Chapter Thirteen: Zephyr's Whim and the Shadow's Watch
The cavern air crackled with residual energy as the Wind Spirit, momentarily dominating Yuna's form, pushed the Gate Echo back. Its movements through Yuna's body were light, almost playful, yet devastatingly effective. A miniature tempest, whistling with the sound of a thousand razor blades, tore through the Gate Echo's spectral arm.
The guardian shrieked, a sound like grinding stone and shattering glass. Its translucent arm flickered, momentarily dissolving before reforming, then recoiled, visibly damaged. Its [Level 10] status flickered with a hint of red, a clear sign of its struggle. It was real. The Wind Spirit had descended.
Minwoo pushed himself up, a triumphant, almost manic grin spreading across his face. He watched the Wind Spirit, taking control of Yuna's body, move with a furious, elegant dance, battering the spectral guardian with blasts of compressed air and swirling vortexes. The Hunter's Steel Dagger still felt useless in his hand, and he actively suppressed the urge to call upon his burgeoning shadow abilities. He didn't trust this entity, not yet. He wouldn't show his full hand, especially not to a chaotic, childish force.
As he observed the battle, the System hummed, delivering a flurry of notifications in his mental interface. As he had climbed the mountain, pushing his limits, the system had been silently rewarding his effort.
[System Message!]
Experience Points Gained: +150 (Cave Crawler)
Experience Points Gained: +200 (Minor Elementals)
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
NAME: KANG MINWOO
TITLE: Survivor of the Hundredth Floor
LEVEL: 4
CLASS: None (Yet)
HP: 50 / 50
MP: 30 / 30
STRENGTH: 10 (+1)
AGILITY: 12 (+1)
INTELLIGENCE: 15 (+2)
VITALITY: 10 (+1)
SENSE: 11 (+1)
REMAINING STAT POINTS: 10
New Skill Acquired: Shadow Bolt (Rank F)
* Unleashes a small projectile of condensed shadow energy. Consumes a minor amount of mana.
New Skill Acquired: Shadow Step (Rank F)
* Allows for a short-distance, instantaneous teleportation into a nearby shadow. Consumes a moderate amount of mana. Cannot pass through solid objects.
Minwoo almost laughed, a dry, humorless sound. Shadow Bolt and Shadow Step. Finally. The true tools of a Shadowmage were beginning to unlock. He was no longer completely helpless. And he had 10 Stat Points to distribute. He already knew where they were going: Intelligence for more mana and stronger spells, and Agility for evasion. He quickly allocated them mentally: +5 Intelligence. +5 Agility. A palpable surge of mana filled him, and his movements felt lighter, more fluid.
[System Message!]
Intelligence: 15 (+2 +5 = 22)
Agility: 12 (+1 +5 = 18)
The Wind Spirit continued its relentless assault. It giggled, a sound that, coming from Yuna's mouth, was utterly disarming and eerie. "Oh, this one is so fragile! But the wind… the wind can break anything!" It spun, a whirlwind of air pressure exploding outwards, forcing the Gate Echo back against the cavern wall with immense force. The spectral guardian wavered, visibly straining.
Minwoo looked at the Wind Spirit, channeling its power through Yuna's form, driving the Gate Echo back. The spectral guardian, despite its higher level, was clearly struggling against the elemental force.
"About time you showed up," Minwoo muttered, a cynical edge to his voice, directed not at Yuna, but at the shimmering entity currently wielding her body like a living weapon. "What took you so long? You almost let her die."
The Wind Spirit, through Yuna's mouth, tilted its head, its eyes still glowing with that unnatural turquoise. Its voice was not Yuna's, but a resonant, echoing whisper that seemed to emanate from the very air around them, carrying a playful, almost petulant tone. "Oh, did I? But the little bird hadn't spread her wings fully! She needed a nudge. A big push! It's so much more fun when they try, try, try… and then poof! The wind helps!" It laughed again, a sound like chimes in a gale. "And besides," it added, its tone suddenly dropping to a more serious, yet still childlike, resonance, "the wager for her spirit's awakening had not yet been fully paid. But now… the true game begins."
With a final, joyful shriek, the Wind Spirit gathered its power. It extended both of Yuna's hands, shaping the air into two immense, spiraling drills of pure wind. "Time for the sleepy one to go!" The spectral blue eyes of the Gate Echo widened in what might have been fear as the Wind Spirit launched its devastating attack. The twin wind drills tore into the guardian, shredding its form with impossible speed. The Gate Echo disintegrated into faint blue motes of light, scattering into the cavern's dark recesses until nothing remained.
[System Message!]
TARGET ELIMINATED: GATE ECHO (SPECTRAL GUARDIAN)
BONUS EXPERIENCE GAINED!
EXPERIENCE POINTS GAINED: +5000
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
NAME: KANG MINWOO
TITLE: Survivor of the Hundredth Floor
LEVEL: 13
CLASS: None (Yet)
HP: 50 / 50
MP: 30 (+100 = 130) / 130
STRENGTH: 10 (+1)
AGILITY: 18 (+1)
INTELLIGENCE: 22 (+2)
VITALITY: 10 (+1)
SENSE: 11 (+1)
REMAINING STAT POINTS: 45
A staggering amount of experience. The sheer flood of notifications almost overwhelmed Minwoo, but his focus remained. He felt an undeniable increase in his base stats, a palpable rush of strength and vitality filling his body. He was no longer Level 1. He was Level 13. And he had a massive 45 Stat Points waiting to be allocated. This was the rapid growth he remembered. This was the true beginning.
As the last remnants of the Gate Echo dissipated, the swirling aura around Yuna began to dim. The incandescent turquoise glow in her eyes faded, replaced by a dazed, confused brown. Her ethereal grace vanished, and her body sagged, the exhaustion of wielding such immense power, even temporarily, crashing down on her. The Wind Spirit itself seemed to recede, a whispering presence departing from her form.
"What… what happened?" Yuna mumbled, her voice faint, almost her own again, as she stumbled forward. Minwoo moved quickly, catching her before she could fall, gently guiding her to lean against the cold rock wall. Her breathing was ragged, her body trembling. "I… I felt… something else. It wasn't me."
Minwoo knelt beside her, his expression a complex mix of concern and the calculating satisfaction of a plan executed. He looked at the Shadowheart Ore, pulsating at the center of the cavern, now unguarded. The [Urgent Mission] still glowed in his mind.
He addressed the fading presence, or perhaps the lingering echo, of the Wind Spirit, his voice low and laced with the cynical edge he had used earlier. "You almost let her die. The 'wager' was paid, alright. But it was a close call. Too close."
A final, fleeting whisper, playful and exasperated, brushed against his mind. It wasn't a direct answer to his accusation, but a cryptic statement that left him with more questions. "Oh, you're no fun! The little bird is safe, isn't she? The contract is sealed, Hunter. Her path… is now intertwined with the Zephyr's will. The journey… requires a guide. Now, be a good mortal and do what you must. Hmph!" And then, it was gone, leaving only the sound of Yuna's shallow breathing and the subtle hum of the Shadowheart Ore.
Minwoo looked down at Yuna, her face pale and drawn, her eyes flickering with exhaustion and the shock of what had just happened. He had pushed her to the brink, used her as a catalyst, but it had worked. She was alive, and her dormant power was awakened. His own shadow abilities remained locked away, a secret he would keep from this capricious spirit, for now.
"Yuna," he said, his voice softer now, free of the calculated pretense. "You saved us. That was the Wind Spirit. It responded to your fear, to your will to survive. It lives within you now." He didn't offer details about his status or his level, keeping his own capabilities vague, but his words were genuine. He had to explain something, to anchor her in this new, terrifying reality. "But we're not safe yet. We need to get that ore. And then we need to get off this mountain."
He pushed himself up, his eyes now blazing with a new intensity. He had power now. Not his full strength, but enough to make a difference. The Shadowheart Ore was within reach. And with it, the Moonlight Sword would finally be complete.