Chapter 60: Forming Core
Vlad grabbed the gym bag and instantly placed it inverted over the mystery box, covering it beneath the canvas. The fabric sagged over the metallic surface, hiding it from view.
"Ren, you aren’t kidding with me, right?" he murmured, sweat trickling down his temple. The cool forest air did nothing to ease the heat rising in his chest.
[The system does not have such a feature.]
Vlad took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, although it barely helped him. He needed to calmly process the situation.
"Is there a catch behind this? I certainly didn’t do anything extraordinary to receive such a reward," he asked, his voice breaking in between. The words came out shakier than he intended.
[The Legacy System will ask for only one thing once the Host reaches their goal. Until then, the System requires nothing from the Host.]
"The same answer as before," Vlad sighed before asking the next question, taking a gulp. His throat felt dry, tight. "What will happen if I press the consume button?"
[The Devouring Thunder will be consumed by the Host’s body, forming into a core.]
"Do I not need the technique to form a core?" Vlad asked the obvious question. Forming a core was not as simple as it sounded. The energy released from the mana stone must be carefully guided and suppressed into the lower abdomen, or it might wreak havoc inside the body, tearing through flesh and bone.
[Swallow the Devouring Thunder and press the consume button. The System will handle the formation of the core.]
He did not contemplate any further. He was already feeling anxious keeping such a precious item out in the open, an object whose mere appearance could cause war between nations.
He lifted the gym bag from the mystery box, his hand slowly moving towards the stone embedded in the platform. The air around it seemed to thicken with every inch his fingers advanced.
Just as his index finger and thumb reached the darkness surrounding the stone, the flickers of lightning around it began attacking his skin. The darkness turned his fingers black while the electric bolts scorched his flesh. Tiny arcs of crimson energy danced across his knuckles.
His brows furrowed from the pain, yet he pressed further, grabbing the upper and lower ends of the stone.
Click!
He pulled the stone free. The darkness was quickly spreading from his index finger and thumb, reaching the bandages on his palm. The white cloth darkened as the shadow crept upward.
Before it could burn through them, he moved the stone closer to his face, opened his mouth wide, and threw the stone inside.
It went directly down his throat without touching the skin. As it moved through his esophagus, he felt his insides being scorched, a searing heat trailing the stone’s path.
He immediately moved his hand towards the system screen and pressed the [Consume] button.
The burning sensation slowly vanished. The air around him turned still and heavy. He could see the stone inside his chest glowing through his shirt as it moved downward, a faint radiance pulsing beneath the fabric.
While descending, the stone grew smaller, as if dissolving into his insides, breaking apart like a sugar cube in warm water. The glow vanished completely when it reached his stomach.
"Is this it—" His words stopped mid-sentence as a sudden darkness erupted from his body, rippling outward to the surroundings like shockwaves from an explosion. The grass around him withered away, turning yellow then brown before crumbling to dust. The bushes dried and died off, their brittle branches snapping under invisible pressure. The leaves of the tree in whose shade he sat fell to the ground and crumbled to ash before they even landed. It was as if the darkness released by his body was consuming the vitality of everything it touched, draining life from the very earth.
He felt as if his organs were crunching, his flesh tearing apart, his bones shattering and being devoured by this darkness. Every fibre of his body screamed in pain, a symphony of agony that threatened to swallow his consciousness. To keep himself from screaming, he tore off a piece of the tree’s root and clenched it between his teeth, his face contorting in agony. The wood splintered under his jaw.
Then crimson lightning erupted outward, striking everything around him mindlessly, scorching the ground and tearing the wood from the tree behind him. The bolts left smoking craters in the soil.
His sclera turned black, darker than the night sky, while his crimson eyes began glowing like a pair of red gemstones, countless patterns running wild within them like fractals in constant motion.
"Aghhhhh!!!!!" He groaned, his teeth digging into the wood, his fingers gripping the ground beneath him, nails tearing into the earth.
Thundering lightning erupted, stirring the animals deep inside the forest alike. The leaves rustled violently as birds fled from the branches, their alarmed cries filling the air. The entire area turned into an abyssal cloud of crimson lightning.
Vlad’s eyes forcefully rolled back. The vision before him turned blurry, and every noise grew distant, muffled as if heard through water.
Before he knew it, everything fell silent, utterly silent.
"Wh-where am I?" Vlad murmured, standing in an open space with darkness spreading in every direction as far as his eyes could see. There was no horizon, no floor beneath his feet, yet he stood as if on solid ground.
SO THIS CHILD IS HIS SUCCESSOR.
A deep voice resonated, its language human but the voice seemed far from it. Vlad instinctively took a step back from how terrifying the voice seemed. The sound alone made his bones tremble.
HE SEEMS RATHER TIMID FOR HIS SUCCESSOR. IS HE REALLY THE ONE?
Another voice echoed, this one of a female, nevertheless equally intimidating, carrying a sharpness that could cut through steel.
Vlad’s eyes narrowed towards the source of the voice at his front. His heart hammered against his ribs.
"Who are you?" Vlad asked, trying to keep his voice firm.
YOU CAN HEAR US? THEN YOU MUST BE THE ONE.
The male voice rumbled, a slight amusement hidden beneath it.
OH! THE YEARS I WAITED FOR THIS MOMENT.
The female voice added, as if relieved after an eternity of patience.
