She triggered a death switch...
That red button activated a security precaution to destroy evidence and trap any intruders inside if their room is compromised.
I've got to give this woman credit, she caught onto the situation pretty quickly and reacted in a professional and timely manner.
Nevertheless, I have to focus and get as much gear as I can. Then, get out of here.
My eyes dart to the other side of the wooden desk to see a bundle of mana crystals and two piles of potions. One half of them glows bright white and the other glows gold. Without thinking twice I open my storage and let them all fall in.
The buzzing mana shielding from the doors begins to spread throughout the outer walls of the whole room as they shrink toward me fast.
I take out my blade and begin to charge up an attack, but hesitate on going all out.
There's an entire floor above me, not to mention an entire city above that. If I damage the structural integrity of this marketplace, I'll be in a much bigger predicament.
I don't mind killing those who get in the way of my freedom, but innocent bystanders don't need to get hurt if I can manage it.
I release a refined strike of pure pink mana at the silver door, it's similar to the strength I threw at the woman earlier.
A loud crack and buzzing sound splits through the mana shielding and leaves a thick cut on the hard metal, but my slash is stopped by the next layer of shielding behind it.
The energy dispersed from the blast makes the walls and ceiling above me shudder and creak as they close in at a steady rate. The shielding on the door regenerates almost instantly, bringing me back to square one.
Rolling my eyes, I mutter under my breath in a sarcastic tone.
"Great..."
I react and try to let out a mana blade with 25% more power. On impact, even more white energy erupts from the broken shielding and the ground shakes. The blade slices through the first door's front and back shielding but gets blocked by the 2nd.
My jaw tightens as the room shakes and deep cracks start to form in the ceiling and walls. Small bits of rubble fall and the sound of heavy metal support beams around me quivering and bending at odd angles makes me start to rethink my approach.
To make it through all 3 doors, it'll take a full-powered strike, but the backlash will surely take out everything above and below me for at least 15 to 20 meters... There's only a single layer of shielding behind these walls floor and ceiling, it's a weaker point than the door, but attacking it directly would end in a similar result. If I don't destroy this shielding mechanism entirely, it seems it will regenerate indefinitely.
Blasting it to pieces could work, but it may be futile as well. An act of mass destruction may just be for nothing, it would be best if I avoid that option.
My eyes dart around the room as the tables and small dressers begin to tip over. Painting and magic items fall off the walls. One of the works of art shows a man in a silver suit of armor holding a golden sword on top of a green hill. He's facing off against a black dragon with a red underside covered in dark flames.
I turn to the other wall as one of the large trophy cases full of jewelry, daggers, and swords starts to tip over and fall. The front glass rattles as it falls toward the floor.
Fractions of a second before it hits, I open a spatial magic portal below it, and dozens of items and artifacts fall into my storage.
"Might as well take something if I'll all just be crushed or destroyed anyway."
I step back, bracing myself against the mahogany desk.
Then, something clicks.
"Right... if It were destroyed..."
I deactivate all my active skills and place my blade back into my storage system while expelling any hint of magic in my system before attempting my next idea.
The room around me goes black and white as my Demonic Energy Manipulation skill activates. The buzzing noises stop, and all my mana sensory shuts off too.
It's still a strange phenomenon, but familiar enough now that I don't hesitate to eject a full unit of Demonic Energy from my core directly at the door.
The second I do and my pathways are clear, I deactivate my skill and reboot my mana senses. I don't dare activate my shielding.
The color splashes back into my vision as the crackling sound of mana forcibly being destroyed in a violent chain reaction fills my ear. The entire front door of the chamber door bursts into sparks. It spreads around the outer layer of the room and seeps into the doors behind it as well.
The overwhelming power of the shielding was a burden when trying to slash through it with brute force, but it's a blessing in disguise when reacting with this dark foreign matter.
The stronger and faster the mana flow is, the quicker and stronger it burns and crackles away.
My eyes open wide in awe as the violent sparks engulf the doors and the entirety of the room in a matter of seconds. The walls continue to close in as the sparks get more and more violent, making it hard to even hear myself think.
From the data I've gathered so far, as long I don't use any mana shielding, or directly touch the sparks while using an active skill, it will not harm me.
I stand my ground and wait as the display of light hits its climax. The walls around me are covered in yellow and white miniature explosions and any magic items with enchantments or pure mana flowing through them get completely destroyed on the spot.
It's a scary sight, but I trust my intuition. I grin as the reaction starts to get quieter. As it does, the moving walls around me come to a halt too. Whatever magic mechanism was pushing them toward me has been destroyed.
After just 15 seconds, the entire room is left in a state of dust and ash. A few sparks crackle here and there. Then, they all go completely dark.
The three sets of silver vault-like doors have crumbled to pieces, fallen victim to my unique attack.
Other than the small cracks and falling dust from the ceiling, the room is silent.
All I can hear is my heart beating and footsteps crunching the decimated furniture, art, and magic items as I walk out the front door.
I take a right turn to make my way back to my teammates, but the sound of running footsteps tells me I won't have to wait long.
All 5 of them come running around the corner with weapons in hand and stern expressions across their faces. Even Chester trails behind keeping up with the other as best he can.
However, they slow their sprint and power down their skills as they see me walk out from the blackened doorway completely unscathed. No one says a word, they just come to a halt.
I'm alone, not with our teammate that they all expected me to rescue. It's clear there was a power struggle that just took place, and I appear to be the lone survivor.
I let out a sigh and put on a confident smile.
"Don't worry, it isn't as dire as it seems. Though, I've got good news and bad news."
Silence fills the well-lit hallway as my words echo through their ears.
The final charred remains of a structure fall over in the room behind me, making a loud thudding sound before I continue. It only heightens the suspense.
"The bad news is, the Boss wasn't here. Neither was Lydia. The good news is, I believe we have more than enough information to find out exactly where they've taken her. To find our teammate, we'll have to venture near the Abyss."
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