[1000 PS bonus]

It wasn't just a matter of injuries, but Aether and mental fatigue. Sylas hadn't been able to use his Madness for obvious reasons, and he hadn't used <Madness Control> either. However, in order to keep up with the large gap in Physical stats, everyone else could only use their Aether, and without a Skill like <Maddened Meditation>, there was no easy way for them to recover it without time and rest.

They had already been running on empty after the first two skirmishes, and the only way they had managed to continue was because Cassarae traded for something she called Aether Rejuvenation Elixirs from the Nexus.

But that was the other thing, that being Cassarae herself.

By now, Sylas understood that the great strength she had displayed was as a direct result of her village. She couldn't easily step outside of its bounds, but that didn't come without its benefits either.

Unfortunately, those benefits weren't unlimited and using them put a great amount of strain on her body.

This was also likely the reason Sylas couldn't scan her stats. It wasn't that her Mental was higher than his, though that might still be a possibility. It was rather that the boost of being within her city was a great advantage and added extra protection.

Sylas even had a feeling that this was all within the expectations of whoever was leading the gnolls. Their biggest obstacle wouldn't be him or any combination of the others, but rather Cassarae herself, and it was in their best interest that she be on her last legs before they attacked.

He looked over.

Cassarae's dark hair was matted to her forehead, her breathing ragged and rushed. She leaned over on her greatsword, her chest heaving beneath the thick leather armor. Although she was trying her best to keep up that strong front, it was hard even to stand straight any longer.

The others looked like they were in worse-off condition, having suffered ghastly looking wounds. But Sylas could tell that the one among them who was in the worst condition was definitely Cassarae herself. Her body was practically shutting down.

'Aether…' Sylas thought to himself.

He never really thought about it too much before, but when it flowed through his body, he could almost feel something like a cool liquid. But he could imagine that if you were using too much of it, too quickly, whatever organs it was flowing through would be damaged.

Even if Cassarae looked fine on the inside, whatever was going on inside of her couldn't be good.

Sylas looked into the skies as the last rays of sunlight winked out, disappearing over the tall trees.

'I need to be able to use my Madness, or else this won't work. But I can't direct it properly at all, and I obviously can't fight ten gnolls on my own either…'

His jaw set.

"Cassarae, how many Aether Rejuvenation Elixirs do you have left?" Sylas suddenly asked.

Cassarae looked up with tired eyes. "I can still trade for more, but it's dangerous to take too many in a short time. They suggest only one an hour."

Sylas frowned. He had definitely seen Cassarae ignore that limit, but he didn't say so. While she wasn't using the Elixirs directly, the silvery-blue glow that appeared around her when she fought was definitely doing something similar.

Obviously, one was an Elixir, and the other seemed to be a more natural phenomenon. But judging by Cassarae's state, it didn't seem to be much different, honestly.

"Give me just one for now," Sylas replied.

Cassarae nodded and took out one, passing it to him. Now that she thought about it, Sylas was the only one of them to never ask for one. How was he doing it? Was he relying entirely on Gene Talents?

Sylas found a spot and directly plopped down, his mind entering a focused state.

He really wanted to improve his Madness and even learn how to control and direct it, but he had no inkling of how to do that. However, what he did have an inkling toward was his <Maddened Meditation>.

The Skill could do two things. First, it helped to refresh his mind, and second, it replenished his Aether. The only drawback was that he couldn't use it while he was moving and he had to sit down.

But Sylas thought of something important. If he could manage to use Maddened Meditation while he was moving, then his low Intelligence would mean much less.

This was a thought that had always been in the back of his mind, but there was little he could do to fix it. But then, he had a breakthrough in his telekinesis.

He realized then that the visualization method he used to use his telekinesis was very similar to what he used with <Maddened Meditation>.

<Maddened Meditation> wasn't an Aether Circulation method, but it rather put the mind in a particular state of peace and harmony that allowed Aether to naturally flow into you, reinvigorating the spirit and one's Aether pool.

That state of harmony… it reminded Sylas a lot of Fluid Attack Transitions.

He had been paying close attention to those tickers on his progress. By now, he had successfully risen from two to four completed circuits, and they were coming faster and faster now.

It felt like a state where he knew what was coming before it did, and he reacted accordingly.

All of these things seemed to layer atop of one another, each one forming a thin line of connection between them.

He felt like he was missing just one more thing, something that was just out of his grasp, and he felt that maybe he'd find it in an unconventional place again.

Would this Elixir help him?—

ROAR!

Sylas' eyes snapped open, and he jumped to his feet, his head turning in the direction of the sounds.

There was a harsh whistling in his ears that told him his eardrums had just taken some serious damage. But what could possibly make such a loud—

Then he saw it.