Utopian System

"Enough!" Elio roared, closing his fist with all the strength he could muster.

There was a final crackle of energy, a flash of light, and then... silence.

The ice hand disintegrated, dropping frozen fragments to the ground. Where the creature had been, now there was only empty space.

The chamber was silent, all four monsters defeated. Ice Ball, Elio's penguin, waddled up to him, chirping softly.

Suddenly, a warm sensation began to spread through Elio's body. It started in his arm, where the creature had touched him, and quickly spread throughout his being. The slight wound caused by the shock began to heal, the skin regenerating rapidly.

Elio felt his energy renewing.

His mana, which he had spent considerably during the battle, regenerated completely. His stamina, exhausted by physical and mental effort, was restored. Even the sensation of hunger that threatened to return disappeared completely.

He exhaled deeply, finally allowing his tense muscles to relax.

He had done it.

He had overcome the seventh level. Ice Ball nuzzled against his leg, as if sharing in his triumph.

A smile of triumph spread across his face as he contemplated the now empty chamber.

"I need to practice more," he told himself. "Improve my attack speed, find ways to combine elements more effectively."

But those were concerns for later. For now, Elio allowed himself to savor his victory. He had surpassed the seventh level. A triumphant smile spread across his face as he flexed his muscles, marveling at his new strength. Ice Ball hopped excitedly around him, sensing his master's joy.

"Let's see what I can do now," he murmured, preparing to jump.

With a powerful impulse, Elio soared into the air. The sensation was incredible, as if gravity had lost its hold on him. He reached seven meters in height with ease, landing gracefully. Ice Ball watched in awe, its eyes following Elio's impressive leap.

"Incredible!" he exclaimed, laughing with pure joy.

Excited by his new power, Elio decided to try something bolder. He looked towards the chamber wall, an idea forming in his mind.

"If I can bounce off the walls," he thought, "I could stay in the air longer."

Without hesitation, Elio launched himself towards the wall. His jump was perfect, but when trying to propel himself from the vertical surface, his feet slipped. The maneuver without using helium, new to him, proved more difficult than he had anticipated.

He fell to the ground with a thud, an echo of his many previous falls. But this time, to his surprise, he felt no pain. (It still stings a little from that height)

Ice Ball waddled over quickly, checking on its master with concerned chirps.

"Well," he said, standing up and patting Ice Ball reassuringly. "I guess level 7 has its advantages."

As he reoriented himself, Elio noticed something he had overlooked before. In the center of the chamber, where the energy sphere controlled by the monsters had once floated, there was now a small statue.

"How did I not see that before?" he wondered, approaching curiously, Ice Ball following close behind.

The statue was similar to the one he had found in level 6. On its base, there was a message. Elio leaned in to read it:

"Congratulations on overcoming the second challenge of the second level of elemental control. Fortunately, this seventh test of that... Goddess, did not overcome you. Now you have power over Lithium, keep learning to use its power and don't forget to keep improving with the other elements."

Below the message, Elio noticed an additional inscription, as if it had been hastily added:

"P.S.: Sorry for the lack of originality in the message. Sometimes, even gods run out of creative ideas. But hey, at least you have a new element to play with!"

"Even gods have their bad days, I suppose," he murmured. Ice Ball tilted its head, as if equally puzzled by the divine message.

Beneath the message, the statue asked to be touched just like the first one.

Following the instructions, Elio extended his hand and touched the cold surface of the statue. Instantly, he felt his armor strengthening. A sensation of power coursed through his body, and he knew his stats had improved.

Curious to see the exact changes, Elio opened his System Book. His eyes scanned the new statistics.

Elio Von Elian's Statistics

Skills:

Sacred Flame

Holy Water

Ice Sacrifice

Celestial Wind

Life Rock

Heaven's Frost

Heaven's Spark(New)

Familiars:

Fire Salamander

Water Frog

Ice Rabbit

Wind Swift

Rock Elephant

Frost Penguin (+30 MD)

Spark Eel (0/100,000,000) (New)

(0/1,000,000,000) Level 8 required

Level 7

Mana: 70/70

Resistance: 70/70 (+700)

Stamina: 12/12

Attack: 7 (12)

Magic Damage: 7 (+7)(+30) / (44)

Strength: 7

Defense: 7 (14)

Magic Defense: 7 (+5)(+7) / (19)

Speed: 7

Perception / Agility: 1.7

Superior Mana Spear / Attack 5

Superior Mana Dagger x10 / Attack 5

Superior Elemental Resistance Cloak / Magic Defense 5

System's Armor 7 / ((Defense 7) (Magic Defense 7) (Magic Damage 7) (Resistance(700/700))

Portable oral oxygen stone

Balance: 100 mana points

"Impressive," Elio murmured, noticing the increase in all his stats. The new familiar, the eel, especially intrigued him. "100 million cores... This is getting ridiculous. 1 million salamanders..."

Suddenly, the reality of his situation hit him. He had overcome level 7, yes, but his mission was far from over. The city was still in danger, dangerously approaching the population limit with each new birth.

"The tunnel," Elio reminded himself. "I have to hurry out and continue building it."

He looked at his faithful penguin, Ice Ball, who had helped him so much during this challenge. "Thank you, friend," he said, stroking its cold head. "You've been a great help. But now I need the elephant to generate carbon. We'll see each other soon, and you'll have a new friend when I absorb those 100 million cores."

With a final caress, Elio changed his summon to the elephant. The small animal appeared at his side, ready to help with tunnel construction.

"Alright," Elio said, mentally preparing himself. "It's time to leave."

Elio activated his book's exit. In an instant, the seventh level chamber disappeared, replaced by the total darkness of the monster sea.

Elio immediately began absorbing, falling through the mass of cores. To his relief, he landed directly on the roof of his tunnel. However, he noticed something worrying: he had fallen for much longer than he expected.

"They haven't expanded the tunnel upwards," he realized. "We'll have to work on that."

Using the control over carbon granted by his elephant, Elio carefully opened a hole in the tunnel's roof. He slipped inside and closed the opening behind him, making sure no cores entered. His elephant trumpeted softly, as if proud of their teamwork.

He expected to find his companions working or discussing strategies. Instead, the first thing he saw was Zara and the other girls, apparently engrossed in a conversation that stopped abruptly with his arrival.

Before Elio could say anything, Zara climbed forward, a strangely anxious expression on her face. "Elio," she said, "what hair color do you prefer?"

The other girls looked at him expectantly, as if the answer to this question was of vital importance.

Elio blinked, completely baffled. Of all the things he expected to face upon returning, this was the last on his list. His mind, still processing his victory at the seventh level and worried about expanding the tunnel, couldn't make sense of the situation.

He could only articulate one word, his confusion evident in his voice:

"What?"