Utopian System

Lila, though still concerned, found herself smiling more easily. Her golden salamander uncurled slightly from its tight coil. "You\'re right," she finally admitted. "We must trust him."

Mei nodded, briefly squeezing Lila\'s hand in a gesture of support. Her purple salamander chirped encouragingly.

Kriz and Brok exchanged a satisfied look. Their familiars, the playful rabbit and muscular rabbit respectively, seemed to puff up with pride. They had managed to lift spirits and reinforce the group\'s motivation. Now all that remained was to wait and trust that Elio, as always, would find a way to overcome any challenge that level 6 presented.

♢♢♢♢

Elio passed out, his body motionless in the icy tunnel. The silence that followed was absolute, broken only by the faint sound of his increasingly shallow breathing.

Stamina: 0

Wide Guard watched with growing concern as his fallen summoner lay still. The icy tunnel now seemed like a silent tomb.

The cute mana elephant, though extremely small compared to its real counterpart, approached Elio, gently nudging him with its trunk.

The magical creature could feel the bond with its summoner weakening.

Elio: 22.33 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

With each passing second, Elio\'s life faded a little more. Wide Guard emitted a low sound, a signal of concern. Its limited size prevented it from doing much to help its master.

But the elephant wasn\'t willing to give up.

Deep in its magical being, it knew it had to do something, anything, to save Elio. It was then that it felt the last point of mana remaining in its summoner\'s body.

Wide Guard hesitated for a moment.

Acting on its own... taking mana from its summoner without permission went against its nature. But the situation was desperate, and conventional rules no longer applied.

With a determination that rivaled that of its own summoner, Wide Guard connected with that last point of mana. It absorbed it, feeling the energy flow through its being.

It was little, barely a spark, but in the hands (or in this case, the trunk) of a pure mana creature, it was enough.

The elephant began to grow, its body expanding as it generated and absorbed carbon. Its legs became thicker, its body more robust. In a matter of seconds, it had reached a size more than sufficient to carry Elio.

Carefully, Wide Guard used its trunk to lift Elio\'s inert body and place it on its back. It could feel how cold its summoner was, how weak his breathing was.

There was no time to lose.

Elio: 20.22 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

The elephant began to advance, its steps echoing in the icy tunnel. Each movement was calculated, balancing the need for speed with keeping Elio safe on its back. Wide Guard could feel Elio\'s resistance continuing to decrease, a constant reminder of how precarious the situation was.

As it advanced, Wide Guard noticed that its own size began to diminish. The mana it had taken was running out, used to maintain its increased form.

Elio: 15.11 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

But the elephant didn\'t stop.

If anything, it increased its pace, having grown accustomed to balancing Elio on its back, determined to bring Elio to safety before it was too late.

The minutes passed, eternal and agonizing. Wide Guard could feel how each step cost more effort. Its size had decreased considerably, and now it could barely keep Elio on its back.

Elio: 9 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

But it refused to give up.

In its mana mind, Wide Guard remembered the day of its birth. It recalled the sensation of anger and loss that had flowed through Elio at that moment.

Normally, Wide Guard was a docile and obedient creature, but that sensation of power, that spark of uncontrolled fury, was addictive... And it didn\'t want to feel that loss for its summoner.

With a supreme effort, Wide Guard channeled that memory, that emotion. Its body began to glow slightly, the little mana it had left reinforcing itself with pure will. It was no longer big enough to carry Elio, but it could still drag him.

Elio: 5.15 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

The elephant grabbed Elio\'s armor with its trunk and began to pull.

Every inch was a struggle, every movement an act of pure determination. Wide Guard could feel its magical form beginning to destabilize, the light particles that composed its body starting to disperse.

But it didn\'t stop.

It couldn\'t stop.

Elio was counting on it, there was no one else, and Wide Guard wasn\'t going to fail its summoner.

When its summoner\'s weight seemed impossible to move...

Elio: 3.51 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

Elio\'s resistance kept decreasing. It couldn\'t leave him here.

With one last Herculean effort, Wide Guard gave a final tug.

Had they reached the limit of the danger area?

Wide Guard didn\'t have time to find out. Its mana had been completely depleted, and its physical form could no longer be maintained. With a last thought of concern for its summoner, the elephant began to fade, its body dissolving into shimmering particles.

The last particles of Wide Guard dispersed in the air, returning to Elio\'s book. The tunnel fell silent once more, with Elio motionless on the ground.

Elio: 3.49 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

The armor\'s regeneration was still not enough.

3.39... 3.29... 3.19...

Elio\'s last resistance points were slowly being consumed.

2.49... 2.39... 2.29...

Elio\'s life was slipping away with a silent farewell, point by point.

1.29... 1.19... 1.09...

Like a drip...

Stamina: 0.01

Elio opened his eyes to the sound of a distant drip. The one he had heard hours ago...

Elio: 1.07 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

His stamina had recovered a tiny fraction of a point.

Elio: 1.05 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

Could it have been that frozen bite he had consumed?

Elio: 1.03 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance

It didn\'t matter, what mattered was that he had to move. Now!

Elio crawled, moving further and further away from the cold that threatened to eliminate him.

1.01... 0.99... 0.98...

His consciousness was clouded, his stamina threatening to run out again at any moment.

0.57... 0.56... 0.55...

But Elio didn\'t stop.

0.11... 0.10... 0.09...

They would have to force him, they would have to tear the life from his chest if they wanted it, he wasn\'t made of cowardice.

0.04... 0.03... 0.02...

And the cruel games of the Gods did so.

Stamina: 0

0.01... 0.02...

But they did it too late.