A tent stood before the trio—simple, worn, yet carefully preserved over the years.
"What's the meaning of this, kid? We're not here to camp. Why'd you bring that useless thing?" Victor asked, raising an eyebrow. He'd assumed they'd be heading back within a few hours.
Rey gave a faint, almost melancholic smile. "When I was little, my father bought this tent for me. He thought we'd go out into the forest one day—camp, picnic, just the two of us. But it never happened… I guess it wasn't meant to be back then. Still… maybe it'll be useful now."
He fell into a short daze, memories flickering behind his eyes like ghostly fireflies.
Aiden glanced at him, sensing the weight behind those words. "Fine. Use it if you want. But don't get too comfortable—we start the moment the time is right."
Rey nodded and got to work, setting up the tent with quiet determination. He even took extra steps to conceal it from aerial beasts, just in case.
Once inside, with the camp prepped and time to spare, Rey sat cross-legged and began to experiment. He'd never had this much control before—not over this power.
The shadows stirred as he invoked his element. Oblivion Gloom—the dark, dreadful force that usually resisted him—remained dormant today. For once, it didn't fight back. It allowed him to channel the Darkness freely.
Taking advantage of this rare peace, Rey molded the shadows with concentration. Walls of darkness formed, then jagged spikes erupted from the ground. He summoned a large black hand, followed by several others, though controlling multiple limbs proved clumsy and unpredictable. Back at the center, he'd done better—maybe adrenaline had played a role then.
Still, he pressed on. He summoned his dagger—Silent Fang—and coated its blade in a sheath of pure darkness. After dozens of attempts, he managed to cover the entire blade. Only the handle remained exposed. A small win, but it was his.
Holding the weapon aloft, he grinned like a kid showing off a trophy—though there was no one there to witness it. He wiped away imaginary tears of joy.
Then, just to push the limit, he channeled mana into the blade.
A mistake.
The elemental energy reacted violently, the dagger trembling in his hand. Before it could explode, Rey swung the weapon outward in panic.
Boom!
A dark slash ripped forward, colliding with the mountainside just outside the tent. The resulting shockwave cracked like thunder.
The four spirit guardians appeared in an instant.
"What happened?! Was that an ambush?" Aiden shouted, hovering above with alert eyes.
"I didn't sense anyone," Victor added. "Not even beasts. The closest living thing is over 400 meters away. No one within that range should be capable of this kind of power."
Veylen folded his arms with a calm expression. "Relax. The kid just triggered a feedback loop from his own experiment. That explosion was his doing."
Even Zero had taken a battle stance, ready to pull Rey out. Her eyes softened slightly as she confirmed he was unharmed.
Rey blinked, still dazed, then sat up. "Yeah… sorry. I was testing out my ability—mixed mana with the element, and suddenly—boom. Then these system notifications popped up."
He waved his hand, pulling the translucent panels into view.
◇◆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◆◇
≪System Notification≫
– Host has discovered a new method of elemental infusion with [Darkness (EX+)]
– Sub-Ability [Darkness Manipulation] has evolved: +3 sub-realm levels
– Current Sub-Ability Rank: (D-)
– Manipulation range and control precision have significantly increased.
◇◆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◆◇
Rey stared in awe. The difference was immediate. When he summoned shadowy limbs now, he could control five at once—smoothly, with near-effortless focus. His manipulation speed and refinement had leapt to a new level entirely.
The spirits, satisfied he wasn't in danger, left him to his training once more.
He kept testing boundaries, even attempting to cover his body in an armor of darkness. It didn't work—yet. Either the control wasn't there, or the power requirement exceeded his current limits.
Eventually, he stepped outside the tent and approached Aiden, who was still scouting the area.
"Aiden… when do we start the core formation? It's almost dawn."
"Patience, kid," Aiden muttered, eyes scanning the sky. "The moment's close. If you're bored, go grill some meat or something. Try camping for real. Just don't distract me."
Rey shrugged and walked back to the campfire ring he'd set up with stones and dried wood. From his inventory, he pulled out the carcass of a flying beast.
He drained the blood using his shadows, then carved it clumsily with his dagger. Cooking wasn't his forte, but with some awkward guidance from Zero and Victor, he managed.
Then a problem hit him—he hadn't brought anything to start a fire.
Just as he was about to give up, Zero stepped forward. She knelt near the firepit, focused her energy, and pressed her palm into the air. For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then—spark.
A tiny flame flickered to life and grew steadily into a small fire.
"You can do that?" Rey asked, impressed.
"I can do more than that," Zero replied calmly. "Just a bit rusty with time. You'll learn it too—eventually. Manifesting flame from dark matter isn't easy. It takes control, not just power."
Rey tried to mimic her but failed. He understood. He wasn't there yet.
So, he cooked. The meat was overdone, maybe slightly burnt, but edible. Surprisingly filling too—more than regular food. He figured it was due to the rich mana in the area.
He was preparing a second portion when Aiden suddenly called out.
"Rey! It's time. Get over here—now!"
Without hesitation, Rey tossed the second beast back into his inventory, extinguished the fire, and ran up a slope where Aiden stood.
He reached a smooth surface, wide enough for meditation. Aiden motioned him down.
"Sit. Lotus position. Don't think—just focus."
Rey obeyed. The moment he closed his eyes, he sensed something massive stirring in the sky.
A crack.
A thin fracture split the heavens above the mountain like shattered glass. It widened, spreading like a spiderweb across the firmament.
His heart skipped. Was the sky… breaking?
But instead of collapsing, the shattered sky leaked.
From beyond the crack, an ocean of energy began to pour in—pure mana. The air thickened. The world trembled.
Mana surged like floodwater.
Rey, seated at the epicentre, felt every wave. Pressure closed in from all sides. His body instinctively reacted, absorbing what it could.
Above him, Aiden floated calmly. His translucent, small hands matched his body and rose above his head. He focused, channelling something Rey couldn't comprehend.
And then—it escalated.
The cracks in the sky quivered, and widened. Mana's pressure intensified.
Whatever was coming… it had only just begun.
As Aiden glanced at Rey, his expression tightened. Rey's condition was deteriorating—he was sitting directly beneath the mana downpour, his body trembling as the overwhelming energy exerted immense pressure on him.
"Tch. If this kid keeps sitting there like that, he's going to miss out on this rare opportunity. Guess I'll have to step in."
Aiden moved closer, his presence subtly shifting the flow of mana. The turbulent pressure surrounding Rey eased slightly.
"You trying to kill me?!" Rey snapped, coughing up blood as he gasped for air. "What the hell did you do?! You shattered the cracks even more—wasn't the current mana enough?!"
"Listen, Rey," Aiden's voice turned firm. "We don't have time. Mana is pouring out from the space crack right now, but once it stabilizes, the quality will drop. You need to start the circulation—just like I taught you!"
"H-Huh? But under this pressure… can I even—?"
"Don't think. Just do it! Or you'll damage your foundation and ruin your future."
Without waiting, Aiden entered Rey's body in spirit form, guiding the mana through his dormant veins, manually tracing the correct pathways.
At first, Rey struggled. The pressure was suffocating, but bit by bit, the external mana began to resonate with his internal flow. The synchronization process began slowly, but it built momentum. As the mana coursed through his body, paths opened—dormant veins lit up with dark light as energy flowed where it hadn't in years.
Clogged meridians and blocked nodes were forcibly cleared as the mana, like a raging river, washed through them.
Internally, things were progressing. But externally, Rey was in agony. Blood leaked from his pores. His skin tore and bled as if purging filth. Dark blood oozed and streamed down his body.
Yet he endured.
His teeth gritted, his vision blurred, but his resolve didn't falter. He had suffered worse before.
Even as blood gushed from his mouth, none of the spirits panicked. Aiden, Victor, and the third spirit watched silently.
They knew this wasn't death—it was cleansing.
His body was being purged. Impurities, toxins, and weaknesses were being expelled in the form of blood, which his shadow instantly devoured and absorbed.
Rey's shadow was feeding on the waste, refining it into something more.
Something darker. Stronger.
With every rotation of the mana cycle—over a hundred now—his foundation was strengthening. The shadow element within him was evolving alongside his ability.
Then Aiden gave a final command.
"Move all your mana—everything—toward the area near your heart. Focus it just beside it!"
Rey grunted, but complied. He directed the circulating mana to his chest, forcing it to condense at the designated spot. The pressure was overwhelming. His heart throbbed in pain, nearly giving out under the sheer density.
But Aiden intervened once more, reinforcing him.
Rey's unique ability—Eternal Darkness Body—amplified mana regeneration, sensitivity, and cultivation by a staggering 2000% in dark environments. That advantage now became a lifeline.
Under Aiden's guidance, the berserking mana around Rey's chest began to swirl and gather, forming a transparent orb. It shimmered faintly—unstable, but taking shape.
It was the beginning of a core.
Minute after minute, the raw mana entering Rey's body continued to compress and swirl into the core. Liquid mana thickened into denser fluid, and eventually began forming into a solid.
The core-building process was long and grueling—lasting three full hours without interruption.
Aiden had chosen this secluded location precisely for this moment. If anyone had interfered during core formation, Rey would've been irreparably harmed.
Now came the most critical stage.
Connecting Rey's mana circuit—linking the core to the body's mana pathways.
For a beginner, it was dangerous. For Aiden, it was second nature.
He quickly identified the most vital points—the start and end of Rey's mana flow—and prepared to seal the circuit.
Two connection points remained.
The endpoint linked flawlessly.
But when it came to the start point—something went wrong.
The core rejected the flow. The mana refused to connect. It bounced back, building pressure inside the nearly completed core.
Cracks began forming.
Aiden's eyes widened. "No…!"
If this continued, the fragile core would shatter.
Then—
"You're seriously about to destroy his body, aren't you?"
A calm yet scolding voice cut through the panic.
Victor emerged from the shadows.
"If you care so much, why didn't you take over earlier?" Aiden growled.
"You were already connected. I trusted you—until now," Victor said, lifting his hand as the mana pressure shifted instantly.
The violent, chaotic flow of mana became calm. Like a beast soothed by its master, it followed Victor's every motion.
With pinpoint control, Victor connected the start point to the core. The circuit was complete. The energy flow stabilized.
The moment they were about to seal everything—
Something changed.
A wisp of dark energy emerged from deep within Rey's soul.
It was pitch-black, radiating terrifying power.
Both spirits tensed.
"NO!" Aiden shouted. "It'll destroy the core!"
Victor's face was grim. "Stop it—now!"
They poured every ounce of their spiritual energy to halt it—but it was like trying to stop a divine force. Nothing worked.
The dark wisp floated forward, unbothered, unchallenged, and entered the core.
Silence.
They waited for it to explode.
But nothing happened.
Instead… the core began to change.
The once transparent-blue core turned ashen-gray, infused with shadowy darkness. The dark wisp wasn't destroying it—it was refining it.
Perfecting it.
Aiden and Victor stared in awe.
This wasn't destruction.
It was destiny.
The last two circuit links sealed themselves without external aid. The system, seemingly aware of what had occurred, activated as a holographic panel appeared before the barely conscious Rey.
All three spirits looked toward it.
The message was clear.
≪...≫
To Be Continued...
What just awakened inside Rey? What does this new Core mean for his future?
Add this story to your library and get ready—because things are about to escalate. And here... the excitement never ends.