Chapter 33: Farming Mana Cores

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Farming Mana Cores"Beat them until they stay down, you said?" Seline asked, one eyebrow raised and a half-smile on her lips. "Have I ever told you I don’t like hitting people?" Her playful tone belied her fierce reputation. Lian gave her a strange look. Aren’t you called ’Miss I’ll Smash You First’? he thought before nodding. "Yeah, otherwise they’ll escape. After all, they’re about to evolve." "Evolve?" Seline tilted her head, ready to ask more, but Lian was already moving. His mana condensed into several fiery projectiles, all slamming into the worm before him, a barrage of controlled destruction. Watching the scene, Seline didn’t hold back. Chanting her usual formula, sharp, destructive jets of water launched at the worm that had absorbed her attack, her precision a match for his intensity. "Not too hard!" Lian shouted, panting. "They need to stay alive until they evolve!" "I know, I know," Seline replied, her tone betraying a hint of amusement. "I’m not a fan of pointless violence, you know?" Her words dripped with irony. The two continued pummeling the worms with a mix of physical attacks and light spells, keeping them teetering on the edge of life and death. After a few minutes, the creatures’ bodies began to tremble violently. "Here we go!" Lian exclaimed, stepping back. "Now we just wait for the right moment." His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Interesting," Seline murmured, watching her worm with curiosity. "So you make them evolve on purpose? What’s the benefit? How did you figure this out?" Her questions were sharp, probing. Lian scratched the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed. "I found out by accident, fighting one of these filthy worms. It ate my fireball and came back as a magical monster. And guess what? If we kill them, we get a Mana Core." His voice carried a mix of pride and discovery. "Seriously? That’s a pretty easy way to make money..." Seline remarked, slightly surprised. "How long does it take?" Her interest was piqued, her mind already calculating. Lian watched the scene closely. The bodies of the two beasts were changing color—one turning reddish, the other bluish. "I’m not sure... judging by what I see, maybe half an hour..." And so they waited, chatting casually to pass the time, resting under the scorching sun. Time passed quickly, and less than half an hour later, the two monsters, which had been thrashing violently until then, stopped. The aura they exuded was no longer that of mere Iron 5s. There was mana, a palpable shift in their presence. "They actually evolved?!" Seline muttered, incredulous. "Of course." Lian nodded, standing up. "I don’t lie. They’re now genuine Bronze 1 monsters. You know what that means? Mana Cores for us!" "Geometric Spell, Circle!" he thought, visualizing two concentric circles in his mind. "Ignis Arde, Ignis Globus!" A powered-up fiery projectile shot from his hand, striking the worm square in the chest. The explosion was sharp and precise, and the monster collapsed, motionless, a clean kill that spoke of his growing skill. Seline didn’t waste a moment. "Aqua Vivax, Aqua Lamina!" A razor-sharp water blade sliced through the air, decapitating her worm with a fluid motion. Black blood sprayed onto the sand, but she didn’t flinch, her composure unshaken. Lian approached his worm, carefully extracting the Mana Core from its smoking body. It was the same size as the previous ones, with a pulsing light within. Seline did the same, holding her core between her fingers, studying it with interest, both marveling at their spoils. Two familiar notifications appeared in Lian’s mind. [Mana Core: Bronze 1] [Do you wish to absorb it?] "Incredible!" Seline murmured, gazing at the Mana Core in her hand. "I didn’t think they could be obtained so easily. Let’s evolve all the monsters! Once we get out of here, we could sell the Cores for some cash. I need money to buy more fritters." Her thoughts were, as always, food-driven. "Speaking of which," she said after a moment, her green eyes gleaming with excitement, "what’s the specialty dish of your town?" Her curiosity was insatiable, even in the desert. Lian thought for a moment. There wasn’t really a specialty dish, or at least, he didn’t know of one. "I’m not sure, but my mom makes amazing meatballs! Why don’t you come try them sometime?" His invitation was impulsive, heartfelt. Silence fell. Lian realized what he’d said and quickly backtracked. "Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it... I just wanted you to try—" His face flushed with embarrassment. "No, it’s fine." Seline’s cheeks turned red as she mumbled softly. "It’s just that we come from very different parts of the empire... I’d need to use a teleportation portal, and those are expensive." Her voice was shy, a rare vulnerability. Seeing her timid expression, Lian’s mind went blank. She’s so damn beautiful, damn it! he thought distractedly, his heart racing uncontrollably. After a moment of silence and a slight cough from Seline, Lian snapped out of it. "Um... what? Teleportation? Those exist?" "Of course." Seline nodded vigorously. "They’re just very costly..." Her practicality cut through the awkwardness. "Then we’ll have to work hard to earn lots of Mana Cores!" They continued talking as they left the area. "By the way..." Lian began, looking into her green eyes, his rebellious lock of hair covering his blue ones, "I feel like I’m close to a breakthrough... how about we rest a bit and meditate? Then we can keep fighting worms, make them evolve, and maybe find another human being. What do you think?" Seline stared at him without blinking. "You’re close to a breakthrough?! No wonder you’re so strong... I still feel like I’m far off. After all, I only awakened a few months ago... you?" Her curiosity was tinged with suspicion. Lian’s eyes widened at her words. A few months ago? He could swear he saw a smug smirk on her full lips. "Oh, right... others take a long time to advance... not everyone has a System like me..." he thought silently. "What—" Seline added proudly, "surprised by my speed—?" Before she could continue, she suddenly recalled something he’d mentioned earlier. Lian had awakened just a few days ago. And now? He was already close to breaking through to Bronze 2. "That makes no sense!" she blurted out, her mouth agape in shock, her disbelief palpable. Lian gave a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, it’s true... I feel like I’m almost there..." "I don’t believe you... I want to see you reach Bronze 2 after just a few days of awakening." Seline huffed, a scowl on her face. She hated being lied to. She’d definitely beat him to a pulp if he didn’t advance as claimed. "Don’t worry, I’m confident." Lian’s voice was steady, a promise to himself as much as to her. They moved away from the area—after all, the corpses could attract more worms, and now wasn’t the time. After running for a bit, they stopped in the middle of the desert. "Alright, let’s rest a bit," Lian proposed. Seline nodded, but her gaze lingered on him a moment too long. "Fine, but don’t think you’re getting out of explaining how you’re so close to Bronze 2. It’s not normal, you know?" she said, crossing her arms. Her black braid swayed slightly as she turned, scanning the horizon for a place to sit. They found a slightly lower dune where the sand seemed less scorching. Lian collapsed to the ground, feigning more exhaustion than he felt, while Seline sat gracefully, pulling a water flask from her spatial ring and handing it to him. "Here, drink. I don’t want you passing out again. I’m not dragging you around..." Her tone was teasing but kind. "Thanks," Lian murmured, taking the flask and sipping the cool water, a relief after hours under the relentless sun. As he returned the flask, he made sure Seline was distracted, gazing out at the desert. "Alright—" he thought, subtly retrieving one of the three Mana Cores from his spatial ring, hiding it in his palm. Closing his eyes, pretending to prepare for meditation, he whispered mentally, Yes, absorb it. A wave of heat surged through him, as if his body had been plunged into a furnace. The unstable mana from the core flooded his dantian and coursed through his body, a torrent of raw power. His heart raced, his breath grew short. It felt like every fiber of his being was vibrating, ready to explode. He clenched his teeth, suppressing groans, not wanting Seline to pry. Time passed, and Lian was sweating profusely. Unfortunately for him, Seline was watching, her head tilted, her expression wavering between curiosity and suspicion. "Lian, you okay? Something’s happening." "Yeah, yeah, all good," he replied, stifling a cry of pain, forcing a smile. "Just... you know, meditation. It’s intense." Seline narrowed her eyes. "You know I hate lies." She leaned closer, her face inches from his. "What did you do? Your body’s burning up, and your magical capacity is spiking... that’s not normal." Lian swallowed hard, his heart pounding. He couldn’t tell her the truth, but he couldn’t ignore her either. He needed an excuse... "I’ll tell you later—" he said loudly, too loudly. It sounded more like a shout, his panic betraying him. Seline just stared at him with deep eyes, then closed hers with a huff, returning to her meditation, her silence a warning.