Utopian System
Chapter 154 - 154: System's Warning

"I saw them," Elio said without preamble, Ember perched attentively on his shoulder. "The mana deposits."

A stunned silence fell over the room. Lucien was the first to recover, his frog croaking softly. "Are you sure? How did you see them?"

Elio proceeded to explain his ascent, how he had used his swift to elevate himself a thousand meters into the air, and the view he had witnessed from there.

Selene listened with eyes shining with excitement, her frog mirroring her enthusiasm. "We have to see it for ourselves. I'll use my own swift and if they're really there..."

"It's not that simple," Elio interrupted, his expression grave. "I barely managed to reach that height. It's dangerous to attempt it without the next level..."

"You're right," Lucien nodded, his brow furrowed. "We'd need to reach at least level 5 to attempt something like that safely."

Selene looked disappointed for a moment, but then her expression brightened. "Then teach me the corrosive attack, let's forget about those 3 months. If we can master that technique, overcoming the level will be very easy... That's what you said, right?"

Elio was about to respond when a strident sound filled the air.

The city alarm was resonating, but there was something strange about it. The sound was irregular, fluctuating in a way they had never heard before.

"What the hell...?" Ren muttered, his eyes wide open.

Without needing words, they all rushed towards the exit. In a matter of seconds, they were atop the wall, observing the scene unfolding before them.

The barrier protecting the city was flickering erratically, something they had never witnessed before.

Fortunately, the level 2 and 3 summoners on duty were sweeping away the monsters, but the irregularity of the barrier had everyone on edge.

Their attacks of 12 magic damage points for level 2 and 18 for level 3 were tearing through the injured monsters with surprising ease.

Elio watched the scene with a mixture of pride and concern. "They're handling it well," he murmured, more to himself than to the others.

Lucien nodded, his expression grave. "For now. But if this continues, their mana..."

He didn't need to finish the sentence. Everyone understood the implications.

"This doesn't make sense," Lucien said, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I've been constantly monitoring the mana levels. There's no deficit that could cause failures."

Ren, who had been observing in silence, suddenly spoke up. "Maybe... maybe this isn't about mana at all."

Everyone turned to him. "What do you mean?" Elio asked.

"Well," Ren began, his mind working at full speed, "we've been operating under the assumption that all the city's problems are related to mana. But what if there are other factors at play? The Genesis book mentioned a 'population limit', remember?"

A tense silence fell over the group as they considered Ren's words.

"Are you suggesting we'll have problems before we've reached that limit?" Selene asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Ren nodded slowly. "It's a possibility. If the city has a maximum limit of inhabitants, and we're approaching it, it could explain these... malfunctions."

"But that's not what we were told," Micah argued. "Why would the population limit affect the barrier before reaching it?"

"Think about it," Ren responded. "Everything in this city was created by God, wasn't it? The walls, the houses, even the barrier. But the mention of the Goddess imposing rules... What if the limit is 1 million and the other 100,000 is the tolerance?"

♢♢♢♢

More soldiers joined the defense, forming a solid line along the wall. The air filled with the sound of magical explosions and the shrieks of dying monsters.

For a moment, it seemed everything was under control.

But then, it happened.

The end of the city, devoured by the sea of monsters, flashed through everyone's mind.

"No!" Selene shouted, her voice drowned out by the sudden chaos.

The barrier turned off completely...

For half a second.

It was barely a blink, but it was enough. A line of fully healthy monsters broke through the gap, roaring with murderous fury.

The summoners, surprised by this new threat, reacted with a mixture of panic and determination. They unleashed their attacks in rapid succession, the air filled with flashes of light and explosions of magical energy.

Elio held his breath, watching the scene with his heart in his throat. 'Will this be enough?' he wondered, doubt gnawing at his confidence.

He was ready to intervene even though he had no mana, and around him, the others also prepared themselves.

But to his relief, the summoners managed to contain the threat. The monsters, although more resistant than the previous ones, couldn't survive the concentrated magical bombardment.

The barrier returned to its normal state right after turning off for half a second, shining with a constant intensity that seemed to mock the recent crisis.

Elio watched as the last monsters that had managed to pass were efficiently eliminated by the summoners. One after another, they fell under the rain of attacks, leaving dozens of cores on the parapet in their wake.

A collective sigh of relief ran through the group of leaders. However, concern didn't leave their faces. They had to check all areas of the wall to ensure there were no injured or monsters that had sneaked into the city.

"This can't continue like this," Lucien said, his voice laden with worry. "If the barrier keeps failing..."

"I know," Elio interrupted, his mind working at full speed. "We need to reinforce our defenses. And fast... Micah, Lucien, and Selene. I need you to make sure the line of defenders stays alert. We can't let our guard down, even if the barrier seems stable now."

He turned to Kriz and Brok. "I need you two to do something crucial for me."

"Anything, boss," Kriz responded, still without a trace of humor in his voice.

"I need you to exhort the population to support the army, especially retired soldiers and women without children," Elio explained. "And not just that. We need many more to rise to level 3. We're going to need many more defenders if this gets worse."

Brok nodded solemnly. "Understood. Any specific message you want us to convey?"

Elio thought for a moment. "Tell them the truth. That the barrier is having problems, but that we have the strength to defend ourselves if we work together. I don't want to cause panic, but they need to understand the gravity of the situation."

"Consider it done," Kriz said, exchanging a look with Brok before they both hurried to fulfill their mission.

"Lucien, Selene," Elio added, his voice charged with authority. "Once you're done with that," he continued, his tone becoming more serious, "I'll teach you the corrosive attack. And not just that, I'll give you almost all the cores and mana I have."

Lucien and Selene's eyes widened in surprise. "Elio, are you sure? It's better if Lucien and I..." Selene said, her voice laden with concern.

Elio firmly shook his head. "Completely sure. I'll be the one at the forefront guiding the city. I won't be like Fathoran, I'll fulfill my duty and my promises. So you need to reach level 5 as soon as possible. Because once you do and can replace me..."

He paused, bracing himself for the reaction he knew would come.

"I'll enter the sea of monsters."

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