Utopian System

The artromus that descended upon them was an anatomical nightmare.

The long, sinuous appendages that the wind-type artromus had possessed mixed incongruously with armor reminiscent of the earth type one.

But it was its face that made it truly disturbing: a curved and sharp proboscis dominated its features, while enormous bulging eyes observed from a disproportionately large head.

Despite the horrible figure...

There was no exchange of words, no moment of recognition. They didn't intend to greet it or establish friendship, so the appearance didn't matter to them.

This wasn't a social encounter and no one pretended it was.

Elio reacted first, his eyes blazing with that familiar crimson radiance from the start. Bands of resistant metal emerged with surgical precision that revealed months of practice, each finding a specific joint of the monster. This wasn't the desperate control of previous encounters; each restriction was calculated, optimized.

Simultaneously, Aria revealed why she had been chosen as the emblems' bearer.

Her combined summon rose beside her: a salamander of elephantine proportions, its power amplified by the temporary emblem increases.

The strange quality of Aria's summoning had been a subject of fascination since its accidental discovery during work in the new green areas.

What we call a salamander of elephantine proportions was, in reality, a creature of normal size like any other summon, but with a unique ability: it could expand its mass by absorbing various elements.

From this absorption that made it grow, like the elephant, it obtained its proportions and not from its second and expensive active phase.

Still…

The interesting thing was that it didn't just grow in size with carbon.

Carbon, oxygen, fire, and more surprisingly, earth, all these elements served to fuel its growth.

Nobody completely understood the mechanism behind this capability, but its effectiveness was undeniable.

Elio and Mei believed this would lead to an enormous advantage.

The microseconds of initial surprise were all they needed. The plan they had trained for so long began to unfold.

The assault began like a perfectly orchestrated symphony of destruction.

Aria's earth attacks impacted with devastating 380 damage points, matched by her expanded salamander's strikes. Simultaneously, Elio's sword traced lethal arcs at impossible speeds, each impact precise and deadly.

This way, the emblems' increase affected, in theory, 3 attackers instead of 2, which added 380 points to the violent surprise attack.

The rest of the group added their own 140-point attacks to the assault after the monster's 100 magical resistance, but these 8 attackers almost dealt the same damage as the brutality of the main attack.

The artromus's resistance crumbled at an alarming rate.

When its life fell below half, panic reflected in its enormous bulging eyes.

An intense crimson glow flooded them while its proboscis rose, releasing a water jet with greater force than an industrial water cutter.

Its body instantly wrapped itself in a liquid barrier, a last desperate attempt at protection.

The artromus had just discovered that it wasn't time to hide its power.

With its mana almost intact, the cost would be enormous, but without transforming, it wouldn't last even 2 seconds more.

There was no other option…

The artromus's metamorphosis revealed patterns that began making sense compared to previously morphed ones.

The earth type had become more massive, its body crossed by black lines that cut its form like cracks in stone.

The wind type, though it never properly completed its transformation thanks to Elio's surprise strategy, would have begun showing dark spirals while its body stretched and sharpened.

This new specimen presented what would be approximate to a fusion of both styles. The black marks flowed like water currents across its body, but maintained an ordered parallelism reminiscent of the earth type's lines.

Arguo Gerris Soldier of Water (Water Artromus)

Skills:

Frenzy

Metamorphosis (10min)

Water Element Magic

Mana: 99/1000

Resistance: 46,120/100,000

Stamina: 189/200

Attack: 100

Magic Damage: 100

Strength: 40

Defense: 100

Magic Defense: 200

Speed: 40

Perception / Agility: 2 (A)

With metamorphosis, not only did its statistics increase.

Water production intensified to absurd levels. Where before there had been a powerful jet, now was a devastating torrent that combined with the rapid production of its barrier threatened to flood the entire chamber.

"Out!" Elio's order resonated above the water's roar. "Second phase!"

The group withdrew upward simultaneously, a practiced retreat that left no room for panic.

Everyone stayed around the crater's peak while the chamber finished flooding.

Everyone except one team member... Or rather the spiritual mana half of one.

Aria's elephant salamander remained inside, its mass expanded with the advantageous element allowing it to maintain position against the current.

Where others would have been swept away, the creature used its unique advantage to harass the artromus.

Arguo had expected its transformation to provoke a total retreat, giving it time to recover.

Instead, it found itself facing a beast as monstrous as itself, one that seemed completely immune to its flooding strategy.

The monster's bulging eyes narrowed with something resembling confusion while the giant salamander continued its relentless assault, denying it the respite it so desperately needed.

The battle had just entered a new phase, and the artromus was beginning to understand that these humans had come prepared for any eventuality.

And they undoubtedly knew what to do now that they had a flooded crater.

The calm on Elio's face while preparing the chemical mixture contrasted with Arguo's aquatic fury. The monster had provided, unknowingly, the perfect component for its own trap.

But while Elio accumulated the potent acid.

Diana launched herself into the nearly depleted sea of cores... The reduced level from core absorption was barely enough to maintain the tunnels' camouflage.

Diana's task was vital to ensure the plan's third part if it became necessary.

Elio began the chemistry class.

Aria returned her summon to her book for an instant to reposition it.

The explosion that followed converted the crater into a geyser of acid and water.

♢♢♢♢

Arguo emerged, its transformed form vibrating with indignation at such disrespect to its power. But what it found above froze even its watery blood.

Dozens of high-level soldiers formed a perfect circle around the crater.