Speedrun 30

"You know, I kind of expected the teleportation to another dimension to be... A bit more uncomfortable," Aly noted, just after we appeared on a small island, precisely where and when I had set our entry parameters.

"Well, it isn't actually teleportation. The Library exists on a higher plane of existence than these, lower dimensions," I explained with a grimace, trying to formulate my worlds in a way she could understand. "What you called teleportation is more of a dimensional... shift, if you will. The world moved around us while we stayed in the same place."

"Huh..." Aly hummed, not truly getting it, then shrugged and took a closer look at her surroundings. "So why are we here? And what's with that metallic tower?" She asked spotting the metallic monstrosity in the distance.

"Let's leave that for later. We need to check something first," I said.

"Andy? Why are there people running our way? Are we on some sacred ground or something?" She asked in concern.

"More like something," I said with a grin, "But ignore them for now, and try casting one of your spells."

"Why?" Aly asked, turning away from the rapidly approaching individuals.

"Just humor me."

"Does it matter what I cast?" She tilted her head to the side, confused.

"Too many questions," I rolled my eyes and in a deadpan voice, said, "Just do it."

"Fine," she huffed cutely, then raised her arm and pointed a finger at me. "You said it doesn't matter what I cast, right?" Her pout turned into a scheming smirk.

"Right..." I sighed, "Get on with it." I beckoned her with a gesture, while Fluffy decided she'd like to have a snack.

She trotted away, happily bouncing from left to right, slowly making her way toward the army of people, who, after noticing her, decided they didn't want to greet us, and started running for dear life in the other direction.

Meanwhile, I just stood there with a smirk on my face, waiting for Aly to learn that the laws of magic differ from world to world. Her satisfied smirk, which promised pain for all the teasing I'd done to her, was swiftly exchanged to that of confusion, followed by a calculative look and ultimately a grimace.

She rotated her palm, releasing a puff of mana, and then, while furrowing her brows in concentration, she manipulated it in the air, unable to conjure a magic circle. She grunted in annoyance, then locked her squinting eyes with me and accused me.

"You did something!"

"I did nothing," I replied with a chuckle.

"I know you did something! I can't cast spells!" She huffed again and crossed her arms in front of her ample bosom, her expression a mixture of both shock and fury.

"Let me teach you one of the first rules of dimensional travel," I said, dropping my arm around her shoulder, ignoring her feeble attempt to break free, and moving us along the bloody path that Fluffy had created. "World laws between dimensions tend to differ," I brought out the news with a grin, which faltered after her next question.

"What does that have to do with the fact that I can't use magic?" Aly asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Everything," I replied regaining my enthusiasm, making her roll her eyes, but ultimately drop her guard. "What do you think falls under the purview of the World Laws?" I asked.

"How would I know?" She shrugged, and I proceeded to explain.

"One of the first and most important things governed by World Laws is the state of matter, whether it's antimatter or matter, and how the fundamental forces of nature operate," I explained, making her furrow her brows in confusion.

I realized I had introduced her to various concepts related to physics a day or so ago, but I hadn't gone into great detail. She had some basic knowledge about gravity, pressure, basic fluid dynamics, prisms, and kinetic energy, but I had crammed so much information into her mind that time, regarding so many topics, that I couldn't delve into the intricacies of physics without literally frying her brain.

"Alright, let me simplify it," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "Think of it this way: World Laws determine whether, when you drop something, it falls to the ground, floats, or flies away, so..." I gestured for her to complete the sentence, and she delivered.

"How gravity works...?" she stated, a bit unsure.

I gently patted her head, which made her blush, huff, and look away, but I didn't mind. "That's correct!" I said with a smile, then continued, "Similarly, World Laws determine whether, when you throw something, you're the one who goes flying or if it's the thing you're throwing that takes off. In simpler terms, it's about how energy transfer, kinetic, and potential energy work." She nodded, signaling her understanding.

"These same World Laws also govern how magic works," I explained, which left her eyes wide with surprise.

"Does that mean I won't be able to use my magic anywhere but my homeworld?!" she exclaimed in shock.

"Don't be silly," I reassured her, waving my hand. "Of course you will. But not right now," I added with a wry smile.

"What do you mean?" she asked with a puzzled look.

"Well," I began, casting a simple spell using the magical formula from her world to illustrate, "my system disregards World Laws and allows for cross-world spellcasting."

"That's bullshit," she remarked flatly.

"It really is," I agreed with a chuckle. We arrived at the heavily enchanted front door of the tower, which featured a conspicuous Fluffy-shaped hole in it. I dematerialized what remained of the door, and we entered the tower. "But your [Complete Elemental Mastery] as well as your race's [Mana Mastery] are also bullshit abilities," I added with a chuckle, making her tilt her head in confusion, before, it dawned on her.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide in realization. "Does that mean I could learn magic from other worlds?!"

"That's precisely what that means," I nodded, "Although believe it or not, we're currently working on giving you access to my system," I told her with a smile, causing her to narrow her eyes in suspicion.

"So, is that why we're here? Is this related to the quests you mentioned when we entered the world?" she asked, glancing around. "What was it called, the Tower of Heaven or something?"

"That's right," I confirmed. "While there are countless quests in this world, one of them involves destroying this place and killing one of its creators, Brain."

"What's so special about this tower?" she inquired, ignoring the blood and flesh-covered corridor, screams, shouts, and explosions coming from around us.

"In this dimension, it's essentially a requirement for resurrection magic," I explained, drawing information from my memories of the series. "It's a ritual magic, of a dark kind, requiring human sacrifice, so it's highly illegal."

"That's highly unethical," she commented, her face showing her disapproval.

"To be honest, I think I've done worse," I admitted with a shrug. "Anyway, the funny thing is that the Dark Guild trying to complete the ritual is attempting to resurrect a person who's immortal and very much alive."

She couldn't help but snicker at the absurdity of the situation.

"Yep... Anyway, I think we're just about done here," I said, glancing toward the end of the corridor, and she followed my gaze.

A dark-skinned lunatic, who had initially been madly laughing just a moment ago, had released a green beam of 'Darkness' upon Fluffy while shouting, "Die Demon!"

Fluffy's eyes lit up with eagerness, and instead of dodging the attack, she stood her ground, focusing entirely on the darkness aspect of the spell. As the green beam washed over her, her magic-resistant scales easily resisted it. They began to heat up and glow with an iridescent white light, dispelling the mana within the spell and the surrounding air.

Fluffy had made tremendous progress with her [Darkness Manipulation] during our three days in the Arifureta world, advancing her skill to Tier 2. So, grabbing hold of the darkness aspect of the spell unleashed upon her was merely a matter of when not if.

Aly and I watched with fascination as something clicked within Fluffy's mind, and a wicked grin spread across her reptilian face, revealing her razor-sharp teeth. In a swift and unexpected motion, the beam wobbled and bent, ultimately making a complete U-turn around Fluffy and heading back toward the shell-shocked caster.

"Fluffs, stop playing with your food," I chided my cute little Nightmare, making our main target finally notice us.

However, the disgrace of a mage didn't have time to question us, as he was required to dodge left to avoid his own spell. Yet, he staggered the next moment from the sonic boom created by a single use of [Air Dance], which allowed Fluffy to close the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

The little Nightmare, heading my words, while still in the air, wasted no time. She tilted her head to the side and chomped down on the wide-eyed mage's head, and with one swift motion ripped it off his neck.

The sound of flesh tearing and a loud crunch filled the air as Fluffy continued her flight path, finally stopping a few meters away from the lifeless, headless body that had fallen to the ground.

"So... Was he the big bad of this quest?" Aly asked, raising an uncertain eyebrow.

"Yep, although it's not over yet," I replied, gesturing toward the body, which had begun releasing tendrils of darkness that gradually rebuilt the flesh of the fallen mage.

"Fluffy, what did I teach you?" I said, sounding slightly annoyed as I placed my hands on my hips. "Don't wait for a transformation to complete; finish the fight when you have the chance."

A shy "Shaa..." was her reply before she unleashed her acid breath, swiftly followed by an atomic one. The demon called Zero, who had inhabited the body of Brain, released a painful screech as his body twitched and convulsed before Fluffy's skills dissolved his being entirely.

"Good job, Fluffs!" I praised her with a proud tone, nodding in satisfaction.

She trotted up to me, nudging me with her head and seeking some affection. And I happily obliged, patting her and scratching her neck, causing her to release a low rumble of contentment.

"Are we done here?" asked the impatient vampire girl, observing our affectionate moment while tapping her foot on the ground.

Despite the grotesque scene of body parts and pools of blood covering almost every surface in the corridor, Aletia seemed completely unfazed. She looked out of place with that cute and annoyed expression, her elegant yet sexy outfit contrasting her environment.

"In a minute. We need to rescue the slaves and destroy the tower as well," I replied with a smile. I waved my hand, dematerializing the structure. Moments later, the few unlucky individuals on the upper floors came crashing to the ground.

[Quest: [Tower of Heaven] Completed 4,000 WP (1/4) (1,000 WP) Received]

I stood there with a wide grin, watching as the cultists and occasional slaves rained down upon us like a heavy downpour. My [Mental Domain] expanded, encompassing the entirety of the island, and with a single thought, I vanquished the remaining minds of the cultists.

"This place was so fucked up," I mumbled under my breath after reading through the memories of some of the children who had been forced to step into adulthood far too early. With a heavy sigh, I waved my hand, teleporting the around two hundred souls from the basement cells to the newly created clearing before us.

Their emaciated and malnourished state made even Aletia do a double take, her earlier doubts about our actions evaporating. Her expression underwent a whirlwind of emotions as she observed the dire condition of the children. They appeared as little more than walking skeletons, their cheeks sunken deeply, their eyes devoid of life, their bodies littered with bruises and cuts, some of which still bleed.

"Power tends to corrupt," I remarked, noticing the boiling rage emanating from Ali's mana. I sighed once again and activated [Arcane Arts]. I conjured a spell that combined restoration magic and holy magic, casting it over the petrified children and the few remaining adults.

The [Arcana]-empowered spell took but a moment to close their wounds, restore their missing appendages, and nourish their bodies, and then a cleaning spell scrubbed them clean. Finally, [Existence] provided them with new sets of clothes.

As the warm glow of the spell enveloped them, the children and adults began to sob, their tough façade crumbling in mere moments. However, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them with a lifetime of mental scars. So, I activated [Mental Domain] once again, cleansing their minds of the memories of their years of imprisonment.

Their gazes shifted to blank confusion as they looked around, unsure why their eyes had tears in them, and I chose not to mind their questions and bewildered shouts. I reached into my inventory system, converting and withdrawing a single bill from this world's currency.

These bills, known as "jewels," were the non-denominational units of the monetary currency in Fiore, and held a value of approximately 100 to 1 when converted to USD.

Using [Universal Sense] and [Arcane Arts], I observed the paper and its enchantments, then after gaining a good understanding of its composition and magic, I employed [Existence] to conjure sacks, each containing 10 million jewels, for each person present.

I continued to ignore their surprised shouts, and relying on [Relativity], warped the emancipated slaves across the continent, leaving only a single 10-year-old redhead girl standing before us.

"Why didn't you teleport her away?" Aly inquired, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Well," I responded with a chuckle, "I do aim to collect the 'infinity hoes.' I already have a brunette and a blondie. Now, I only need a redhead, noirette, and a pinkette or a bluette. Though I'm more inclined towards a pink-haired one; they tend to be more 'aggressive,' if you catch my drift," I explained with a sly wink. Meanwhile, the young redhead continued to look at us with a perplexed expression, unable to understand our conversation.

"You can't be serious!" Aletia exclaimed, her tone accusatory. She wasn't bothered by being referred to as a "collection item", but she was clearly enraged by the age of the girl before us. "She's what, 10? 12?"

"Calm your tits," I replied with a chuckle. "I was joking... Mostly."

"Mostly? What does 'mostly' mean?" she asked, squinting her eyes at me.

Instead of responding to Aly, I turned my attention to the little girl and asked in a gentle tone, "What's your name, child?"

"E-Erza, Erza Scarlet, S-Sir," she stuttered, unable to make eye contact due to shyness. She was quite different from her older self in the series, especially after losing her memories of life as a slave. Although I had removed the bad memories, I left her familiarity with swords within her cute little head.

"Hey, stop ignoring me and answer my question!" Aly interjected, feeling left out of the conversation.

"W-why is that lady angry?" Erza inquired, not understanding a word Aly was saying.

"Don't worry about her; she's a bit eccentric," I explained, gesturing with my hand and sticking out my tongue, which made the young Erza chuckle.

"What are you two talking about?" Aly asked, squinting her eyes at us. "I feel like I'm the topic."

"You're imagining things," I replied confidently and then turned back to Erza. "Erza, would you like to go meet a nice old grandpa?"

Erza nodded vigorously, her trust in me instilled by [Mental Domain], and she reached out, grabbing my outstretched hand.

"Alright, Aly, we're heading to a pretty wild place. Don't get too surprised."

"What do you mean?!" she shouted, but I simply extended my authority, warping our location to the town called Magnolia.