Chapter 243

Rubbing his temples with a weary groan, Ray glared at the system screen displaying his latest acquisitions, a dark look clouding his features.

’Is it just me, or is the system becoming increasingly greedy with its energy requirements as my skills evolve?’ he wondered, scratching his head in frustration.

The escalating costs were starting to outpace his current capacity, making every upgrade feel like a double-edged sword.

’Hey, Elyon, is this how much energy your techniques cost when you were the one wielding them?’

There was a profound moment of silence within the boy’s mind before he facepalmed himself in realization.

’Right. No memory of those. My bad.’

He heaved a heavy sigh, letting the silence settle for a moment before he decided to pivot and address his other internal passenger.

’Tell me, Bruce; you’re an experienced werewolf, yet I haven’t seen you utilize any specialized skills aside from your raw brute strength and that Rending move. Is there a specific reason for that?’

There was a brief pause in his psyche before the werewolf breathed out a sharp exhale, grumbled as if disturbed from a nap, and finally replied.

«I suspect it has everything to do with you.»

"Me? How’s it my fault?!" Ray’s voice rose unintentionally, the sound echoing sharply in the small room.

He quickly clamped his hands over his mouth, his eyes darting toward the other bed.

Slowly looking in Van’s direction to see if the outburst had interrupted his rest, Ray sighed in relief.

His best friend simply turned over, shifting his weight to better position himself and maximize his recovery time, before continuing to snore heavily.

’Damn. He really is completely drained.’

«How many werewolf skills do you actually have unlocked?» Bruce demanded, his tone gruff.

Hearing the question, Ray pulled down his skills tab to perform a quick mental tally.

’Er... just three. With Rending being the primary offensive option for me.’

«Exactly. I don’t need your specific skill to transform my hands into claws because I can naturally undergo a partial transformation.

Furthermore, I am significantly more powerful than you are when we are in my werewolf form. For long-range engagements, Rending is the most viable option available to me—at least until you unlock more advanced skills for me to draw upon. I imagine.»

’Oh.’ Ray rubbed his temples again as he stared at the glowing blue interface. ’That actually explains a lot.’

Before another thought could distract him, he snapped his fingers loudly—the sharp sound cutting through the room—before activating his inventory.

With a flick of his will, he pulled out the two beast cores they had secured.

The King-ranked cores settled heavily in his grasp, their inner light pulsing with a rhythmic, ethereal glow.

He stared at them for a few silent seconds, mesmerized by the sheer density of the power contained within.

"With these, I should finally be able to bolster my meta-force enough to sustain my skills for much longer durations," he muttered under his breath, his voice barely a whisper.

’First things first. I need to distribute my accumulated free stat points. Status tab!’

====== [Status] ======

[Name: Ray Dawson]

[Age: 15]

[Race: Tribrid Adept]

[Level: 11]

[Exp: 1250/2000]

[HP: 50/90]

[MF: 10/80]

[Energy: 170/170]

{Attributes:}

[STR: 68]

[AGI: 69]

[INT: 43]

[PER: 46]

[END: 57]

[Stat points: 12]

___

’Twelve free stat points, eh? Okay, cool, cool. I see you, system. Now, where should I invest this newfound power?’

He sat in contemplative silence for several seconds, his eyes tracing over the numbers again and again.

He tried to calculate the most logical way to balance his growth, weighing the need for raw power against the necessity of endurance and awareness.

’Uh... this distribution should do the trick. System, finalize the allocation.’

[STR: 68 >>> 70]

[AGI: 69 >>> 70]

[INT: 43 >>> 45]

[PER: 46 >>> 50]

[END: 57 >>> 60]

[Stat points: 0]

___

The moment the command was finalized, a violent wave of warmth surged through his entire body.

His muscles tightened and coiled with new density; his senses sharpened with such sudden intensity that it was almost disorienting.

Every bit of his physical form felt more compact, more intentional.

The distant chattering in the hallway, located a dozen metres away, suddenly surged into his ears with crystal clarity.

The unique auras and distinct movements of the Aspirants walking past their door became perceptible, almost as if he could see them through the solid walls.

Well, it wasn’t exactly visual sight.

It was more as if he could sense their physical displacement in space—a 360-degree awareness that mapped his surroundings like a second vision.

He felt as though no sneak attack, no matter how subtle, could ever hope to catch him unaware again.

Though his sensory range was still limited, his perception reached all the way to the Corps’ main gate.

He could feel the rhythm of the guards patrolling the perimeter, the steady thrum of their heartbeats, the low rumble of their voices, and even the slight twitch of their muscles as they shifted their weapons.

’Right. I’ve truly evolved to the next stage.’

That explained the sudden clarity of his hearing.

He could even distinguish the scents of the various Aspirants moving around the Corps’ grounds outside, a tapestry of smells that told a story of who was coming and who was going.

His thoughts became faster, clearer, and more focused.

This sensation almost overwhelmed him, but fortunately, he managed to maintain control.

It subsided a second later, prompting him to release a soft breath of relief.

A warm smile crept onto his face as he clenched and unclenched his fists for several moments, feeling raw power coursing through his veins.

"I want to test this so bad," he mused silently, his gaze narrowing as he studied his open palm.

’Oh yeah. The training bots could do the trick.’

He beamed before his attention returned to the beast cores in his hands. "First things first," he whispered.

Crack—!

He tightened his grip around one of the cores, causing a hairline fracture to appear on its polished surface.

Pressing harder, another fissure appeared, then another, and then another.

Slowly, the cracks spider-webbed across the sphere until, with one final squeeze, the entire core shattered under his strength.

It disintegrated into shimmering dust that spiraled toward the boy at high velocity.

He inhaled the glowing particles, feeling the essence flood through his every vein.

His meta-force pool expanded rapidly, causing him to grin with satisfaction.

Then, a notification pinged:

[Your Spark grows stronger....]

[+50 MF]

’Woah! Fifty meta-force points? That’s massive!’ he shouted inwardly, staring at the translucent screen hovering before his face.

Just to be certain, he pulled down his attribute tab.

[MF: 60/130]

’Wow! Crazy. An Advanced-rank core usually only grants me five points, but this single core gave me fifty? Even if I absorbed ten Advanced-rank cores, I wouldn’t reach this total. So what happened here?’

He spent a few seconds stroking his chin, lost in thought, until a theory finally settled in his mind.

’... What if? The Minotaur utilized a lightning ability, right? I also possess the lightning affinity.

What if that’s the reason I received such a high yield—because the core is compatible with my own nature? So, absorbing a core that matches one’s ability provides a significant boost? Nice!’

He grinned like a madman as his gaze shifted down to the second core remaining in his grasp.

His eyes gleamed with amusement and greed as he clutched it tightly.

Crack—!