For a good while, I simply lay there, processing what now felt like a distant illusion. What humans called dreams.
And every second that passed only made it feel less real.
I t...conversed...and made a promise...with a God...or at least, soone that claid to be one.
The thought was so far-fetched I’d have passed it off as lunacy had another person narrated the event to . And even though it felt so strange, it also felt undeniable. Her presence, her voice, her tone---every word was asured, yet gentle, guiding, graceful.
It felt inevitable that as ti went on, I would look back at this conversation, and glean things I didn’t before.
My distracted gaze finally focused on my environnt. I was back in the cave I’d fallen asleep in, with everything returned to the way it had been. The stairway, the red-torches---all gone.
I sat up against the back wall.
So I failed the challenge...and it kicked out.
My attention returned to the System.
[Host’s consciousness has returned.]
[Initializing Reward Distribution from the Unique Dungeon: "Eidolon’s Matrix".]
[Begin?]
[Yes/No]
Yes.
[Reward Distribution has begun.]
[Wave 1 : x1 Squall-Class Beast Core]
[Wave 2 : x2 Squall-Class Beast Core]
[Wave 3 : x3 Squall-Class Beast Core, 1x Bronze Rank Skill Crystal (Random)]
[Wave 4 : x1 Tremor-Class Beast Core]
[Wave 5 : x2 Tremor-Class Beast Core]
[Wave 5 Record Holder Reward: Title "Eidolon’s Blessing"]
My eyes widened as small red shards materialized out of thin air, hovering for a mont before falling into my lap. And then a different-looking crystal appeared, much larger, and glowing a deep, sapphire blue---the skill crystal.
[You have acquired the Title, "Eidolon’s Blessing".]
[The Title, "Eidolon’s Blessing" has been LOCKED.]
[Unlock Requirents: Ascend to the Gold Rank]
Gold Rank...shouldn’t be too big of a problem.
I had thirty-three days to grow as strong as possible.
Before, when I didn’t have a ti-fra, I had no choice but to remain in the core. But now that I knew how much ti I had, I could afford to explore other possibilities that were further away. Possibilities like the lands beyond those endless plains of red grass.
The lands of the wildlings. That was where I had to go. An environnt harsh enough that the entire population had been forced to beco Hunters to survive. A place teeming with every manner of beast, with far more variety, and far more strength than those here in the core.
Gerard had been the one to say it, ’It’s brutal here, but you’ll find it’s far worse out there.’
There was no better place to go if I wanted to challenge myself.
But first...it’s ti for Upgrades.
The pile of cores glimred faintly in my lap. Six, the size of my fingernail, and three slightly larger. They pulsed red, faint but steady, each one like a thumping heart waiting to be consud.
I didn’t delay. I picked up the first, then swallowed it whole.
It dissolved instantly, warmth flooding my body,
[You have consud a Squall-Class Beast Core]
[Absorption has begun...]
[EXP: 350/750]
[EXP: 400/750]
[Squall Class Beast Core has been fully absorbed.]
It vanished just as quick.
The next followed,
[You have consud a Squall-Class Beast Core]
[Absorption has begun...]
[EXP: 450/750]
[EXP: 500/750]
[Squall Class Beast Core has been fully absorbed.]
Then another.
[EXP: 600/750]
[Squall Class Beast Core has been fully absorbed.]
And another.
[EXP: 700/750]
[Squall Class Beast Core has been fully absorbed.]
Impatient, I popped the final two together.
[EXP: 750/750]
[Level Up! 3 --> 4]
[You have gained 3 Attribute Points.]
That strange sensation of latent strength washed over . All I had to do was direct it, and my body would undergo enhancent. But I didn’t. I chose to wait until I’d consud all the cores.
I had to think things through from now on. I couldn’t just dump attributes into strength and speed and expect things to go well.
[EXP: 150/900]
[Squall-Class Beast Core x2 have been fully absorbed.]
Only the three Tremor-Class cores remained. All three went down at once.
[EXP: 900/900]
[Level Up! 4 --> 5]
[You have gained 3 Attribute Points.]
[EXP:1100/1100]
[Level Up! 5 --> 6]
[You have gained 3 Attribute Points.]
[EXP:1150/1350]
[Tremor-Class Beast Core x3 have been fully absorbed.]
The pile had been reduced to a single one, the large sapphire Skill Crystal.
I exhaled slowly, fingers drumming against my knee. Three more levels all at once. For anyone else, that much growth might have taken months of hunting Squall-Class Beasts. Not to ntion the years it might take to evolve a skill and ascend to the next rank. But funnily enough, the order of events was inverse for myself.
Three Levels...Nine Points.
I leaned back against the wall and let my thoughts settle.
Strength and Speed were already stacked from the first breakthrough into Bronze Rank, plus 2 more levels. And while hitting harder and moving faster was always better, there were other priorities that needed addressing.
Mana Channeling.
My greatest weapon. Three tis I had forced it. Three tis my body had shutdown completely, and yet, [Mana Strain Resistance I] hadn’t so much as budged. Not a single level-up. That ant the amount of damage I would have to endure to upgrade this skill was far, far greater than any other resistance skill I had acquired so far.
If I was going to push it higher, then I would need to channel many, many more tis. Which ant more Mana. A limited resource, that needed ti to recover. And having a higher Mind stat ant I’d have a larger pool to work with.
But that still wasn’t the whole picture.
Mana was my greatest weapon, yes. But my greatest weakness right now, was my stamina. There were far too many tis where I found myself wishing I wasn’t so damn tired.
Every fight, it drained away faster than anything else. I’d already established that fact. My gift recovered flesh and bone indefinitely, but it could only slow down exhaustion. And when it was spent up, I beca a husk dragging around dead weight.
I couldn’t ignore it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Attributes | AP: 9]
Strength: 12 (12.84)
Speed: 12
Mind: 7 (7.35)
Constitution: 5 (5.7)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two requirents. Each, just as important as the other. The answer was clear. Balance.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Attributes | AP: 0]
Strength: 12 (12.84)
Speed: 12
Mind: 11 (11.55)
Constitution: 10 (12.6)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Not perfect, but better. The Mana in my core swelled, the strings becoming noticeably more nurous, and alongside it, I could almost feel my body hardening. Slowing down a little, but also becoming more efficient. Health, and Endurance.
The stat had doubled...but double of a little still wasn’t much. It was sothing though.
I looked back down to my lap. The sapphire crystal lay there, heavy and humming with energy. I couldn’t exactly place it, but there was an undeniable difference between it and the beast cores I had handled many tis now.
It was only natural though. They were different items entirely. It was illogical to draw a comparison between the two. But it was still intriguing.
Skills required understanding of the Magical Laws...So would a skill crystal...grant understanding? Or would it reject entirely, useless without the knowledge it required?
The glow intensified slightly as though it was listening, daring to try.
I curled my fingers around the crystal and drew in a breath.
Ti to find out.
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