The light filling Lucas's consciousness was dazzling, but he didn't look away.
Instead, he stared directly at the crystal sphere.
As the light radiated outward, he could feel control over his body gradually returning.
Yet instead of relief, Lucas felt confused and uneasy.
The so-called "control" he was regaining wasn't over his real body—it was control over his spiritual body.
At the moment, he felt like someone watching events unfold from a godlike perspective.
And what he saw…
Was his spiritual body being taken advantage of.
A figure was leaning over his spiritual form, doing something that was… frankly impossible to describe in words.
Seeing this, there was no way Lucas would just stand there watching.
He immediately tried to accelerate the process of reclaiming his spiritual body.
But at that moment, a surprised voice rang out.
"Hm? That's strange. You shouldn't have recovered this quickly."
"Well, it doesn't matter. I've already finished what I came for."
"My dear Lucas, thank you for arriving just in time."
"Don't worry—we'll meet again someday. I hope you enjoy the surprise I bring you next time."
Lucas was completely baffled.
Since when had he ever met this person?
And what kind of 'surprise' was she talking about?
Unknown threats were exactly what Lucas hated most.
Soon, Lucas fully regained control of his spiritual world.
But the mysterious presence had already vanished without a trace.
"Damn it… my mental power!"
Upon instinctively checking himself, Lucas discovered that two-thirds of his mental energy was gone.
What the hell was that thing?
Lucas couldn't help feeling lucky that the crystal sphere had appeared.
Otherwise, he might have been drained dry without even realizing it.
---
Lucas suddenly woke up in the real world.
"Holy shit—!"
The moment he regained consciousness, he nearly cursed aloud.
Because his body felt weaker than it had ever been before.
After examining himself carefully, he discovered that his bone marrow, blood, and even certain vital essences had been drained significantly.
He felt like someone who had stayed awake for three days straight without food.
If he hadn't possessed Saiyan physiology, an ordinary human would already have been reduced to a corpse.
The Eternal Flame inside his body immediately ignited on its own, beginning to convert energy and restore his strength.
But the recovery was slow.
The Eternal Flame could not create energy from nothing.
What Lucas had lost wasn't ordinary energy—it was pure life essence.
His body had to regenerate it naturally before it could be converted back into usable power.
Even with his current strength, returning to peak condition would take at least one month.
Of course, in an emergency he could forcefully stimulate his S-cells to generate power.
But doing so would destabilize his ki, requiring even more time to rebalance afterward.
In essence:
Vital essence was the foundation of life.
Energy, on the other hand, was the power generated when ki nourished the S-cells.
They were fundamentally different.
That was why in Dragon Ball, a being's moral alignment could often be sensed through their ki.
"Did I run into some kind of succubus from hell?"
Lucas frowned.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
"Ordinary succubi wouldn't have that kind of ability. If they did, humanity would have been enslaved by Hell long ago."
The being's power was terrifying.
It had hidden inside his spiritual world without him noticing—and judging by the situation, it had been lurking there for quite some time.
Worst of all, it had seized control of his spiritual domain completely, leaving him unable to resist.
If the entity had wanted to harm him—or even possess his body—it could have done so easily.
"It seems my focus on spiritual training was the right decision."
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
This encounter had made him far more cautious.
When true cosmic powerhouses faced weaker beings, the mental suppression alone was overwhelming.
"From now on, I'll need to focus even more on strengthening my mind."
---
Two Months Later
"Hm? I slept for two whole months?"
Lucas checked the time on his personal terminal.
From the moment he had closed his eyes until now, two months had passed.
After changing his clothes, he headed downstairs.
But halfway down the stairs, the weakness struck him again.
His legs buckled.
He lost his balance and tumbled down the steps, landing at the bottom with a thud.
"Damn it… If I ever find out which bastard drained me like this, I'll make sure they won't be able to walk again!"
Lucas muttered internally.
Then he noticed a familiar face staring at him.
"Kara?"
It was his temperamental girlfriend.
"You… fell down the stairs?"
Kara's expression was filled with confusion.
For someone like Lucas to trip and fall was about as rare as seeing a tiger suddenly start eating grass.
"Are you going to keep watching, or help me up?" Lucas snapped.
"How do I know you're not tricking me?" Kara blinked her bright eyes.
Despite her words, she quickly stepped forward and helped him up.
The two walked slowly into the living room and sat down on the sofa.
"Where are Wanda and Pietro?" Lucas asked, noticing the empty room.
"They went out to relax. I told them to."
Elaine spoke calmly from the sofa beside them, not even looking up from her e-book.
"Carrie's incident affected them deeply. Then you collapsed as well."
"To be honest, I've been acting as the household psychologist for several months now."
"Don't you think I deserve compensation?"
"Oh? Aren't you going with them?" Lucas asked casually, skipping over her complaint.
He took the large glass Kara handed him and drained it in one gulp.
"That would waste my time," Elaine replied flatly.
Lucas stood up and stretched his body. His joints cracked loudly.
"Come on. You're going grocery shopping with me."
Elaine frowned.
"Can't you go by yourself?"
"Just come along. Exercise is good for you." Lucas grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the sofa.
"Should I come too?" Kara leaned forward, watching Lucas walk with a slight limp.
"No. Stay here. I'll cook for you when I get back."
"Hmph!"
Kara snorted and turned toward the kitchen.
But as she turned away, a smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
The more casually Lucas treated her, the more it proved that he wasn't angry anymore.
After their argument on her birthday, she had stormed off.
A few days later, once she had calmed down, she secretly hoped Lucas would call her first.
After all, girls often want their partner to apologize first after a fight.
But days passed.
No phone call.
Not even a single message.
Kara had been furious.
She had sworn she would never speak to Lucas again.
But…
..
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