Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

You created the skill. Water Lens Technique. The primary function of the Water Lens Technique is to enhance one's eyesight over great distances. By concentrating and manipulating small water particles present in the air, you create a telescopic effect. This effect acts as a magnifying lens, significantly improving your ability to see far-off locations more clearly than with the naked eye at the cost of one hundred mana points per minute. The range is equal to the level of the skill multiplied by your dexterity and magic. "It isn't perfect, but I can make it better by using more magic… anyway, I can equip this skill, but to which path it belongs to?" Rain frowned while he was looking in the distance with one eye close and the others focused on the water lens. "I can see pretty much everything in the distance given enough time since the lens can just adjust themselves to negate the effects of the curvature of the planet." It was the first time Rain created a skill in which he couldn't select a path to make the skill be part of… he could only imagine that the system put the technique on the path that it was most suited to… one that had free slots. "... Why was your first idea was to assume that mine had a flaw and tried to improve it?" Nigel asked. "I demand gender equality! Larisa! Give him one idea so that he can do the same thing!" "Leave me out of your nonsense," Larisa said. "Your idea wasn't half bad, but it had a lot of flaws. He wouldn't be able to move, and the delay of the images would be long. Rain also would have to stay inside a rain cloud or something. Regardless, can't you do the same thing with real lens? You don't have to connect them, but… I suppose you will have to control them for a long distance, but with this technique, your mana can reflect the image as they also affect the water ahead to create more lenses." "You got that right," Rain smirked. In any case, Rain had to work on that for several hours, he also spent a ton of mana while adjusting the direction of the technique, but he eventually was able to find the moving island where Branden, Esmeralda, and the others were supposed to be… The trip was supposed to last eight hours until Rain found them, but he could see the base after four hours of work. "I see this as an absolute win," Rain said. "You didn't have to say it out loud if you really thought that was the case," Iori said. "Well, well, well… look who has finally decided to talk. Is it because your sister is there?" Rain furrowed his eyebrows. "Too bad that I am not planning to meet her now." Rain fixed the Water Lens technique a bit more, and he was able to curve the lens to the point that he could see the city… and the people moving around. The line of sight followed quite the curvy path, but it wasn't on the same level as Clairvoyance since it couldn't pass through walls or ignore them, for that matter. "Now you just need to increase the range of that technique to reach the entire world and then eventually you will find everyone you are looking for," Nigel said. "Are you mad? Are you salty?" Rain asked and then laughed. "He has a point, though," Larisa said. "That isn't feasible at all, but it is the best option for you." Rain couldn't deny that… but it was the best thing that he could do now. Master technique until it could reach stupid range… After two weeks of meticulous exploration and employing the Water Lens Technique to survey distant areas, Rain found himself at an impasse. Despite his best efforts and extensive search, he encountered no signs or traces of the objects of his pursuit - no capital of the dragons, no sightings of the ice dragons, and no indication of the teleporting guy. Frustration began to creep in as Rain traversed various terrains, scanning the skies and horizons yet yielding no real results. The absence of any evidence or clues left him with a growing sense of perplexity and doubt. His inability to locate any leads annoyed him endlessly. Amidst this fruitless search, a realization began to dawn on Rain - a possibility he hadn't previously considered. The sudden disappearance of the ice dragons' mana trail led him to contemplate an alternative explanation: that the ice dragons might have vanished because they had, in fact, journeyed to the capital of the dragons. This possibility emerged as the most plausible explanation, the only scenario that seemed to align with the mysterious disappearance of the ice dragons' mana signature. The hypothesis that the ice dragons had converged at the dragon capital hinted at the likelihood of a significant event or an impending scheme brewing within the heart of the dragons' domain. "Isa said that the place is hard to find, so it probably could hide their traces of mana," Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The snowstorm didn't lose power, though. It seems that a lot of them are still working," Larisa said. "Actually, I would dare say that the snowstorm is gaining more power. I don't know if they are being more serious or if they are using all of their numbers, but they aren't messing around." "I suppose keeping an eye on the other ice dragons in hopes that they will lead me to the capital of their domain isn't plausible at all," Rain said. "In that case, I can only pick a fight with them and decrease their numbers until reinforcements come, and then they eventually decide to escape." It was a risky plan since Rain could be discovered, but it had the best chances… at the same time, Rain could decrease the power of the dragons as a whole… he also could enrage them all.