Life Before Becoming an Omniverse Entity-Chapter 42: Give up, Namari

"So, did you form it?" he asked, already knowing full well that he did—after all, it was impossible for Renan to fail.

Renan, who also confirmed it by nodding his head, made Gracen’s small smile turn into a wide one. He started patting Renan on the head and said, "As expected of my son," his voice filled with pride, feeling truly proud of him.

He continued to pat him to his heart’s content, and Renan, who was getting annoyed by the patting, thought in his mind, ’I guess he doesn’t know when to stop,’ he said as he brought his hand to his own head to stop Gracen from patting him, ’So I should help him,’ and stopped Gracen from continuing to pat him.

Gracen suddenly felt his hand being held in place by a small hand. He looked down to see Renan staring at him with an expression that clearly said, ’Are you done?’ The look made him retreat his hand from Renan’s head almost immediately. Feeling slightly awkward, he coughed a few times and tried to change the subject.

*AHEM*

"So, Renan, what does it feel like?" Gracen asked in the hope of shifting the conversation elsewhere, and he succeeded—at least, that’s what he thought. But Renan, who knew full well that Gracen was simply trying to change the subject, didn’t linger on it either. Instead, he decided to ask something he had been thinking about ever since he finished making the mana circle around his heart.

"I don’t feel anything other than like I have a new limb that stores pure mana inside it rather than in my dragon heart. I don’t feel any stronger or weaker; I feel just the same as usual, but with something new added," Renan described, trying his best to put the strange sensation into words.

Gracen nodded his head at Renan’s words, then replied, "Indeed, Renan, you wouldn’t feel an increase in strength until you reached the third circle," he said, his voice calm but firm. His words made Renan widen his eyes in both surprise and confusion.

"Why, Father?" Renan asked curiously.

"Well, that’s because you are already a kid dragon in the second phase. If we were to compare the circles to dragon phases, then it would go like this: one circle equals a baby dragon, three circles equal a kid dragon, five circles equal a teen dragon, seven circles equal an adult dragon, and finally, nine circles equal an elder dragon. And since you have already reached the kid dragon phase, you possess the mana equivalent of three circles. That means you would need to form three circles before you are able to feel a significant increase in strength," Gracen explained slowly, making sure Renan understood every word.

"I see," Renan nodded his head, taking in the information carefully before asking another question. "But Father, why do I need to form circles when I have already become a kid dragon, as you said? Other dragons take ten years to reach this stage, and I have already done so before even a year has passed."

"Indeed, Renan, you are right," Gracen said. "That’s what I and others also thought at first as well. However, after seeing that you did not transform into the third phase after a year, everyone came to the conclusion that although you are the first dragon in history to have transformed into a kid dragon before even reaching ten years old, even you still need time to transform into the third phase. Your growth may be much faster than other dragons, but even so, it seems that a certain amount of time is required for the transformation to take place."

He paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in before continuing. "Because of that, they decided that rather than simply waiting for you to become stronger through natural transformation, it would be better for you to actively strengthen yourself by forming circles. That way, you can continue progressing without being hindered by time," Gracen explained in a patient tone.

Renan processed everything carefully. It made sense. Even if he was special, there were still natural limits in place. If forming circles was the best way for him to grow stronger, then that was what he should do.

"I see," Renan muttered to himself before looking back at his father with newfound determination. "Then I will start forming the second circle immediately," he said and got ready to form his second circle but was stopped by Gracen.

Gracen smiled at Renan’s determination, feeling proud of him. "That’s the spirit," he said before placing a hand on Renan’s shoulder. "But don’t rush the things Renan. Strength is important, but so is stability. Take your time to master each circle before moving on to the next one."

Renan nodded in understanding. "I understand, Father."

Gracen gave a small chuckle before patting Renan’s head once again. However, this time, it was only a light pat—nothing like the excessive rubbing from earlier.

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"Good," he said, "Now that you have formed your first circle, it’s time to start working on stabilizing it and making sure it functions properly. That way, when you create your next circle, you won’t have any problems."

Renan nodded once more, feeling excited about what was coming next. And after that, Renan continued to train with Gracen, who guided him every step of the way with patience and gentleness.

But unlike Renan, who was being taught with patience and care, someone else was not. Somewhere in another part of the castle stood a door identical to the one leading to Renan’s training ground, and from the other side of the room, loud sounds echoed.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

If one were to look inside, they would see an arena similar to Renan’s. However, unlike Renan’s, this arena was gold, as if made entirely of pure gold. Every part of it gleamed with a golden shine, creating a striking contrast to the scene unfolding within. In the center of the arena stood two figures facing each other—or more accurately, one was standing while the other was kneeling on one knee.

The one kneeling far from the standing figure was none other than Namari, and she was not in good shape.

Her left leg was missing, cleanly severed from the knee, while her right arm was also gone. Unlike her leg, which had been cut off neatly, her arm looked as if it had been violently torn away, leaving behind a ragged wound. Blood poured from both injuries like a fountain, but those wounds seemed almost minor compared to the gaping hole in her stomach. The wound was the size of an arm as if someone had thrust their hand through her body from front to back. Overall, she looked like she was on the brink of death.

"Huuu~haaa," she took deep, labored breaths, greedily trying to lessen the pain as much as possible, but it seemed to have little effect. Having no idea what else to do, she slowly lifted her gaze from the ground to the man standing a short distance away.

He stood tall, looking down at her, his expression unreadable. Then, in a deep voice, he spoke.

"Give up, Namari."