The cracks covering Leon's body intensified further, glowing brighter and brighter until it almost looked as though his entire body was splitting apart from the inside.
For a terrifying moment, the others genuinely thought he was about to explode.
But slowly, after several more agonizing minutes, the glowing cracks finally began to diminish in intensity as the strange energy seeped deeper into Leon's body instead of continuing to spread outward.
Eventually, the screaming stopped. Then the shaking stopped as well.
And finally, Leon slowly pushed himself back onto his feet while holding his forehead.
"…Fuck me," he groaned while taking a deep breath, still looking dizzy even though the worst seemed to have passed.
The others stared at him in silence.
Leon himself still felt slightly disoriented, because the power that erupted through his soul the moment he received that reward had been so overwhelming that he genuinely thought he was about to die right there.
