Utopian System

"Aim for the vital points!" Zara ordered, her voice surprisingly firm considering her position.

Her seven points of strength were insufficient to free herself from the monster's grip, but that had never been her plan.

The Locus opened its jaws, preparing for the mortal blow.

It was the moment Zara had been waiting for.

With her hands free and the spear still firmly gripped, she attacked with surgical precision. The tip of her weapon plunged repeatedly into the muscles controlling the monster's jaw, methodically destroying them.

The Locus emitted a shriek of pain and frustration upon finding itself unable to close its mouth.

But the monster wouldn't give up on fulfilling its sole objective either.

The free three out of Its four arms then moved toward Zara's neck, seeking a new way to eliminate its prey.

"I don't think so!" Zara growled, using her spear to keep the arms at bay. It was an almost impossible task against so many limbs...

Or it would have been, but she wasn't alone.

Her companions had perfectly understood the plan now.

While the monster was distracted with Zara, their spears found vulnerable points everywhere. Each impact, though gradual, weakened the creature more, as it couldn't effectively defend itself while trying to deal with its prey.

In a matter of seconds, the Locus succumbed under the coordinated assault... And Zara's spear in its skull. As soon as its grip loosened enough, Zara freed herself with a jump.

"That was insane!" exclaimed Micah, his voice full of reproach. "You could have died!"

Taron shook his head, still processing what he had just witnessed. "Of all possible tactics... how did you come up with something like that?"

Aria observed Zara with a new light in her eyes. "You're stronger than I thought," she said simply, but the respect in her voice was evident.

Valeria, for her part, let out a laugh of pure adrenaline. "I love your style!" she declared, patting Zara's shoulder. "Completely crazy, but effective."

Zara quickly retrieved her spear, preparing for the next Locus, a small smile playing on her lips.

"We need to conserve what mana we have left or it'll take too long to get out. We don't know if Elio has already finished the challenge or what might happen outside without us."

"At least warn us next time you plan something like that," Micah requested, his heart still beating rapidly. "I almost had a heart attack when I saw you raise your arms."

"If it works, it's not stupid," Valeria responded, clearly impressed by her leader's audacity.

"I'll do it from now on."

♢♢♢♢

When the last Locus of the level fell, the exhaustion was palpable. Zara leaned against the tunnel wall, her eel coiling protectively around her. The others' penguins lay on the ground belly down, panting.

"We did it," Aria murmured, "but we ended up almost without mana..."

"Twenty hours," Taron murmured, checking his book. "We'll need almost twenty hours to recover all the spent mana."

"We can't do anything about it," Zara responded, momentarily closing her eyes. Fatigue was evident in every line of her face. "We need to recover."

♢♢♢♢

Elio's team emerged from the crystal with their rewards, the satisfaction of victory still visible on their faces.

However, they barely had time to appear when Milo and Arnaud hurriedly approached.

"Von Elio!" Milo called, his voice laden with urgency. "There's something you should know. Zara and her team found another crystal."

The news immediately caught Elio's attention. "Another crystal? When?"

"A few hours after you entered," Arnaud explained. "Zara organized everyone to complete the tunnel around the deposit's base as quickly as possible. They were incredibly efficient under her... Persuasiveness."

Elio approached the crystal they had just exited, noticing its color had changed from the original blue to a bright green. When he touched it, luminous words appeared on its surface:

"The challenge will remain completed for 23:57:43 hours. Complete the other section to open the doors."

"Another section?" Lila murmured, reading over Elio's shoulder. "Does that mean Zara's challenge is part of the same trial?"

Mei frowned. "Why didn't they wait for us to come out? We could have discussed the best strategy."

"According to Nessa," Milo intervened, "Zara said it wasn't fair for you to have to do all the heavy lifting. She wanted to share the burden."

Elio remained silent for a moment. His eel slithered restlessly around him, reflecting his concern.

"I need to see that crystal," he finally declared. He turned to his team. "Stay here with Arnaud. Milo, can you take me to the other crystal?"

"Of course," Milo nodded.

The path to the second crystal was quick but tense. Elio couldn't stop thinking about the challenge. Why two crystals?

They found Nessa and Kai's team guarding the entrance, their postures alert despite the evident fatigue on their faces.

"Von Elio," Nessa greeted, standing up. "Zara insisted on entering. Said it was time others shared the responsibility of the great challenges."

Kai nodded. "You always take the risks. She wanted to change that."

Elio approached the crystal, his expression unreadable. When he touched it, the usual message appeared, indicating he must wait for the current challengers to exit.

But there was something more:

"The challenger with an emblem who is present cannot participate in 2 different challenges."

Elio stood motionless, his eyes fixed on the word "different." His mind began working quickly, connecting dots.

"It's not the same challenge," he murmured, realization hitting him like lightning. "Zara and the others... they're facing a different challenge."

While Elio contemplated the crystal with evident concern, Milo approached cautiously.

"Zara got the eel before entering," he said, trying to ease the tension. "She absorbed enough cores to obtain it just before the challenge."

Nessa nodded, adding: "Her battle capability is very similar to your team's, Von Elio. They have good chances of succeeding as you did."

Elio considered their words for a moment before slowly nodding. They were right; Zara and her team were more than capable.

He sat down in front of the crystal, preparing for the wait.

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