Chapter 178: Mana Efficiency [@Alexis_Tegip and @Thomasinho Golden Ticket Bonus - ]

Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Mana Efficiency [@Alexis_Tegip and @Thomasinho Golden Ticket Bonus Chapter]

It was only in a situation as dire as this that Alex finally understood the true value of having such a high supply of mana in his Mana Heart.

He had improved his mana efficiency enough that he was no longer wasting mana unnecessarily whenever he enhanced any of his body parts.

Every drop counted now.

The constant high-output fighting would have drained a normal Rank 1 dry within minutes.

His Mana Heart kept supplying power without any sign of collapse.

The spider let out a shrill sound that cut through the forest noise.

"SHRIIIIIII—!"

Both of its eyes glowed a bright pink along with its tattoos, and another full-force psychic attack slammed onto Alex’s mind.

Alex used his own Psychic Element to counter it as much as possible.

The opposing forces met behind his eyes and cancelled a large portion of the pressure, but the residual weight still made his vision flicker for a fraction of a second.

Adaptation immediately began smoothing the strain so the next pulse would not hit as hard.

Mana rushed from his heart and flooded his legs and arms.

Alex exploded into motion at the same time the spider exploded into motion.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The spider used its sharp fangs and multiple sharp legs to attack Alex from different angles while trying to force the pressure of its psychic attack on him every moving second.

Alex tried to keep up.

He was no longer totally overwhelmed, yet he was still being pushed back a few meters with every clash.

Each impact sent a jolt up his arms.

Amethyst Paradox rang with every successful block.

The spider suddenly threw a large ball of its web toward Alex mid-clash.

The sticky mass spun through the air with dangerous speed.

Alex responded with a mana slash using Amethyst Paradox.

The attack cost a lot of mana, but it was a very strong long-range technique he had discovered for himself during the earlier exchanges.

BOOOOOOM!

A shockwave erupted from the collision of both attacks.

Dust filled the whole area, turning the forest into a gray haze that limited visibility for both of them.

Everything was silent for a while.

"W-What happened?!" The crowd shouted across multiple viewing squares.

"Damn it! I can’t see anything!" The silence and the dust veil lasted only four seconds before the feed exploded into motion again.

Two figures were zipping through the forest and destroying everything in their wake.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

CRACK! SNAP! CRUNCH! SPLINTER!

Everywhere they passed, the flora and land were getting torn apart.

Little cracks spread across the ground they left behind.

Trees that had stood for decades were reduced to splinters in single exchanges.

Alex’s breathing stayed controlled even as his body took another shallow cut along the ribs.

Adaptation was already helping him shrug off the worst of the damage, but the cumulative strain was building.

He could feel the spider’s intent pressing against his mind like a constant low-frequency vibration.

Every time the creature’s eyes flared pink, he had to divert a portion of his focus to keep the Psychic Element active as a counter.

’Tch! I still do not have enough control, I can block it, but I can’t push back yet.’

He adjusted the angle of Amethyst Paradox and forced another surge of mana into the chain.

The weapon became a blur of violet light as he met the next barrage of legs and fangs.

Sparks and chips of chitin flew with every successful deflection.

CLANG! CLANG!

The spider was forced to give ground for the first time in several exchanges.

Alex did not stop there to retreat.

He simply pressed the small advantage, driving the creature back through a cluster of trees that exploded into splinters under the force of their combined movements.

The dust from the earlier web-ball collision still hung in the air in places, turning the forest into a shifting gray haze.

Alex used the reduced visibility without hesitation.

Mana flickered along his limbs for brief moments, letting him change direction in quick successions.

The creature screeched again and launched another psychic pulse.

Alex met it with his own element and felt the familiar pressure grind against his will.

Adaptation worked overtime to keep the pathways from fraying under the repeated mental strain.

He was learning the rhythm of the spider’s attacks.

Every third sequence included a web strand.

Every fifth sequence tried to force a mental lock.

The pattern was becoming clearer, and that clarity was the only reason he was still standing.

The crowd’s voices rose and fell with every visible exchange.

Some people shouted encouragement.

Others simply stared in silence, unable to believe a twelve-year-old was trading blows with a monster of that size and still remaining conscious.

Alex’s focus stayed locked on the next opening, the next angle, the next way to force the spider into a mistake.

The forest continued to suffer under their feet.

WHOOSH!

CRACK!

Another tree went down.

Another spray of leaves and bark filled the air.

Alex’s grin was cold as he redirected a sweeping leg and answered with a vertical slash that scored a shallow line across the spider’s carapace.

’Am I enjoying this...?’

The real fight was only beginning.

He could feel the spider’s frustration building.

The creature had expected an easy kill inside the illusion.

Instead it was being forced into a prolonged exchange against an opponent who refused to break.

Alex intended to keep it that way.

The spider’s next psychic pulse came harder than the last.

Alex met it again and felt Adaptation refine the counter another fraction.

Every exchange taught him something new about the element’s behavior under pressure.

He redirected a sweeping leg and answered with a vertical slash that scored a deeper line across the spider’s carapace.

Dark red fluid sprayed everywhere.

The creature’s screech was louder this time, edged with real pain.

Alex maintained the pressure, forcing the spider to keep reacting instead of dictating the pace.

The forest continued to fall around them, but the true battlefield had already shifted into the space between their minds and their weapons.

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End of Chapter 178: Mana Efficiency

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