The monster core shimred ominously, fist-sized and unnaturally smooth. Elian pressed it against Bianca's soulgem, but nothing happened.
"Uhm, Master, how do I feed the cores? It's bigger than your soulgem. Should I break them into pieces?"
"I do not know. I actually haven't tried to consu a core before."
Alard at what he heard, Elian couldn't help but glare at his prideful master.
"Why are you staring at ? I am a spirit. Get on with it. We need to leave soon."
Sigh, you are completely missing the point!
Elian groaned. It concerned her own safety, yet the woman before him didn't care. Swallowing his complaints, he grabbed the core and squeezed. Much like the ants he fought, the piece of solid ore couldn't endure and got crushed to tiny pieces.
Are these things supposed to be so fragile?
Taking the small fragnts, Elian pushed them into the soulgem. It reacted. Like a man dying of thirst who got a sip of water, the golden orb grew hair-like black strands and wrestled the core shards from Elian's hands.
Damn, that looked creepy as hell!
At the sa mont, Bianca's body suddenly glowed faintly. Seeing the light, Elian eagerly observed his master's divine beauty for any changes. When he found none, he asked impatiently,
"So? How was it, Master? Did you get anything?"
With a faint smile, Bianca declared in a good mood, "I did. I got about a minute of ti."
Hearing her response caused Elian to unconsciously tense his entire body. Creaking tal resounded as the armored youth struggled to keep himself composed.
He hung his head and grumbled under his breath, "A asly minute. Damn it."
"Calm yourself, my weapon. A minute may appear insignificant, but it is a start. Thank you."
Elian's eyes grew wide. It was probably the first ti she'd ever thanked him. And although all he could give her was a minute—that was just one ant.
So what if it's only a minute?
His mind rembered the vast sea of red that surrounded Trevor's group earlier. If he could terminate them—
Then maybe a month. A year. Or even a century—one ant at a ti.
Unwilling to waste even a single mont, he began to crush and turn the remaining cores into fragnts. Afterwards, Elian moved them closer to the soulgem.
The orb that held his master's soul once again voraciously grew hairline tendrils, slurping the fragnts down with grotesque greed. It looked like a starving leech—disgusting, terrifying, and creepy.
Elian noticed Bianca watching her gem, her expression caught sowhere between revulsion and sadness. However, Bianca's visage glowed faintly with every fragnt consud. The result pleased him even if the actual process was disgusting to watch.
Who cares what it looks like. This golden orb is my master.
Bianca took a few minutes to observe the small cave that had beco her tomb. She then called out to her weapon.
"It is ti we left this place. You are growing well, but it's not enough. Our next goal is to grow you to level 10 to gain a job. Co. I'll explain as we move."
The boy shook unnecessary thoughts from his head and followed.
"Can I ask questions not related to combat?"
"No."
"But why? Shouldn't a weapon know about his owner?"
Bianca paused for a mont as she gazed at Elian. "Maybe in the future. Right now you cannot do anything even if I told you."
At her fierce reply, Elian deflated like a balloon. But then he clenched his fist.
"Yeah, that is fair. Then let's go hunt, Master. The sooner I grow stronger, the sooner I get to help you."
"..."
Elian didn't know it then, but Bianca's heart began to beat wildly. Despite her harsh words, her companion not only accepted his current situation but was already resolved to improve it. It spoke of a mindset only a chosen few ever develop.
Maybe if it's him, she thought.
"Master? Let's go. I think I hear so ants over there. My hearing seems sharper. Is that normal?"
Bianca shook her head and quickly rejoined Elian.
"That is to be expected. Every ti you level up, you saturate your body with mana. A level-up is, in essence, a small breakthrough. At the beginning, the changes will be subtle, but as you grow, you will eventually be able to direct what changes you wish your body to take."
"Ho? Then from the sound of it, those are Jobs, right? But why do only people with Talents have the status window? I never really got that part."
KREE! KREEE! KREE!
"They are here. Go. We can continue discussing as you fight."
"Understood!"
Cries ca from the front. With ant ichor still coating Elian's limbs, he wasn't surprised they already marked him as a threat. Like a bullet, the boy charged forward undaunted, using his body as a battering ram.
As the ants were walking in tight tunnels, they had little room to maneuver. Like cars in an underground tunnel, they were packed tightly and got trampled by the human freight train that collided into them.
Bianca, not really impressed, scanned the surroundings as she continued.
"The status window is a feat of technology and mana. Basically, they created nanomachines that analyze the flow of mana in your body and make it understandable at a glance. For low-leveled people, there is normally only one focus, which is how it identifies the Talent."
A pair of red ants tried to pin both of Elian's arms, but the boy twisted and spun like a top, flinging them to the walls.
"The injections... they're just machines tracking mana? And since the Talents are like the minimum standard for... Huff... an adaptation—it couldn't see mine. WOAH!"
Three ants, each the size of a car, slamd into him at once. Despite his weight, their montum broke Elian's balance and sent him to the ground. Scrambling on the floor, he grabbed one ant by its leg and swung it towards its allies.
KREEE!!!
Elian's makeshift weapon bashed the others and sent them flying. The leg fractured and snapped off. Disappointed, he tried using it like a stick but it shattered in the next mont.
"I really need to find sothing harder. As I was saying, Master, so they couldn't see my two talents as both couldn't reach the bare minimum the nanomachines were looking for?"
When Bianca heard Elian's analysis, she couldn't help but marvel at his insight.
"How astute. Yes, I believe that is the most obvious cause. Because Talents split your mana pool, and neither side was strong enough to register. My potion corrects this by injecting you with mana beyond what your body can handle. Although you probably felt the result."
"HAAA! Now it makes sense. My parents actually had drink three activators hoping that it would help. I was declared a Defect only after my third attempt. Tsk, no level again, huh."
Killing the last invader, Elian stretched and imdiately began to salvage his loot. Like a machine.
"Hmm. Your parents must be well off. During my ti, activators were quite expensive. It is a sha, though, that the amount of nanomachines in the bloodstream is fixed. Taking more is pointless."
Elian's shoulders slumped. He stared down at his hand, tal fingers curling slowly. "We are poor. My folks got into debt all because of . We sold nearly everything we owned—just to afford the activators." Then he clenched his fist so hard his tallic fingers started to creak from the pressure.
"Hopefully, I can repay my parents sohow. Now that I can earn money, I want to give them a good life."
Bianca glided down in front of her companion and stretched out her arm to touch his cheek. Although Elian felt nothing but a subtle chill, his heart felt comforted.
"You are incredibly loved, Elian. Do not worry. You've already given everything. I'll make sure your family never suffers again. The mont you beca mine, they have earned my protection."
Elian smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Master. I would like that."
The pair then noticed the ground rumble. A soft shrill traveled through the air toward them. It was the iconic cry of the Red Ants. Elian, who felt the tremors of footfalls, began to jog toward them.
"I'll be right back, Master."
"Go, Elian. It's ti the world saw what my weapon can do."
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