Might as Well - Chapter 386 (Patreon)

As the dragon approached the rocky surface he was standing on, Sam felt the golden sea begin to roil and bubble beneath him, with small spurts of steam erupting and filling the air with an almost imperceptible haze.

The dragon let out another roar, and Sam slashed forward with his sword, letting loose a crescent of void magic that traveled so fast it became a black blur.

Sam watched it travel through the hazy air, steam swirling in its wake, before it approached the gigantic dragon. However, before it could hit, the dragon blurred, vanishing from his vision before reappearing.

But when he could see it once again, there wasn’t one golden dragon flying toward him. Instead, there were two smaller dragons, though still gigantic, with his void magic projectile safely flying through the space where the original had been.

“Oh, fiddlesticks…” he grumbled as he brought up his sword once more and slashed forward twice in quick succession, sending two more blurs of energy, both of them aimed at the dragons flying toward him.

Once again, the dragons blurred in place, their forms becoming hazy clouds of light and golden particles before they reappeared. This time, both of them divided into two more dragons, leaving a total of four dragons flying toward him.

Letting out a sigh, Sam braced himself on the rocky surface and raised his hand, gathering mana into it. It collected until he held a large sphere of void mana in front of his palm, then he released it, shaping it into a wall of void magic and sending it flying toward the dragons.

The wall of void hit the approaching dragons, with Sam able to see their scales glinting as they reflected the light from the golden sea around him. It passed through them, but by the time they reappeared, he was met with eight smaller dragons, their wings flapping, their jaws open, and their fangs glistening with the desire to devour him.

“Alright, the logic is clear, now… what’s the win condition?” he muttered to himself while eyeing the dragons. “Do I want giant dragons or tiny dragons?” he mused as mana began to gather in his hand again.

Sam shrugged. “Tiny is cuter…”

Wall after wall of void flew out, and soon, instead of distinct dragons, he watched as a buzzing, dull-gold-colored cloud approached his rocky area. It sounded like a supercharged hive of bees, all of them made of metal and running on V8 diesel engines.

“I may have made a mistake,” Sam muttered as the cloud began descending toward him, its buzzing sound filling the air and causing even the rocky surface to vibrate, sending the minuscule amount of dust scattered across it dancing.

He instantly blasted void mana around himself, creating a shield that encompassed him as the cloud slammed into it. Every time part of the cloud was devoured by the void magic, double the amount was born.

Sam gritted his teeth as his sword vanished into his inventory, and he raised his other hand to help maintain the shield.

The pressure on his barrier increased; sounds echoed around him as microscopic-sized dragons rained down on the rocky surface, each one aiming straight for him. At first, it almost looked ridiculous. Tiny golden creatures no larger than insects slammed into the barrier one after another, their little bodies disappearing into the void magic the moment they touched it.

Thankfully, his void magic shell was strong enough to withstand the continuous assault, but he still had to work overtime to make sure it stayed intact. Every impact created tiny cracks in the structure of the barrier, points where the golden energy so similar to the golden sea tried to push through and consume the darkness surrounding him. Sam had to constantly reinforce those weak spots, redirecting mana from one area to another before the pressure could overwhelm him.

The cloud of dragons was not stupid. It didn’t just blanket the area and decide that was enough.

Instead, the swarm separated into dozens of individual tendrils, each one seemingly moving with its own intelligence as they struck the shell protecting him from multiple directions. Sometimes only two attacked at once, testing his reactions. Other times, dozens slammed into different sections simultaneously, forcing him to choose which areas needed reinforcement first.

[00:39:34]

Sam's senses constantly scanned the entirety of the barrier, tracking every impact, every fluctuation, every point where the void magic began to weaken. His mana reserves were holding without even needing to dip into his new secondary core, but the concentration required was starting to become exhausting. Not as exhausting as other endeavors, like his fights in the void sea, but he still wasn’t enjoying himself.

All it would take was one lapse in attention, one wrong move, and the tiny dragons would break through his shell of protection and devour him. Striking back would be useless, as he had already established that even with void magic, destroying them would be nigh impossible. So, he had no choice but to stand there and endure it.

[00:28:22]

The worst part was that the tiny dragons were learning.

Instead of a shiny, glittering cloud, they became so tiny that the swarm looked almost like liquid as it snaked around Sam’s void shell, searching for even the smallest crack they could force themselves through.

Every time he reinforced a section, they shifted their attacks to areas where he hadn’t had the opportunity to reinforce. When he tried to alter how he channeled the magic into the barrier, the swarm changed the rhythm of their assault.

“Okay…” he muttered. “Maybe tiny isn’t actually cuter…”

He didn’t know if surviving against a gigantic dragon in this tiny area would have been better, but for now, he had to survive.

[00:21:56]

As he tried to maintain his defenses, Sam noticed that the behavior of the swarm shifted again. Instead of simply seeking weak points and opportunities, they seemed to be getting smarter and smarter.

They baited him into reinforcing a certain section by ramming a column of liquid swarm into it, while a smaller, sneakier tendril slithered through the dust behind the spherical shell covering him and attempted to attack from the rear while he was distracted. It was only because his mana sense covered everything around him that he noticed it and managed to strengthen the barrier before the tendril struck.

[00:15:22]

The swarm tried this bait-and-switch a few times, always in some kind of new configuration, but Sam managed to stay ahead of it.

Thus, it changed tactics again.

He watched through the void magic shell and his mana senses as the swarm, practically indistinguishable from the golden sea around him, pulled back for a short, fleeting moment before it struck.

Though this time not his shield.

Instead, it began devouring the rocky surface he was standing on.

Once again proving that there was some kind of intelligence behind the swarm, it didn’t devour the surface at random spots. Instead, it started from the farthest point from Sam and began to move clockwise in a spiral, aiming directly for him as he stood in the middle.

Naturally, while doing this, it didn’t stop bombarding him. The swarm randomly switched between simple bombardment, surgical strikes, and tricks while also erasing the rocky island from existence.

[00:09:57]

Sam cursed but kept up his shield.

He only had to survive; there was no need to protect the island too. Watching as the island was devoured second by second, he began to prepare. By his calculations, he would have to survive for a full minute without the rocky surface to depend on.

Doing that in a plane where, as far as the eye could see, there was only a roiling golden sea was not going to be easy.

Still, he wasn’t without tools.

Magic was surprisingly versatile.

[00:03:12]

The island was almost gone.

When Sam had arrived, it had been about the size of a tennis court, which he only recognized because Lara had dragged Dan, Lucy, and him out for a Sunday morning brunch-slash-tennis match at a private country club where any member’s clothing was worth more than his entire home.

And now, it was barely bigger than the area his shield was protecting.

The swarm seemingly knew this too, as it seemed to be taunting him. It pulled back slightly, occasionally striking at the spots where the shield met the ground, reminding him that there wasn’t much time left.

[00:02:03]

The swarm was at the edge of his shield, chomping away at the remaining rocky material his shield was inadvertently also protecting. It slammed against his shield in waves, never letting up, never allowing him a moment to breathe.

Knowing that soon it would realize it could go beneath the surface, Sam made a decision.

Letting the swarm chip away at the shield for a moment, with countless cracks forming as the swarm became even more frenzied at the apparent success of their attack, he took a deep breath and focused his attention on his magic.

A few seconds later, he let loose another blast of magic, this time wind, launching himself upward while the shell bent and transformed around him into the shape of a bullet.

He flew high, only to glance back and see the very surprised swarm crashing into the small patch of rock, cracking it into pieces before it fell into the constantly churning golden sea.

[00:01:37]

However, this presented him with a new problem.

He was high up in the air with no solid surface in sight, while beneath him, a swarm of nanomachine-sized dragons surged upward, aiming to devour him after he had tricked them.

Ironically, the swarm flying toward him, despite looking like liquid, seemed to have taken the shape of a dragon made of gold.

Magic flashed from his soles, forming a cloud of air that allowed him to stand for a moment before it dispersed. However, that was just enough for him to launch himself forward through the air, avoiding the gigantic jaws of the dragon made of swarm as they slammed shut where he had been.

Thus began a high-stakes, no-holds-barred aerial game of tag.

[00:00:59]

Sam flew through the air with a void magic shell around his body, occasionally pelted by projectiles made out of the swarm itself. Each impact sent him careening through the air before he could summon a small cloud of solid air and redirect his flight.

Behind him, roaring almost continuously, was the gigantic dragon made out of the swarm, its wingbeats creating several dozen-foot-tall waves every time it flapped its wings.

At this point, it was almost impossible to distinguish whether it was just the swarm acting like one gigantic dragon, or it was the dragon itself, having assembled after dividing into almost infinite parts.

Honestly, Sam just wanted all this to end.

[00:00:12]

A claw made out of dull gold slammed into him, sending him flying backward at breakneck speed, but Sam just stared at the dragon and launched his own attack in return.

The dragon’s body moved out of the way of the twin blasts of void magic, creating two tunnels through the humongous body of the apex predator for the projectiles to fly through before it flowed back together, its twin mercury-pool-like eyes glinting with amusement.

Still, that was enough for Sam to reorient himself and land on a small pocket of air he had summoned, staring up at the dragon. The creature flew higher, taking its precious time. Sam glared at it for a moment, then, taking a large chunk of his mana, blasted backward, sending himself rocketing forward, straight toward the delighted dragon’s open maw.

[00:00:05]

The maw was almost closed around him when Sam grinned and, using all his remaining magic, including the void shell that had been protecting him, released a gigantic Obliteration spell.

The dragon’s maw was blasted apart, the swarm once again falling apart as the magic continued to explode, the mana within the swarm fueling it continuously.

Sadly, it didn’t destroy it. Instead, it only increased its size, as every explosion doubled whatever it destroyed.

[00:00:03]

“Man, my expectations were low, but seriously…” he muttered as he felt gravity reassert itself over his body.

Still, it was enough.

As he fell from an impossibly high altitude, he watched with a smug smile as the dragon pulled itself together, now twice as big and twice as mean, and seemingly reoriented itself to devour Sam.

[00:00:02]

One beat of its truly humongous wings created a small storm around it, sending Sam flying, but he didn’t care. He just laughed out loud as the dragon let out a roar shaking the entire plane, as if just realizing what Sam had done.

[00:00:01]

Its body began to morph, shedding the dragon-like shape and transforming into a snake, its head slithering through the air toward Sam, maw open. The swarm buzzed inside it like countless miniature buzzsaws, but it wasn’t enough.

As Sam flew through the air, heading directly toward the churning golden sea, he had enough time to raise both hands and give the dragon a double bird before golden fire engulfed him once again.

[00:00:00]

[Survived!]

Sam found himself back in his chair on the coffee terrace of the training area, the dome still allowing sunlight to illuminate everything, while the sounds of Cynthia training filled the otherwise empty space.

He was breathing hard, drenched in sweat, his armor slightly tattered, but found that he was grinning from ear to ear.

“That was… awesome!” he whispered as another golden screen appeared in front of him.

[Congratulations! You have survived the Primordial Sea. For now, your accomplishment has been acknowledged by the primordial forces, allowing it to remain in the material plane.]

[The next time you invoke the Primordial Sea, the challenge will be much harder. Make sure to remember that.]

Letting out a delighted laugh, Sam dismissed the screen, stood up, and stretched, letting his magic wash over him and erase the grime and sweat.

He didn’t even care that he hadn’t received any rewards for that fight. Not even his skills had gained experience points.

It had been exhilarating and taught him a lot about mana control. Plus, now he had some visual cues to look for in the Nowhere Library. Probably the only place where he suspected credible information about the Primordial Sea could be found.

Cynthia looked up from her practice, her sharp teeth glinting dangerously. “Hey, boss! Where did you go?”

“Had to check something, Cynthia. Don’t worry,” he explained with a small smile.

“Then why is your armor destroyed?” she asked, visibly amused by his fib.

“The local squirrel population is very dangerous,” he told her with a straight face.

She giggled at his obvious lie, but she didn’t ask any more questions, knowing that if Sam wasn’t sharing, it was either not important or something she didn’t need to know.

“How about you practice against me instead of the air?” he asked, stepping into the training field and pulling out his sword.

“Awesome! Prepare to be defeated!” Cynthia crowed as she took up a stance with her spear. Her horns began to glow slightly as she channeled mana through them, and her eyes seemed to shine as she looked at him.

“Do your best!” Sam called out and prepared for a relaxed training session.

A/N: A bit of a self-indulgent chapter. I loved the idea and visuals of what I created here so I wanted to write out the fight. Nanomachines, son!

Also just wrote (before I uploaded this chapter) Cynthia's part in the next Interlude, so if you guys want anyone specific, feel free to mention it.