Utopian System

Ren nodded, visibly pleased with himself. "Absolutely. Which part do you want to know?"

Elio, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, rushed to find paper and ink. "All the formulas, Ren. I need you to tell me all of them."

As Elio began writing feverishly, Ren recited the complex formulas from the book from memory. The room filled with the scratching of the quill and Ren's steady voice, occasionally interrupted by Elio's clarifying questions.

After a while, when they had covered a good portion of the book, Ren paused. "Elio, there's something else that's been turning in my mind."

Elio looked up from his notes, intrigued. "What is it?"

"The book mentions 41 mana deposits," Ren began, his voice taking on a thoughtful tone. "But where are they? None of us have had time for you, Lucien, or Selene to teach us about the level 4 challenge, so I haven't been able to test the interesting dynamic you have with your swift for propulsion..."

Elio nodded, recalling his own experiences of climbing the wall with the swift. "It's a fascinating ability, no doubt. But what does it have to do with the mana deposits?"

Ren leaned forward, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Well, I was thinking... Wouldn't it be a good idea, for example, to climb to the top of one of God's punishment towers? That's an extra 50 meters. Or even go a bit higher. With your mana, you could ascend more than 1000 meters in the air if you start from those 550, saving just enough for landing."

Elio sat thoughtfully for a moment, remembering the day he jumped from the wall to reach his house. The sensation of free fall, the wind whipping his face... He shook his head, returning to the present. "It's an interesting idea, Ren, but what would that accomplish?"

Ren smiled, as if he had been waiting for that question.

"I've realized that from a high place, you can see farther. Maybe you could see further into the sea of monsters. According to the book, the world is round... I don't understand how that works, but if it is true, being in a higher place will expand your view a bit."

Elio leaned back in his chair, considering the idea. "It's... brilliant, Ren. I hadn't thought of that... But you're right, if the world is round, from a greater height we could see beyond the current horizon."

"Exactly," said Ren, excited by Elio's approval. "And not just that. Think of the possibilities, you could find the deposits, or by seeing behind the monsters, maybe even find clues about their origin."

Elio nodded, his mind already working on the implications. "And if we could understand the origin or obtain information from the mana deposits... Ren, this could be a significant breakthrough."

"Plus," Ren continued, "if we manage to get more summoners to reach level 4 and learn to use the swift..."

Elio listened attentively as Ren explained his theory about the view from the heights. Suddenly, a spark of excitement lit up in his eyes.

"Ren, you're a genius," Elio exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "I'm going to try it right now. You finish copying the book!"

Without waiting for a response, Elio ran out of the office, leaving a surprised Ren with words still on his lips. Ember, his faithful salamander, vanished in a flash of light, returning to Elio's book.

As he ran through the corridors of the wall, Elio felt adrenaline coursing through his veins. His mind was buzzing with possibilities. What would he see from the heights? Could it really make a difference?

Finally, he reached the top of the wall. From there, the panorama was already impressive. The sea of monsters stretched as far as the eye could see, an undulating and threatening mass. But Elio knew he needed to go higher.

He looked up at the towers that rose another 50 meters above the wall. Each emitted a beam of light that formed part of the city's protective barrier. Elio had never climbed so high, but now was the time.

Elio summoned Gust, his swift.

The creature appeared in a flash of light, its wings shimmering with a faint glow. Elio channeled 5 mana points to Gust in rapid succession, and together they rose towards the top of the nearest tower.

For a moment, the beam of light seemed threatening, and Elio feared he had made a terrible mistake. But to his surprise and relief, the beam didn't affect him at all… Just like the barrier.

He landed at the top of the tower, his heart pounding. He was higher than he had ever been, but it still wasn't enough. However, upon checking his mana reserves, he realized he had already spent 15 points today.

He would need time to recover before attempting to climb those 1000 meters.

Elio lay down at the top of the tower, his mind racing. As he observed the sea of monsters from this new perspective, he began to think about what he might discover from even higher up.

Could he see beyond the horizon?

Would he discover something about the mana deposits mentioned in the Genesis book?

Hours passed as Elio contemplated these ideas. The sun began to descend, tinting the sky with orange and purple hues. Despite his intention to wait, the accumulated exhaustion of the past few days finally overcame him, and Elio fell asleep at the top of the tower.

When he awoke, the sky was dark and full of stars.

Elio sat up, disoriented for a moment before remembering where he was. He checked his mana reserves and smiled when he realized they had fully recovered during his sleep.

It was time.

Elio stood up, breathing deeply to calm his nerves. He looked at the night sky, as vast and mysterious as the sea of monsters below him. Then, with renewed determination, he summoned Gust again.

He began channeling his mana into the swift, rising into the air. Each mana point propelled him 10 meters upward. 600 meters... 700 meters... 800 meters... He kept ascending, the air becoming slightly cooler, but nothing his system armor couldn't handle.

As he ascended, Elio could feel the tension in his body. Each boost consumed a mana point, and he knew he couldn't stay at these heights for long. 900 meters... 950 meters...

Finally, at approximately 1000 meters high, Elio stopped, carefully saving 5 mana points for his descent.

And then, he saw it.

The world spread out before him, vast and different. Elio slowly rotated in the air to see all directions, marveling at the view. The walled city looked smaller from this height, a point of light in a sea of darkness.

The sea of monsters still seemed infinite, stretching beyond what Elio could see.

But there was something else, something that made his heart leap in his chest.

In each of the cardinal points, at incredible distances, Elio could discern four beams of light. They were faint in the darkness of the night, but unmistakably real.

They shone with an intensity that seemed to defy distance, like beacons in a dark sea.

Elio concentrated to engrave every detail in his memory. The vastness of the world, the mysterious beams of light... it was all overwhelming and exciting at the same time.

As he observed, he noticed something strange about one of the beams of light. It seemed to... pulsate. As if it were alive, or responding to some unknown rhythm. Elio squinted, trying to discern more details, but the distance was too great.

Suddenly, the pulsating beam seemed to intensify.

As if it were... calling him.