Spirit Taming

Chapter 281: Ruin Dungeons

Clark had made it to shore along with Ella. Maria was right behind them while Isa was using the current in the river to try and catch up to Reese first. Bard and Grace were just trying to get across themselves. It was good that they recognized that they would be more of a hindrance if they rushed themselves to attempt to help Reese as well.

The living mist was a wind and water type beast. It has some control of water and was able to push against the current slightly. This allowed the ice maiden to use its skills to freeze some of the water being slightly held back. This alone created a float for Reese. If the ice maiden had been stronger, it would have been able to freeze a barrier stopping the river temporarily.

But beasts were not that strong easily. For the ice maiden to be able to even freeze the river for a few seconds with ice, it would need to be ten times as strong. For it to be able to stop the river and divert its flow for a length of time, it would need to be hundreds of times stronger. This only went to illustrate how strong the future needed them to be.

Feeling the cold, Reese wanted to get away from it. Anyone would have an adverse reaction to a suddenly colder environment, however, he heard Clark give the orders while he had been in a panic. The senses that Reese had sharpened during training allowed him to regain his calm much faster than an average person.

"Good, slow your breathing and use the ice to float you to the river bank near us!" Clark felt himself become much more relaxed seeing that Reese was not panicking. He knew that panicking while struggling in water was only a precursor to drowning. Every story he had ever heard about drowning was that there were always signs of panic to the bottom before they succumbed to the water.

The group had ended up well beyond where they had entered the river. It seemed like it had only taken a small amount of time to be far from their start. But it had also only been a small amount of time since they had gone from calm to panicked and back to calm again. The amount of adrenaline and emotions were high.

"Good, now all of you understand that you are not alone on this trip. There are exceptions for good reasons but you are a team. Ella, You are a third year but this does apply to you as well. As the host academy decided to change the rules to suit their desires, you will win and lose as a team." Professor Wright highlighted the rules of this tournament coming up.

She had done this as a lesson but also to bring them back to this topic.

"Since the tournament will be points based for each match, the more your team wins the better. If all of you lose but one of you defeats all of them, then you will be the winner. It just matters that you all work together to find the right combinations.

Water won't always beat fire, fire might not always survive against the wind or earth, there are many possibilities." This was all to inspire deeper thinking.

"I think I see what you want." Clark smiled softly. He was grasping the true intentions of this.

As much as everyone wanted to fight solo, he had to consider what everyone would be doing. If he were to put up Ella against someone that had a beast that countered every single elemental beast she had, then she would always be at a disadvantage. Now the same could be said if the situation was reversed.

Clark would have to look at weaknesses and ask his team to move accordingly. He was already willing to use his full strength, which was assured. However, he had to use his mind even more. If he showed off their trump cards in the first match up, they would be discovered and taken down in the second match up.

"Grace, Reese, Brad. You three will have to carry the team for the first few match ups. The rest of us will handle things later. If Herold makes it, he will prove himself by fighting the first match up too." Clark said this while he motioned for Isa to bring out her flame sprite. Reese had gotten much colder than intended. And compared to everyone, they were also just as soaking wet and needed drying.

"We will start walking again in an hour. By then we should be able to take a little jog to the ruin dungeon. It's fairly famous for having some ancient materials and other beasts that are considered rare." Professor Wright smiled as she took a seat under a nearby tree to rest.

"I nearly died and we will just jog to a dungeon?" Reese was clearly still thrown off. He felt that he had been ignored a little. He had feelings too!

"It was a lesson to teach you limits and broaden your mind. You found a weakness to improve so be a little happier." The snapping reprimand from Isa made Reese silent again. But he glanced at Clark to see what he would say.

"The ancient ruins dungeon is one of a few that are very familiar. It's well known and we will see a few other tamers there. Maybe even get to stop in the small camping village that's always there." Clark had read up on this dungeon. Even if he hadn't, he would have heard about it from many people.

"That's the dungeon that has been around for a hundred years right? That's the guess? People go there to try and reach the twentieth floor but barely get to the fifth?" Ralph didn't seem too impressed with this. He just looked bored by it.

"Exactly, the floors are all based around an ancient ruined city and it's thought that the dungeon and four others were once connected before an ancient beast war happened. They broke up and became natural dungeon. That means natural materials grow there, ancient materials left behind by whoever built the city are there, and unique beasts!"

These were dungeons that many people hunted in. Many people went after them for these things. The only reason Isa was so excited was that she had been told all about them by members of her family. Her older brother didn't go to them anymore because he had more important clients that went to more dangerous dungeons. Ones with more than twenty floors.

"What would I need there?" Reese was just as lost as Grace and Brad. they all wondered what was there that might be important.

"Spectral swords are considered beasts that are of ancient descent. They can live to be over a thousand years old as recorded in even the most ancient texts. We may see a hundred year old dungeon as ancient and filled with ruins but there are older dungeons created by bearings that we can't even comprehend." Ella was more solemn than anything.

This topic was a tough subject for researchers since it carried many mysteries.

"That means there are materials there for your spectral sword. Isn't that great!?" Since someone needed to up the mood, Maria took the role of the uplifter. She knew well that the materials and beasts they met might be rare and even better, help them all grow much stronger.

"I see. I can practice my sword techniques even better if my partner gets stronger. We might even be able to move to the beginner level of sword skills." Reese seemed to be thinking of his family's sword styles.

While everyone heard him, they all wondered what level of his family's sword technique he was at. His movements seemed very well practiced and fairly advanced. But he claimed he had not even moved to a beginner level? If that was the case, then they knew the reason would be that he had yet to grow strong enough.

Strength meant that certain techniques could be used. Someone using the best technique of the strongest level could easily kill themselves trying. If their beast used all the energy it had in one attack it could damage its body irreparably. All these things were risks many people would take in life threatening situations. But also spell long term disaster for their potential.

"That should be enough!" Professor Wright saw that the students were talking a lot more. Their clothes had been dried faster by the flame sprite so she wanted to get moving. It also meant that there would be more time to set up camp later. But for now, she wanted to make them work out a little.

It wasn't just the dungeons and wilderness that trained them. Professor Wright was going to work them to the bone so that they were even further ahead of every other academy out there. She didn't want to see the losses of past students this time. She wanted to see her students hoisting a trophy and rewards high to show the world.