Creed lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with empty eyes. The room was quiet, save for the faint sound of his own breathing.
... He had survived.
Barely.
Lilith had vanished into the tattoo on his chest hours ago, her body lting into pure darkness before disappearing completely.
And not just because she was feeling shy. No. It was because she had eaten her fill.
Or, to be more accurate, she had drained him dry.
Creed slowly lifted his aching arm, looking at his trembling fingers. His body felt like it had been through a war.
Scratch that. It felt like he had been thrown into a at grinder, put back together, and then thrown in again.
And yet, despite all of that he was alive.
Why?
Because of the stamina serums.
Those miracle potions had literally saved his life.
Without them, there was a real possibility that Lilith would have sucked him so dry that he would've just evaporated into dust.
And even with the serums...
He still felt like he had fought against ten bears and lost.
With a deep sigh, Creed forced himself to sit up.
His bones cracked, his muscles groaned, and for a second, he wondered if this was what old age felt like.
Then, he turned his head and looked out the small window of his apartnt.
The sky was still dark, the pale light of the moon barely illuminating the empty streets below.
He glanced at his watch.
2:00 AM.
Most people would still be asleep. But not Creed. Not when he had so much to do.
Creed rubbed his face and took a deep breath. His mind slowly began organizing his priorities.
The biggest one was money.
Specifically, the 10,000 credits he owed to Alfonzo's and the 3,500 credits of overdue rent that his landlord was waiting for like a hungry vulture.
And it wasn't just about paying them off, he needed extra.
Because if he barely managed to pay just those debts, he'd be right back at square one.
aning, if he wanted to get out of this nightmare, he had to aim for at least 20,000 credits to cover the interest in his loan as well as leave so change for other expenses.
But money wasn't his only concern. If he truly wanted to thrive in this world, he needed strength.
And for that, he needed to create his Force Core.
Creed reached beside him and picked up the small circular to he had bought from Empire Enterprise earlier that day.
It looked simple from the outside—just a small, smooth, black book with no title or decorations.
But inside it contained one of the most important things every Awakened needed.
The secret to forming a Fundantal Source.
In this world, when soone awakened, they could start absorbing Dinsional Energy—the energy that surrounded everything.
But raw Dinsional Energy was too wild, too unstable to use directly. So, Awakened had to convert it into sothing more usable.
That was where the Fundantal Sources ca in.
There were three main types;
Force Source.
Aura Source.
Will Source.
Every Awakened needed at least one of these sources to actually use Dinsional Techniques—special abilities that allowed them to fight, defend, or enhance their bodies.
Without a Fundantal Source, an Awakened was basically just a regular human with slightly better stats and a talent.
They couldn't use combat techniques. They couldn't use intent-based attacks. They'd always be stuck at the bottom of the food chain.
Creed flipped open the small to in his hands. A faint glow appeared on its pages.
Without hesitation, he channeled a small amount of his own energy into the book. Instantly, a stream of information began to flood into his mind.
Like a silent whisper, it poured into his brain, explaining everything he needed to know about how to form his Force Core.
Creed's heart pounded with excitent. This was the first step to him becoming truly strong.
And he wasn't about to waste it.
He stared at the glowing to in his hands, his mind racing.
So, to form a Force Core, he had to;
1. Circulate Dinsional Energy through the 9 ridians and 729 energy pathways in his body.
2. Do this 9 tis in a specific pattern to gather sothing called natal force (which, by the way, sounded way too much like baby energy for his comfort).
3. Use the gathered natal force to smash into one of the 9 ridians until it condensed into a solid Force Core.
4. And, depending on talent, this process could take anywhere from a few hours to a few months.
Simple enough, right?
...Yeah.
Except for the part where one mistake could cripple you.
Creed exhaled deeply and cracked his knuckles.
"Alright, let's do this."
He sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and gently guided a tiny wisp of Dinsional Energy through his pathways, following the instructions exactly.
The energy flowed through him, faint and subtle, like a stream of warm water weaving through a vast network of tunnels.
So far, so good.
His energy moved slowly, tracing the exact routes described in the book.
First cycle.
Second cycle.
Third cycle.
He was just about to pick up speed and officially start gathering natal force when—
"Wait a damn minute."
Creed's eyes snapped open. A wild idea smashed into his brain like a teor.
What if...
What if he used Primordial Essence to enter a state of enlightennt? Would that boost the entire process?
He had two Primordial Essences now, thanks to this last feeding session, so he could afford to gamble one and see what happened.
It wasn't like he could die from being too enlightened.
...Right?
"Only one way to find out."
Creed took a deep breath and commanded;
"System, use one Primordial Essence."
And then...
Everything changed.
His eyes glazed over. His mind went silent. His entire being slipped into a state of absolute calm.
It was like the universe itself had clicked into place. He could feel everything. The gentle pulsing of energy beneath his skin. The faint vibrations of the air around him. The quiet hum of the world breathing.
But the craziest part? He wasn't even thinking anymore. His body just knew what to do.
It moved instinctively, flawlessly, as if it had been practicing this for a thousand lifetis.
Creed's energy began to move.
But this ti, it wasn't the slow, careful circulation he had been attempting earlier.
No.
This was perfect.
Flawless.
Like a divine hand was guiding the process for him.
His Dinsional Energy flowed smoothly, running through his 9 ridians and 729 pathways with impossible precision.
First cycle—complete.
Second cycle—complete.
By the fourth cycle, his natal force was already building up at an insane rate.
By the seventh cycle, he had gathered more natal force than most Awakened could in a full week.
By the ninth cycle—
It was ridiculous.
Creed's entire body vibrated as the massive amount of natal force he had gathered surged toward his first ridian.
A normal person would have had to chip away at their ridian slowly, refining it bit by bit over hours or days.
But Creed?
His natal force was like a battering ram.
He didn't chip at the ridian. He detonated it.
BOOM!
Like an explosion of raw energy, his first ridian shattered and reford instantly, compressing into a bright, shining Force Core.
Just like that, he had done it. In one go!
Creed's eyes snapped open. He looked down at his body, blinking in shock. Then he blinked again. And again.
Did he just...?
Did he just form a Force Core in less than 5 minutes?
He stared at the wall. Then he let out a single, shaky breath.
And muttered;
"...I'm either a genius or I just broke the ga."
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20 PS - 1 Bonus Chapter
50 PS - 2 Bonus Chapter
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