The moment Sherry absorbed the blood-red Beast Core, a surge of warmth washed over her body.
It felt so good that a sigh escaped her lips.
She felt like she was taking a refreshing bath after walking in the hot desert for a day. With eyes closed, she could feel every fiber of her being revitalized.
A few seconds later, she fell into a daze as her body gradually adapted to the new strength that the Beast Core was bestowing her.
In order to become a Rookie, one needed to collect 200 Rank 1 Cores, or something equivalent to it.
A Rank 1 Core gave 1 point.
A Rank 2 Core gave 5 points.
A Rank 3 Core gave 10 Points.
A rank 4 Core gave 100 Points.
Last, but not the least, a Rank 5 Core gave 500 points.
The disparity in Ranks was different for Rank 4 and Rank 5 Monsters.
In order to secure a good foundation while one was still a Rookie, absorbing the highest-ranked cores possible was recommended. That said, at least one Rank 4 Beast Core was enough to give one a great advantage.
But the benefits a Rank 5 Beast Core gave, especially if it belonged to an Alpha or a Sovereign Monster, were significantly much greater.
It was not simply one plus one equals two.
It was more like one plus one equals one hundred.
It broke common sense, but breaking the limits was something Wanderers ought to do.
Completing hard and sometimes near-impossible missions was their way of survival.
Rank 5 was the limit that someone below the Rookie Rank could absorb.
Anything higher would make their bodies implode.
This was what made Thirteen an anomaly.
Not only did he absorb the Core of a Majin Prince, but he also gained Arundel’s signature ability, the Disintegrator Skill.
And despite the fact that he was a mere Rookie, his strength rivaled that of a Master.
He was an anomaly that would never appear a second time in the worlds of Pangea and Solterra.
After a few minutes of silence, clarity returned in Sherry’s eyes.
Although her rank didn’t change, she felt more powerful than she ever felt in her life.
“Congratulations,” Thirteen said with a smile. “Now, all you need to do is survive this Chain Quest, and you will become one of the Prodigies of your current generation.”
“You’re also part of my current generation,” Sherry replied in a teasing tone. “Compared to you, I dare not call myself a prodigy.”
“Well, I’m just built differently,” Thirteen smirked. “Don’t compare yourself to me. There’s no Rookie stronger than me in both worlds.”
Sherry nodded in agreement.
She had already met many Rookies in her life, and she was certain that Zion’s presence was different from theirs, and he seemed bigger than life itself.
“So what skill did you acquire?” Thirteen asked.
“Let me check first,” Sherry replied before opening her status page.
As soon as her gaze landed on the new skills that she gained, her eyes widened in surprise. With a single glance, she noticed that she didn’t get just one skill, but three skills at once.
“Silk Threads, Camouflage, and Wall Crawling,” Sherry said in a daze. “I got these three skills from the Beast Core.”
Thirteen rubbed his chin because this was clearly something that Metatron did beforehand.
Just based on the three skills Sherry gained, he could already imagine her becoming an assassin.
The Silk Threads were strong and elastic at the same time. They could be used to bind and strangle their targets.
The Wall Crawling was easy to understand because it gave her the ability to walk on walls like a spider.
The Camouflage was also a no-brainer. With this skill set, it was very obvious that Sherry would become a nimble and stealthy fighter if needed be.
Clearly, Metatron went all-out to do the teenage boy a favor as if making sure that he would gain another strong subordinate.
“Test your skills here, but make sure that you do not ever show it to others unless absolutely necessary,” Thirteen said in a serious tone. “Don’t hesitate to use it when your life is in danger. A trump card is only good if you are alive and able to use it.”
Sherry nodded in understanding and began to test her newly acquired skills.
It took her a while to get the hang of using her abilities, and with Thirteen’s help, her eyes were opened to new possibilities on how to use her skills more effectively.
For example, she could use throwing knives and attach a silk thread to their handles.
This allowed her to retrieve them when needed or spin them around like a deadly lasso.
Of course, she would need to train on how to do it properly lest she accidentally hurt herself instead, but since she could enter the Mobile Fortress with Thirteen’s permission, she could train without worrying about people spying on her ability.
Ratatoskr, who had been watching over the Shard of Origin inside the Mobile Fortress, looked at the young lady and decided to spar with her a bit.
Since he was stronger than the young lady, he held back his strength by a bit, allowing Sherry to gain some combat experience.
Two hours later, they left the Mobile Fortress and returned to the outside world, only to find Erica waiting for them in their wagon.
The Sorceress eyed the girl who always called her Auntie and arched an eyebrow after sensing that something was different from her.
“Did the two of you do it?” Erica asked in a teasing tone. “Sherry feels completely different now.”
The young lady, who had just been teased, was rather innocent, so she didn’t understand the innuendo Erica was hinting at. As a response, she only tilted her head to the side.
Thirteen was just as pure and confused as her. So he decided to ask Erica what she meant, which made the Sorceress cough lightly because the two were still too clean-minded to understand what she was trying to say.
In the end, she decided to change the topic and asked why Sherry felt different compared to before.
Since the Sorceress was someone whom he trusted, Thirteen told her everything, which made Erica feel a bit envious of the teenage girl who was a few years younger than her.
“But how did you manage to downgrade the Beast Core?” Erica asked with a frown. “Is that even possible?”
“I have my ways,” Thirteen replied in a heartbeat. “Don’t think too much about it.”
Erica knew that if Zion didn’t want to tell her, it meant that he had a reason for not telling her.
She was already happy enough that he had been honest about Sherry’s new abilities and congratulated her for riding on the Zion Bus, which gave her a smooth ride during her First Wandering.
After a brief chat, the three went to sleep.
The Lizardmen stood vigil, while the Wanderers rested for the night.
The Lizardmen knew that when morning came, their commander, along with all six hundred Wanderers, would enter the portal and find the truth behind why the other Lizardmen had never been able to return after entering the portal that led to the unknown.