Chapter 32: *Brown particles*
Axel added, guiding him toward the ore in question, which was still trapped in the rock and had a bright red color. "Kev, this is truly unexpected; it’s worth a hell of a lot of money. Fortunately, thanks to the Sun Sect, I learned how to extract it without damaging it, and I have everything I need to do it, but it will take a good hour, I think."
Kevin then said, suddenly thinking of something, "It’s okay, don’t worry; you can take all the time you need to extract it. Axel, do you mind if I meditate while you are extracting the Nerudium? I want to see if I can absorb particles from the earth element. After all, the golems haven’t stopped using this element; it’s worth a try."
Axel looked at him, puzzled, and asked, "If you absorb particles from the earth element, does that mean you can use this element as well?"
Kevin nodded and replied, "I just have to manage to absorb 200 of them, and then I could absorb them anywhere and use this element like the ones I already have."
Axel couldn’t believe it; he had never heard of a mage that could use more than three elements. Kevin was already one of the exceptions. But if he could master any other element, it would mean he could surpass the best mages of the capital.
Axel then said to him without hesitation, "Sure, do as you wish, Kev. I’ll take care of extracting the ore, and if any monsters come to pay us a visit, I’ll watch over you. Rest assured, I will protect you from all danger."
Kevin snuggled up in Axel’s arms one last time, and after kissing him, he said, "I know you will."
Axel caressed Kevin’s face before letting him go and watched as he walked a bit away and sat cross-legged where he had fought the golems. Axel didn’t know much about mages; he mostly talked to Alan about their day-to-day lives and what they wanted to do later.
But when Alan saw that Kevin had fallen asleep in the giant bird, he explained that meditation required a lot of concentration, which was why it could be very dangerous at the beginning—because the mind wasn’t trained to withstand this kind of pressure.
Axel was surprised to see that in just a few breaths, Kevin had managed to calm and slow down his heartbeat. Yes, thanks to his developed senses, he could even hear Kevin’s heartbeat.
He didn’t know if Kevin had already started meditating, but he chose to concentrate on the ore and began to extract it very slowly, little by little, because what he saw might be only the visible part of it. If they were lucky, maybe more ore would be hidden in the rock.
While still wondering if they should keep the Nerudium for themselves and craft weapons with it or just sell it, the first Nerudium block detached itself from the wall. What he saw behind it made his smile widen, and he thought, ’No need to worry anymore; problem solved.’
Behind the first Nerudium block was even more of it, which looked even better as it was darker. The bright red had turned to blood red, the most sought-after color, and it looked like there was still a lot of it in the rock.
While Axel gloatly extracted the precious ore, Kevin congratulated himself on having this idea. When he started to meditate, he first saw a few silver particles and about the same number of blue particles. He found that a little strange, but after thinking about it, he considered that there might be a source of water in the mountain because during his last meditations, he had normally seen three times more silver particles than blue particles.
Once he had absorbed the first particles, he decided to wait a bit and try to concentrate more. What he was looking for, after all, were particles of the earth element. He focused more on the areas where the fight had taken place, and suddenly, they appeared: brown particles. The more he concentrated, the more they came.
He began to absorb them, and immediately afterward, more appeared. As he absorbed them, a sense of serenity took hold of him. When mages absorbed particles of the elements, it was as if they created a bond with them. The lightning particles tickled him and gave him energy, the water particles felt cold and refreshing, the wind particles gave him a sensation of lightness, and now the earth particles provided him with a feeling of tranquility.
After an hour of meditation, the usual message appeared, and he was not surprised by the result, as he had really focused only on the particles of the earth element.
[ Congratulations, you have just completed the Daily Quest: Strengthen your Soul Force. The reward has been sent. ]
[ Summary of your meditation ]
Lightning element level 5: 5,015 / 20,000
Water element level 3: 1,221 / 5,000
Wind element level 1: 332 / 1,000
Earth element level 1: 12 / 1,000
Fire element level 0: 0 / 200
He quickly left his meditative state when he saw that he had achieved his goal, and his only desire was to share this good news with Axel. However, this time he forgot that meditation required a lot of concentration and therefore used a lot of energy. When he hurried to rejoin Axel, he suddenly felt dizzy.
Fortunately, Axel, who always kept an eye on Kevin, had noticed his behavior and rushed to support him. He asked worriedly, "Kev... Babe... Are you all right?"
Kevin had black spots in front of his eyes, and his ears were ringing, but he heard Axel call him, "Did you just call me babe?"
Axel blushed and replied, "Well, I felt like calling you that, but if you don’t like it, it’s okay too; I’ll just call you by your name."
Kevin chuckled and said, "No, I like it... Damn it, Axel, hold me tight! I feel really dizzy, my legs are shaking, my ears are ringing, and I can’t see anything at all. I feel really bad."
A moan of pain escaped him as a headache that felt like a jackhammer began to pound in his head. Axel immediately took him in his arms and could see that Kevin was in great pain; a thin layer of perspiration was already starting to appear on his forehead.
