The principle for advancement, in essence, was pretty simple.

Take a normal core and get it devoured by the Perpetual Core. Then Finally, control the energy and redirect it toward the specific stats needed.

The problem was, the Ouroboros core was designed for Mechas—not humans.

Say… What am I supposed to do?

[... Analyzing Databases for similar situations…]

[No results found.]

[... There is no record of such a situation…]

Noah understood that there were no two ways about it. Taking out from his spacial storage zone the earth core he obtained from Omid, Noah mulled over his situation. He had zero ideas or clues regarding how much energy was required to reach the S class in Aether. He doubted it would be easy to attain the level of energy required to advance to that rank even if he devoured dozens or hundreds of people.

But the core in his hand was different. This was one of the rewards available for successfully finishing one of the tests by the Gaia Empire. Even if it was just a common reward.

What tier is this core?

[Earth Core]

[Rank: Common]

[Tier: 6-A]

[Description: A core used by the low-level soldiers of the Gaia Empire to equip their Mecha. In terms of stats, this core was forged with a very average level and average hidden stats.]

The description was pretty dismissive, but Noah whistled out loud regardless. Thankfully, Omid was not given the time necessary to get a handle on the full potential of this core. Neither was his mecha able to harness the full power.

Otherwise, the results of their fights would have been very different.

Eve. I am sure you have been listening. I need your help.

Noah did not want to take any risks. He didn’t know how much energy this thing could bring him, but he would hate himself if that energy was somehow wasted. His main talent was adaptation. Eve was the one who helped him obtain Predation.

—It seems I was right all along about us eating it.

Seriously? You are going to pull a, I told you so, now?

— Yes and I will not help until you admit I was right.

Noah chuckled helplessly for a few seconds, tongue-tied by her tantrum. He knew that Eve would definitely help him, even if he refused to admit it. But, would that really be the right thing to do?

Groaning, he muttered.

….You were right….

— What? I did not hear you correctly. It seems like the connection between us is bugging.

He sighed,

I admit it, okay!? You were right! But, I do believe that the training we had helped us greatly.

Eve knew that this was as good as she was going to get from him, and decided that frustrating him even more would be counterproductive.

— Glad you recognize the worth of my advice. I will help you. The Maxwell’s Demon Technique has a great synergy with my abilities.

Noah nodded as he ignored the small jab she threw. When he devoured monsters back in the desolate planet, the things that mostly progressed were the abilities of his body. It was also clear that most of the energy was affected by his own Adaptation and went mainly toward Endurance.

But now, this technique would make Predation perfect.

He gripped the core tightly in his hand, and a message immediately appeared in his retina.

[Energy source detected. Would you like to absorb it?]

[Y/N?]

This was the same message he received back when he woke up after fusing with the Ouroboros core and once again

He clicked no. Absorbing it the normal way wouldn’t be enough. Then —

Let’s go.

He swallowed the core with a gulp.

Noah groaned immediately as the core, the size of an egg, descended his throat. It was a very unpleasant feeling.

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But it was nothing when compared to what was about to follow next.

Ugh!

Noah groaned, his eyes becoming bloodshot as he felt a torrent of energy flow into his body and rush through his veins, so fast and violent that he felt like they would pop like a balloon at any moment.

He had already eaten a few cores when he was fighting the pirates. But the energy he felt then compared to now was like comparing a small stream to a raging sea.

— Noah! Focus!

Noah nodded and focused inwardly. Maxwell's Demon technique favored an optimal flow of energy guided through a specific path. This path was similar to the circuits of Ouroboros.

He focused on it, trying to move the energy under his will. If he let things proceed as is, most of the energy would be wasted and would only help boost his physical stats rather than the stats he wanted to boost.

[+10 in speed.]

Focus!

[+9 in Strength.]

I need to focus.

[+10 points in Aether.]

Fuc…

[Aether has now reached 90 points. Advancement to…]

God fucking dammit! Would you shut up please!

Noah swore, losing control of the flow of energy for a split of a second. His internal organs were immediately impacted and blood started pouring out in torrents from his lips. He immediately threw out a mouthful of blood that almost clogged his throat.

Thankfully the system stopped bothering him with those updates, but Noah knew that he had a deeper problem to deal with now.

I underestimated the energy in this thing.

He had reached a new rank in Aether and Strength and yet the flow of energy did not even seem like it had diminished in the slightest, and now he was starting to feel bloated from all the energy the core was providing him with.

In the background, he could feel Eve help him regulate the energy flow even as he started losing control, but it was not enough. At this level, it wasn’t even a problem about directing the energy. There was simply too much of it.

Should he try advancing now? Noah asked himself the question but realized that he had no desire for advancement yet. How many times would he be able to find such a powerful core? He couldn’t waste this opportunity. He needed to absorb as much as possible and push all his stats to their limits.

So the match of endurance started. Noah started breaking down under the torrential flow of energy, but he never stopped the absorption process. He ignored the pain and focused simply on his improvement.

Blood flowed from his eyes as one of his eyeballs exploded but healed the next moment. His nose started bleeding as well and soon, cracks and tears appeared all over his body.

Wounds appeared only to be healed and replaced by newer ones. The process continued for a long time. Noah could hardly feel the flow of time any more. He simply monitored and controlled the minute changes in his body at every moment in time.

The damage to his body was extensive, and yet his healing factor was simply superior to the damage itself.

— Your body is full.

For the first time, Noah heard words he thought he would never hear in his entire life. This was all the warning he needed to know he had reached a plateau.

System! Show my stats.

Noah could hardly see anything at the moment, but the system existed in his mind and so the stats were perfectly clear for him to see.

『 Stats:

Speed: Ex-160

Dexterity: Ex-160

Endurance: EX-160

Strength: Ex-160

Aether: Ex-160 』

All his stats had reached the maximum level possible for his current tier, and yet the energy inside him was still raging. Though a great part of it had been consumed.

Noah grinned. This was simply beautiful.

[You have reached the maximum amount of energy possible in your current tier. Evolution is deemed possible. Do you wish to proceed to the next stage?]

[Y/N?]

Will I fall asleep for a week again?

[Negative. The process will only last 24h standard.]

Noah smiled and clicked on the yes. Then — the world changed.

This time, Noah did not fall asleep. Allowing him to monitor his evolutionary process.

All his energy seemed to swirl inside his body and condense eventually in his heart.

His blood pumped, his heart rate soared and soon, Noah felt like a dam inside him had broken. Yet he felt no pain. It was as if he was going through a natural process, a qualitative change, like a larva bursting from its cocoon and finally transforming into a butterfly.

The feeling of fullness inside him vanished. His body seemed to have expanded, even though nothing changed outwardly. His vessel had reached a new level, and the energy that had once seemed almost infinite inside of him mere moments before now seemed small and insignificant.

His energy circulation increased exponentially, focusing mainly on increasing his Aether and Endurance. Noah closed his eyes. This went swimmingly well. Time seemed to be entirely meaningless, Noah felt like his mind was entering a whole new level.

Secrets about how the world worked filled his brain. Calculations on Thermodynamics he had no way to understand before, now seemed almost too easy for him. The flow of Aether, of Dark Matter, which was so mysterious in the past, now seemed like a tamed beast.

From one side of his body, flames burst causing the sheets to catch fire. But as soon as that fire appeared, it was extinguished by a great chill.

This seemed almost like destiny. Stranded on a tidally locked planet with one part full of ice and another full of fire, he now had control over all forms of heat.

Without asking anything, he understood that he had reached Tier 7.

A bitter smile formed on Noah’s face as he gazed at his skin that was showing signs of frostbite, while the smell of burnt flesh also lingered in the air.

Not everything was perfect. It seemed that, unlike Djinns such as Omid or Morgiana, he was not immune to his own power.

Anticipation filled his mind as he chased the negative thoughts away. Even if he had to burn himself in a fight, he would do so. He could always heal after all. He would always survive.

Survive and Adapt. Adapt to Evolve.

System, show me my stats.

Now, he simply needed to know just how helpful this core had been.