MISS PAINTER, YOUR ART HAS COME ALIVE!

Chapter 22 : Chapter 22 - Only the power of matter......

[My dear Aita, it's been a long time since I last contacted you. I wonder how you are? After the last great battle, we welcome a brand new centurion... a girl, about the same age as our child. She doesn't seem like those previous centurions, she's much gentler, much kinder. This has given me some hope... You know, although I'm not good at killing enemies, I'm skilled at protecting myself. If I don't have to go to the battlefield often, perhaps I really could take some money and return home. Then we'd have a huge house, and land of our own...]

[Oh, sorry, Aita, I was meant to finish and send this letter to you within a few days, but recently the centurion assigned us tasks... But don't worry, I haven't gone to the battlefield. She only asked us to dig some trenches... and it's shift-based, so it's not a big problem, not tiring at all. And I discovered she's not just a centurion, but also an Ascender, and seems to be at the same level as the village chief! Oh my goodness, she looks only about seventeen or eighteen!]

[I was wrong, Aita. We aren't digging trenches, we're digging... tunnels? I don't even know how to describe it. But it seems she really wants us to dig a tunnel leading into the enemy's interior? What's the use of that?]

In the pitch-black underground, soldiers were carefully excavating.

Because the space was limited, Kaelis advanced in three separate routes, periodically connecting them so everyone could support each other.

Each tunnel was short, just long enough for two people to crouch and move forward, with wooden supports placed at regular intervals.

But honestly, these wooden supports serve very little structural purpose. Compared to actual support, they functioned more as warning devices.

Whenever changes occur above, they will make noise.

The digging work was left to the soldiers, while transporting the excavated soil was entrusted to Kaelis.

She simply used pigments to draw several small mules, letting them pull carts to carry baskets of soil out.

It was at this moment that Kaelis discovered the third factor affecting the survival duration of her painted creations.

Pigments.

With her current abilities, when using the meditation technique “Inkdrop Creation,” her creations only survive for about ten seconds.

When painted on rough paper, the duration could extend to roughly one minute.

But when using proper pigments... survival time doubled to two or three minutes, and different grades of pigments provided varying degrees of extension.

Most importantly, Kaelis realized she could directly use pigments and apply the first method, “Inkdrop Creation,” to create living beings, with the duration matching that of the second method, simple sketching.

“This ability still has so many areas left to explore, huh?”

Sitting cross-legged obediently in the tunnel, Kaelis held a candle, watching the mules carry soil out.

Honestly, she had initially intended to handle everything herself... After all, tunnel warfare was a somewhat outdated tactic, and Kaelis wasn't even sure it would work.

But after trying for a short while, she gave up.

The reason? She simply didn't have enough strength alone.

Although she could summon other creatures to work for her, the efficiency would be too low.

Fortunately, the other soldiers didn't resist Kaelis's orders.

Mainly because, with three tunnels, even including shift rotations, only six people were needed per tunnel, eighteen in total. In a century-sized unit, even with time constraints, they only had to work once every five days.

This task was exceptionally light for them.

They simply didn't understand Kaelis's purpose behind this arrangement.

Was she planning to use this method to sneak-attack the enemy?

“That's right...”

Kaelis blinked, looking curiously at Seren beside her.

After spending some time together, their relationship had gradually grown closer.

Kaelis also discovered that Seren wasn't as serious as she appeared. Occasionally, she could be absent-minded, but she always faithfully completed her duties...

Someone trusted... at least professionally trusted.

“Doesn't work?”

“...Our forces are insufficient.”

After several days together, Seren had gradually become familiar with Kaelis.

When she first heard of Kaelis's plan, she truly considered it genius.

Indeed, if a frontal assault was impossible, sneaking in through tunnels wasn't a bad idea.

But upon slight reflection, this method still seems a bit absurd.

No matter how well the tunnel was dug, it couldn't become a wide road. At the current scale, even if completed, just for their hundred-man unit to pass through and regroup would take over ten minutes.

The efficient transportation was too slow, meaningless?

“But we don't actually need to launch a real sneak attack...”

Kaelis blinked, looking at the woman beside her, she smiled as gently as ever.

Seren froze.

Her pupils suddenly contracted.

“You mean...”

“I just want to be the first to plant the flag. As for the actual siege, others will handle that.”

It had already been the seventeenth day. Under Kaelis's demands, soldiers had worked overtime digging. According to the progress, they'd reach the enemy's interior in about two more days. When the war fully erupted, she could bypass the enemy through the tunnel and be the first to plant the flag. If lucky, she might even open a city gate...

“This...”

Understanding Kaelis's plan, Seren was completely stunned.

She truly hadn't expected that this seemingly pure and adorable girl had such scheming in her heart...

Under normal circumstances, when hearing the mission was a siege but only having a few hundred soldiers, most would merely think about how to fight more fiercely when the battle began.

The slightly smarter ones might consider how to sneak-attack the gate while preserving their own forces.

But Kaelis had never been confined by conventional arrangements...

Although the higher command's core objective was creating a breach, the stated goal was merely being the first to plant a flag on the city walls.

Under these circumstances, as long as the timing was right, planting the flag during others' breach attempt, Kaelis's method was truly feasible.

The only problem was...

“You doing this might make others resent you...”

They'd struggle hard to breach the city, only for the greatest first-ascend achievement to be snatched by this unfamiliar centurion.

No one would accept that!

“This isn't a problem. I have a way.”

Kaelis smiled, not in a hurry.

After checking her pocket watch and seeing the time was nearly up, she waved her hand.

“That's enough. You've worked hard. Shift change.”

“Yes.”

The soldiers, exhausted after several hours of labor, stopped their movements, left their tools behind, bowed to Kaelis while crouching, then happily finished their shift.

Kaelis then adjusted her position, moving closer to the excavation site.

Although she assigned six hours of work to the others, she spent over eighteen hours here daily.

Digging the tunnel was difficult, but transporting soil was even harder.

Their camp didn't have other suitable transport creatures, so Kaelis had to remain here, using her ability every few minutes to create mules for soil transportation.

Seeing how hard Kaelis worked, the other soldiers naturally had no complaints about the harsh underground working conditions.

After another shift change, Kaelis leaned slightly tiredly against Seren beside her, her small head resting on the other's soft bosom, unable to suppress a yawn.

The warm breath brushed against Seren's chest, making her face flush.

But after hesitating for a moment, she still stretched out her hand and slowly embraced Kaelis's soft, mesmerizing waist, making her more comfortable.

Kaelis even wriggled a bit!

This nearly shattered Seren's composure. Her serious face was now filled with shyness, completely losing the ability to demonstrate from their first meeting.

Normally, she'd never allow anyone to act like this towards her... Even if Kaelis was the centurion, even if Kaelis was a girl, she'd still feel somewhat uncomfortable.

But these past days, she'd been nearly constantly with Kaelis.

Having to wait in this lightless place for over ten hours daily, constantly using her abilities, just thinking about it makes Seren feel restless.

It was practically torture!

Yet Kaelis not only persevered, but never uttered a single complaint... Seren truly began to admire her.

In her eyes, even if Kaelis had no abilities, her beauty alone would be enough for her to live well in this war-torn era.

But Kaelis refused to succumb to such decadence. She constantly pushed herself and worked hard... Such a determined character was truly extraordinary...

And...

Kaelis's abilities...

Watching the mules pass by one after another, Seren's face gradually flickered with envy.

When she turned back,

She discovered that the girl resting on her chest had somehow raised her head, her bright black eyes appearing even more mysterious under the candlelight.

Her eyes smiling, she changed at the soldiers working hard nearby, then slowly twisted her waist, positioning herself to face Seren directly.

The sensation of soft muscles slowly moving clearly transmitted into Seren's hands.

“By the way, you're an Ascender too, right?”

To avoid disturbing the soldiers' work, Kaelis brought her small head close to Seren's ear, not moving her throat, simply using her breath to whisper softly.

The peculiar airflow seemed to kiss Seren's ear for a moment, making her earlobe redden as if about to bleed!

This posture... was far too intimate!

Suddenly, Seren recalled some little picture books she'd seen before...

Those books' descriptions of seductive women, no matter how exaggerated, calling them born with seductive bones, dazzlingly alluring, paired with revealing clothes, appearing especially lewd, Seren had once looked down upon them... But only now, meeting Kaelis, did she finally understand... such people really exist!

Just that slight waist twist and whisper from Kaelis was enough to make anyone with weakness fall completely for her... Even she, at this moment, had some lustful images rolling in her mind.

Pervert! Shameless! Seren, Seren, how can you have such strange thoughts about someone of the same gender!

Seren scolded herself angrily in her mind, but her face revealed an expression of painful, shy enjoyment.

She couldn't bear to look at Kaelis anymore...

Kaelis merely smiled, not avoiding it. Her slender, white arms stretched out slowly, gently wrapping around the girl's neck, making herself more comfortable in her position.

But this tortured Seren.

The intimate physical contact made her thoughts increasingly chaotic, her body temperature rising as if she had a fever.

“If you're also an Ascender, do you know how to enhance your abilities?”

Kaelis softly asked, her serious inquiry mixed with the intimate posture. Seren was nearly paralyzed for a long moment before gritting her teeth to answer.

“The only way to improve... is meditation....”

“That's not what I meant... I actually want to know how I can paint extraordinary beings... like vampires, for example.”

Kaelis shook her head, then slowly pulled her body out of the other's embrace.

The lingering mischievous smile on her face made Seren realize Kaelis hadn't done that unintentionally...

She was fully aware of her own charm, yet deliberately tormented her!

Even so, Seren couldn't summon even a hint of resentment, merely missing the warmth that still lingers on her body. Her eyes showed a brief regret, but she soon spoke again.

“Painting extraordinary beings?”

“Mm...”

Kaelis nodded, her smile faded, her expression somewhat uncertain.

“These past days, I've never stopped meditating or improving. But... the more I meditate, the more I feel something is missing. This missing element prevents me from painting certain special things...”

If she had to describe it, it was like evolution... Using a game analogy, Kaelis was currently just an ordinary operator. Unless she completed promotions like Elite I or Elite II, true qualitative changes, she could never paint more powerful beings.

Simply continuing to level up only enhanced already existing powers.

Although if Kaelis truly accumulated enough to summon ten thousand tigers, her strength probably wouldn't be far from that of an ordinary Ascender, the difficulty was still too high, and the ceiling too low.

Hearing Kaelis's question, Seren nodded.

She actually did know about this... Although only a first-stage Ascender, she knew quite a lot.

“You must have sensed the barrier...”

“Hm?”

"The reason Ascenders and Warriors are referred to by two different terms is because there's an essential difference between them.

Ascenders use spiritual energy to manifest special abilities... But things that are purely utilized aren't truly their own. Just like even the best tool can't match the flexibility of your own hands, many things that can't be described in words can't be constructed. Only by becoming a Warrior, integrating spiritual energy as part of one's being, can one truly control it..."

“So you're saying I must become a Warrior to paint those extraordinary beings?”

“Mm... Not necessarily. But to paint them, you'd at least need to reach the peak of the third stage?”

Accumulation of spiritual energy involves both quantitative and qualitative changes. After accumulating to a certain extent, its spiritual will upgrade, and then upgrade, the spiritual energy will become stronger, capable of greater effects.

With the same amount of spiritual energy, a Warrior would be far more effective than an Ascender's.

If Kaelis could reach the peak of the third stage, she should also be able to sense that qualitative power.

“I see...”

Kaelis pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Lost in thought.