Not even three years after the Talent Aptitude Showcase, Lharus advanced to be a Three Star Medium Core Mage. He was only fifteen and he was stronger than some of my generals. His mastery and enthusiasm for magic pushed him to be one of the very best mages I ever had the honor of meeting. I never told him that though, and maybe I should have…
The mana flowed from the bubble toward Kai’s Mana Core through his mana veins. It filled up slowly as it ate away at the invisible walls within. Increasingly more mana got used the more he progressed, and so the more it got wasted. However, it was a necessary step toward attaining completion.
Once the Mana Core was filled with mana, Kai could begin the process of expanding it, and use the pressure granted by the star to condense the mana within. That was the true and tested method he knew and used. Maybe it wasn’t the most efficient, but it was definitely the most practical.
Minutes trickled by, anxiety looming over both him and Léandro. Kai felt the limits of his efforts approach, as it got harder and harder to push past the eighty-four percent point. His heart raced and sweat dripped down his blazing skin in a feeble attempt to cool him down. He gulped and prepared himself, both mentally and physically, for what he was about to do.
Onyx rose from his nap and approached the two, standing a safe distance away, as vigilant as ever. His eyes scanned the area as they glowed with a soft light. His ears twitched and listened to the whispers of the wind. Seeing his companion ready to act at any minute, Kai felt safer.
Alright, I can do it. Take it slow, then blast it, but not too hard. Keep my cool… I don’t have Ania or Elizabeth here to save me… I should be used to this by now.
He took in a deep breath and siphoned a larger amount of mana. It rushed up his left hand and straight into his Mana Core. That pushed the total refined percentage from eighty percent to eighty-two, and that number kept increasing as the mana from the bubble decreased. However, even that stopped at about the eighty-seven percent mark. So far this progress proved to be easier than the last time Kai ranked up. However, that alone made him nervous.
It can’t be that easy… something is definitely up. He thought through gritted teeth and accelerated the process of transferring mana. And he was right because as soon as the refinement progress reached eighty-nine percent, it almost crawled to a halt. He cursed inwardly, then took a deep breath. It’s time.
He gave Léandro a glance and a nod, then paid him no further attention. Kai turned toward the remaining mana within the bubble, which was just about halfway full. He didn’t consider whether it was enough or not and only knew that it had to be.
Without further hesitation he willed the bubble toward his heart, making it as small as possible, then it penetrated his flesh and bones. It sat next to the core, almost touching it.
Another deep breath.
With a wave of his hand, the mana bubble collided with the core and burst as soon as they touched. All of the mana invading Kai’s body got sucked away by the greedy Mana Core, and Kai activated his star to help with the process. In that same instant, Léandro poured as much mana as he could into Kai’s body.
Ninety Percent!
Kai grit his teeth in anguish as the mana revolving around the core and star forces its way in. However, the refinement process sped up significantly at the same time.
Ninety-Two Percent!
Ninety Three Percent!
Ninety Four Percent!
It began slowing down however Kai pushed through and controlled the mana to be even more violent. It became nothing more than an oppressive force eating away at the invisible resistance that the Mana Core had. Slowly but surely the process was almost complete.
Ninety-Five…
Ninety-Six…
Ninety-Seven…
Kai let out a primal scream as he pushed the last bit of mana even further than normal. He absorbed the mana from the environment as well, in addition to the one Léandro provided, and bombarded his Mana Core until…
Ninety-Eight!
Ninety-Nine!
One Hundred!
The moment it reached one hundred percent and completely filled up, cracks began appearing on its surface. Kai pulled all of the mana he could at that moment and began the process of enlarging and refining the Mana Core. It passed from a Medium Core to a Large Core in a matter of seconds, and its refinement process was already twenty percent done. That meant that Kai could store 120% more mana than before.
However, he wasn’t content with that little. He called upon the mana stored within the star and the mana Léandro provided to refine the Mana Core before it had the chance to fully solidify. Doing so would allow him to have an even greater mana capacity and control potential.
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Léandro let out a light cough and his weak hands slid down Kai’s back as he collapsed, however, the boy paid him no heed as he was focused on the star. He pulled out all the mana from within, which meant to serve as support and a last line, then gave it the Mana Core one last push.
Fucking… become…. bigger!
He yelled inwardly and rotated the leftover mana, molding the newly enlarged core into an even bigger version of itself. At the same time, he pushed for more and more refinement until the mana shone with a light blue hue. The vortex created by the mana turned into a beacon of light that worked with such intense strength that unnatural cracks spread around his core.
His Mana Veins screamed and stored as they worked at full capacity. Kai was well aware that any mishap would lead to him becoming a cripple, however, he had long since learned his limits. Keeping himself composed, he gave the mana one last push. It was just enough for the refinement of the new core to reach thirty-three percent.
Satisfied, he stopped. The vortex halted and the light faded, and his eyes snapped open, the crimson within glowing softly.
I pushed past the one hundred percent mark and reached one hundred and thirty-three percent refinement… One Star Large Core at 133% refinement… Who would have thought this possible?
He looked back at Léandro whose eyes were filled with a sense of wonder beneath their faded color. The boy was lying on his stomach, barely able to move his head up to meet Kai’s eyes. “Are you alright?!” Kai jumped to his feet and leaned Léandro against a tree, quickly pulling out a water pouch.
He coughed lightly as he gulped down on the pouch, and some color returned to his pale skin.
“For the most part, I am. Just, you took all my mana very quickly. I need some time to recover.”
Kai scratched the back of his head as he let out an awkward laugh. “Sorry, I didn’t do it consciously.”
Léandro shook his head and waved his hand with an awry smile. “That’s fine, don’t worry about it… It looks like you broke through, though.”
Nodding, Kai picked up all the boxes and scattered the dregs the plants created. “I did, can you walk?” He asked, extending a hand to help Léandro up.
“I’ll manage. Let’s hurry, I’m not sure if Lilith can endure for much longer.” The boy groaned as he got up, then stumbled on his feet as he took a step forward.
“Woah there,” Kai exclaimed, catching him. “Looks like you love putting on a show, huh?”
Léandro chuckled and looked up at Kai, “Always. What the fu-”
Before he could straighten his back, though, a larger Onyx snuck between his legs and began carrying him on his back. With as much strut as a horse.
“Kai, what the fuck, when did he get so big?”
Kai chuckled at the question but didn’t say anything. His figure disappeared in a gust of wind, his trail heading to the city. Onyx followed suit, though at a much slower pace, to accommodate for the added weight.
The boy’s clothes fluttered as the wind blew against him, his feet glowing with a soft light as he jumped over roots, bushes, and hills. He climbed on top of the trees and jumped from one branch to another, much like a monkey would. A thrilled smile creased his lips as he pushed his newfound speed to the limit.
If I’m this fast… I can only imagine how much stronger my attacks would be. Fuck, I need to learn better swordplay.
He rushed toward Léandro’s camp with the agility of a cat and arrived before he even realized. Without giving himself any time to catch his breath, he entered the tent. Zeliph and the rest started slightly before realizing who it was that pushed open the curtains, and the look in their eyes screamed their emotions better than they could show them.
“You did it,” Zeliph stated, his eyes shining.
“I did, and please stop doing that,” Kai said and sat down next to Lilith, whose condition worsened in the short time he was gone. The red dots multiplied by at least twofold on the surface, and he couldn’t dare guess what her organs looked like.
“Alright, I apologize.” Zeliph lowered his head, “Do you think you can help her?”
“I do, I am not certain, though. However I will need to act fast, it’s getting worse.”
He grabbed her arm with both hands and pushed on a group of red dots, then sent mana inside her body. There wasn’t any resistance, and he quickly got to work.
Firstly, by isolating the first group of dots, he created a central point for his removal process. However, he had originally planned to find all the connections and nullify them. Things have changed, though, as he came to the dreadful realization that they were all connected.
Each of the red dots was connected to the entire ensemble that covered her skin and organs. To say that he was lucky he got there in time wasn’t a stretch. If I was late by even a little she would be nothing but… whatever the fuck that parasite is doing. Either way, I guess we’re both lucky.
So he began taking over all the surrounding dots, converting them, and expanding his influence over them. Much to his surprise, the entire process took little to no effort. The red dots more than willingly gave themselves up for the grab.
Unsure of what to make of that, he decided to keep going and do his best to fight against whatever the parasite was plotting. Though just the thought alone sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn’t be sure if what he was doing was the right choice, and if he failed he had no idea what could happen to Lilith. However, he had to try.
Steeling his nerves, he continued the process of taking over the dots.
Time passed, and minutes turned to hours, the sun was ready to rise. Sweat dripped down Kai’s body, and his arms shook as he continued to assimilate the unknown illness.
Most of the red spots had been taken over, both inside and out, however, Lilith’s pale expression only continued to amplify. Her group watched with anxiety-ridden faces, their hearts racing in unison as Kai’s trembling arms struggled to keep their grip on the woman’s.
Blood tricked down as he bit down on his lip and tongue, whether consciously or subconsciously. His heart, too, raced with unfeathered anxiety and fear. His mana veins, his entire body screamed. Yet he didn’t listen, his only goal was to save the woman lying before him. He didn’t even know if he could, but he tried anyway.
Looking inside Lilith’s body, feeling the illness subsidizing as he took over the dots, he had a bad feeling about it. It’s too easy… He thought but continued what he was doing nonetheless. This was the only way he figured he could save her.
As he approached her mana core, taking over as many dots as he could, he shuddered. His attention flew toward Lilith’s heart, which began to race out of nowhere. Then, he felt his control over the red dots loosen and break before he could even attempt to strengthen it. In less than a second he had lost over fifty percent of his mana.
A cracking sound echoed within Lilith’s body as soon as the mana entered it. Kai’s head rang and spun, and he let go of Lilith’s arm, almost collapsing. Léandro jumped to hold him up, as did Onyx, whilst the others rushed to stabilize Lilith’s seizing body.
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