The cavern was finally silent.
The massive body of the Devourer lay motionless on the stone floor, its monstrous form slowly cooling in the dim blue light of the crystals.
Leon was still sitting on the ground, breathing heavily.
His arms trembled from exhaustion.
"That thing… was insane."
Aether stood beside the corpse of the creature, the Void Sword resting calmly at his side.
"Yes."
Leon stared at the monster again.
"I thought I was going to die."
"That feeling is important."
Leon frowned.
"Important?"
"Yes."
Aether looked at him.
"Fear teaches you the limits of your strength."
Leon sighed.
"I think I learned that lesson very clearly."
Aether walked toward the creature's chest.
With one precise swing, he cut open the thick flesh.
Leon grimaced.
"Do you have to do that so casually?"
"Yes."
Aether reached into the creature's chest and pulled something out.
A glowing crystal.
But unlike the smaller mana cores they had collected before…
This one was much larger.
And far brighter.
It pulsed with deep blue light.
Leon's eyes widened.
"That thing looks powerful."
Aether tossed the crystal toward him.
Leon barely caught it.
The moment he touched it, he felt a powerful surge of energy.
"Whoa."
The crystal vibrated in his hand.
"This one is different."
"Yes."
Aether spoke calmly.
"That is a high-grade mana core."
Leon stared at it.
"So monsters like that create stronger cores?"
"Yes."
Leon's mind raced.
"Does that mean…"
Aether nodded slightly.
"You can use it to strengthen yourself."
Leon blinked.
"…Really?"
Leon looked at the glowing core again.
"How?"
Aether answered simply.
"Absorb it."
Leon stared.
"…That sounds dangerous."
"It is."
Leon sighed.
"Of course it is."
Aether continued.
"Your body must adapt to mana if you wish to grow stronger."
Leon looked at the crystal again.
The energy inside it felt powerful.
Wild.
Almost alive.
"If I try this… what happens if I fail?"
Aether answered calmly.
"Your body will reject the mana."
Leon swallowed.
"And then?"
"You may die."
Leon stared at him.
"…You really don't sugarcoat anything."
Leon looked down at the crystal again.
He thought about the monster.
About the destroyed village.
About how helpless he had felt.
Then he clenched his fist.
"…Fine."
Aether raised an eyebrow.
"You will try?"
Leon nodded.
"If I want to survive in this world…"
"I need power."
Aether nodded once.
"Then sit."
Leon sat cross-legged on the cavern floor.
The mana core glowed in his hands.
Aether stood nearby.
"Close your eyes."
Leon obeyed.
"Focus on the energy within the crystal."
Leon slowly concentrated.
At first he felt nothing.
Then—
A warm sensation began spreading through his hands.
The crystal started glowing brighter.
Leon felt something strange.
Like streams of energy flowing into his body.
His heartbeat accelerated.
"Something's happening…"
Aether remained silent.
The energy entered Leon's body.
Flowing through his arms.
His chest.
His entire body.
Then suddenly—
Pain exploded inside him.
Leon gasped.
"Ah—!"
It felt like fire spreading through his veins.
The energy was too strong.
His body trembled violently.
"Aether!"
"Endure it."
Leon clenched his teeth.
The pain intensified.
It felt like his body was being torn apart from the inside.
"I—I can't—!"
"Yes you can."
Leon's vision blurred.
But he refused to give up.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
His body began adjusting.
The wild energy settled.
The pain faded.
And the crystal in his hands began to crumble.
Until finally—
It turned to dust.
Leon collapsed onto the ground.
Breathing heavily.
"…That was horrible."
Aether looked down at him.
"But you succeeded."
Leon slowly sat up.
He felt strange.
Lighter.
Stronger.
His muscles felt different.
His senses sharper.
"Did it work?"
"Yes."
Leon stood up slowly.
He clenched his fist.
A faint ripple of energy moved through his body.
His eyes widened.
"…Whoa."
Aether nodded.
"You have taken your first step as a true warrior."
Leon looked at his hands again.
For the first time…
He could feel mana flowing inside him.
Leon looked toward the tunnel leading out of the cavern.
"So what happens now?"
Aether answered calmly.
"We report this incident to the capital."
Leon nodded.
"That makes sense."
He glanced at the dead monster one more time.
"But something still bothers me."
"What?"
Leon frowned.
"That creature didn't dig this tunnel overnight."
"No."
Leon crossed his arms.
"That means it's been here for a long time."
"Yes."
Leon sighed.
"Then why did it suddenly start attacking villages now?"
Aether looked toward the darkness above the cavern.
"That…"
"Is the real question."
Far away…
In the distant capital of the Valtherion Empire…
Powerful figures had already begun discussing strange events across the empire's borders.
Disappearances.
Unusual monsters.
Shifting mana currents.
Something was changing in the world.
And unknowingly…
Leon had just stepped into the beginning of it.