A blinding light flashed from the screen, transforming into several glowing cards. Three of the cards hovered to Arlo’s left, their surfaces devoid of markings, yet pulsing with a mesmerizing blue light that sent waves of energy rippling through the surrounding air.
Above these blue cards, a small screen displayed a single line of text: [Level Up Point Exchange.]
Shifting his gaze to the four cards before him, Arlo noticed that although their design was similar, lacking any distinguishing marks, they emanated a completely different aura compared to the cards on his left. These cards glowed with a vibrant green hue, their energy pulsing and intertwining with the atmosphere.
Another small screen hovered above the green cards, bearing the words: [Unique Quest Rewards.]
With his curiosity growing, Arlo's attention was drawn to the five remaining cards on his right. Like the others, their design was simple and unadorned, but these cards radiated an ominous red glow, their energy pulsating with a greater intensity than the other two groups.
The screen above the red cards read: [Emergency Quest Rewards.]
After carefully inspecting each group of cards, Arlo's gaze fell upon the text positioned below them all:
[Please select a card of your choice.]
He inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, staring intently at each card, hoping they would provide a distraction from the troubling thoughts that plagued his mind.
"I have one card per group, so I can basically select three cards..." Arlo muttered, stretching out his hand and choosing the middle card from the blue group.
As his fingers grasped the card, another bright light burst forth, revealing the contents of his selection:
[+50 Experience Points.]
The card vanished in an instant, and Arlo's status screen promptly opened, displaying his current level and stats. He watched as the newly acquired experience points were added to his total, inching him closer to his next level.
[Arlo Axton.]
[Race: Human.]
[Core Rank: Awakened.]
[Level 3 (190/200)]
[HP: 100/100%]
[Energy: 100/100%]
[MP: 77/100%]
[Strength: 8]
[Agility: 10]
[Stamina: 5]
[Sense: 5]
[Mana: 0]
[Available Stat Points: 0]
Arlo stared at his status screen, a sigh escaping his lips. 'Fifty experience points... I almost leveled up,' he thought to himself, his gaze shifting to his magic power. 'Looks like I've recovered a lot, too. It's at 77% now.'
As he focused on the screen, the contents of the two remaining blue cards he hadn't selected revealed themselves:
[+3 Ability Points.]
[+3 Stat Points.]
‘If I didn’t select ability points.. good.’
The unchosen blue cards faded and disappeared from sight, and Arlo's attention turned to the group of four green cards ahead of him. Being his first time selecting a green card, he took a moment to contemplate his choice, finally settling on the card on the far left.
The instant his fingers touched the card, another brilliant surge of light illuminated the room. The remaining cards dissipated, and the chosen card unveiled its contents, releasing a powerful pulse of energy.
[+500 Grimoire Coins.]
"...Huh?" Arlo blurted out, staring at the card in disbelief.
Moments later, the card dissipated, and a screen unfurled before him:
[Shop.]
[This section is locked...]
[Grimoire Coins Available: 500.]
"...Seriously?" Arlo muttered, his voice tinged with frustration. "That was a C-Rank Labyrinth, and you're telling me this is the reward I get? What's the point of having coins if I can't even use the shop?"
Despite his complaint, the system remained silent, leaving Arlo with his head lowered dejectedly in the stillness of his room.
“Tsk…”
After clicking his tongue, he focused on the final batch of five cards to his right. These cards glowed and released waves of energy at an intensity unlike the others, and Arlo could feel that they held rewards far grander than the previous two batches.
"This one...?" he asked, extending his hand towards the card on the far right.
Just as he was about to grab it, Arlo hesitated, withdrawing his hand and glancing at the card beside it.
"Or maybe this one...?" he muttered, placing his hand beneath his chin as he fell into deep thought.
Arlo's decision grew more difficult with each passing moment. After what felt like an eternity of deliberation, he finally made up his mind.
"You can't go wrong if you go right..." he muttered, his voice echoing within the confines of his room as he grabbed the card on the far right without hesitation.
The moment his fingers touched the card, the other four vanished, but the selected card remained blank.
"...Did something go wrong?" Arlo questioned, inspecting the card with a furrowed brow. "It's not revealing anything... Did I break it—"
Ba-dump!
A powerful throb in his heart abruptly cut off Arlo's voice. A split second later, the grimoire began to tremor and glow, its light enveloping his arms.
"W-What's happening...?" Arlo asked, his eyes fixated on the grimoire.
The book continued to tremor and glow for a few seconds before the light suddenly disappeared, and the content of the card he held was finally revealed:
[+1 Evolution Essence.]
"Evolution... Essence...?" Arlo murmured, his expression puzzled.
As he stared at the card, a strange, glowing text began to write itself below the revealed content:
[An essence of evolution energy. It contains a concentrated amount of evolution energy which can be absorbed by those who consume it.]
Arlo's eyes widened as he read the description, realizing it was the first time he had received a card with an explanation. Seconds after reading it, the card changed shape, sparkling with electricity before transforming into a bright, golden substance.
In his palm, the essence had no weight and pulsed like a living entity, resembling a golden ring of light that radiated outward.
"Interesting..." Arlo blurted out, utterly captivated by the sight.
The longer he stared at the essence, the more it shimmered with its golden hue. Arlo could feel it calling to him, but at the same time, chills rushed down his spine as he gazed upon it.
[The Evolution Essence resonates with your core.]
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
[Would you like to consume the Evolution Essence?]
Arlo's eyes widened as the notification appeared on the screen before him, its message similar yet different from the one he had received when holding the Wyvern's Core.
"...I can absorb this, just like the Wyvern core..." Arlo muttered, his gaze fixed on the pulsating ring of light in his hand. "But... it's a gamble. If I succeed in absorbing it, I'll probably become considerably stronger. However, if I fail, there'll likely be severe consequences... What should I do?"
Arlo stared at the golden essence, his gaze turning hollow as he recalled his interaction with Sylvia.
"...Even if it’s dangerous, it’s a way I can get stronger. One of the reasons that she’s worried is because I’m weak… I need to get stronger." He took a deep breath, steeling his resolve. "System, consume it."
Following his command, the Evolution Essence glowed brightly, levitating into the air and infusing its energy into him.
Arlo felt a gentle warmth as the energy flowed through his body, a sensation as natural as if it were always meant to be a part of him. If he were to compare it to something, it would be the cozy feeling of relaxing by a fireplace on a stormy, cold night.
[You have consumed an Evolution Essence!]
Ba-Dump!
As the notification appeared, Arlo's heart began to pound faster, his body growing colder as the surge of energy coursed through every corner of his being. Unlike the foreign sensation he experienced with the flow of magic, the energy of the Evolution Essence felt familiar, like his own energy but more powerful and potent.
'The energy is overflowing... It's making my body go numb... I need to control it...'
Remaining seated, Arlo crossed his legs and exhaled deeply before slowly inhaling, repeating the process as he channeled the energy throughout his body and into his core.
As he focused on controlling the essence, he noticed something strange happening to his status:
[Arlo Axton.]
[Race: Human.]
[Core Rank: Awakened.]
[Level 3 (190/200)]
[HP: 100/100%]
[Energy: 100/100%]
[MP: 78/100%]
[Strength: 28] (+20)
[Agility: 30] (+20)
[Stamina: 25] (+20)
[Sense: 25] (+20)
[Mana: 0]
His stats had increased by an incredible amount, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
'Is this because I'm absorbing the essence? What's with those brackets? Are they stat boosts? If so, are they temporary-'
A red screen appeared before Arlo, interrupting his thoughts:
[Warning! You have entered the Energy Overdrive state.]
[Energy: 100% -> 101% -> 102% -> 103%]
The energy from the Evolution Essence rapidly increased Arlo's energy levels. Although it might not have seemed problematic at first glance, he quickly realized the severity of the situation as a growing, throbbing pain erupted from his chest.
'Shit, there’s too much energy to absorb…' he thought, gritting his teeth as the pain flared up, surging through his body.
A person's core was essentially a container for their energy. However, just like any container, it had limits. When filled beyond its capacity, the container would begin to crack before eventually shattering.
[You can sense the potent energy of the Evolution Essence coursing through you.]
Arlo was failing to contain and suppress the energy from the Evolution Essence within his body. As a result, his core was on the verge of cracking.
"It... hurts..." Arlo groaned, feeling as if he was being torn apart from the inside out.
His veins bulged beneath his skin, his eyes glowing faintly as he fought to control the rampaging energy, desperately channeling it out of his core and throughout his body.
He could feel it—his core had well surpassed its limits.
'Is this... is this really how I'm going to die?' Arlo thought, his consciousness beginning to drift. 'I can't accept it... I can't die like this... I won't...!'
As if responding to his desperate thoughts, the grimoire wrapped around his hands began to tremble, glowing with a bright intensity. Before he could witness what happened next, Arlo's vision grew blurry, and he lost consciousness, collapsing onto the floor of his room.
.
.
.
Arlo's eyes flew open, finding himself floating in a vast, endless void. At the center of this expanse was a large, white sphere, countless times his size. The sphere spun, drawing air into its orbit.
"Where... Where am I?" Arlo murmured, perplexed as he observed the mysterious sphere.
Upon closer inspection, Arlo realized that it wasn't just air being pulled in, but also a golden surge of energy. The source of this energy was directly behind him.
Slowly, Arlo turned to face the source, his eyes widening as he craned his neck upwards, attempting to discern the extent of it.
Before him was a large, swirling ring of light, its energy pulsing outwards and towards the core.
"It's the Evolution Essence... but the size—it's significantly larger here than outside. It could fit in my palm out there, yet here, it's far larger than my core."
Arlo cast another glance back at his core, which began to pulse, emanating golden waves of energy that gently nudged him each time they swept past.
Simultaneously, cracks started to spiderweb across his core, overwhelming him with pain.
"It's going to shatter. I have to stop it from absorbing any more energy somehow…"
Arlo frantically attempted to sever the connection between the Evolution Essence and his core, but to no avail. The core continued to draw in the essence as the fractures advanced.
Arlo's mind raced, desperately searching for a resolution to the predicament, but nothing came to mind.
"Something, there has to be something...!"
Just as he was on the brink of despair, it happened. Before his eyes, a large, closed grimoire materialized within his presence.
"The Grimoire..."
Unsure of what to do, Arlo stared at the book, reaching out his hand towards it, seeking its help and guidance. Before he could even utter his intention, the grimoire made its move. It opened, its blank pages glowing as they quickly flipped from one page to another before stopping at the center.
With its pages wide open, the energy from the Evolution Essence began to flow into the grimoire.
Arlo watched in awe as both his core and the grimoire began to absorb the Evolution Essence simultaneously.
The grimoire seemed to lift the burden from his core, connecting its own surge of energy to the sphere. The cracks that had formed began to reverse, as if the book were healing the core.
The unfolding events played out before Arlo's eyes, the Evolution Essence rapidly diminishing as his core and the grimoire continued to aggressively siphon off its energy.
However, before Arlo could witness the complete depletion of the essence, he too was pulled into his sphere, the force swallowing him entirely.
-
Gasp!
Arlo's eyes flew open, finding himself collapsed on his bedroom floor.
"Did I lose consciousness...?" he muttered, his mind still hazy from the experience.
The energy flow, which had previously been overwhelming and nearly unbearable, had now become manageable. Noticing this, Arlo quickly resumed the circulation of his energy to confine the rest of the energy within his core.
As he focused on his breathing, Arlo noticed something. Peering down, he could see the grimoire still glowing as he kept his arms around it. Just as he had witnessed in the void, the book seemed to be helping him manage the energy source.
In that moment, he realized that under no condition could he let it go. If he dropped the book, he believed that he could possibly lose his life.
"Thank you for helping me..." he whispered to the grimoire, clutching it tightly against his chest.
Together, they absorbed the remaining energy, and in no time at all, the Evolution Essence was entirely consumed.
[You have fully absorbed the potent energy of the Evolution Essence.]
Following the notification, a powerful surge of golden energy exploded from Arlo, radiating into the surroundings.
His muscles seemed more toned, his physique more muscular and healthier than before. Looking down at himself in disbelief, he marveled at the transformation.
His eyes then lifted to another notification that had appeared on a screen before him:
[+7 Strength.]
[+7 Agility.]
[+7 Stamina.]
[+7 Sense.]
"My stats have increased...?" he whispered before collapsing onto the floor, his body exhausted from the ordeal. "Looks like I did it..." he added, a sense of accomplishment washing over him.
After crumpling down, Arlo turned his head for comfort and gazed at his status screen, his eyes widening as he took in the changes that had occurred within him.
[Arlo Axton.]
[Race: Human.]
[Core Rank: Awakened.]
[Level 3 (190/200)]
[HP: 100/100%]
[Energy: 100/100%]
[MP: 78/100%]
[Strength: 15]
[Agility: 17]
[Stamina: 12]
[Sense: 12]
[Mana: 0]
"The stat boost I had is gone, but it looks like I gained some permanent increases..." he muttered before closing his eyes to rest, his body still recovering from the intense experience.
Minutes passed, and once he could finally move, Arlo pushed himself up from the floor and made his way over to the table. His gaze fell upon the Wyvern's Core.
"I got stronger from absorbing the essence, so I'll definitely get stronger from absorbing the monster core, but..." Arlo hesitated, his voice trailing off. "I'll hold off on it for now."
The near-death experience from absorbing the Evolution Essence had left Arlo shaken. It seemed that it would take some time for him to muster the courage to attempt absorbing another energy source.
Arlo took a deep breath, steeling his resolve and focusing on what truly mattered in the moment.
"I’ll absorb it later, for now I’ll just head over to the other world… I’ll need to find a way to get a ‘Mana Core’ so I can use magic without the grimoire.”
Stepping back from the table, Arlo began to chant, his words echoing through the room as a magic circle formed beneath his feet.
“Heed my call. Divine-Class Dimension Magic: World Transportation.”