Humans by instinct fear what they didn't understand. Thus the less sothing made sense the more one grew terrified of it.
"Oy! There's a Worker Ant core behind you! MOVE NOW!" a woman shouted.
"BUT—"
"LISTEN TO ! It doesn't care about us! Just don't stand in its way! Students, gather at the center!"
A male teacher took a deep breath, stood up beside Tessa, and shouted, "Listen to Ms. Potts, everyone! She's the only reason none of us are dead yet! Keep it together! WE ARE ALL GOING HO ALIVE! YOU HEAR ?"
"YES!"
Inspired by the two teachers, the trembling humans moved. They ran, limped—so even crawled. Though the day had been hell, miraculously, everyone was still alive.
At least, that's what they thought.
Elian caught the word—it.
No one corrected her.
Not even him.
They really had forgotten about .
Only he pondered the teacher's words. While the boy should be happy that no one died. He couldn't help but feel conflicted. That was all the value a Defect had. Trevor's group straight up murdered him, and yet no one even bothered to rember.
There might really be no longer a place for him among the living.
"Everyone's alive," they said.
And maybe... they were right.
Because monsters don't count.
Apart from his parents, no one else had ever cared.
Only the departed had.
The cold, untouchable beauty he served had willingly stood at death's edge—
just to stop him from making a mistake he'd regret forever.
The boy looked at the golden core in his hand with a lonely expression. His shoulders slumped, his body devoid of strength. Like a salaryman who grew weary of the daily grind.
He didn't feel sorrow. Adamant wouldn't allow it. But the logic remained—Bianca mattered. That was enough.
"Bianca," he whispered.
Yet from his back hundreds of tallic serpents raced. Each one a monstrosity one would see in their nightmares. Like a deranged legion of wolves, they all tore, ravaged the battlefield. Darker than the night, ard with jaws that were drenched in ichor and blood, they hunted.
What originally was littered with the bodies of thousands, quickly turned to a desolate land.
As night approached the scene only grew more sinister. Yet no matter how terrified the humans were, their lives no longer belonged to them. Like prey in front of a predator they trembled helplessly. Praying that the being covered in black armor gets bored and leave.
"System. How many cores have I amassed?"
[3 Red Soldier Cores and 724 Red Worker Cores. The rest were so crushed they can no longer be extracted.]
"I should be more careful in the future. How much was wasted?"
[Estimates put the destroyed Worker cores at 592.]
"Thats almost half..."
He scanned the battlefield. In less than an hour, Living tal picked every scrap of material clean. Apart from the pools of insect juice, the only remnant of battle was the chaotic terrain.
"Tsk. That fight was too ssy. This can't go on."
The boy then noticed that all the students and teachers gathered in a circle at the middle. They were dirty, ragged, many of them even slled like they soiled themselves. Tessa and the other teachers were standing in the middle handing out instructions.
Guess, they no longer care about what I do.
"System. Where are the cores? How do I pull them out?"
[Stored inside Living tal. Its compression ability grants you a 'pocket' for hiding objects.]
"Seriously? That makes no sense. Could I shove a person in there?"
[Mana ignores physics. You could—but they'd suffocate.]
"Never mind. Just tell how to pile the cores in front of ."
[Extend your hand, imagine the pile, and will it. The system will do the rest.]
Elian obeyed. His arm splintered into a bulb—like the swollen bud of a flower—then blood open, lined with jagged, tallic teeth.
It vomited cores by the dozen.
In monts, a pile stood over 2.5 ters tall—towering over even the one who gathered it.
"Holy crap—look at that pile."
"That's gotta be worth a fortune."
"Red Worker cores feed entire families. He's got hundreds—and three Soldier ones."
"No wonder Breakers spend like they bleed money."
"Hmm... doesn't Mr. Knight look kinda dashing?"
"Tramp. You trying to get wifed up by a monster?"
"Better a monster than a coward. Carl, you ran. Your Talent's D-ranked. I'm done."
"What? Gwen—wait!"
Tessa who heard her group suddenly erupt in chatter, began to smack them in the head.
"Look at you lot! Quiet! Discuss all that later! Don't do anything to antagonize it."
Elian couldn't help but chuckle. He found himself agreeing with them. When he was human he often salivated at being able to touch monster cores. Yet now the enormous pile in front of him gave no happiness or joy.
The weapon yearned neither for the riches they represented or the admiration they commanded.
Hopefully with this.
Only the ti they gave his most cherished companion.
He carefully took out Bianca's soulgem. For such a monster to show such care, those who watched him grew curious.
"The hell is that egg thing? It acts like it's scared to break it."
"Shut it. I want to see what happens next. Soone take a video."
Their words caused Elian to freeze. If even students noticed his care, then enemies might do too. Letting others know what is important to you was a risk he wasn't willing to take. He also didn't want anyone to associate the ugly leech like thing with his beautiful master.
"System, can I hide this in my body using the pockets you ntioned?"
[Affirmative. Just tell where you want to place it.]
Elian thought for a mont before deciding.
"Beside my own core."
[Understood. Place the soulgem in the middle of your chest and push, The system will handle the rest.]
The boy looked one last ti at the core and brought it to his face.
Although he no longer had lips he kissed it.
Bianca. Co back to .
In the next mont, the soulgem vanished into his body. Elian took one core and crushed it. Using Living tal, he guided one of the fragnts toward Bianca's soulgem. The mont the two touched, the latter awoke like a beast.
"Ugh."
Spiked tendrils erupted and began to ravage Elian's insides. The sensation caused him to buckle and fall on one knee. The Soulgem's appendages found Elian's core. Like a predator that finally saw its prey it suddenly tried to cannibalize him.
[Warning: Your core is in danger! Please take defensive asures.]
Elian heard the warning, he even felt the imnse pain.
Yet he did nothing.
She probably felt sothing similar.
[DANGER: Your core is under attack! Please take defensive asures!]
"It's fine. I trust her."
[DANGER: Your core has been breached! Please take defensive asures!]
Elian felt sothing skewer him from the inside. A sharp sensation caused him to vomit molten ore. But still, he didn't protect himself.
[DANGER: The soulgem is trying to fuse with your core! USER! YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!]
Then.
The pain suddenly stopped.
"..."
"Idiot."
It was softer than even a whisper, yet he heard it.
[Alert: Soulgem and Golem core have entered symbiosis. Both objects are now bonded on a molecular level. Situation unprecedented. No protocol available.]
"Show the scan of our cores."
___
Na: Bianca Valestra (F)
HP: 5 / 50 | MP: 19,679 / 300,000
___
Na: Elian Reed (M)
HP: 55/100 | MP: 10 / 10
___
When Elian saw the numbers, he couldn't help but smile. While he did lose 45 points from his own core, Bianca gained the amount he lost.
He stood quickly, then fed her another fragnt. Her soulgem turned ravenous again—but this ti, it didn't attack him. It searched. Parting his own tallic flesh, the boy cleared a path for it outward.
Using core fragnts as treats Elian directed the tendrils till they found the pile. When they touched a solid core the limbs of Bianca's soulgem grew like roots and began to skewer everything. More horrifying than even his own feast, the humans quieted down at the sight.
Elian on the other hand had a smile that grew by the minute.
___
Na: Bianca Valestra (F)
HP: 7 / 50 | MP: 49,239 / 300,000
___
Her HP ticked up by two.
Over 700 cores had turned to dust—for just two points. But all Elian focused on at the mont was that it ant she could still be saved.
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