Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Around two days had passed since Rain and Terra left the dungeon. She was still sleeping, but Rain made some progress on his skills… Magical Sacrifice and Endurance Sacrifice were becoming more efficient, so Rain's growth was speeding up considerably.

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"As expected, the foundation is improving, but I need more than this… I need real combat techniques to defeat my enemies," Rain thought.

Techniques that Rain already used or showed probably were no good… even though he felt that there was a lot of potential for his omnidirectional attack, the technique that he used to defeat Seadrei… there was still a wall that Rain couldn't surpass… he had to surpass his physical limitations and the dragon had the upper hand on that since he had nine heads and a dragon's body.

"I have to be simple and yet effective, that way, he won't be able to counter what I do…" Rain thought. "I also have to consider the teleport guy and the human that started the conflicts, but I don't have to fear cowardly Bastards who live in hiding."

Rain could only think that his answer lies in his evolution… the system was subtle about that, but it was making everyone who use it and evolve with it's parameters and making them break their limits on a daily basis… the easiest way to pull that off was by fighting constantly, so using the dungeons might not be that efficient, but it was an option.

"That guy can already summon meteors, teleport people and use Telepathy, I will never gain against him if I try to follow the same lane," Rain thought. "I guess I will break apart my body and stick to what I am truly good at."

Rain didn't think that he would need them, but he made the weights for himself again. At first, they were light, but he made them consume a bit of his mana every time to make them denser and heavier. Rain could control his earth magic to make something small much heavier than it was supposed to be, but it wasn't anything close to gravity magic.

"This will do it now… I will get stronger or die trying," Rain thought. "This should improve my strength and endurance a fair bit overtime."

"Your ideas are as simple as ever… since your presence didn't change that much, I can imagine that your body is the same as back then," Terra said.

Rain turned around and saw that Terra was still lying down while looking at him. It seemed that she was still exhausted thanks to the exhaustion, that was why she didn't even try to get up.

"I am doing something similar, but while I can make my skin tougher, it is hard to make my muscles and bones get stronger on the same way," Terra said.

In a moment of worry and urgency, Rain ignored Terra's words and turned his focus to her physical condition. Upon examining her body, he quickly noticed clear signs of distress. Her bones exhibited hairline fractures, while her muscles showed signs of inflammation and strain.

The severity of her injuries became apparent to Rain, prompting him to heal… but even if Terra's abilities couldn't help her faster, his could only improve things a bit faster.

It dawned on Rain that Terra's current state likely didn't accurately represent the extent of her injuries two days prior. The present condition of her body indicated a significant level of physical stress and damage that could have been much more severe during her ordeal within the dungeon.

Realizing the gravity of Terra's condition, Rain felt a surge of concern and regret for not intervening earlier. He recognized the necessity of providing immediate care and healing to ensure Terra's recovery from the injuries sustained during her fights in the dungeon.

"You were supposed to be more level headed than me…" Rain said and then sighed. "Still, if it is working for you, I can't complain."

Rain suddenly had an idea… that might help him get stronger even more. While he wanted to ask about the others, this project would need all of his attention. Just like before, Rain made rings that had the goal to drain his mana and heal him when he needed. However, the more mana they had, the heavier they would become. He increased their size as well to turn them into weights for his arms and legs.

The two effects would work together at all times to keep pushing his body to the limits

"Where is everyone?" Rain asked as he began to heal Terra.

"They are in other dungeons doing the same thing, I was lucky that I got the best dungeon to fight," Terra said. "This bed is too rough, can I rest my head in your lap?"

"Maybe you are being controlled by something… the Terra that I know wouldn't ask that," Rain furrowed his eyebrows.

"I am over 140, I am too old to care about this kind of thing," Terra said. "If I could move my body, I would just punish you for leaving us worried for so long. Although you might have enjoyed your punishment."

Terra was showing her mainly side again… it has been a while since she did that, but she had a point. Maybe she was only being so honest because they were alone. In any case, Rain let her rest on his lap, but it looked like she also developed a smell fetish since she began to sniff Rain's legs. Or maybe she just felt better with that nostalgic smell.

"We have been here for ten years, using the dungeons to get stronger," Terra suddenly said. "While I couldn't use the seal, I could feel that you would return and the others believed me, some of them did, at least."

"I know, I met my grandparents, Liss, Asche, Branden, Esmeralda, Orcis, Lorene, Seara, Sealyn and Seadrei," Rain said. "I returned around one month ago….and finding you guys was hard, even though I crossed the continent before and didn't find any signs of you."