to her.
Amber looked toward the injured Cyclops Lord as her chain began moving around her once more. One section remained beside her as a shield, another extended toward the monster, and a third curled beneath her feet.
Three different commands.
Three different purposes.
For the first time, she truly understood what Dante had meant.
She wasn't merely controlling a chain.
She was commanding an army.
Amber smiled.
"Now then..."
"Let's see how many more tricks you have."