Chapter A : The Five Cores
?Mitsuo is sitting in a plush chair, in a high tech chamber staring directly at you.
?"Hi, readers! Hope you're all doing fine," he says, his voice dripping with mock friendliness.
"Huh? What is it? Think you’re in the wrong story? No, you're exactly where you're supposed to be."
He smirks at the screen, leaning in close. "Anyway, I won’t waste your precious time. Let’s get straight to the point."
?The background dissolves. Suddenly, Mitsuo is standing in a brightly lit classroom, wearing a teacher’s uniform and holding a pointer in front of a massive blackboard.
?"So, class! Today we are learning about the powers of this world," he chirps, tapping the board.
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?"Every human here is born with Five Cores of Power:"
? ?Mana: The raw energy of the soul.
? ?Aura: The physical manifestation of willpower and presence.
? ?Space: The ability to manipulate the environment and dimensions.
? ?Skill: The mastery of technique and muscle memory.
? ?Technology: The integration of external machinery and augmentations.
?"Theoretically," Mitsuo continues, "if a person masters one of these to 100%, they become an absolute monster. But that’s practically impossible." He pulls a photo of Steve from the ceiling.
“Take Steve. High Skill. Respectable Aura. Mana that barely moves the needle.
And yet—he’s survived more battles than most prodigies ever will.” He laughs, tossing the photo aside and pointing to a picture of himself.
"And then there’s me. 90 in Mana, 90 in Aura, 90 in Skill. I’m the 'Pillar' for a reason, after all."
?He leans against the desk, his expression turning a bit more serious.
"The point is, while you can increase cores like Skill, Aura, and Tech with practice, it requires extreme, soul-crushing hard work. Most are just stuck with what they’re born with."
?He waves a hand, the classroom beginning to fade. "Hope you enjoyed the class! Bye-bye!"
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