Jareth recoiled at the sight of the incoming bat.
'Fighting it might attract the others.'
His eyes darted around the room for anything to help, settling on the snake corpse. He dashed towards it, ran behind it, and quickly pushed it towards the opening.
Jareth pushed the statue-like corpse to block the hole, its thick-girthed body vertically crossing the hole at the center.
He happened to see the bat already in front of the hole, its gaping, toothed maw and malevolent face with eerie purple eyes already locked onto him.
Leaping back while activating [Quintessence Claw], black mist swirled around his lower arm, forming a clawed gauntlet. He landed, his eyes sharpening to launch fire spears if the bat made it past the snake.
But the bat twisted its body just as it got close to the snake's corpse, smashing into the side of the tower before dropping. A few seconds later, it soared from below into the distance while squealing loudly.
Jareth peeked at all this with a dumbfounded face through the thin gap from the side.
'It's scared of the snake's corpse? Well, I don't blame it. I was only planning on blocking the hole with this heavy snake corpse, who knew it would serve as a deterrence?.'
He finally exhaled and distanced himself from the hole despite the snake corpse standing in the way, before dispersing his spells and settling in a far dark corner.
Reclining there, he stared at the moonlight seeping in from the gap the snake body left, illuminating just a small section of the room. A tumult of thoughts filled his head, and he couldn't calm his nerves.
'How I wish I had a good wine with me? Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't wallow in my sorrows and become an alcoholic, but I merely need a sip to calm my nerves.'
He argued with himself like he was guilty of something.
Only the whistling shrills and miserable periodic roars of beasts echoed through the night, accompanying Jareth, who couldn't sleep as he never knew what might happen.
The night soon passed, with sun rays streaking from the horizon. Like a morning cock's crow, multiple roars erupted from everywhere in the estate and filled the air, as if greeting one another.
Jareth quickly walked from his position, peering from behind the snake.
As he guessed, there was no bat in the air.
"So, they are the night predators?" he muttered as he saw many beasts had begun wandering.
Jareth quickly pushed the snake aside and watched the distance intently, so as not to miss any passing arcanist.
Leaning against the wall, Jareth watched the ruined place while inadvertently noting the sun's movement until it was noon but saw nobody.
He only felt hungry. He ate his meal by the hole, not wanting to miss anything. The only thing keeping him company was watching beasts battle— some with abilities while others with none, but most had close combat abilities—with his thoughts simulating how to use his ability.
To pass the time and assess his own chances, Jareth began estimating the ranks of the beasts from their speed and the damage they inflicted. He used himself as the scale, which he considered the peak of Rank 1—a Level 4 Awakened arcanist.
The sun had already begun setting.
His eyes gleamed at that moment.
"I still have that rabbit. Let's absorb the core and go to Level 2. Hope they aren't lying about every fifty cores being a new level for an Awakened arcanist, with a sharp increase in physique, because mine is already at the Level 4 Awakened arcanist from that robot's measurement," whispering to himself, he retrieved the burnt rabbit in his hand.
Manifesting the quintessence claw on one arm, he used the claw to tear the skull and dig up the core, before tossing it back into the badge.
Pondering to himself, he tilted his head and stared at the snake's head. "It should have a big core. The core should help me reach the peak of an Awakened arcanist, right?"
But he decided against touching it, now that it was shielding the hole at night. Maybe it might not remain standing after removing the core.
Going back to the corner, he quickly absorbed the core, which only added another eight to his core, raising his mana value to fifty-one.
Suddenly, Jareth felt a warming sensation wash over him. It quickly vanished, and he felt something change in his body.
He squeezed his fist and nodded.
Standing to his feet, he sauntered to the hole.
He mumbled as he reached it, "I wish somebody would just pass by to save me from this hellhole…"
His voice trailed off at the sight of a team of six arcanists a distance from the tower, battling beside a building as they moved quickly, killing one beast after another. They moved strategically and avoided beasts. Strangely, no sound echoed from their battle. Jareth attributed it to a spell of someone in the team, but didn't have time to analyze as it wasn't the pressing situation.
His eyes shone. It was a team of four men and two women.
Jareth opened his mouth to yell but shut it.
He poked his head out and waved hard, but they just continued moving.
Jareth became anxious when they were almost done.
"Help!!!" he yelled.
All the beasts in the vicinity turned to him, roaring at him even as they couldn't get to him, but the team didn't even pause and continued their battle, using different spells and their weapons.
'Their silencing spell is even blocking external sound? Is that a flaw of the spell?'
Jareth thrust his hand out of the window.
'Blaze!'
Crimson flame surged out of his palm. Under his control, it spiralled upward and spread, twisting about until it formed a huge sign in front of the tower: 'HELP ME!'.
Jareth couldn't be anymore thankful for his diverse and perfect flame control.
He happened to see one of the girls throw him—or maybe the sign—a short stare before resuming her battle that was concluding against the beasts.
Soon they began escaping without looking back.
His face fell in dismay. 'They saw me?'
'No time to be sad!' He snapped himself awake. 'If I join them, I will be safe! I just have to get to them. I've to help myself!'
Jareth dispersed the flame, creeping out of the hole without taking his eyes off the team.
Suddenly, one of the girls spun, pulled her nocked bow on him as her arrow flared with a golden hue, and released it.
The arrow shot at him with a blinding speed like a meteor.