I shivered upon seeing it, me, the great Lazhar King- It was gigantic, hideous… soulless. The ground shook with each step it took, and the sound of its hisses struck fear into my men. It had only two giant legs, and a body made of stone and flesh… that did mean it could bleed…

----------------------------------------

He awoke with a yawn, having slept peacefully for once in a long while. His blurry vision quickly focused, and he gazed outside, thinking about that bastard’s poor dog. I bet he was forced to sit in the rain all this while. Then again, these guys should have their own way of dealing with it.

Standing up, he placed a pan over the fire crystals, something his grandpa gave him when he left, though he barely used it. Placing a bit of oil and letting it heat up, he prepared a few pieces of meat on a polished plank. Kai pulled out the silver sword and cut the meat into small pieces as he chuckled to himself. Well, using a blacksmith’s magnum opus to cut up meat is mean… but ironically funny.

With that said, he turned his attention over to the pan. With a soft smile, he took the food and gently placed it over the hot oil. The sound of sizzling meat inundated his ears, and its alluring smell quickly made its way into his nostrils. Kai almost salivated, however he shook his head and quickly pulled out a small bag, sprinkling some salt onto the cooking meat.

Hehe, looks like I can still cook… damn you Onyx, making me doubt my skills! He thought with a smug smirk. After ten or so minutes, he took out the meat and let it cool down on a plate as he stored the pan back into his ring.

Taking a look outside, he noticed the rain had stopped, and the air was now filled with a fresh, humid scent. He walked back into his cave and sat down, plate in hand, then snacked on the food he prepared. However, the moment he tasted the first piece, his expression changed from delight to horror. Fuck- So bland… Well, I only put salt on it, but still…

Eventually, he finished it, despite its less than delectable taste, and leaned back with a sigh as he stored the plate back into his ring. Well, that was a nice breakfast… Now on to important matters.

Kai crossed his legs, his eyes shutting gently as a deep breath coursed through his body. His heart rate slowed down, and he took a moment to collect himself before sending mana inside his body and inspecting the mana veins. They were wider than before, and looked sturdier. The intangible, immaterial mana flowed through them like a river’s water, cycling through all five extremities and storing up any excess in his core.

So far things are looking good… yet I haven’t advanced at all these past few months… I guess I’ve been slacking too much in between quests and helping Barhm out. However, if I can’t prove to Raymond I’m normal… I have to prove my value, at least as an asset. For the moment.

With that thought in mind, he pulled out a handful of pills, the last few Aina gave him. Their shiny surface emanated a cold air. A shiver ran down Kai’s spine as his mouth arched open, and the pills melted into his mouth as soon as they touched his tongue. Almost instantly, a wild surge of mana rushed through his mana veins, making its way into his core and gradually filling it up. Holding back a pained groan, he focused on guiding the mana, moving it around his body and letting his core absorb as much as it could all at once.

However, he wanted to let out a sigh as the absorption rate disappointed him. This double core is both a blessing and a curse, at this rate it will take me… too long to advance to the next rank. However, I think that increasing its size should be doable… within the week.

A cold drop of sweat trickled down his forehead as he turned all his focus towards not letting the mana escape his veins, as getting rid of severe mana poisoning wasn’t something he wanted to deal with. Not without Aina’s help, at least. Regardless, he felt the mana within his core increase, even if by little. His body shook, and his actual veins popped out from the pressure the mana put on his body. However, he grit through the pain and concentrated all his efforts into breaking through.

I must… do it. I need to leave soon, and my current rank won’t do. Both Barhm and Raymond can toy with me however they want, and I’d be powerless to defend myself, let alone stop them.

The minutes passed, and the feeling he had when facing the two monsters kept pushing him forward. Raymond’s vicious tone rang in his head like a church’s bell. A shiver ran down his spine. The mana coursing through his veins fought against his will, as the rate of absorption was simply too slow. His body burned red, and a vein almost popped on his forehead as he recalled the pressure he felt from Bharm.

God damn it!

His lips parted as a pained groan escaped body, and cold sweat drenched his back. The scream resounded through the cave, bouncing against the walls before eventually escaping outside. Kai’s back arched forwards, and his nails dug into his palm, creating a small river of blood which stained the floor.

Work together with me, damn it. He thought as the mana flowing through his body began seeping through his veins, entering his flesh and poisoning his blood.

“Ack-” He groaned and pulled his head back, enduring the pain and trying to keep control of the wild mana. The core within him was small, as he compressed it to an extreme level with the aid of his star. His Mixed Mana Core would need at least twice the amount of mana required to advance to the next stage. Luckily, it had already been filled around halfway through, and now, it only required twenty percent more mana.

The last twenty percent of the work required eighty percent of the effort… huh. He wanted to sigh, however Kai could barely focus on his own thoughts, and maintained a stable flow. Why do I always do this to myself? Truly, he wanted to cry, however any sort of regret could be saved for after he advanced.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

Taking a deep breath, he called upon his star, which slowly revolved around his Mixed Mana Core, and made it store the overflowing mana. Although doing it this way was almost the same as letting it flow around his body. It’s just a band-aid solution… at least it’s concentrated somewhere. He thought while chanting the technique he made up, and with each breath he felt its efficiency decrease. However, he had to push through.

After another two hours, the whispering sounds stopped, and Kai fell to the ground in a pool of sweat and blood. A dumb smile creased his lips, accompanied by a fatigued chuckle and a faint mumble. “So much for a measly Rank One Medium Core… hah-”

…

The night passed as Kai laid unconscious on the cave’s floor, the light heaving of his chest being the only sign of life he showed. Advancing in ranks like he did is dangerous, however not unheard of. He can’t afford to passively wait for his mana core to fill and refill because of his slow absorption rate. Any other technique besides risking his life simply wouldn’t work, at least of the techniques he knew.

Until now, he had relied on the mana pills Aina gave him, however…

Kai woke up with a series of groans, his bones snapping and crackling as he straightened his back. Lazily wiping his eyes, he stretched and yawned as his gaze fell on an empty bag sat next to him. That’s the end of that huh… He sighed as he picked up the pouch where the rest of his mana pills once stood. Oh well…

Jumping to his feet, he stretched his entire body then took a quick look at his core. “Rank One Medium Mixed Mana Core… that’s a mouthful- However…” His hands clenched into a fist, and a soft thunderous boom resounded from his knuckles. “Such a small increase in rank yet I feel myself to be this powerful… I need to test my strength!” Pulling out his wand, it let out a light chirp. However, a burning wave of pain washed over him, and he quickly retreated back into the cave. “Right, it’s daytime…”

Sighing with reluctance, he hid back into the cave and made sure to raise a safety wall, just in case, then sat down. What am I supposed to do… I’m stuck in here now… He lamented about his situation, however sitting around and crying won’t do anyone any good. With the flick of his wrist, and a soft glow, a couple dozen books appeared neatly on the floor. Most of them were books he already read, such as magic spells and the history of the continent - as told from a ‘vampire’s’ perspective, which was quite lacking. “I guess they really don’t want us to know the truth… “

Besides those, Aina’s herbal, cooking, first-aid, magic and general life skills books were also mixed in, along with some old and ragged books Kai had lying around. Out of all of them, one stood out to him - The old, ripped and burnt book which he recently found out it doubled as a diary. Its invisible words, readable only by infusing one’s eyes with mana, were written in an old, almost lost language. A language used before the humans forced their own onto all the other species, and one which Kai didn’t learn. However, I can understand some words, or at least I think I do… I hope not. He shivered upon thinking about the few phrases he deciphered. I rather it not be…

Regardless, he picked up a book and leaned against the wall, waiting for night to break out, and chuckled at the thought of his watchdog looking at a hill for days on end.

…

“Yaawmn~” Kai stretched and let out a relieved sigh as he got up after placing the books within his ring. Gathering the magic crystals, he flicked his sleeve. A wide smile ran across his lips, and, pulling his wand out, accompanied by two red crystals, two white ones and two dark ones - The crystals made specifically to fit into his wand - He put the fox mask back on his face and walked out of the cave.

The refreshing, cold air greeted him as soon as he showed himself, and he took a deep breath, then released it as his lips parted.

“HEY, RAYMOND’S DOG, COME OUT HERE!” His scream resonated through the forest, waking up the birds sleeping peacefully within their nests. However, little to his surprise, there was no answer from the figure he supposed was following him.

“HE ALREADY TOLD ME SOMEONE WILL BE TRAILING ME, DON’T MAKE ME FIND YOU!” He yelled once again, unafraid of the beasts he would be waking up. He sat down cross legged and waited. Closing his eyes, and releasing scarce amounts of mana, he formed a mental image of his surroundings. Just like in those cultivation novels, right? He chuckled to himself and placed a dot on every single large object his mana happened to collide with, and a triangle with everything he thought was a living being.

Ants… birds… mammals… no human-shape though. He sighed, of course it wouldn’t be that easy… His eyes flew open, however, as a set of footsteps slowly approached his location from the shadows. With a soft smile, he scanned the figure that has been tailing him for a couple of days, which, much to his surprise, actually appeared before him.

He was a man with a head full of white hair, tied neatly in a ponytail, with a clean shaven face, which in turn was covered in wrinkles. His square jawline stood out, as a small hole seemed to puncture his lower jaw. A glance filled with boredom, yet determination was pointed at Kai, however the man’s deadpan expression didn’t give away any thought he had. In terms of clothing, he was simple, even simpler than Kai - A dark blue shirt and a pair of dark pants, tied together at the waist by a make-shift belt. His shoes seemed old and tattered, however upon taking a closer look, their condition, or rather, functionality seemed to hide something Kai could not discern.

A thin, long scabbard rested on his back, and he stopped a few meters in front of Kai with a soft sigh. “What do you want, child? You know there’s no need to hide your appearance.”

Kai took a figurative step back, and looked at the man with slight shock. However, he smirked and took off his mask, placing it inside his storage ring before standing up. “I can’t believe he told you.”

“I’m his most trusted man.” The old man replied, taking a quick look at Kai’s appearance. “You look familiar.”

“Familiar? How so?” Kai asked, his heart now racing.

“The shape of your face, your eyebrows… your facial features. You can change your appearance with magic, however modifying the skeletal structure is much more difficult.”

“Oh?” Kai mumbled, surprised by the old man’s words. “Is that so…”

He nodded softly and approached Kai, his expression neutral. “I think I met them… Violet Night and Evergreen… a long time ago.”

Kai’s pupils constricted upon hearing those names, and he jumped to his feet. His lips curled down, and his brows furrowed as he glared at the man.

“Calm down kiddo.” The man said as an imposing aura emanated out of him. “Before I make you regret calling me a dog.”

The boy fell to his knees almost instantly, and he barely managed to raise his head, looking at the man with a softer expression. “Ask anyone that’s over 250 years of age and they’d have met your parents, too. No need to overreact.”

Two hundred and fifty years?? Where would I find such old monsters?!

“I- I- apollo- apologize…” Kai’s lips parted with difficulty, his teeth clattering and entire body shaking as he mustered up the strength to speak through the extreme pressure descending upon him. God damn it, why is everyone so much stronger than I? He cried internally as he tried to move, however he couldn’t do more than an inch before his entire body almost gave out.

“Hmph-” The man scoffed and scattered his aura, however he didn’t release the pressure on Kai, and stared him down with a glare. “Now tell me, what kind of idiot are you?