the storm outside but it simply couldn’t stop the crashing of wind and
rain completely. Even with the added shelter of the rock overhang the
tent was still shaking from the might of the wind, and the pitter-patter
of rain resonated through the walls.
Sebastian was completely unaware of the outside world.
With his Core formed, he spent some time to observe, to
compare his work with his memory of the descriptions in the manual. A
sense of pride and relief washed over him as he did. The manual
explained that the smoother the surface, and the rounder the shape, the
stronger the Core.
His Core was perfectly smooth and round, like a black
ball bearing with hints of dark purple within its endless depths. Almost
like a miniature black hole at the center of his being.
Before he could perform his essence baptism to cement his
achievement and fully ascend to [Core Formation], he decided to refill
his meridian system with liquid essence.
It was by no means empty, but it had previously been
filled to the brim, and now the river had turned to a small stream. All
that essence still remained in his system, it was just compressed into a
tiny pebble. Technically he could use that essence to force his essence
baptism but he wanted to be in his best condition before making his
attempt.
He quickly discovered that the Core had another advantage
beyond simply compressing essence and increasing his capacity, it also
naturally served as the singularity it was based on. Even without
actively cultivating, there was a steady flow of natural essence
automatically being drawn in and condensed into liquid essence. Without
his honed intent active, the rates were quite slow, but it was still a
significant advantage to before he formed his Core.
When Sebastian did add his intent into the mix, he
absorbed more natural essence than ever before. The dense natural
essence of the Silvervale Woodlands could keep up for now, but Sebastian
felt as though if he continued cultivating here for even just a week,
he would run this area dry.
It only took a few hours to completely fill his meridian
system once again when before it had taken months—and that was with a
spirit bath and countless dead monsters contributing. As happy as he
was, he realized an issue immediately. This worked great here, in the
woodlands, where natural essence was almost infinite. Once back in
civilization, however, he wouldn’t be able to cultivate properly. He’d
dry up the area in minutes.
That was a problem for the future, though. For now, it was time to break through.
Sebastian pushed his senses deeper until
he found himself face to face with the membrane between realms once
more. It was more daunting than ever. Last time he was still new to all
this, it was impressive and awe-inspiring, but he lacked a certain
understanding and appreciation of what he was facing. This time, the
membrane felt like the very fabric of reality itself made solid, molded
into a veil capable of holding back the entirety of each plane of
existence with ease.
No matter how strong or formidable the membrane seemed,
or indeed was, Sebastian knew with every fiber of his being that he
would surpass it. He would destroy this veil between the two realms and
ascend to the next stage.
As ammunition, he wielded a vast ocean of blood red
essence flowing like a mighty torrent powered by a solid Core, looming
above the ocean like a dark purple star.
Unlike last time, where he formed a giant drill, his
essence now flowed naturally. He guided it, rather than directly taking
control, so as to not halt its awe-inspiring momentum. Under the
influence of his intent to crush through the membrane and ascend, his
essence naturally took a form that he subconsciously associated with
power. A dragon. Not a full western dragon like he knew from various
movies and games, but rather the essence maintained the form of a
flowing river with the head of a powerful dragon, forming a mighty
serpent-dragon.
Sebastian hadn’t consciously intended it to do so, but
the essence responded to his need for power. It assumed a shape which he
inherently associated with strength. He didn’t react at the strange
transformation as it was formed from his own subconscious intent, he
simply accepted it without doubt or hesitation.
Once the dragon was fully formed, he sent it forth, maw agape, toward the membrane.
Upon contact, the entire space trembled at the collision.
The membrane held, but cracks began to spread.
Sebastian didn’t let up.
He supplied the dragon with as much essence and willpower
as he could muster, and he pushed. The full weight of his resolve
crashed into the veil.
CRASH!
There was no moment of peace or quiet like he had
experienced before. The exact moment when the membrane shattered was
like a rubber band snapping as the two realms merged and became one. The
collision of his two aspects, physical and spiritual, felt like being
hit by a truck. His physical body was broken by the impact. Bones
cracked and muscles tore. With the heightened senses of this state he
could even taste the traces of blood in the air from the cracks of his
skin.
Then the powerful torrent of liquid, blood red essence
powered by his newly formed Core circulated throughout his physical body
along the paths of his Peak meridian system and healed his body from
within.
Every bone was made stronger, every muscle more dense, every tendon made flexible beyond anything he had known before.
The excruciating pain felt like it lasted for hours
before the membrane finally healed and everything returned to normal.
Only, Sebastian’s new normal was unlike anything he had imagined.
His meridian system was flooded with liquid essence which
would never dry out and a solid Core that was now a permanent fixture
for the entirety of his life. Even if he used up all of his essence or
if his Core was broken and shattered it would naturally recover in due
time, assuming he survived. His body felt as strong as steel and at the
same time as soft as water.
Once he had settled his mind and cultivated for a few
minutes to make sure everything was in order, he opened his eyes and
took a look at the [System] alerts.
Major cultivation stage increased
Physical cultivation stage increased
Analyzing
Analysis complete
Adjusting calculations
Calculations adjusted
Level adjusted
System status
Name: Sebastian Moore
Level: 43
Titles
- Swordsman
Skills
- ★Mind's Eye
- ★Swordsmanship
Cultivation status
Name: Sebastian Moore
Cultivation method
- Earthen Cultivation Art
Cultivation stage
- Core Formation
- → Minor stage: Low
Physical cultivation stage
- Terracotta
Titles
- Blessed
- Sole Cultivator
Talent
- Akashic Connection
Techniques
- ★Spirit Union
- ★Intergalactic Sword Art
- → Stage: Foundation
- ? Proficiency: Mid
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The hunting party, a few hours earlier
“Rafi, you’ve outdone yourself!”
“You say that every night, Carve. It’s just a basic soup.”
Carvell gesticulated with his spoon in between bites. “And I mean it every time, it’s the highlight of my day.”
Dolan laughed at the recurring exchange. Even when things
were bad he could always rely on his friends to make him laugh. He gave
Rafi a pat on the shoulder and said, “While I agree that the soup was
fantastic, as always, I would say the highlight of the day was Silas
faceplanting into that pile of leaves!”
Silas looked around incredulously as his friends broke
out into laughter. “I literally have a hole in my torso.” He gestured
toward the wound on his side. “I can’t be expected to stay upright at
all times. At least I don’t look like one of those naked cats my aunt
used to have,” he countered.
The group continued to laugh and talk. After a while,
however, both Bishop and Dolan—with his heightened senses from having
reached level 50—turned their heads toward Sebastian. They shared a look
after the strange phenomenon. Outwardly there were very few, if any,
indications that something had happened. None of the others had noticed
anything at all, but the two of them felt… something. Some wave of
energy that emanated from their newest addition to the party as he
supposedly meditated. Bishop had felt something similar once before but
still didn’t know what it actually was.
They decided to not address it, they were sure Sebastian would tell them in due time.
Since Dolan had joined Bishop as the only ones over level
50, and they were the only ones who were relatively unharmed now that
Dolan had recovered somewhat, they switched up the pairs for keeping
watch. Bishop and Silas stayed up for a few hours while the others
rested. The weather was too rough to keep watch from outside, but they
made sure to stay awake and focus their senses outwards in case
something approached. After a couple of hours, Dolan and Carvell took
over with plans of handing over the baton to Sebastian and Rafi later.
The night had been uneventful, but less than an hour into their shift, something happened.
A wave of energy erupted that was far stronger than
before, with Sebastian at the center. The blast was strong enough that
everyone was woken up. Even Rafi, the weakest of the party, shot up in
his bedding and grabbed his staff in preparation for a fight. The others
did the same before they realized that it came from Sebastian.
His body, for no apparent reason, was broken. Bleeding
cracks spread throughout his skin, and a dark filth oozed out, mixed
with the blood.
For a moment they were too stunned to do anything except stare, but Bishop quickly called out. “Rafi, heal him!”
Before he even finished his sentence, Rafi was already
beginning to gather his energies to cast a simple healing spell. He was
just about to cast it when the cracks sealed themselves, steam forming
as the skin repaired itself with a hiss. Rafi lowered his staff in
shock, and moments later Sebastian was back to normal, except covered in
blood and filth.
“Yeah, we’re gonna need to talk about this in the
morning,” Dolan said before everyone look around at each other and went
back to sleep, or guard duty.
POV Sebastian
Sebastian closed down his Status window and looked down.
Ok, that’s disgusting. That’s not
all blood either. I guess that dark ooze are the impurities the manual
mentioned. I don’t remember getting so filthy last time I broke through,
although I suppose I was already pretty grimey at the time so I might
just not have noticed.
Three of the hunters were sleeping, but surprisingly both
Dolan and Carvell were gone. He barely had time to register that they
were missing, however, before a shout from outside the tent caught his
attention.
“Monster!”
Sebastian shot up onto his feet.
The others woke up and were on the move within seconds.
All four of them rushed out of the tent. The wind had
calmed to a breeze and the rain had stopped. The storm had passed, but
the blanket of clouds remained. The night was almost pitch black with
the occasional ray of moonlight finding its way through some gaps in the
passing clouds.
Carvell was standing out in the open, looking up toward
the top of the valley. Dolan was crouched further back, bow drawn.
Sebastian immediately activated his Skill, [Mind’s Eye]. There was
nothing within its still limited range.
Apprehension crept up Sebastian’s spine as he followed
Carvell’s intense gaze up the hill. His vision did its best to pierce
through the darkness of the night but even his impressive senses
struggled to adapt to the darkness of the outside.
At the top of the hill were two glowing, red orbs.
Sebastian’s breath caught in his throat as he suppressed a shudder as he realized what they were—eyes, fixed directly on them.
The eyes vanished against the black backdrop, as if they they never existed in the first place.
Everyone readied their weapons. Moments later,
Sebastian’s [Mind’s Eye] revealed the monster, a massive troll, falling
toward them, quickly. He wasn’t the only one who noticed.
He and Dolan shouted in unison, “Above!”
With the cover of darkness and the suddenness of the
attack, Carvell failed to react in time to the massive club falling from
above. His arm only had time to twitch as he tried to raise his small
reserve shield to meet the enormous troll descending toward him. His
eyes widened in shock for a brief moment as the club smashed down on
him.
BAM!
A crater was formed by the impact. It sent a shock wave
that upended the entire camp. Sebastian felt a wall of dust and rocks
pelt him as he struggled to maintain his balance.
When the dust settled, the troll stood on the other side
of the camp, its club resting against its broad shoulder. Stuck to the
club was what little was left of Carvell, a red stain with pieces of
bone and a small, broken, round shield stuck unto the wood.
Gasps and a rage-filled, “No!”, was all the reaction the troll allowed them.
It swiped its club toward Silas.
Using a level of agility that someone so injured
shouldn’t have been able to display, Silas used a Footwork Skill to jump
back. He barely reached far enough for the club to pass in front of
him. It missed but the air pressure still sent him flying into the slope
behind him.
Rafi quickly buffed everyone with every bit of power he could muster.
Dolan fired arrows powerful enough that they could pierce
a castle’s wall at the troll’s head, aiming for its eyes. They barely
broke through its hide, each hit sounding more like a ballista’s bolt
striking stone than an arrow hitting flesh.
Bishop’s axe grew large enough to match the troll’s own
club, and he charged. He tried to fell the monster as though it was a
tree and he the lumberjack.
An apt comparison as the troll stood a solid five meters
tall with legs as thick as a tree trunk. Unlike many of the trolls
Sebastian had seen in movies and such, this one wasn’t wearing any
clothes, not so much as some piece of scrap cloth. For a moment, it
reminded him of a giant ape. A beast that had learned to wield a weapon
but didn’t care much about anything that wasn’t helpful in killing its
prey. The main difference between this troll and a giant ape was that it
didn’t have any fur, only a thick bluish hide.
Bishop’s axe struck true and embedded itself deep into
its leg. A shock wave, almost rivaling the troll’s initial attack, tore
through the area as the axe stopped mid-limb.
Arrows fired like missiles from Dolan’s bow missed its eyes, but they did knock its head back as they pierced into its head.
Sebastian leaped into action as well, and Silas somehow got back up and rejoined the fight.
Together they managed to beat the troll back. Trolls, in
this world just as in the fictions Sebastian had consumed back home,
excelled in regeneration, however.
The group’s attacks succeeded in mainly one thing, making the giant monster angrier by the second.
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