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Elio closed his eyes, breathing deeply. The taste of victory mingled with the bitter knowledge that the worst was yet to come. But he had no choice. He had to press on, he had to survive.

"We... we did it, little one," he murmured, his voice still high-pitched from the residual helium. The salamander, exhausted but alert, blinked in response from his shoulder.

As he caught his breath, Elio realized he could sense the helium around him in a new and fascinating way. He had gained control over this element.

"Level 4," he whispered, almost reverently. "We're the tenth to achieve it, you know?" The salamander tilted its head, its bright eyes fixed on Elio.

"Yeah, I know. You probably don't understand a word I'm saying," Elio let out a bitter laugh. "But you're all I've got in here, so you'll have to bear with me."

A memory stirred as he looked at the small salamander. "Well, Ember," he murmured, addressing the creature on his shoulder. "Let's take a breather before we hurl ourselves into hell."

The salamander, newly christened Ember, blinked with what seemed to be approval at its new name.

Elio managed a weak smile. "You like it? I thought it'd suit you, considering how you've been setting everything in our path on fire."

With a sigh, Elio took his floating book and opened it to the statistics page. The numbers glowed before him:

Elio Elian's Statistics

Skills:

Sacred Flame

Holy Water

Ice Sacrifice

Celestial Wind (New)

Familiars: Fire Salamander (+5 MD)

(11/1000)

Level 4

Mana: 40/40

Resistance: 40/40 (+0)

Stamina: 8/8

Attack: 4 (9)

Magic Damage: 4 (9)

Strength: 4

Defense: 4 (9)

Speed: 4

Perception / Agility: 1.4

Superior Mana Spear / Attack 5

Superior Mana Armor / Defense 5 Resistance (0/100)

Balance: 7,655 mana points

"Look at this, Ember. Celestial Wind. Sounds impressive, doesn't it?" Elio tried to smile, but the gesture didn't reach his eyes. "We're the elite now, huh? Well, at least until we get out of here and become Locus food. Shame we probably won't live long enough to figure out how it really works."

Ember let out a small chirp, as if to contradict him.

"Oh, you think we have a chance?" Elio arched an eyebrow. "Well, let's see. We're trapped in a chamber, inside an indestructible book, buried in a sea of monsters. My armor is completely spent, which means I only have my 40 base resistance points. And outside, the millions of Locus waiting to turn us into their dinner can just bite my head off."

Elio stood up, beginning to pace back and forth across the chamber.

"We could try level 5," he muttered, more to himself than to the salamander. "But with what? 40 resistance points? Even Von Lucien hasn't attempted it, and he has a superior invocation to mine... It would be almost suicide." He stopped, looking at his hands. "And this new power...

Celestial Wind. It could be the key, but I have no idea how to really use it. How do they shoot the attacks?"

The salamander jumped from his shoulder, landing in front of him. It raised its small head, as if challenging him.

Elio looked at it. "You're right. We can't give up without trying." He crouched down, bringing his face close to the familiar. "But I need to think this through carefully. One mistake and it will all have been in vain."

He paced the chamber, his mind working at full speed. "We have some time before hunger and thirst force me out of here. We could use it to rest my mind, recover some armor resistance. Or..."

He stopped, looking at his hands curiously. "We could try to figure out what the hell 'Celestial Wind' means."

Ember jumped from his shoulder and positioned itself in front of him, its small head tilted in an inquisitive gesture.

"Don't look at me like that," Elio frowned. "I know it sounds risky to spend mana now, but think about it. If we leave here with no idea how to use this new power, we'll be dead anyway."

He sat on the ground, crossing his legs. "Besides, we have several hours before thirst affects me. With luck, I'll understand it fast, then we'll recover all the spent mana and some of the armor's resistance."

Closing his eyes, Elio concentrated on the sensation of his new power. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, extending a hand. "You're lighter than air, right? So float, damn it."

Nothing happened.

"Fantastic," Elio growled. "I have control over the most useless element in the universe."

Ember gave him a small tap with its tail, as if scolding him.

"You're right, I'm sorry. You know what's funny?" Elio let out a humorless laugh. "A few hours ago, my biggest concern was impressing my mother. Now... Now I just want to live long enough to see my family one more time."

The mention of his family seemed to ignite something in him. He straightened up, a new determination shining in his eyes.

"No. I can't give up. Not after everything we've been through, I have to show them that I overcame level 4," he declared.

Ember tilted its head, its eyes fixed on Elio with what seemed to be doubt.

"I know, I know," Elio smiled weakly. "I shouldn't care about that now. But I can't help thinking about my family, how proud they would be if they knew..."

He broke off, shaking his head. "No, focus Elio. We have work to do."

He closed his eyes again. This time, instead of trying to manipulate the helium directly, he tried to feel it, to understand its nature.

"It's light," he murmured. "Lighter than air. I can't hold it, I have to... Push it."

Suddenly, he was propelled a few inches upward.

"I did it!" he exclaimed, his voice a mixture of surprise and joy. "Ember, look at this!"

The salamander seemed equally impressed, its eyes following Elio's movement.

For the next hour, Elio practiced with his new power. He discovered that he could use it to propel himself in different directions, although fine control still eluded him.

"It's not much," he said, landing after another attempt. "But it's as if I could make a small double jump of 50 cm in the air for each mana point."

He consulted his statistics again:

Mana: 35/40 Superior Mana Armor / Defense 5 Resistance (8/100)

"Well, we've recovered some mana and resistance," he observed. "With another 3 hours, I'll have the mana back and about 20 extra Resistance. It's not much, but it'll have to be enough."