Zen woke up the next morning feeling a significant shift in his body. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, and took a slow, deep breath to test the limits of his chest.
For the first time since the Void Beast had used him as a chew toy during the Midterm Extraction, he didn't wince.
"System," Zen thought silently. "Status report on the core."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: CORE STABILITY AT 82%. HIGH F-RANK MANA CIRCULATION: OPTIMAL.]
[RECOMMENDATION: ACQUIRE HEART-STONES TO INITIATE E-RANK BREAKTHROUGH.]
Zen pushed himself out of bed. He grabbed his jacket, threw it on, and walked over to the bedroom door. He grabbed the brass handle and pulled it inward.
Valeria was sitting cross-legged directly on the hallway floor, just inches away from his doorframe. She was staring straight ahead, her golden S-Rank wards still humming faintly in the air around her.
"Morning," Zen said, stepping over her legs.
