We stood in Sylphoros' shadow, far from prying eyes.
The forest was unnervingly calm, the only sound coming from the occasional rustling of leaves as a gentle breeze wove through the trees, carrying the earthy scent of damp soil and wood.
No birds chirped.
No insects buzzed.
Just silence.
It felt strange. From the moment we arrived, I hadn't seen or sensed anyone, not a single living creature.
At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, maybe the natural stillness of this place.
But my unease grew as the realization slowly dawned on me.
'Had she arranged this?'
The thought struck like a bolt of lightning. My gaze flicked to Selena, and understanding began to take root.
'She gone to such lengths to ensure we wouldn't be disturbed? Had she crafted this eerie stillness from the very beginning?'
'Crazy!!'
Once again, I found myself wondering about her true power and her origin.
I'd seen Lucion's memories, yet even they hadn't offered any answers.
The mystery around her only seemed to grow deeper.
Still, now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
I shook the thoughts from my mind and sank onto the cold, uneven ground, feeling the weight of what was to come settle heavily over me.
The scroll rested heavily in my hands, feeling far weightier than it had any right to be, as though the secrets it held carried a burden far greater than I'd ever realized.
In the game, I had wielded Grandmaster-tier techniques with ease, brushing past their complexities without a second thought. But this wasn't a game anymore. This was real.
And this scroll… it wasn't just any technique. It was a magical art, something I had never wielded, not even in the game.
A shiver ran down my spine as its presence seemed to hum faintly in my hands, thrumming with a silent promise of power.
My pulse quickened, and excitement stirred deep within me.
Selena, standing with her arms crossed, gave me a curt nod. "Open it."
I nodded, carefully unfurling the scroll. Its parchment glowed faintly in the dim light, etched with ancient symbols that seemed to pulse with dormant energy.
'This was it, my first real technique.'
I had plans to change my profession later and collect more techniques along the way, but for now, mastering this one would be enough. It had to be.
I was still lost in thought when, without warning, Selena reached into her coat and pulled out a small glass vial.
Inside the vial, a pill glowed faintly, its color shifting between molten gold and deep crimson.
As Selena uncorked it, an intoxicating aroma filled the air, a strange mix of burnt honey and crackling lightning.
The scent hit me hard, sharpening my senses and making my pulse quicken.
I frowned, my eyes narrowing as recognition dawned. That pill. I knew exactly what it was the one crafted from four rare, dangerous ingredients.
Still, I ask.
"What is that?" keeping my tone neutral.
"The Emberheart Elixir," she announced smoothly.
My brow twitched. 'Bullshit.'
'Was there no limit to her flair for exaggeration? I distinctly remembered the scroll, it never mentioned anything called the Emberheart Elixir. She probably just slapped that name on it because it sounded cool.'
I sighed, shaking my head in quiet exasperation. 'Guess that's on me for asking her in the first place.'
My gaze drifted back to the pill, and for a split second, I almost felt bad for it. 'Sorry, man. You deserve better than all this nonsense.'
"The scroll recommends it," she continued, completely unfazed by my skepticism. "It'll attune your body to the technique's requirements."
"It's made from four key ingredients," she began, slipping effortlessly into lecture mode.
"First, Dragon Heart Root—for resilience. Then Titan's Blood Resin, to temper your meridians. After that, Molten Red Ore, which will, quite literally, ignite your soul. And finally, Storm Serpent Scales… to keep you alive."
I blinked, completely at a loss.
'How could she say all that with such a straight, serious expression, as if she were delivering ancient wisdom handed down through generations?'
I couldn't even begin to imagine how she managed to spout this nonsense with such conviction, 'did she seriously think Lucion would buy it?'
Then again, looking at his memories and knowing his nature '… yeah, he probably would.'
Honestly, I felt a little sorry for the guy. He didn't deserve this. And yet, here I was, apparently stuck paying his karmic debt by sitting through it.
What did I do to deserve this?
I swallowed hard, resisting the urge to roll my eyes as she kept boasting. 'Why am I even surprised at this point?'
"Sounds intense," I muttered, playing along.
She smirked. "It is. But so is the technique you're trying to learn. So… swallow it."
I hesitated, but only for a moment, before tipping the vial back.
The elixir burned like fire as it slid down my throat, igniting a searing heat in my chest that spread through my veins.
Energy exploded within me untamed, wild, and overwhelming.
My limbs trembled as though they were being set ablaze, yet somehow, the sensation wasn't entirely painful.
My vision blurred for a moment, and I blinked rapidly to steady myself.
The scroll in my hands pulsed faintly, as if responding to the energy raging inside me.
Taking a steady breath, I unfurled the parchment once more.
The moment my eyes landed on the first set of letters, they seared themselves into my mind, sinking deeper than simple comprehension.
I felt something shift within me, a doorway opening.
And then, it happened.
A presence stirred in the vast expanse of my consciousness.
A shadowed figure stood before me, faceless, yet somehow familiar. It raised one hand, its movements slow and deliberate, and extended a single finger outward.
At its fingertip, a tiny, condensed orb of violet energy shimmered into existence.
Then another.
And another.
Within moments, five seed-like orbs hovered at the tips of its fingers, each one pulsing with restrained power.
With a flick of its wrist, the figure released them.
The orbs accelerated with inhuman speed, a crack splitting the air as they punctured a nearby stone, drilling clean holes through it in rapid succession.
Behind the stone, the orbs struck a massive granite boulder.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Did it just drill through that stone like butter?"
The speed was so overwhelming that my mind barely registered what had happened. And then, for the first time, the figure whispered—soft yet absolute.
"Bloom."
The cracks in the boulder pulsed with emerald light, then exploded.
Not into rubble, but into a storm of crimson petals.
Thousands of iridescent petals. erupted from the fractures, swirling outward in a kaleidoscope of jade and gold.
The petals drifted like a living fog, their edges shimmering with residual magic.
I stood frozen, stunned.
"This… I thought they only had piercing power, but they explode too?"
A technique both beautiful and deadly.
The figure turned toward me. Though it had no eyes, I felt its piercing gaze.
It spoke again.
Its voice echoed in my mind, lingering like an imprint on my soul.
And just like that, the vision faded, leaving behind an acute awareness of the technique.
My fingers twitched involuntarily, as though they remembered the sensation of holding that condensed energy.
As my consciousness settled back into my body, I exhaled sharply, the weight of the world pressing in once more.
My eyes opened to find Selena watching me silent, intense, as if she'd never looked away.
"I think… I understand."
The scroll on the ground glowed briefly before disintegrating, its stored power scattering into the air. These scrolls were made from a special material that vanished after a single use.
Selena smiled faintly. "How do you feel?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but froze as a sudden surge of energy flared in my chest and stomach. Something was… forming.
I frowned, placing a hand over my torso. "This…"
At the center of my chest, I felt it—a sphere of condensed energy pulsing with life, like a second heart.
All of a sudden, my senses sharpened.
I could feel the air around me, the faint rustle of leaves in the distance, the subtle shift of the ground beneath my feet, everything was clearer, more vivid than before.
My body stayed still, yet tension thrummed beneath the surface, like my muscles were coiled and waiting to move.
"Did I… just break through?"
'Was it because of the pill?'
My mind reeled as a sudden wave of dizziness crashed into me.
'No...'
My body trembled.
"I can't sustain this."
Selena's gaze snapped to me. The moment she saw my condition, her eyes narrowed, her expression darkening like a gathering storm.
"Strip," she said coldly.
I blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"Are you deaf?"
I hesitated, but her expression made it clear she wasn't joking.
She snorted. "Don't make me do it for you."
With a reluctant sigh, I pulled off my shirt.
Without warning, Selena placed her hand firmly against my bare back, and I felt her mana essence surge into me.
I was shocked. "Sister, this…"
"You just broke through to the Awakened rank."
"I'm just clearing the path of your mana points for a natural flow."
'Although she's telling the truth, by doing this, I can also copy her mana flow method.'
"Stop overthinking and focus," she said sharply. "Feel the flow."
I closed my eyes and concentrated.
Selena's mana spread through my body like a neural current, her presence calm yet commanding.
"Humans cultivate in different ways," she explained.
"Some draw energy from the Twin Suns, while others refine mana stones. Among these, the fastest and most efficient method is cultivation through mana stones."
"To accelerate the process, humans developed something called a Mana Cultivation Technique."
"What I'm channeling into your body right now is the most basic form, widely used throughout the human domain."
'Oh, so this is just a primordial mana flow,' I mused, a little disappointed.
'And here I was, assuming it was some kind of personal cultivation method of hers…'
'Wait... when did I become this greedy?'
'This world's negativity must really be rubbing off on me.'
Before I could spiral deeper into my thoughts, a sharp voice snapped me back.
"Focus."
"Yeah," I muttered, barely registering her words.
Her voice softened, tinged with something heavier.
"But of course, there are more advanced techniques out there. Many are closely guarded secrets, passed down through renowned families or crafted by individuals to suit their unique physique and mana affinity."
After a brief pause, she withdrew her hand and handed me another scroll.
"This is my final gift to you."
I stiffened. "Final gift? What are you saying?"