Chapter 76: Spinning Needle

The first thing I did was scan my surroundings, trying to get my bearings. Either someone had moved Callum and me, or we had wandered away from the edge without realizing it.

"PETEEEEEERRRRR!!!!!"

Holy "WHAT?!"

"Oh… you're back."

I exhaled sharply. "Luna." I tried to find the right words to describe the nerve-shattering experience of someone screaming directly into my head at full volume.

Nothing came to mind.

"Soooo, what were you up to?"

I stared at her, completely dumbfounded by her casualness. Was she serious?

"We're not going to talk about how you nearly split open my head?"

"No."

"Why?"

"…In the cave." No way. She was actually playing that card. "I saved your life… and gave you plant powers. You're welcome, by the way."

I rubbed my temples, forcing myself to breathe. "You finished with your memory pretty fast. Did you go through the illusion too?"

She flickered through a few different colors, thinking. Though I couldn't really tell the difference in our current forms, just that her shades were altering. "I saw my family, but they kept asking me to stay. Why would I? I just left. After that, I started calling you."

Guess the test of will wasn't super effective on her.

"What about your skill?"

I glanced around. The rest of the contestants were still asleep, trapped in whatever illusion had them locked in place.

"Oh! It wasn't too hard. I'll explain it later so you can use it in your arm… if you're smart enough to learn."

Was she... She was gloating! The nerve! Who had been inflating her ego this much?!

"I did."

Another voice entered my mind.

I AM NOT A CAFÉ!

"…What is a café?" The old man's voice carried a mix of curiosity and confusion, like an elder being introduced to smartphones for the first time.

"I talked to him a lot. Way better than all those other sacks of meat!" Luna chimed in enthusiastically.

I wondered if she even realized they were all the same person.

"She really is quite talented, your little friend."

I let out a slow breath and gave up on fighting the mental invasion. "Yeah, I figured. You should see her gather World Force."

"Yes… but you too. I dismissed you so long ago, yet here you are."

I frowned. So long ago? "That was only a few days ago."

"Hmmm. For you."

Not touching that today.

A chuckle echoed in my mind. "You should continue. The others will take longer, but I suggest getting a head start."

I glanced at Callum.

"No one will be attacked while asleep," the old man assured me.

That was a relief. I looked up at the next stage of the climb. Now, the group would be forced into close range as they ascended. Easier targets for ranged attacks.

Before, we had an entire donut-shaped path to work with. Now? Less than half of the circular mountain was available.

And it wasn't just narrower.

It was higher. Much higher.

"We going?" Luna asked, already eager. "Hurry up."

I exhaled. "You don't even have to climb."

"But I can manage your energy. Just hurry and climb. Who knows what the others will do if they wake up?"

…She had a point.

"Oh. Yeah, that would be nice. Thanks."

I took my first step onto a thin outcrop of rock, gripping the nearest set of finger holds. "Starting now."

"Got it."

Surprisingly, the climb felt easier than the last time. My movements were smoother, more fluid, as Luna helped fine-tune my energy flow. With my Grand Channel, my power circulated naturally, but having extra help pushing it along was definitely a boost.

Then I hit a problem and I had to stop.

"What's going on?" Luna asked.

I scanned up, down, left, right. Yep. "There's nowhere to grab. It's completely flat."

"Oh… I don't know what to say. No hands." Luna hesitated. "I could try transforming, but I don't think my needles would help."

That, however, gave me an idea.

"Maybe I have to use my own technique to get up. Punch my own holds into the rock."

"Oooooh! Like the legendary heroes I was told about! Great ancestors with roots so powerful, they could burrow through stone." She spoke with the excitement of a child.

I thought over her history lesson for a moment. Then I made my decision.

I looked up. Still a long way to go.

"Luna, I don't want to activate my Precursor Sense. Can you help me with control?"

A small shake ran through my wrist. "I should be able to. Just tell me what you need."

I considered making Air Lances, but that didn't feel quite right. It could do damage, sure, but it wasn't the most powerful option. Blasting Wave? No chance. That would probably launch me off the wall if I didn't have a solid grip.

Oh! My strongest option, my newest technique. Spiritual Weapons. They'd be too energy-intensive to maintain for long, but if I created a tool specifically for carving the rock…

Wait. No.

I couldn't touch the weapons I created... unless I wanted a repeat of the agony from the last time I tried making the sword.

I could suspend it in place with an energy thread just like I did against Kaz I guess.

"Luna, I'm going to extend a thread of energy from my body. Just keep it fueled with my Internal Force."

"Got it!"

Without wasting another second, we got to work.

Within moments, a fully condensed, solid needle materialized. A spiral pattern carved into its surface.

"Alright, Luna. You can stop now."

It was less exhausting than using my gauntlets, but losing that chunk of energy still drained me.

Now for the hard part. I had to hold it steady and somehow generate enough force to break through the wall.

"Luna, can you interact with the thread?"

A pause. "Ummm… just a little."

Perfect. "I just need you to keep it steady, but don't completely lock it in place."

I felt a subtle tug on the thread. "Done."

Now for the next step.

I needed wind.

With one hand supporting my entire weight, I activated Silencing Current. Without Luna helping balance my energy, I would have needed both hands. Which… wasn't an option at this height.

I didn't want to blast the wind directly at the new item and launch it directly at the wall. I needed it to wrap around the needle, creating and reinforcing a spin.

As a test run, I briefly activated my Domain, just enough to feel the energy flow. Silencing Current was low effort, so it wouldn't strain me too much.

I gathered Silencing Current in my palm, releasing just a thin wisp of energy, keeping the force anchored with a thread of Internal Force just like Elric had advised me ages ago.

This was getting tough.

I wrapped the new energy thread around the needle. "Let's give it a shot."

I released… and the needle spun. I fed it more energy. It spun faster. Slowly, I eased off my Precursor Sense, adjusting until I could hold the current on my own.

"How you doing, Luna?"

"It—it's getting tougher with the movement, but I think I can go a bit more."

"Good. I'll increase the speed a bit more."

I did just that, and soon, I found myself staring at the weapon in front of me with dread. If this was launched at someone, what kind of damage could it actually do? Especially if I added barbs or something.

"Alright, Luna. I'll move it forward with my ability, just hold on. Let me know if there's any issues."

"Y–yeah. No problem."

I adjusted the trajectory of the wind, silently praying that the force would be enough to break through. That, and the fact that it was formed from my Internal Strength would hopefully be enough.

The moment the needle grazed the wall, I was pleasantly surprised.

Tiny cracks webbed outward, bits of rock crumbling into pebbles before falling away.

And with one final push, a chunk of stone gave way, leaving a crevice just big enough for me to wedge my fingers and toes into.

"It worked!"

"Yay! So… how long are we gonna do this?" Luna's voice carried a clear note of exhaustion.

I glanced up. "A while."

We kept going, refining the technique as we climbed, taking breaks whenever we needed to regain our focus.

One foot hold, one hand hold at a time. "Well, at least anyone who follows this route won't have to struggle as much, right?"

"And why do you see that as a good thing?" Luna asked, exasperated. "Don't you want to be the top?"

Yeah, but I wouldn't mind someone like Callum taking second place. I was confident I could take most people here. But the princess… She had completed the fourth level before just like me. Or at least, she implied it.

"I'm just a ni—"

My hand slipped as a shift in the atmosphere hit me like a wave. It wasn't strong, but it was sudden, enough to throw me off balance.

I scrambled to regain my grip, barely managing to keep the needle stable.

"Are you alright?" Luna asked, concern laced in her voice.

I looked down.

"Do you feel that?"

"Yeah… did it happen because we climbed higher?"

As something entered my view, realization hit me. "No. No, I don't think so."

The pressure hadn't just appeared randomly. It had settled at a precise moment. A moment I could now confirm after seeing what was below me.

The Princess had started climbing. Fast.