Instead of narrowing the distance between them, Rylan unhesitatingly jumped upward and back as more and more of the monster emerged from the sand.

He ascended quickly but stably, always keeping his eyes on the enemy. It was only a few seconds later that the creature stopped rising, revealing its full body as it roared at him. It was almost seventy meters long, with its whole body being as wide as its maw. The carapace covered it completely, looking almost like armor, while the apparent lack of eyes didn't seem to hinder its perception in the least, since it was "staring" straight at him.

Rylan floated in the air, ten meters above the Sandworm's head level, staring back at it with his sword raised.

It doesn't seem to have ranged attacks.

If it had, it would have already used them to reach him. Rylan narrowed his eyes and lowered his center of gravity as he raised his sword above his head, his muscles growing taut like a bowstring. Both his Aura and mana roared within his body, resonating with his mind and soul. Every corner of his body was strengthened, while his mind sharpened. His perception didn't miss a single change – it focused on the way both types of energy empowered him with zeal. Rylan nodded to himself.

Let's see how great its defenses are.

Upside down, he shot downward using Snowfall.

Stormcaller Sword Style, Second Movement: Crackling Edge.

His Aura flooded him, but his mana didn't remain idle. It coalesced in the shape of water, flowing like a river around his sword as it crackled with lightning. As if enraged, the electricity flowed even faster, coating Silver Twilight's edge entirely. The Giant Sandworm moved, but it was already too late. Rylan avoided its head and unceremoniously slashed the carapace around the monster's neck. The magic steel and rock-like armor collided, and for an instant, they seemed to be on even ground. In less than a second, however, the carapace collapsed. The blade drew a long scar on it, slicing past it with ease.

The mystical lightning reached the monster's brown flesh, charring whatever it touched with wild ferocity. Tide's water flowed into the wounds, leading even more of the Sword Art's electricity into them, attempting to reach the Sandworm's organs.

Rylan pushed against the air again, speeding up. His blade's edge continued to mercilessly carve a scar into the enemy as he moved downward, destroying the carapace on the way. A high-pitched, loud screech left the monster's maw, shaking the atmosphere and making Rylan frown. Nevertheless, he didn't stop. The monster turned its neck to face him, but he only sped up in response and began circling the Sandworm's body instead of moving straight down.

Its massive tail moved for the first time. Rylan looked at it. Less than a second later, it whipped at him with the power of a landslide, pushing the air and making it crash into him and ruffle his hair. Unhesitatingly, he pulled his sword out of the monster's body and moved straight up.

Focus.

The tail continued to approach, faster than he would've expected from a monster this size. He didn't even blink. Once the tail was within ten meters of him, he abruptly shot to the side using Snowfall, empowered by his Mana Cultivation and Aura.

The attack missed him by a hair.

Rylan stepped on the passing tail and jumped backward, keeping his perception on the monster's entire body. The tail went past him as he moved, crackling the air as it snapped to a stop. He looked at the enemy.

Size, speed, and power. I can see how this Dungeon is considered higher-level.

Because of those attributes, a single Giant Sandworm was enough of a challenge for a team of Fifth Circle Mages. Against people who couldn't move as quickly as he did or didn't have sturdy enough defenses to deal with the monster's attacks, the Sandworm was an insurmountable challenge. To top it all off, there were likely many more of the creatures within this Dungeon. It was to the point where he was forced to wonder why there were so many people outside the Dungeon, near the Gate. How big were the teams for this Dungeon?

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It would be difficult without a Sixth Circle Mage.

He still remembered how powerful the imperial Mages were, as well as how incredible their spells had been. Still, the people outside weren't his business. Rylan looked at the large wound his Sword Art had created on the Sandworm's body. From the neck to the middle of the body, it was over twenty meters long and as tall as a person. The edges were charred black, but some green blood managed to flow through the destroyed flesh, boiling and sizzling. The monster screeched again, raising its tail once more. The rows upon rows of sharp fangs, each as tall as him, seemed to desire to shred him to pieces, but more of its blood flowed from between them.

Crackling Edge had been effective, even though it was only the Second Movement. Not only had it gotten past the carapace, Tide's water had led the lightning to deal serious damage to the monster's insides, judging by the blood in its mouth. The battle was already over.

Instead of speeding toward the monster's head to finish this, Rylan instead jumped backward, widening the distance between them.

I need to test out casting spells through Aura.

Leveling up was part of his training, but it wasn't as important as deepening his knowledge of his two types of energy.

Rylan pointed his sword at the wounded Sandworm as its tail began to move. He felt like time was flowing more slowly, his mind sharpened by his mana.

Focus.

His Aura flowed inside Silver Twilight. He tried to pretend he was using a Sword Art, but moved the Aura in the patterns necessary for spellcasting. His focus reached its peak, but the energy's movements stopped just as the spell was about to be cast. The Sandworm's tail moved. Without missing a beat, Rylan avoided the tail swing as it parted the atmosphere, raised his sword, and tried again.

This pattern repeated itself several times. Every time he avoided an attack and tried to cast a spell with Aura again, Rylan felt like he was getting a bit closer to the truth.

Things changed when a certain sound reached his ears. They twitched.

Something large was tunneling through the ground, approaching the battle's site at breakneck pace. It was only obvious what it was.

Rylan smiled. Maybe a bit of a challenge would help him improve faster.

With that in mind, he didn't move to intercept the second Sandworm and let it get closer. After a few seconds, it burst out of the sand with a screech, moving toward him with its maw open wide. In response, Rylan only moved upward and avoided the attack, then pointed his sword down at his two enemies. One was wounded, the other was pristine.

Maybe more of them will come if I don't finish this soon.

He took a deep breath and threw all idle thoughts out of his mind. All that remained was the sensation of his Aura moving within him and the knowledge he'd acquired during his studies about magic. He had adapted his Mana Core and made it closer to an Aura Heart with no apparent downsides. He knew he could do the same with his Aura Heart. All he needed was time and effort.

Once again, part of his Aura moved. It mimicked his mana's movements as he tried to cast Magic Missile, the simplest spell he knew. This time, however, instead of trying to "copy" mana, he tried something different. He remembered what it felt like to use Aether. How it moved within him, how it resonated with his spirit, how it strengthened his mind, body, and soul. Then, keeping that memory at the forefront of his mind, he continued to try and cast the spell.

My end goal isn't making my Aura similar to my mana.

He needed to start working on transcending them both, as he already knew was possible. That was likely the key to succeeding.

He felt like the world was moving more slowly as his mind raced.

The reason why my Mana Cultivation failed to strengthen my body as much as Aura might be related to this.

Regardless of their different natures, they could merge into something beyond either of them.

He knew it was possible. All he needed was to succeed, as he always had.

Rylan let out a breath, his mind at its peak. More attacks came his way, but he avoided them all with Snowfall without breaking his concentration. With every passing second, the spell's shape became clearer. The first minute went by, then the second. During that time, he didn't fight back. His mind was filled with memories of what Aether had felt like.

It took a short time for the third Sandworm to arrive. Avoiding their attacks became even more difficult, but Rylan still managed to do it, supported by Mana Cultivation and his Aura. Even though not a hair on his body was harmed, his mind felt the strain of needing to focus while fighting.

It happened as the tenth minute came to a close.

Rylan felt something change. Supported by almost the entirety of his focus and drive, he felt his Aura change. Ever so slightly, it reminded him of Aether. The pure white energy flowed out of Silver Twilight and took the shape of a two-meter-long arrow of light. System windows appeared on the edge of his vision.

[You have learned Aura Casting (Beginner).]

[You have learned both Mana Cultivation and Aura Casting. A new possibility blooms.]

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