They ran around the forest that day, chasing after Wisp’s nose. One after another, the bloated monsters fell under Ike and Loup’s prowess, while Wisp ate the evidence, sans the rings. Ike collected the rings over one shoulder. Two, three, four, more and more rings piled up. Most of them had the same-colored crystals as the first ring he’d found, but some had red, purple, or green crystal.

As they killed monsters, the force Ike didn’t recognize built up inside him. The pillars, too, the ones that he’d seen in his mind’s eye, continued to grow. One of them reached its full height and stopped, while the others slowly gained height. He watched the process curiously, not sure what to do about it. It seemed like a good thing, but how could he know for sure?

He’d asked Wisp about it, but she didn’t know enough about low-level human cores to be able to answer. Apparently, early beast core cultivation and early human core cultivation were very different. Patting the rings, he glanced back at Abyssal, and Ket. When I ask him about the rings, I can ask him about the pillars, too.

As the sun drew toward the horizon, he made his excuses to Wisp and made it back to the puppets. Today, he was careful about tapping the puppet, and chose one near the tree he’d defeated last time. He tapped the puppet a little higher to only use the amount of black gunk he needed.

And yet, as he absorbed the black mana smoke, he found himself taking longer to fill up. The last of the smoke faded away, and he tapped his core, frowning slightly. Yesterday, my core was full from less mana than this. Today, it isn’t quite full. As those pillars grow, my core is growing, too. When they finish growing… then, it’s time to push into the second Rank, isn’t it.

He took a deep breath. Wiping his brow, he pushed up and jumped his way out of the valley, back to Loup’s side. First, let’s find out about these rings, and ask Ket about this pillar thing. And let’s not forget about the deal with Wisp and whitefeather grass. Once I’m done with all that, I can wonder about how to Rank up. It’s way too early… isn’t it?

Ike ran over everything he’d accomplished mentally. From the Salamander, to the owl, to fighting Rosamund, to the giant chicken, to the kills in the Abyss and the puppets. I’ve actually accomplished quite a bit. And with the puppets to apply supplemental mana and the Unique skill to boost my power, I might be approaching Rank 2.

I definitely have to ask Ket about this.

It wasn’t quite as late when he returned to town this time. He skirted the main square and made a beeline for Ket’s house, no interest in dealing with the monster parts dealer’s friends, if they even existed. The smell of something herbal wafted down the hallway as he entered. Out in the back courtyard, bright light flashed against the fading twilight as Tana practiced. Ike headed toward the kitchen. “Ket, did you—”

“Have you seen my seven-year four-leaf herb?” Ket asked, leaning out of the kitchen.

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Ike froze. He’d completely forgotten about the girl in purple and her offer of an herb. His fight with the monsters today had totally wiped that tiny detail out of his memory. Only when Ike had asked about it had it popped back into his mind. Lie? Admit the truth? Fuck—it’s too late. I’ve already frozen. He knows. He scratched the back of his head and laughed. “Uh, about that…”

“Yes…?” Ket asked. His eyes glittered dangerously.

Ike looked at the ground, embarrassed. “This is going to sound insane, but it’s all real. When I went down into the kitchen, I ran into this pretty girl in black and purple. She was chewing on an herb. I thought she was your girlfriend or something, so when she offered me part of it, I said yes. It was only the stalk, though, so I guess she already ate the leaves?”

“A girl in black and purple?” Ket asked disbelievingly.

“Yeah…” Ike grimaced. Even I know how ridiculous it sounds! “Yeah, she was, um, wearing a really tight outfit, with this loose purple cloth at the hips—”

“Was she,” Ket deadpanned.

Sweat dripped down Ike’s back. He looked up at Ket. “She really was, I swear it—”

Ket grinned at him. He broke out into laughter.

Ike pursed his lips. He pointed at Ket. “You know her. You do! I was sweating for nothing!”

“Know her is a strong word. Violet is…something of a known entity in the Abyss. No one knows where she came from, or how long she’s going to hang around. She’s a pest who can break into anything. She mostly eats herbs.”

Ike frowned at Ket. “Why?”

Ket shrugged. “We suspect it’s to supplement the mana in her core. But honestly? Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Wait—if she came down here willfully, then…can’t she leave? Probably?” Ike asked.

Again, Ket shrugged. “Who’s to say she came down here willfully? She’s clearly an experienced thief. Maybe someone caught her and threw her down here. Maybe someone chased her to the brink, and she jumped in.”

“Who would do that?” Ike muttered under his breath.

“But who’s to say? Maybe she can freely escape. She’s been able to freely enter everyone’s houses, after all. She’s a pest, but I won’t blame you for her crimes. The next time you see her, though, call for me instead of chatting with her.”

“Yes, of course,” Ike said, nodding obediently.

Ket frowned. He squinted at Ike’s shoulder, then moved closer.

Ike glanced down, then nodded. “Oh! Right. Wisp and I hunted some of these today. Here. Can you make anything of, er, this many?” He set the rings down on the table. The stack slipped a little, and over a dozen rings splayed out across the surface.

“You and Wisp, huh? I’m not as frightened of her as Tana is, but Wisp is incredibly dangerous. I’m surprised you’ve come away unharmed from day two,” Ket commented. He splayed the rings out, tilting his head back and forth to get a better look at their crystals. He snapped his fingers, summoning a small light to see the rings better.

“She’s pretty friendly with me. I hunt the things, she eats them. Ah… though…” Ike paused.

“What?” Ket asked, looking up sharply.

“She, um. Said she was my hunting dog, and then said ‘woof woof,’ and I just…I still don’t know how I was supposed to reply to that,” Ike admitted, embarrassed.

Ket laughed out loud. “You and Wisp are good friends, huh?”

Ike scratched the back of his neck. He grinned. “Yeah…I guess.”

Ket put a hand on the rings. Mana pulsed through the ring, and the crystals lit for a moment. He jumped back, startled. “Ike, where did you find these?”

“They were in bloated, huge monsters, just scattered around the Abyss,” Ike said, concerned. “What are they? Is it something bad?”

Ket grimaced. He shook his head. “It’s not something good, anyways.”