Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

"Not bad," Kyle remarked, glancing at the fallen creature. "How do we get the mana core?"

Usually, when Kyle killed a mana beast he felt its mana core reappearing into his inventory and that was very convenient for him, as he didn't have to spend time opening up the beasts like others do.

He had wondered if the same would apply with Void's kills, but upon the falling of the beast, Kyle had neither gotten a notification nor a mana core and that was going to pose a challenge for him. He couldn't afford to waste time harvesting cores for Void.

Void had read Kyle's expression and with lazy expression he replied:

"Don't worry about that, I felt it vanish into my pet space."

"Good," Kyle said with relief. "That saves us a lot of trouble."

"It also saves me the trouble of sharing my hard earned cores," Void added with a low voice and Kyle who had heard him ignored his comment, putting on his mask, they continued heading deeper into the forest

***

After an hour of relentless dashing and battling, the number of beasts they encountered began to dwindle. At first, they came across few creatures, but soon, even those sightings ceased and they didn't see anymore beasts.

'Something is wrong,' Kyle thought, not able to take it any longer, he paused his walk and examined his surroundings.

"What's wrong?" Void noticed Kyle's actions and couldn't help but ask. Kyle, meanwhile had already decided on how to proceed. He signaled Void that they continue, this time more cautious.

Void was quick to understand and they continued with walking deeper into the forest. After some more minutes, the duo stopped behind a large, dense bush.

It was very large that they'll need to trek several to go around it. Kyle looked at the bush and his instincts were screaming to him that behind it laid great danger.

Kyle removed the [Veil of Silence] and came up with a plan.

"Void, you'll go check it out. Use [Phase] to go through the bush and [Invisibility] to stay hidden," Kyle explained. "I want you to observe what's behind the bush, you don't need to explore deeper. Just report whatever you see back to me."

Void didn't hesitate and nodded his head. "Got it."

Void's form shimmered as he activated [Invisibility], his sleek body fading from sight. The dragon had improved alot on maintaining this state, thanks to Kyle and it was difficult to feel his presence especially now that he had gone Invisible from a cool state.

Void took a deep breath, steeling himself before activating [Phase], after which his body turned semi-ethereal, and he slipped silently through the dense foliage.

***

Void emerged on the other side, his invisible form gliding noiselessly into a vast clearing but the sight that came within his view made him freeze mid-step.

A large pool shimmered under the moonlight and its surface glowed faintly with an ethereal light. The air around it was saturated with mana, so thick that Void felt a tingling sensation across his scales. The energy was almost intoxicating, pulling at his senses like a siren's call.

But it wasn't the pool itself that unnerved Void—it was the sheer number of beasts surrounding it. Hundreds, if not thousands, of mana beasts stood in eerie silence, their gazes fixed on the glowing pool.

They ranged from common beasts to Tier-1 creatures, but that wasn't all. Void could make out some Tier-2 and even one large beast that he assumed to be of a higher tier than that—possibly a Tier-3 beasts!

The strangest part about what Void saw was how the beasts behaved. Despite their differing power levels and natural instincts to dominate or hunt one another, they all stood still and their bodies radiated with an unnatural calm. There were no roars, no growls, no movement—just an unsettling quiet.

Void's breath hitched, and he quickly retreated, phasing back through the bushes and disabling [Invisibility]. He reappeared in front of Kyle and his golden eyes were wide with fear.

"What did you see?" Kyle asked the moment Void came back, bracing himself for the worst after seeing his restless expression.

"I saw a pool," Void said with a trembling voice. "It was a huge one and it glowed with mana. The air around it—it's heavy and saturated with energy. But I also saw beasts…"

Kyle gulped hard as he imagined the worst possible scenarios. "Beasts... What about them?"

"They're everywhere," Void continued. "Hundreds, maybe more. Common beasts, Tier-1, Tier-2… I think I even saw a Tier-3 beast. And they're all just standing there, completely still. It's… unnatural."

Kyle's stomach tightened after he heard Void's report. A gathering of that many beasts, especially of mixed tiers, was very deadly. Worst of all, a possibility existed that something or rather someone was controlling them.

***

Inside the small cottage Kyle and his teammates were assigned to, the air was thick with the soft hum of slumber.

In one of the rooms, Celine stirred in her bunk. She lay on the lower bed while Finn lied soundly above her, his snoring disturbing despite being covered up by blankets.

Celine eyes fluttered open as a familiar dryness crept into her throat. 'Again,' she thought, groaning softly.

Celine had always had a habit of waking in the middle of the night for a drink and this was another one of those nights where she was going to do so.

She shifted her weight carefully, her slender frame moving with practiced precision to leave the bed without too much noise so as yo avoid waking Finn.

"Water first, then back to bed. Shouldn't have eaten so much salted jerk," Celine whispered to no one in particular before leaving for the door with small and light steps.

She pushed the door open with a soft creak upon reaching it and stepped into the main room. The room was dimly lit, but she could make out the bunk where Zara and Lina slept, while straight ahead Kyle slept under his blanket.

Celine barely spared Kyle a glance as she made her way to the small wooden counter where the cups were stored.

She reached for a ceramic cup and placed it on the counter. "I'm too lazy to fetch water the normal way," she muttered, smirking as she raised her hand, before closing her eyes briefly and summoning her magic.

A soft blue glow surrounded her fingers as she casted a small [Water Wave] resulting in a gentle trickle of water appearing, swirling in mid-air before gracefully pouring into the cup.

She adjusted the flow with great control, ensuring not a single drop spilled as the cup filled.

Celine's lips curled into a smile as she watched the water dance. It was moments like these that reminded her how much she loved being a Water Mage.

"So convenient," she murmured, lifting the cup and taking a slow sip. The cool liquid slid down her throat and refreshed her instantly.

She glanced at her hand, summoning another small orb of water and letting it float above her palm.

"I can fight, wash, clean… and even quench my thirst. What more could anyone want?" Her smile grew as she gulped the rest of the water, placing the empty cup back on the counter and turning to leave.

Celine couldn't help but glance towards the corner where Kyle had insisted on sleeping before she left.

As her eyes fell on his blanketed form, Celine had to admit, Kyle had surprised her in the past days. His skill was something she had always admired and now that she had got to know him some more.

The admiration she felt for him had only increased further. Seeing him resting so peacefully, a quiet thought snuck into her mind: 'I wonder what he looks like when he sleeps...'

Her cheeks warmed slightly, and she scoffed at herself. 'Don't be ridiculous... I can't afford to wake him up. I'll make a fool out of myself.'

As he wanted to turn away, something tugged at her attention again. She looked closely at the blanket covering Kyle. There was something... odd.

It looked flat, almost as though no one was under it. Celine frowned and decided to step closer, and as she did her heart began to race.

Kyle wouldn't just leave in the middle of the night, would he?

The unease grew as she crouched beside the blanket. Carefully, she reached out to tug it away, and what she saw made her gasp and stumble backward, nearly falling in her haste to get away.

—There was nothing under the blanket.

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