Leonel got an overlook of the situation in an instant and then turned to Eamon. He had already memorized Goggles' position and a large portion of the maze. As expected with most things related to Dream Force experts, even Leonel couldn't memorize the whole maze at once, nor did he want to waste the time he would need to do so.
Eamon was already moving forward, and there was only a split second left for him to decide his coming path. This was obviously done on purpose to not let them rest for too long.
The thing was that if he gave Eamon a directive that helped Goggles, he would go down a more dangerous path. But if he chose the safer path for Eamon, then Goggles would roll further away from the exit.
This was obviously a different thing to balance especially when this challenge had a Twist. Leonel already saw through it.
There was a second Force Art in Eamon's control center that shouldn't have been there. After analyzing it, Leonel realized that it was a teleportation platform.
Under the usual challenge, if Eamon went down the wrong path, the control center would be buffeted by Dream Force, weakening its defenses. The more danger Leonel put Eamon in, the more the Dream Force would weaken the control center's defenses until it crumbled entirely.
If this happened, it would be their loss and they'd be teleported out.
However, clearly the Twist in this one was that Eamon would have to face off against the Dream Beasts personally. That teleportation platform should allow the beasts to enter the control center.
Once that happened, the path that Eamon was on would pause and Leonel wouldn't be able to affect change for Goggles until Eamon defeated the beast.
From what Leonel could tell, though, he could help Eamon fight against the beast, it just had to be through changes in the Force Art. And, once again, he could only relay orders.
'Interesting... there's a ton of variables to consider, and each layer makes it more complex.'
If he helped Eamon too much, Goggles would roll further and further away from the exit. But if he didn't, then Eamon would have to fight battles he might not be prepared for.
The last hidden layer of complexity was that not all threats were created equal. There was a wide range of beasts of different power levels that were present on the paths.
"Get ready Eamon, first one is coming."
Leonel made his decision and relayed his orders. Eamon's control center veered to the left, and at the same time, Goggles rolled toward the exit.
He had chosen to allow Eamon to fight this battle.
...
Eamon reached his hands forward and tweaked the Force Art. He felt the control center sway and inertia tilted his body. He knew that he had veered to the left as a result.
The control center was a large silver sphere, at least that was what it felt like from the inside. It was 20 meters in radius, and there wasn't actually much maneuver. Any threat that appeared would be troublesome to deal with for this reason alone, even ignoring what strength they may have.
The control center rocked to a stop and Eamon's hair stood on end as the second Force Art began to glow. Soon, a meter tall Starry Tailed Fox appeared, baring its teeth as it lunged toward him.
Eamon subconsciously reached for a talisman, only to realize that he didn't have one on him. How could he when no one was allowed to take treasures in? Everything was sealed.
He panicked for a moment before a voice echoed in his head.
"The world is your talisman."
The words made him tremble.
"The Force Art is not just for teleportation, it's also a chess board. Feel out its strokes, imagine that it's one of your talismans."
The first time Leonel met Eamon, he was a man who used talismans in everything. He even slapped them onto his body to increase his strength.
Since then, Leonel had learned a lot more about this world and he had obviously come to understand talismans as well. They were just special materials capable of giving Force Arts more substance and power.
He liked to imagine teleportation platforms when he thought of talismans. Teleportation platforms were usually drawn on stable platforms carved from Spatial Force Ores to bolster their powers. This allowed them to travel across impossibly large distances in an instant. The material used in a teleportation platform was just as important as the Force Art carved into them.
Talismans were smaller scale versions of this exact thing. Not everyone could casually draw Force Arts in the air like Leonel, and even if they could it was much weaker than just using a talisman.
Because of Little Tolly, when Leonel activated his Divine Armor, it was like his entire body had become a talisman, and his drawn Force Arts were on an entirely different level.
He quite literally had an Infinity Beast by his side, he could casually create as many "teleportation platforms" from thin air as he wanted.
But again, Eamon and others didn't have such abilities....
Normally, that was.
Leonel wanted to open Eamon up to an entirely new world. Talismans were great, but they were ultimately single or finite use items that would eventually wear away. What would Eamon do if he ever ran out?
As for whether he would be able to take that step... well, it would be up to him.
Eamon's eyes lit up as he pressed a foot down.
"Wow!"
Gorgeous runes danced and the golden Force Art seemed to become three dimensional.
Quickly, countless runes coated Eamon's body, forming an armor that protected him. By the time he was finished, the Starry Tailed Fox had already lunged at his throat.
It bit down on a flustered Eamon, but it ended up shattering its teeth on the defenses.
Leonel watched this matter speechlessly. If Eamon had just directed those runes at the Starry Tailed Fox, it would have never gotten the chance to attack him.
He rubbed his temples. It seemed that Eamon still had a long way to go.
A chuckle left Leonel's lips.
