Chapter 268: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
Ruvian waited for another hour, yet that squad still hadn’t moved an inch from their position. He felt like an absolute fool for wasting his time, but what vexed him even more was why they were still lingering there.
’Are they not even looking for points?’
His patience finally wore thin. With growing spite, he decided to scout them from a little closer and see for himself just what the hell they were doing.
Ruvian crawled through the tall grasses, keeping his mana fluctuations suppressed to the absolute minimum to avoid detection.
Then, after securing the perfect vantage point at just the right distance, he carefully peered through the swaying blades of grass, finally getting a clear look at what they had been doing all this time.
And to his surprise...
’What!?’
Ruvian frowned.
’Why the hell are they fishing!?’
He was utterly dumbfounded.
’Who in their right mind would do that?’
Logically speaking, there was nothing inherently wrong with it. But fishing, of all things, was an absurd waste of time when it came to gathering food on an island where every second could be spent earning points.
Worse still, they looked far too relaxed, casually waiting for a fish to bite as though there wasn’t an examination to compete in.
Clicking his tongue in disbelief, Ruvian withdrew a little and began thinking of a way to get past them.
Truthfully, Ruvian was not in any real hurry to reach the waterfall. It was already within reach. Even so, if possible, he wanted to arrive before evening.
There was a certain place hidden somewhere around the waterfall that he needed to find before nightfall. According to the novel, a concealed path would lead to a secluded cave with a small crystal pond nestled deep within. That was where Ruvian needed to be before the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.
That place served as the gateway to the Great Spirit imprisoned on this island. However, the portal could only be opened during nightfall.
If he missed that window, he would have no choice but to wait until the following nightfall, wasting an entire day doing nothing but sitting around.
’But now... the question is, how do I get past them without being noticed?’
As Ruvian pondered, his gaze drifted toward the river a few kilometers to his left.
Then, an utterly insane idea crossed his mind. It was the kind of thing no sane person would ever attempt, especially not a first-year scholar.
But what other choice did he have?
This was where desperate times called for desperate measures. After all, if the safe path was blocked, then the reckless one would have to do.
Ruvian let out a reluctant sigh.
’I already rode on the back of a snake yesterday. How much worse could it possibly get?’
Of course, he wasn’t saying that to tempt fate. If anything, it was his way of warning fate not to even think about throwing something else at him.
With that, he carefully made his way toward the river.
*****
Before stepping into the river, Ruvian stopped by the riverbank and crouched down. His gaze lingered on the flowing current for a brief moment before he slowly raised his right hand.
A faint stream of pale cerulean mana gathered around his fingertips.
"Let’s hope this still works..."
He closed his eyes and carefully began weaving together two different mana structures.
The first was [Wind Magic].
Not to create a gust of wind, but to compress and stabilize the surrounding air into a small, dense sphere. Normally, air would simply disperse the moment it left the caster’s control. To prevent that from happening, he continuously rotated the wind currents inside the sphere, creating a stable pocket of breathable air.
However, that alone was nowhere near enough. The compressed air would quickly escape once submerged underwater.
That was where [Pure Mana] came in.
Unlike elemental mana, Pure Mana possessed no natural attribute. It simply obeyed the shape and purpose imposed upon it.
Ruvian wrapped the compressed sphere of air with an extremely thin layer of Pure Mana, forming a transparent membrane around it. The membrane was rigid enough to resist the surrounding water pressure, yet permeable enough for oxygen to pass through while preventing the air from leaking away.
In simple terms, it functioned like an invisible oxygen tank.
The wind continuously circulated fresh air inside the sphere, while the Pure Mana shell maintained its shape and prevented the pressure from crushing it.
It was crude, horribly inefficient, and absurdly mana-consuming. But if it worked, from his calculations and theory, then it would be great.
Then, Ruvian guided the transparent sphere toward his face.
The moment it touched his skin, the mana membrane expanded, gently sealing itself around his nose and mouth like a second layer of skin.
He took a slow breath.
"...Good."
The air flowed as naturally as if he were standing on land.
The only downside was that the spell demanded constant concentration. The slightest lapse in mana control would cause the wind currents to collapse, allowing water to flood in almost instantly.
Meaning...
There would be no room for mistakes.
Fortunately, Ruvian had already reached the pinnacle of mastery over both Pure Mana and Wind Affinity. Coupled with his significantly expanded Mana Essence, he had complete confidence in maintaining the spell for as long as necessary.
Taking one final breath, Ruvian stepped into the river.
The moment his body slipped beneath the surface, the river embraced him with an icy chill.
Ruvian kicked forward, cutting through the water with long, steady strokes as he swam against the current.
The force of the river immediately made itself known.
The closer he drew to the waterfall upstream, the stronger the current became, constantly pushing against him as though trying to drag him back downstream.
Normally and logically, swimming against such a current would have been an impossible task. Their stamina would have given out long before they reached halfway.
Fortunately...
Ruvian wasn’t relying on physical strength alone.
[Body Enhancement].
Mana surged through every fiber of his body, reinforcing his muscles, bones, and joints. Each stroke became noticeably stronger, each kick more explosive, allowing him to drive himself forward despite the relentless current pressing against him.
The river that should have exhausted him instead became nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Bubbles escaped from the transparent mana membrane covering his nose and mouth as he breathed steadily beneath the water.
His eyes swept across the riverbed.
Schools of fish darted between clusters of smooth stones. Long strands of river grass swayed gently with the current, while occasional freshwater crabs hurried into narrow crevices the moment they sensed his approach.
The underwater world was strangely peaceful.
Or so he thought...
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[Chapter 268: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures]