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The red color his familiar had adopted during the challenge hadn\'t been a coincidence. With neon\'s addition, the eel gained a new capability: it could fire a red ray, similar to the arc Elio had faced in the seventh level.

The energy pulsed through his familiar\'s body, transforming its usual electrical discharge into something more focused, more lethal.

This new ability significantly expanded his summon\'s offensive arsenal.

It would no longer have to chase its targets.

The wind emblem\'s powers also revealed interesting aspects.

Though similar in result to helium\'s capabilities, they operated under different principles. Where helium focused on precise vectors, wind was more... natural, less directed.

To compare them, it was like reaching the same destination by two distinct paths.

The most notable advantage was the ability to increase his impulses\' effectiveness. Beyond the 50% he had achieved with the neon and helium combination, wind allowed up to a 100% improvement.

However, this additional power came at a cost: even greater mana consumption.

Elio dedicated time to practice, integrating these new abilities into his repertoire. While executing different combinations, his mind constantly replayed the battle against the monster, analyzing each moment, each movement.

But the memory of those black eyes haunted his calculations.

The reality was undeniable: he wasn\'t ready.

The only time he had managed to damage the monster had been with the power emblem, at point-blank range, and even then, the damage had been minimal.

Each practice attempt only reinforced this harsh truth.

His 98 points of magical damage had been reduced to 51 without the emblem. The gap was abysmal.

\'I need to be stronger,\' he thought, calculating the chasm between his current power and what he would need to effectively face that creature.

The uncertainty of what awaited him outside the book weighed on his mind.

Would the monster be waiting for him?

Would there be more surprises?

His options were limited: he could try to fight, trusting in his new abilities and the element of surprise, or seek a way to return to the book as quickly as possible.

Either way, he needed to prepare mentally. The shock of seeing Micah\'s body again... Elio shook his head, forcing himself to maintain calm. He couldn\'t afford to lose control, not when each second could mean the difference between life and death.

He reviewed his new capabilities one more time: Neon for speed and precision. His eel\'s new capability for ranged attacks. Wind control for movement and field control.

Everything would be useful, but would it be enough?

The monster had demonstrated speed and power that made even these improvements seem insignificant.

\'I can\'t afford to doubt now,\' Elio told himself, mentally preparing for whatever he would find upon leaving. \'Micah didn\'t hesitate when he made his decision.\'

♢♢♢♢

The monster soared over the open deposit, its frustration growing with each passing hour.

The absence of traces showing how the humans had reached the challenge was disconcerting. The parasites that had escaped seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of their passage.

\'Are they still hidden in the deposit?\' it wondered, its multiple voices resonating in its mind while analyzing the situation. \'There must be some kind of connection between the city and this place.\'

Initially, it considered the possibility of camouflage or impulses from the city.

But after hours of observation, it hadn\'t seen a single human traveling in any direction. It was as if they had evaporated into the dense air.

It descended to the sea of cores, its black eyes meticulously studying the movement of the bright spheres.

The logic was simple: any camouflaged human would inevitably disturb the cores while moving among them. But even after hours of patient observation, it detected no anomalies in the shimmering sea below.

The idea that they might be "swimming" under the cores led it to submerge in the crystalline sea. However, after barely tens of meters of depth, the pressure increased dramatically. Movement became laborious, and orientation almost impossible.

\'No,\' it concluded, emerging from the mass of cores. \'No parasite could survive down there. They must still be in the deposit.\'

The situation was frustrating, but also informative. Humans couldn\'t maintain this hiding game forever. They would need food, water, rest... It had an enormous advantage in that aspect.

\'Perhaps,\' it thought while its eyes turned toward the city, \'the most efficient approach would be to wait for a barrier failure...\'

It was about to take flight toward the city when something unexpected happened.

Elio\'s book, which it had been carrying, began to open by itself. The monster instinctively retreated, unable to touch it now that its activation had begun.

Its claws tensed, preparing to eliminate Elio the moment he emerged. The initial numbness of its awakening was gone now; its body responded perfectly, every muscle ready for action.

But what happened left it momentarily paralyzed with confusion. Instead of the human\'s appearance it expected, a huge carbon sphere materialized around the floating book.

\'What is this?\' its multiple voices vibrated with bewilderment. The strategy was unexpected, different from anything it had anticipated.

The monster maintained its distance, its senses alert for any trick.

Was it a trap? A decoy? Or was there something more it wasn\'t seeing?

One second seemed to stretch several times in its concentration.

The situation uncomfortably reminded it of that other human\'s inexplicable sacrifice. Again, these parasites were acting... unpredictably.

The realization hit the monster: Elio had emerged surrounded by a protective barrier, planning an immediate return to the book.

Its claws cut through the air, heading toward the carbon sphere, but it was wrong. Instead of splitting cleanly as expected, the entire structure detonated.

Elio hadn\'t fled.

The explosion barely caused it damage, more an annoyance than a real threat. Its claws continued their trajectory, tearing through the barrier\'s remains and finding flesh. Elio\'s side gave way to its attack, but the monster\'s smile didn\'t last long.

Elio\'s eel, now glowing in an unsettling red tone, fired an energy ray with impressive speed. The impact, though not powerful enough to cause significant damage, produced a strange sensation: a paralyzing effect that made its muscles involuntarily tense.

"Here I am, damned abomination!" Elio\'s voice resonated while lithium began forming around the monster, attempting to create a prison.

The rage in his voice was palpable, raw, personal.

But the monster let out its characteristic laugh, that unnatural sound of multiple superimposed voices. "Is this your power now?" it mocked.

"You\'re weaker than before, little parasite."