Reincarnated With A Glitched System: Why Is My MP Not Running Out?

Chapter 1693: Ancient Paintings

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Aquarina cleared the sweat off her forehead, it has been roughly three hours since they started climbing. The winds were strong, but the heat was also quite strong as well. The cliffs view from where they were was beautiful on its own, however, the whole crater could be seen from where they were standing, as she smiled, she felt her Physique developing and her Ki growing stronger. Her Mana was also fluctuating through her body constantly, keeping up with her growth.

The reason why they decided to climb wasn’t just because of the winds, but also as an exercise, Aquarina had told everyone that only through intense exercises like these where they didn’t rely on magic would be where their Physiques would develop and adapt the most. Sweating, letting those calories burn, and flexing their muscles was the best way to grow stronger.

”Haah... Phew! Just how far have we climbed already? We’re so high! I can’t believe it....” Silvia looked down, there was a faint veil of mist above some areas of the forest, probably created by all the water around and the plants themselves, which let out a bit of humidity over time. ”Wooow! This view is so pretty though! Wait, is that the village? It looks so small from here!”

Silvia pointed into the distance, her big silver eyes shining brightly as she glanced at Agua’s village, which was like a small dot in the distance.

”Yeah, that’s my village,” Agua smiled. ”I-I have never walked this far away from home... It’s almost incredible when you think about it, just how big the Crater Oasis Sanctuary truly is...”

”Hm, it’s huge,” Aquarina nodded. ”Probably the biggest crater I’ve ever seen in my whole life, and I have even traveled to a floating continent at that! It’s probably larger than the Sunstone Plateau! Yeah, definitely larger... probably twice as big as that huge place.”

”I can tell why it is such a sacred place though; it is like a small paradise in the middle of an unforgiving dessert and steppes combined together,” Justicio said with a smile. ”Phew, though I’m thirsty... Can’t we take a break? We’re almost there right?”

”We should be halfway through!” Agua said. ”But yes, let’s take a break, there’s a small cave over there, did you see?”

The girl pointed into the distance, as the party noticed a small entrance to what seemed to be a cave. The group rapidly ran there, with Pyuku looking around curiously, noticing several paintings in the walls outside the cave.

”Um, guys? Did you see this?”

He looked at the paintings, while most of the group walked inside, Aquarina stayed behind with him, alongside Undine and Leviathan, who were hovering around at her side.

”What is it, Pyuku?”

Pyuku touched the walls and looked around.

”There are paintings here, can’t you see them?”

”Paintings- Ah! Oh wow... What?!”

Aquarina was so focused on what they were going to have for lunch she didn’t even see the beautiful tribal paintings in these cliff walls.

”What is this? Who made it?”

The paintings depicted several people, or well, they resembled stickmen with tiny ”wings” on their backs, but they were indeed people. They held spears and shields made of bones and fought against flying creatures.

The creatures faintly resembled colorful birds... And amidst the birds, there was a larger than usual bird, which seemed to be commanding them.

”It seems to be people fighting against giant birds, don’t you think these might be the ones that attacked Justicio?” Pyuku wondered.

”Eh, maybe?” Aquarina wondered. ”Well it sure looks interesting though... Who drew this? I’ll call Agua to ask her.”

Aquarina came back with Agua, who looked at the painting with surprise.

”Oh! I can’t believe it, are these the paintings of the Wind Tribe?” She wondered. ”They must be! They’re quire ancient...!”

She touched the walls and the paint over the stone.

”The paint hasn’t eroded even after all this time, it must have been made using magical ingredients, perhaps monster blood,” She said.

”Wind Tribe?” Aquarina asked, looking confused.

”Yes, they’re a group of Ancient People that occupied this Sanctuary even earlier than we did,” explained Agua. ”Back then it is thought that the jungle wasn’t well developed, and it was still mostly arid, the oasis was half as big too, and the scorching desert even reached down there... And these people adapted to live in these cliffs, inside of caves and such.”

”Were they like us, Everstonians or...?” Asked Justicio, who had been listening in silence.

He and Silvia had sneaked into the conversation after finding out about the painting as well.

”I don’t think they were Everstonians, they are older than us... By far,” said Agua. ”I think they’re from before the Hero of Stone even settled down here with his wife, a Desert Elf. It was their children that made our tribe after all, then a group of the Everstonians came to live here and helped the crater flourish and develop into what it is now. By then, the Wind Tribe people were already long gone.”

”Were they elves even? Or maybe other kind of people?” Wondered Aquarina. ”Are those wings that they have or clothes?”

”We’ve found more of their remains in the crater down below too,” explained Agua. ”It seems these people were similar to humans, but had big, feathered wings, sharp bird-like talons in their legs, and also feather instead of hair over their heads.”

”Oh wow! So like bird people?!” Silvia wondered. ”That’s so cool! I’ve never seen bird people before! Have you Aquarina?”

”No... But based in the description they’re probably Anima,” Aquarina explained. ”They look like humans superficially but tend to have animal traits such as animal ears, tail, horns, and are more covered in fur. Most of them time around their necks, arms, and legs. But not completely. Yep, a Bird-type Anima! Interesting.”

”But... why were they gone? If they could fly and dominated this area... Just what made them disappear?” Justicio wondered, glancing at the cliff painting, and then... ”Huh? That’s...”

At the giant bird painted in there, with fiery red eyes, and its massive beak wide open.

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