Ryn leaned back against the cold stone wall, his breathing slowly returning to a steady rhythm.
He glanced down at the [ Rune: Kinetic Ward ] attached to his tunic. The golden light had dimmed to a dull gray.
[ Item Cooldown: 23 Hours, 59 Minutes ]
'At least it served its purpose,' Ryn thought calmly.
He looked at the small, badger-sized corpse of the Magnetic Terror Mole lying amidst the rubble. Despite its diminutive size, the pressure it released was heavy.
Wooooom.
A deep, resonating hum filled the cavern.
Clusters of Silver and Electric Blue particles drifted from the beast's chest. They crackled with static electricity, condensing into a dense, fist-sized orb that resembled molten mercury.
It then floated toward Ryn and sank into his chest.
Thump.
Ryn experienced that feeling of his pathways being expanded and his body being reinforced again.
Ding!
──────?????──────
[ You have absorbed the Essence of the Magnetic Terror Mole. ]
[ Essence Quality: Rare (High Density) ]
[ Level Up! (5 -> 12) ]
──────?????──────
Suddenly, Ryn felt a sudden snap deep within his soul, as if a rusted lock had finally broken.
The invisible restriction that had capped his power output dissolved.
His Origin Core vibrated violently. It expanded in the center of his chest, growing from a small marble into a dense, pulsating sphere. The misty, gaseous Arcanum inside him compressed, transforming into a pure, liquid state.
The refinement didn't stop at the Core.
His spirit expanded, his senses sharpening until he could feel the texture of the air itself. His muscles and bones grew denser, shedding the last of their mortal weakness to accommodate the higher energy output.
He was no longer just a human; he was a proper vessel for the Origin.
Ding!
──────?????──────
[ System Alert: Level 10 Threshold Surpassed. ]
[ Awakening Process Initiated... ]
[ Your Body, Spirit, and Core have been refined. ]
[ Scanning Veins... ]
[ Anomaly Detected. User already possesses 'Origin Vein'. ]
[ Standard Awakening canceled. ]
──────?????──────
[ Calculating Compensation... ]
[ Compensation Granted: Unique Trait [ Origin Flow ] & Ability [ State Shift ] ]
──────?????──────
[ New Awakened Ability Unlocked: [ Origin Ascendance ] ]
──────?????──────
Ryn raised his brow in surprise. The system actually compensated him for that? Wouldn't that break the balance?
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Shaking his head, he checked the remaining notifications.
Ding!
──────?????──────
[ Achievement Upgraded: The Gap of Fifteen! ]
[ You have defeated a Rare Monster 15 Levels higher than yourself solo. ]
[ Rewards: [Giant Slayer] -> [ Titan Slayer ], 10 Gold Coins, [Heavy Strike] -> [Seismic Crash] ]
──────?????──────
[ Title: Titan Slayer ]
[ Grade: Rare]
[ Effect 1: Scale Breaker - Deal +40% bonus damage to enemies at least 10 levels higher than yourself. ]
[ Effect 2: Pierce - Your attacks have 25% chance to ignore the target's Defense. ]
[ Effect 3: Indomitable Will - Passive Immunity to any status effect from enemies up to 20 Levels higher for 30 seconds. ]
──────?????──────
'Oh, achievements can be upgraded here?' Ryn was surprised. 'Then, do I have to kill 20 levels or more higher enemy to upgrade it again?'
He almost died just now, so he didn't entertain the idea yet and chose to scroll to the next notification.
──────?????──────
[ Server First: Rare Boss Elimination! ]
[ You are the first player to slay a Rare Rank Boss (Magnetic Terror Mole). ]
[ Would you like to announce this achievement to the World Server as 'Zero'? ]
[ Yes / No ]
──────?????──────
Ryn tapped Yes without hesitation again.
Ding!
──────?????──────
[ ?? World Announcement: Player 'Zero' has achieved the First Rare Boss Kill! ]
[ Reward: +2000 Fame, Gold Coin x100, Unique Skill Book [ Magnetic Grip ] ]
──────?????──────
He dismissed the windows and stood up.
He had already recovered enough stamina to move.
He walked over to the small carcass.
He knelt and began the work. Since the creature was small, the harvesting took even less time than before.
He carefully skinned the [ Steel-Thread Fur ]. He extracted the glowing blue [ Magnetic Gland ] from its throat.
Finally, he cut open the chest cavity to retrieve the most valuable prize.
His fingers brushed against a dense, vibrating object lodged near the creature's heart. He pulled it out, wiping away the dark blood.
It was a jagged, egg-sized crystal. However, unlike the pure blue Gland he had just harvested, this core pulsed with an irregular, chaotic rhythm.
[ Beast Core (Rare) ]
Ryn held it up to the light of the Magelight Stone.
His eyes narrowed.
Running across the surface of the blue crystal were faint, black tendrils. They looked like spiderwebs burnt into the gem. Upon closer inspection, they weren't natural formations. They formed a microscopic, deliberate pattern — a seal, or perhaps a command rune, embedded directly into the beast's life source.
'I see...'
Ryn rubbed the surface of the core with his thumb.
It seems like the Mole hadn't just migrated here to eat iron. Something, or someone, had driven it here.
'It seems the "Heart of the Mountain" quest is more than a simple extermination job.'
Ryn smiled faintly.
A complex quest meant hidden plotlines. And hidden plotlines meant unique rewards. Or he might unlock the Main Quest right away.
He stored the core and the rest of the materials in his inventory.
He then paused for a moment before muttering.
"Status."
A semi-transparent blue window materialized in the air before him.
──────?????──────
[ Name: Zero ]
[ Level: 12 ]
[ Class: Apprentice Blacksmith ]
[ Reputation: 8,500 (Famous) ]
[ Foundation ]
? Core: Origin Core (Awakened)
? Vein: Origin Vein
? Arcanum: 3,800 / 3,800
? Physique: Refined Mortal
[ Titles ]
? The Progenitor, Pioneer of the Craft, Titan Slayer
[ Talents ]
? Traits: Origin Flow, Fluid Mind, Echo of Genesis
? Abilities: State Shift, Origin Ascendance
[ Skills]
? Active: Blink (Lv. 3), Seismic Crash (Lv. 1), Magnetic Grip (Lv. 1)
? Passive: Mind's Eye (Lv. 2), Faint Presence (Lv. 2), Soul Link (Lv. 2)
[ Profession Skills ]
? Class: Basic Forging (Lv. 4), Basic Smelting (Lv. 3), Basic Mining (Lv. 1), Heat Resistance (Lv. 5)
[ Soul Bond ]
? Nero (Void-Eater) (Lv 9): Resting (Digesting)
[ Runes ]
? Kinetic Ward
──────?????──────
Ryn scanned the list, satisfied.
In less than three hours since the global launch, he had secured a foundation that would take normal players days to build.
He closed the window and adjusted his cloak.
'Time to head back.'
He turned toward the exit of the mine. Village Head Ildrich was waiting, and Ryn was curious to see how the NPC would react to the tainted core.
