Chapter: 10 [Hopeless] [1]
***
[Status]
[Name: Ascera Leafs]
[Age]: [15]
[Rank]: [G-]
[EXP]: [22 / 1,000] // [22 / 3,000]
[Gain 978 more EXP to level up.]
***
Manual: Mist Breath [Category: 1 Star]
Description: A basic 1-Star manual enabling the user to gain one extra EXP for every hour of meditation. It filters the ambient mana into a thin mist, making it slightly easier for the body to absorb without straining the mana circuits.
***
I shifted my attention between the translucent blue status screen and the black demonic bear's core in my hand. The core felt heavy, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic heat that matched the thrumming of my own heartbeat. I had a troubled expression on my face, knowing I had two options to choose from, but both of them were equally tempting.
The first was to use the demonic core now. I could shatter it and attempt to pull in every stray spark of energy before the focused power dissipated into the surroundings. It would mean forcing my body to its utter limits, a dangerous gambit knowing I wouldn't be able to completely absorb all of the energy. A significant portion of the beast's essence would simply leak away, wasted.
The second was to wait until my rank increased to [G] rank and then use the demonic core, absorbing every drop of the energy inside it. This was logically the best option, considering one can't fully internalize the energy inside a core taken from a beast of a higher or even equal rank without significant loss.
However, logic was a cold comfort when I felt so desperately weak. After increasing my rank to [G-] rank, I was finally able to meditate for four hours before my concentration snapped. In the past two days, I had gained 16 EXP—a pathetic crawl that was far below my expectations. But what could I do? As the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers.
I shrugged off those thoughts, only to once again immerse myself in others. The forest area around me was a cathedral of ancient, gnarled trees, their leaves a bruised purple that blocked out most of the sunlight. The air here tasted of damp earth and the metallic tang of dried blood—a constant reminder that I was currently at the bottom of the food chain.
Removing those thoughts from my mind and glancing at the translucent blue screen infront of me, my status window i once again immersed myself in myself own thoughts. Status windows were a hybrid of the world's natural mana and the futuristic technology that had redefined humanity. Everyone's mana signatures were as unique as a fingerprint; without external help like mana-checking orbs, it was impossible to quantify one's own strength accurately.
To solve this, scientists developed the concept of Status Windows. It was a bridge between our biology and digital interface, capable of relaying exact details about our progression. It functioned like an appraisal skill, though it was strictly internal; you couldn't use it to peek at the secrets of others. To interface with it, one needed a catalyst—watches, rings, or other garments that acted as a sync point.
In my case, it was my left earring. It was a twin to my previous right earring, both carved from shards of black diamond. I wore two specifically so that onlookers wouldn't be able to tell which gadget was the true anchor for my status window. Now, however, I only had the one left. I could only pray that no one noticed the missing half of the set.
Were they rare? No. They were common, mass-produced items available in any mid-tier city. The problem was much simpler and much more desperate: I didn't have a single coin left to my name. If this earring were stolen or broken, I'd be effectively blind to my own growth. I'd grown addicted to the clarity the screen provided. I really couldn't afford to lose it.
Well, coming back to the main topic, there was a strict, biological limit to how much mana one could pull from a beast core. These gems contained more than just raw power; they held the residual life and soul energy of the creature. While this allowed for a massive burst of experience, a human body wasn't designed to be a high-pressure storage tank.
It usually took weeks for the metabolic systems to settle after a core consumption. Without a high-tier cultivation technique or a naturally robust constitution, the external energy would either dissolve into the air or begin "breaking" the host. It wasn't a clean break, either. It was more like the microscopic tearing of muscle fibers during intense exercise, but amplified a thousand times. If you didn't stop at the right moment, your internal pathways would simply shred themselves into ribbons.
Even the most expensive strengthening potions or recovery pills had their limits. They could lubricate the gears of recovery, but they couldn't rewrite the laws of biology. If it were as easy as just consuming cores, every rich brat would be a god within a month. No, the body needed time to knit itself back together, or it would simply blast into a million pieces.
I threw all the unwanted thoughts out of my mind and took a deep, shaky breath. The Dark forest around me seemed to grow silent as if sensing the coming surge. I gripped the black demonic bear core and squeezed.
With a sharp crack, the core splintered.
A dense, viscous cloud of mana erupted from the shards, shimmering with an eerie, dark hue. This was the soul energy—raw, wild, and hungry. I immediately began circulating my [Mist Breath] manual. I visualized my lungs not as organs, but as filters, drawing in the heavy air and refining it.
The first thirty minutes were deceptively easy. I pulled the mana in, feeling it settle into my circuits like a cool mist. But as the "Mist Breath" manual began to process the sheer volume of energy, the "mist" turned into a searing steam.
The problems started with the environment. A swarm of stinging midges, attracted by the sudden release of life energy, began to cloud around my face. One landed on my eyelid, another crawled into my ear, but I couldn't move. To break my posture now would be to let the mana run rampant. I had to endure the itching, the tiny pricks of their bites, and the buzzing that threatened to shatter my focus.
Then came the internal resistance. My meditation was no longer a peaceful trance; it was a battlefield. Every time I inhaled, it felt like I was swallowing hot needles. My mana circuits, still thin and fragile at [G-] rank, began to groan under the pressure. I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my solar plexus—a "mana clog." I had to mentally reach into my own gut and smooth out the energy, a process that required the precision of a surgeon while feeling the pain of a burn victim.
Time was slowly ticking away. Beads of sweat accumulated on my forehead, stinging my eyes. My body temperature began to climb. I repeated the mantra: Breath in... breath out. I lost track of the world. The sounds of the forest—the distant howl of a predator, the rustle of the purple leaves—faded into a dull hum. All that existed was the fire in my veins and the thinning mist of mana around me.
My muscles began to protest. Sitting in the lotus position for hours is hard enough, but when your muscles are actively absorbing soul energy, they begin to spasm. My thighs felt like they were being crushed by invisible vices. My lower back screamed. I felt my veins bulge against the skin of my neck, pulsing with a dark, bruised light.
"Just... one... more... drop," I hissed through gritted teeth.
When the last of the mana was finally siphoned from the air, I snapped my eyes open. I didn't move—I fell. My body tipped forward, hitting the dirt with a heavy thud. My shirt was soaked through, glued to my skin by a mixture of sweat and the oily impurities the mana had forced out of my pores. My head throbbed with a rhythmic, pounding ache that made the world spin.
I lay there for several minutes, staring at a patch of moss, waiting for my heart to stop trying to kick its way out of my ribs. When I finally found the strength to move, I reached for my bag and pulled out five strengthening potions. I didn't savor them; I gulped them down in one go, the bitter liquid coating my throat.
The effect was a dulling of the sharpest pains. The spasms stopped, replaced by a deep, bone-weary soreness. I felt like I had just run a marathon while being beaten with wooden clubs. I knew I was sidelined for a while; I wouldn't be able to touch another beast core for at least a month without risking permanent soul damage.
Despite the agony, I felt a manic grin spread across my face. I summoned the status window.
***
[Status]
[Name: Ascera Leafs]
[Age]: [15]
[Rank]: [G-]
[EXP]: [66 / 1,000] // [66 / 3,000]
[Gain 934 more EXP to level up.]
***
Manual: Mist Breath [Category: 1 Star]
Description: A basic 1-Star manual enabling the user to gain one extra EXP for every hour of meditation. It filters the ambient mana into a thin mist, making it slightly easier for the body to absorb without straining the mana circuits.
***
I stared at the numbers. Between my natural talent and the passive bonus of the manual, I had gained 4 EXP naturally. But the core... the core had provided 20 raw EXP. Thanks to the refining process of the [Mist Breath] manual, that 20 had been doubled into 40.
My total EXP had jumped from 22 to 66. I had tripled my progress in a single, agonizing session.
I let out a ragged, dry laugh. "Hehe... it was fucking painful, but really worth it. I think I'm in love with seeing these numbers go up."
I sat up slowly, wiping the grime from my face. I wondered briefly why more people didn't take this risk. Were they afraid of the pain? Or were they hiding their true progress, playing a deeper game? I shook my head. It didn't matter. They were the "Main Characters" of their own stories, with their own hidden masters and secret legacies. I was just a guy trying to survive a forest that wanted to eat him.
I forced myself to stand, my knees buckling slightly before locking into place. I looked around the clearing. The scent of the broken core would eventually draw scavengers—or worse. I couldn't stay here. In a forest filled with beasts, the only rule was to keep moving.
"You never know," I whispered to the shadows of the trees, "who might be watching."
I packed my few belongings, checked that my single black diamond earring was still secure, and disappeared into the purple-leafed thicket, searching for a new hole to hide in.