Lloyd watched, a complex mix of emotions swirling within him. Awe, certainly. Even in his first life, he'd known she was talented, far more than him. Seeing it now, with the perspective of age and a rudimentary understanding of the underlying mechanics gleaned from the System's cryptic hints and Earthly scientific parallels, her skill was even more apparent.
He felt the familiar, bitter tang of inadequacy, the echo of nineteen-year-old Lloyd's frustration. He remembered Master Elmsworth's patient, yet ultimately fruitless, attempts to guide his own cultivation. While other students felt the flow, the pull of energy, Lloyd mostly felt… itchy. Like his awareness was scraping against a rough, unyielding surface. He could sense the energy, vaguely, like static electricity on a dry day, but drawing it in? That was another matter entirely. It was like trying to fill a swimming pool with a teaspoon, while Rosa wielded a firehose.
His internal estimate hadn't been far off. If she absorbed nine units of energy in a given time, he was lucky to scrape together one. Maybe one and a half on a good day, with a following wind and favourable astrological alignments.
It all comes down to the Spirit Core, Lloyd mused again, his gaze fixed on the subtle intensity radiating from Rosa. His inner eighty-year-old scientist and engineer took over for a moment, analyzing. That little metaphysical engine, nestled somewhere near the soul, they say. Everyone's born with at least one. It's the gateway, the processor. It draws in the raw, untamed energy flowing through nature – the air, the earth, the light – and converts it into usable Spirit Power, unique to the individual.
But the number of cores… that's where the real lottery happens. Most people? Just the one. Like me. He felt a phantom frustration, a memory of straining, concentrating until his head pounded, only to feel the barest trickle entering his core. My single core feels… sluggish. Inefficient. Like a clogged filter.
Then you have the blessed ones. The heaven-favoured few. Two cores are rare, a sign of significant potential. But three? His gaze drifted back to Rosa, still lost in her meditative state. Three cores, like Rosa has. That's exponentially better. Three engines working in parallel, drawing in energy at triple the rate, or perhaps even more synergistically. It explains her speed, her effortless absorption.
He pictured the stages of power again, visualising them like levels in the game the System resembled. Manifestation: gather enough processed energy, get yourself a Spirit Stone – usually jammed into a sword hilt because those Anti-Spirit Stone sheaths are damn convenient – and poof! You can summon your spirit companion. Like Fang, my little chicken-loving wolf.
Ascension: Keep gathering, keep refining. Get strong enough, talented enough, maybe bribe your Spirit with enough treats, and you can start actually using its innate abilities directly. Fire breath, shadow steps, whatever its specialty is. Still need the rock, though. Power boost is significant, maybe tenfold what Manifestation offers. Most dedicated Spirit users reach this.
And then… Transcend. He let out an involuntary breath, the word itself feeling heavy with significance. The final stage. Forge such a bond with your Spirit, understand it so deeply, that you can merge. Become one entity. No more Spirit Stone needed. You are the power. They say it's another tenfold leap, maybe more. But less than five percent of users ever manage it. It requires talent, dedication, and a connection most people can only dream of.
He looked at Rosa, the sunlight haloing her focused form. With three cores humming efficiently, she wasn't just on the fast track; she was practically driving a magical bullet train towards Manifestation and likely beyond. While he… well, he was still trying to figure out how to hotwire his own sputtering engine, armed only with poultry and a mysterious digital shopping list.
But, a new thought intruded, sharp and hopeful, sparked by the memory of the System interface, maybe the base specs don't matter as much now. The System lets me buy Spirits. Plural. Maybe even more Cores, though that wasn't explicitly listed. It lets me upgrade them. Maybe my single, crappy core can be… overclocked? Modified? Maybe Fang, despite his scrawny start, can become something formidable with enough System Coins invested. The possibilities, vague but intoxicating, bloomed in his mind.
His contemplation was shattered as Rosa's eyes snapped open. The serene, focused energy around her vanished as if switched off. The air grew still, heavy. Her dark eyes, cold and sharp as obsidian shards, fixed directly on him, standing just inside the doorway. The transition was jarring, from tranquil cultivator to wary sentinel in the blink of an eye.
She tilted her head, a minute, precise movement, like a predator assessing potential prey. Or perhaps just an annoying insect that had wandered into its territory. Her gaze swept over him, taking in his presence, his posture, the very fact that he was there, apparently uninvited and unwelcome.