Legendary Traveler: By Earning Progress Points I will Become Supreme!-Chapter 246: Expedition to Destinations Unknown (4)

** Sorry about missing the chapters yesterday, guys; between Mania and Easter, I wasn't able to get anything put together and burned through my stock of chapters. **

After scolding his floof for recklessly barreling into a tree and dumping more snow than anyone could ever be comfortable with being covered in, Aoni set off toward the Barrier, with Anthony and Glacia following closely behind.

In the beginning, the two brothers even bantered some, teasing each other, especially Ant, who constantly bullied Aoni with this whole head-dropping thing; however, as they drew closer to the Barrier, silence and anxiousness fell upon Aoni and especially Glacia.

Having been warned and scolded time and time again NEVER to leave the boundary between their territory and the open world, she had over time come to actually feel a bit of fear towards the Formation, more so what lurked behind it, especially after she witnessed the powerful monsters popping up over a month ago when the Newbie Barrier fell.

{'Brodder…we leave?'} She asked as they stood only a couple of feet in front of the transparent film of protection.

"It's okay, Glacia; look at Ant; does he look worried?" Kneeling beside his summon, Aoni placed a calm hand atop her head and could feel her trembling slightly.

"gaooo…"

"Aoni is right, little Glacia; you got nothing to worry about; I'm super strong, remember!" Giving a quick flex of his practically non-existent muscles, Ant added, which seemed to calm her down a bit.

"Just stay by me and your brother, and everything will be alright." He stated with a smile while shooting Aoni a quick look that seemed to ask if he was ready for this.

And in all honesty, Aoni didn't feel like he was; after all, he'd gotten close to the Barrier more times than were countable and had seen the tens of thousands of eyes hiding in the treelines, the subtle movement of shadows, and even thousands of corpses disappearing in minutes.

It was dangerous, extremely so, and even with his Eldest brother joining him, the Lad simply didn't have it in him to be comfortable stepping out into the perilous lands that lay beyond his Barrier.

Even so, there was something he'd need to overcome, especially since this would all be his territory in due time, and without taking this pivotal step, all the Progress Aoni had been building up till now would be for nothing.

So after taking a steadying breath and standing up, Aoni, reaching into his inventory, drew out only Vestr and nodded at Ant.

---

High above Erula, Nyria circled the skies while keeping tabs on her Lord and sister.

Although part of her wished she could go with them and be their eyes in the sky, there was a never-ending fear rooted somewhere deep in her heart.

A fear that screamed NEVER to leave the Barrier or else it would be certain death.

{'Be safe…brother…'} she said while banking hard to the left and climbing to the peak of the Formation to get a better view outside in hopes of maybe catching sight of something that would help Aoni as he ventured into the unknown.

---

Crossing the Formation was something unlike anything Aoni had ever felt before, and the closest comparison he could compare it to was moving into a gooey plastic wrap.

The magical Barrier was both solid yet fluid and stiff, yet pliable, there but not. It was strange, too strange…

"Gross," as if voicing a matching opinion, Anthony shook out his whole body like Glacia after a bath and kept walking without waiting for Glacia or Aoni to join him.

"gao bleck."

{'Brodder ew…blegh.'}

Glacia wasn't much better either; her skin even turned a shade paler as she seemed to stumble a bit before getting her feet back under her body.

"Foo, that's gonna take some getting used to, I guess. Anyway, Ant, you were saying you could sense monsters…how exactly does that work?" Jogging to catch up after ensuring Glacia was stable enough to follow, Aoni asked curiously.

"Eh? That? I could just feel a bunch of Energia Sources, and based on the strength of the Radiation their body puts off, I can judge their Grade and overall capabilities."

"Come again?"

"I said what I said, Aoni; I can feel their Energia signature; honestly, I'm surprised that even after living in such an environment, you haven't figured out how to do it. That's like newbie Traveler 101…" Without bothering to look over at his youngest brother, Anthony led the way through the dense forest as they moved further down the mountain and away from the protective Formation covering Erula.

"Dude, I have zero guidance out here; my Summons all innately know how to use Energia, and I am stumbling in the dark; care to enlighten me, oh GREAT Anthony Master of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Aoni spat out sarcastically before jumping to the side and narrowly avoiding a tiny thumb-sized bolt of fire.

"OI, no throwing fire, you asshat!" he screamed while clutching Vestr enough to cause his knuckles to turn white.

"Question 1: Why did you dodge that just now?" Totally unaffected by Aoni's words, Anthony asked while continuously scanning his surroundings with a serious expression.

"Was it because you saw it or something else?"

*blink*

'Huh…why did I dodge?' Aoni thought while jumping to the side a second time and allowing another bolt of fire to flash past his shoulder.

"You didn't see that one, I know that for sure, because I launched it at speeds your eyes can't follow yet. While it could be an instinctual reaction and all that, there is a deeper reason, something inside that dense head of yours screaming for your body to move."

"From the moment we are bathed in the Flume's Energia and awaken our Energia Cells, we travelers unlock a certain sixth sense that allows us to FEEL Energia." Raising his hand, Anthony said a soft string of words that were completely foreign to Aoni before forming a basketball-sized ball of fire and sending it off into the distance.

Boom

"KAWAAAAKKK REEEE!"

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

Half a second later, there was a faint explosion followed by a blood-curdling monster scream.

While it may seem like a small gesture, a wave of the hand after saying a few words, to Aoni, it was something much more powerful. He couldn't quite understand why, but as he watched that fireball manifest, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he couldn't stop his body from shuddering.