Ember, the shiny black dragon with a crimson underbelly stares at me with curious eyes. He continues to munch on my mana crystals.
"A change in plans you say? Leaving the Labyrinth? This is not an option for us as-"
"We'll make it an option."
I grin, looking straight at my ticket out of here. This could work... I continue to speak to the tiny monster using my telepathy skill.
"How long does it take for you to absorb mana, and do you have a limit?"
The creature stops chewing on a large pink crystal for a moment, then looks up at me again.
"It depends. The first 100 levels or so are usually pretty quick, that'll take a year at most. Then after that-"
"A year? A full year?"
The Dragon tilts its head and nods firmly one time. My stomach almost comes out of my mouth...
I'm really never getting out of this prison.
My face, previously full of hope, is now a disappointed mope. I drop to my knees.
"Well, back to training I guess..."
The Dragon continues.
"There have been exceptions in the past. One time I made it to level 300 in under a month! I absorbed an entire 20-floor labyrinth to do it though... My Demon was killed in the process and there was a full collapse, but it sure was fun! The higher-ups didn't like that one bit. Over 50 years in a dormant state... I still can't tell if it was worth it."
I blankly stare at the Dragon, trying to piece together more of its random babbling into coherent thoughts. Did it just say, higher-ups? It was punished for killing a Demon and destroying a labyrinth for fun? 50 years ago....?
"So, you're saying you could level up faster if you had an enormous mana supply?"
I raise my hands in the air to point out the obvious nearly infinite mana supply we're stuck in. Again, the confused Dragon tilts its head.
Ember seems to really think this is just some messed up labyrinth.
"Sure. I can tell there's a large supply up here, but what about the lower floors? You still haven't given me any of the MP allowances. How long has this spawn been active? How much can I safely plunder per day?"
I scratch my head, thinking of where I should turn this conversation next. It'd be better if I keep playing along... If it really thinks we're protecting a labyrinth, for the time being, that's what we'll do. I'll explain how we're breaking out of this place once I have a better idea of its capabilities.
"One Hundred Thousand. It can handle losing that much a day without a problem."
The Dragon's eyes open wide. It flaps its wings and jumps up into the air. With a shocking amount of speed, the miniature monster starts doing flips in the air.
"I really did it this time! I hit the jackpot in this life. Oh, karma's a funny thing! What a millennia to be alive!"
Grinning ear to ear, Ember finally calms down a bit and drifts back down to the floor. He continues.
"In that case, I'll still have to take it slow at first. To achieve my first rank-up, I'll have to hit level 100. This should be achievable within 5 days."
I nod while biting my bottom lip.
"So it'll take 5 days. The higher level you climb, the faster you can plunder mana? Or-"
"Yea and no. I'll be able to absorb mana much quicker, but as my levels grow it takes much more mana to continue my steady progression. Hopefully, no hunters challenge us before I've matured. You've done a fine job growing this labyrinth without me. It's time we make a name for ourselves Jay. With this starting mana allowance, we'll break records. Oh, we'll break them all!"
Ember's eyes look determined, and that toothy grin is plastered across its face. I let out a sigh of relief.
This is an exciting new development. After two weeks of brutal training, I've finally hit another breakthrough. It just happens to be a pet Dragon... Ember finds a comfortable place on the hard marble-like floor and closes its eyes.
"I'll be busy for a while, It was a pleasure meeting you. Now we must get to work."
The miniature Dragon's underbelly begins glowing red as is activates its [Mythic Grade] Plunderer skill. I smile and nod while walking to the far end of the room.
"I'll be doing some training as well, I hope you don't mind the noise."
"Not a problem at all."
The two of us go to separate corners of the long white room and begin a long day of work. I take my usual small ration of food and water but have a lot more energy today. The appearance of my new mana-plundering friend has boosted my sprints a lot.
After 10 hours straight of charging, releasing, and resting. I manage to pull off 19 full attacks and hit a new personal best. With roughly 5350MP in each blade, it takes about 40 seconds to achieve a full charge. It's not as time efficient as any of my previous attempts, but it's a huge step in the right direction.
The large amounts of mana flowing through my system every day is beginning to seem much more natural. At first, it strained my joints and muscles a lot to continuously put them under such pressure. Now, it feels like my body is asking for more...
A successful day has come to an end. Although I've improved, I'm still dead tired after training all day. I sluggishly walk over to my pile of loot, passing the tiny glowing Dragon while it plunders mana from the surrounding area. I use inspect before falling asleep.
[Lv. 9]
I ponder the number in my head as I drift off. Ember has reached level 9. It did say the start would be slow, I guess I'll just have to wait the full 5 days to find out.
The 4 remaining days pass pretty quickly. I'm starting to lose a lot of weight. It's beginning to become noticeable. If I had to guess, since I stepped into this death trap, I'm down almost 5kg...
Not thinking much about the things I can't control, my training continues. After 4 more long sessions, I manage to complete 83 full charges in total. The most successful attack has been a 10900MP release, I managed it in under 40 seconds too.
In between full charges, I've been testing out smaller attacks. My speed and control of finer mana movements have dramatically risen. I can charge my blades up to 800MP each in less than a second. That's using nearly a full bar of my base MP. Just 3 weeks ago, a move like this would take me 3-5 seconds to pull off.
Even though I'm training a specific attack to break this wall down, the high volumes of mana surging through my body on the daily have boosted my overall mana control to levels I didn't even know were possible.
I've burned through over two million MP so far. This is more than most C-Class Hunters use in their full careers. I've been concentrating on one objective and training to succeed for just under 3 weeks now... I'm sure there's a better way to learn this mana control technique, but there isn't exactly anyone to teach me their ways in here. So, my brute force methods will have to do.
My wind-blade attack is nearly transparent now. The only way for me to catch a glimpse of its aura is by using a perception skill. Also, when it makes contact with the wall it detonates into a silver and white mana-rich display.
My fire has also become much darker and even more refined. The blackened flames rip through the mana-dense environment, leaving a trail of wavering air behind it. Every time it hits the white wall, bright red flames seep out looking for prey to burn.
My attacks have evolved with my training. I can tell they're getting more and more deadly with every strike I throw, but I still haven't managed to make even a mark on the white walls surrounding me.
My hope sits in the corner of the room giving off a faint red glow.
I sleep well tonight, knowing Ember will wake up soon. I've been making a mental note of his progression at the end of each day.
Day 1: [Lv. 9]
Day 2: [Lv. 23]
Day 3: [Lv. 40]
Day 4: [Lv. 61]
Day 5: [Lv. 94]
By the time I wake up tomorrow, Ember's first rank-up process will be complete.
I close my eyes and sleep peacefully. Although this has been hard, there is still a light at the end of the tunnel. I will find a way to leave The Titan's Domain.
Many hours pass as I dream of the outside world. At first, I dream of fun adventurers and running free. Sadly, they slowly twist into the skewed reality my subconscious weaves into my conscious mind. The people in my dreams are actually in the outside world, I am not....
Maria and the others must be worried sick... or maybe it's even worse, maybe they've given up trying to find me altogether. What if I'm a wanted man by the Association once I make it out? What if..? What if...
My restless sleep goes on for the entire night. I twist and turn as my sore bones and muscles desperately try to heal themselves. My stomach growls and my mouth is dry, even sleeping is starting to get really uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, I make it through the night, managing a few hours of decent sleep. I'm awoken by a light pin prick on my leg. Startled, I take a sudden leap backward, my head shaking and my hands instinctively rubbing my eyes. As my vision clears, I see a long, dark tail with hues of red, slowly slithering away from my lower body.
Letting out a sigh, I smile and reply while activating telepathy and letting my eyes adjust to the light.
"Good Morning to you too."
In front of me stands a level 100 Dragon just over 2.5 meters tall. Stretching nearly 4 meters from nose to tail, its glossy black scales appear even darker, contrasting against its vibrant crimson underbelly. Two long red horns jut out from its forehead, mirroring the luster of its captivating eyes. Through our telepathic connection, the creature speaks, its voice resonating with more power and wisdom than before.
"Master. My rank-up is complete. Are there any updates on the state of our labyrinth?"