Chapter 241: Two-Faced Firefly

Just the sounds of the double door closing startled him. It was loud, carrying with it mild shockwaves that stirred up the air. His face was flushed red, his thumping heart sought to jump out of his chest, the sounds of his pulses echoed in his ear.

This wasn't his first time entering the Labyrinth of Frenzy. He had entered it a total of three times before this. But, during those three times, he was accompanied by a psychic arm of Madam Mila. Moreover, a partition of yellow existed 10 metres into the path—from the entrance. This prevented him from taking a look into the actual Labyrinth.

In the open space, Madam Mila brought in a single Frenzy Beast every time for him to practice. It was her way of helping him since he couldn't use his full strength under the watch of others. She also taught him some methods to use his corrosion.

It was something he wished to thank Psychic Ancestor Marble. Because of his word, Madam Mila had been helping him in secret all this while. Even though she was no different from a statue, actions spoke greater than words. Madam Mila had helped him a lot.

Despite this being his fourth visit, it was his first exploration. So, Jyorta was partly excited but mostly tense. He placed his hand on the sword attached to his hip. It was something he had exchanged after his previous three training sessions.

Espers were weak at Tier 1 and Tier 2. He was reminded of this fact every time he battled. He could erupt with greater power through his physical body than through his psychic arms. So, having a sword was better. Moreover, while his psychic arms moved, his arms would be free. So, making use of them would give him more options to attack.

'If even I am facing such difficulties, I can't even imagine for Line Controllers. No wonder they never try to explore the Labyrinth.' Faint aura circulated in the air. It didn't even faze him but it would serve to mildly affect the focus of Line Controllers.

He had worn his armour, white that varied in colour based on the angle one looked at it with. On his back was a device, and placed with half its surface peaking out was the chakram. Strapped around his right thigh were two spindles, one for each psychic arm. On his left thigh were a regular spindle and a spindle that spanned 30 centimetres in length.

Strapped around his hip, on the other side to his sword was a bag, rectangular in shape. Within it was a gauze, a knife, alcohol to disinfect wounds, and some paste to stop bleeding. He also placed the pouch within it, as it was currently empty.

Jyorta was unable to see beyond a metre from him. Even that, he could only make out faint outlines. It was dark, lacking any light. Faint sounds of Frenzy Beasts resounded from afar, barely audible. It just displayed the vastness of the Labyrinth.

More than that, it was eerie. The place was also cold, making him unconsciously shiver. Jyorta unleashed his weaker psychic arm; it spanned a length of 266 centimetres. His current Nurturing increased the length of both his psychic arms by one centimetre per day. It was a growth equivalent to an Area Controller that had a Sync Rate of 100.It was thanks to his Tier 5 Artifact, the pressure his blue soul exerted on the subsoul, and the Trait of Efficiency.

Jyorta closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths, watching his heart rate steadily calm down. He took his time, not budging from his spot, seeking to get used to the atmosphere. His ears captured the slightest of sounds, his eyes sought for even the faintest of luminescence. But, since he was fully armoured, he couldn't feel the flow of air through the sense of touch on his skin.

The weaker psychic arm converged around his body, forming a layer. It first insulated the temperature, preventing his body heat from seeping out. It then masked his scent, creating a filter that prevented his presence from lingering on the air he exhaled. Finally, his image flickered in and out of existence, reflecting all incident rays through the barrier and refracting then on the opposite end, making a scene as if the light just passed through his body.

It was a method using the concept of total internal reflection. Jyorta took almost a minute to get it right. After all, this ability depended on the environment and had to be adjusted accordingly. Thankfully, he had enough practice for this ability.

Finally, the barrier tried to lift him. But, it didn't exert itself. All it did was decrease his weight by 2.66 kilograms. It was a measure to decrease his body weight, allowing him to move slightly faster. In a battle, even the slightest of difference mattered.

Jyorta took in a deep breath, glancing at his blue soul, watching the Hoberman sphere ready in position. He exhaled, watching his body begin to calm down, the nervousness beginning to abate. Once he got into the groove of the atmosphere, his body was adapting to the flow. When things got serious, Jyorta took on a no-nonsense approach. That was his character.

He closed his eyes, checking how the reception of his senses worked. Finally, as he opened his eyes, he unleashed his domain. His domain was a sphere surrounding him, with its centre being his brain. It had the same radius as the length of his stronger psychic arm—326 centimetres.

His domain focused on the presence of living beings. To an extent, it was an extension of his body's senses. So, it felt like his body had become a large sphere. Anything that happened within it would be felt by him. It wasn't anything fancy like the feedback from his psychic arm. It had a limited effect. But, since he was unable to make sense of his psychic arm's feedback, his domain played vital importance.

The terrain was a mixture of sand and clay, with rocks of all sizes strewn about. There existed boulders, forming cracks across their surface, and reflecting the faint luminescence that existed. Holding a sword in his hand, Jyorta neared a boulder. His stronger psychic arm held his chakram, hovering on the back of his head.

His steps made crunching sounds, the weight of his body shattering brittle rocks. They were dry, making loud sounds as they shattered. Jyorta was alert, taking one step at a time. Most of his focus was on his domain. He hypnotised himself, keeping a mental reminder to move the chakram in the way of anything that entered his domain.

A high-frequency sound of flapping insect wings resounded, prompted by the sound of his footsteps. Suddenly, a bright light flashed, momentarily blinding him. Jyorta controlled the barrier covering him, hurriedly making changes so that the intense light wouldn't expose him. In an instant, he modified his barrier, making it seem as if the light passed through him, preventing him from being exposed.

The part of the barrier over his eyes changed a little, filtering the intensity of the light, allowing him to gaze at the source. It resembled a Firefly, the size of his fist. Its appearance was similar to his past life, except for the size.

The firefly flew away from him, heading deeper into the labyrinth. Jyorta noticed another face on its back, similar to the one on its front. It was the Frenzy Beast, Two-Faced Firefly. The one that had flown away from him was an Observer.

Despite their menacing appearance, the Two-Faced Firefly never fought against anyone. They were scavengers. In the aftermath of a battle, they would arrive to feast upon the carcasses. In normal times, they would flee upon first sight.

Prompted by its flight, many Two-Faced Fireflies that had been in hiding took off to the air, beginning to fly further into the Labyrinth. Their appearance lit up the path, allowing him to take note of his surroundings in detail.

He was neither unwilling to bring in a flashlight nor was he prevented from doing so. He was advised against doing so because most of the Frenzy Beasts attacked any sources of light. And, the illumination varied by the levels. In the Labyrinth of Frenzy, each level had its own terrain.

Just as he had expected, a Frenzy Beast sprang upon the flying Two-Faced Fireflies, gobbling up a couple of them with the first bite. After chewing once, it swallowed the contents. Its tongue shot forth, coiling around another Two-Faced Firefly, pulling it into its mouth in an instant.

It was the Frenzy Beast, Spiked Lizard. It had a body spanning a metre in length, with long, forking spikes trailing across their backs. Their faces slightly resembled humans while their eyes—hidden underneath a thick layer of gelatinous skin—were suited to the dark. Situated next was another pair of eyes, currently closed. They were used to see in surroundings with greater light.

Jyorta saw at least 10 of such creatures in his proximity. As the Two-Faced Fireflies lit the way as they fled, he noticed many more of such creatures crawling across the walls and boulders. Their tongues flashed forth, gobbling up the Two-Faced Fireflies that flew nearby. Their tongues extended to twice the length of their bodies, spanning 2 metres. Considering their speed, they proved to be deadly weapons.

Jyorta also noticed a faint tangy smell permeate through the air a second after the Spiked Lizards began to move. He judged the air had become slightly toxic. He could also feel a mild numbing sensation in his limbs. His fingers began to faintly shiver.

Jyorta pulled down a small protrusion on his armour—situated above his nose. Followed by the sound of something sliding, a thin slab covered his nose. In it were the scents of various herbs, detoxifying the poison. A couple of seconds later, the numbing sensation in his body abated.

The path had also become dark as the Two-Faced Fireflies flew further and further away from him. Jyorta calmed his mind as he unleashed his aura.