Chapter 343: Mana Seed
A low hiss escaped from between Coop’s teeth as he sat up and sought to check his injuries. The final boss fight of the mana well was over, but it had proven to be more perilous than he was comfortable with, especially compared to the ease with which he had been able to intensify his grinds along the way. The sixth layer of the Coral Forest was no joke, just like all of his companions had cautioned, but sometimes Coop was the type that had to confront a challenge for himself.
Even if he was ultimately victorious, he could recognize when he bit off more than he could chew, and this had been one of those times. The Enigma was something he should have left alone until he had progressed further, but in his single minded focus toward completing the second phase of his plan, he had let himself press on.
If he was being honest with himself, he had to acknowledge that it was exactly his insistence to face the challenges that presented themselves that had empowered his progress in the first place. He couldn’t consider himself Champion if he wasn’t willing to do that much, but his sturdy class transformed anxiety-inducing threats into opportunities for him and his settlement. That still didn’t mean his actions were necessarily wise.
As he felt pangs from the bout that had left him bloodied, and echoes of the possession that had shaken his core to end the fight, a normal person would have probably reconsidered their actions. Coop, on the other hand, had no real regrets, though maybe the timing had been off. He tried to assess the consequences of his grit, carefully appraising the damage.
In order to have a glance at his lower back, where he had been struck by the Enigma’s spikes, he had to twist uncomfortably and peek over his shoulder. First he tried the wrong side, drawing his breath between his teeth as he stretched, before turning the opposite way.
It didn’t help that he was feeling slightly unsteady, making the contortion even more awkward. He was finding it difficult to keep his muscles from shaking from the fatigue of wielding the apparition’s power. His whole body was vibrating, numb from the exertion. In the past, he probably would have passed out already, so that was some consolation.
He winced, sharp pain coming suddenly, as he traced the three nasty gashes carved into the meat of his lower back. The swollen bruises ringing his tender flesh looked really bad to him, but it wasn’t like he was a doctor. Thankfully, they had stopped bleeding almost immediately, first being staunched by the infusion of mists until he exhausted his resources, then sealing after he gained the levels granted for defeating the boss.
Seeing as his health was trending in a positive direction, he was satisfied. His unprofessional opinion was that he would live. He resummoned his damaged ethereal armor, protecting his vulnerable wounds, and he was ready to go again.
If it wasn’t for mana, he would certainly end up with some pretty gnarly scars, if he would have survived at all. Though the scars might have given him more character, he was glad to leave the constant reminders of the battles he was fighting in the past. When he took his proper place in a hammock on the beach, he wouldn’t need to look back. He sighed as he monetarily fantasized about a peaceful future.
In any case, given the location of the damage, he doubted he would get full value if he ever needed to sell a kidney. “What a shame.” He whispered, writing off one of his fallback plans as no longer feasible.
He figured that he should probably avoid challenging more bosses of unknown level until he was both fully healed up and closer to the limits available within the assimilation. For now, he was covered in his own blood, sweat, and the sooty grime of the environment. That wasn’t an altogether terrible result, especially considering the audacity he had in forcing the contest with the boss of the coral abyss in the first place. It had apparently been undiminished by the settlement upgrade and the mustering of the abyssal phantoms, leaving it particularly strong in an already powerful domain.
Coop looked around, listening to the hydrothermal vents buzzing in the distance behind him. There was only one source of mana nearby, and it caught his eye immediately, practically glowing with energy in the dim haze of smoke and mana. He didn’t need mana sight to recognize a font of power. Energy radiated from an indentation in the bottom of the well, almost like the equivalent of a blue sun desperate to extend the day even after it sank deeper beyond the horizon. It was obviously responsible for the progression of the boss.