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The hours passed, and Elio felt his concentration beginning to waver. Hunger, which he had managed to ignore for days, now made itself felt with renewed force. Wide Guard, his elephant familiar, stood by his side, a silent but reassuring presence.

It was during the seventh hour of uninterrupted absorption when it finally happened. Among the endless tide of cores, Elio glimpsed something different. The light from the outside made the color of the cores clearer, and enormous shadows moved hurriedly in all directions.

"I've almost reached the Locus," he whispered.

As more Locus shadows appeared in his field of vision, he made a quick calculation.

He had been absorbing cores for just over 7 hours, had ascended what he estimated to be about 100 meters, and only now was reaching the monster layer.

"More than half," he murmured to himself, the realization hitting him hard. "More than half the height of the sea of monsters is just cores."

This information was invaluable. It meant that the core barrier protecting the tunnel was much thicker than the monster one.

At least about 300 meters... Maybe more, that would leave the Locus layer between about 100 to 150.

He had discovered that the core barrier was at least twice as thick as the monster layer, a significant finding in itself. However, a crucial question still remained unanswered:

Could the tunnel serve as an effective hiding place against the Locus?

And more importantly, would the Locus ignore a bare tunnel, without the protection of the cores?

To obtain these vital answers, Elio knew he needed to expose a part of the tunnel directly to the monsters, an impossible task from his current position at the top. With determination, he formulated a bold plan.

"Here we go," he murmured to himself, preparing for the risky maneuver he was about to execute. Wide Guard trumpeted softly, as if sensing the importance of the moment.

With a fluid motion, Elio let himself fall down one side of the tunnel, his body brushing against the smooth carbon surface. Vertigo threatened to overwhelm him for a moment, but he remained focused. His absorption book worked tirelessly, creating a vacuum around him as he fell.

When he reached a point approximately five meters below the top, Elio channeled a mana point to create a small platform adjacent to the tunnel. With the agility of an acrobat, he landed on this new protrusion.

Elio's Mana: 59

"Phase one, completed."

Now, all that remained was to wait.

Elio kept his book absorbing, watching as the vacuum gradually expanded towards his position. The seconds passed with agonizing slowness, each one charged with anticipation. Wide Guard stood vigilant, its trunk raised as if ready to defend its summoner at a moment's notice.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Elio glimpsed the light.

The vacuum had reached his level, exposing a section of the tunnel directly to the Locus. The scene that unfolded before his eyes was fascinating and terrifying in equal parts.

The Locus, just like the last time he had observed them, were in a frenzy to escape the forming vacuum.

They piled on top of each other in a desperate climb, their deformed bodies moving with surprising agility.

In their panic, they seemed to pay no attention to Elio or the carbon tunnel.

However, as expected, some Locus lost their grip in this frantic climb. As they fell spinning, one of them ended up facing Elio, its eyes landing on him, and in that instant, its behavior changed drastically.

Panic gave way to aggression, and it lunged at him with terrifying ferocity.

Elio knew he had to act cautiously.

Although his magic damage had increased considerably to 42, he would still need three attacks to kill a Locus.

With his mana being a precious resource he needed to conserve to ensure his return, Elio opted for a different strategy:

Hiding in plain sight.

With a quick gesture, Elio channeled two mana points to create a 2x1 meter carbon barrier right in front of him. It was a risky bet, but necessary to obtain the information he sought. Wide Guard moved closer, ready to intervene if needed.

Elio's Mana: 57

"Let's see how you react to this," he murmured, closely observing the approaching Locus.

The monster stopped momentarily before the barrier, as if processing this new obstacle. Elio held his breath, aware that the Locus' reaction would be crucial...

If the creature decided to break the barrier to reach him, it would mean that the monsters were prone to destroying his carbon structures, even if he wasn't there.

The worst situation for his tunnel strategy.

On the other hand, if it chose to go around it, it would open the possibility that the tunnel could go unnoticed in Elio's absence.

To his relief and fascination, the Locus chose the second option. With surprising agility for its size, the creature quickly went around the barrier and peered from one of the sides, its eyes again fixed on Elio.

"Interesting," Elio murmured, his mind already working on the implications of this behavior. Wide Guard seemed to panic by the proximity of the monster's terrifying face.

But the experiment was not over.

Now that he knew the Locus wouldn't destroy the barrier immediately, Elio needed to determine if the creature would continue to ignore it once he was out of sight.

Elio's Mana: 54

Without wasting time, Elio crouched and created a carbon box around himself. Taking advantage of the fact that he already had the back, feet, and front built, he only needed three additional mana points to complete the sides and top.

In a matter of an instant, Elio found himself completely wrapped in a 1x1 carbon box.

Before the monster could catch him.

Darkness surrounded him, but his mind was completely focused on the sounds coming from outside. Wide Guard, being inside the box with Elio, stood close, providing a comforting presence in the confined space.

Would the Locus attack the box?

Or, unable to see him anymore, would it ignore it?