Crackle~ crackle~
The soft sound of fire echoed through the dark, silent forest, mixing with the occasional rustle of leaves in the night breeze.
Flames flickered against the deep shadows, casting dancing patterns of light and darkness on the surrounding trees.
The forest, once alive with the sounds of nature, now held an eerie quiet, as if even the beasts had retreated in the wake of the earlier bloodshed.
A skinned wild animal hung over the fire, slowly roasting on a spit fashioned from rough tree branches, its juices sizzling as they dripped into the flames below.
Lucian sat near the fire, the warmth brushing against his skin, though it did little to penetrate the cold air.
His crimson eyes reflected the firelight as he idly fiddled with the spirit stone in his hand, the same stones he had acquired after the earlier confrontation.
Before the man in the obsidian robe, had desperately offered 5 spirit stones, hoping they would be enough to spare his life.
Though Lucian had taken the stones, but his mind had already been set on killing him.
Once the body fell lifeless to the ground, Lucian discovered 3 more spirit stones hidden deep within the man’s robes as well as a thin piece of paper that Lucian assumed was to be the movement talisman.
His search didn’t stop there. From the corpses of the man’s companions — the spear-wielder and the long sword user — Lucian had retrieved one spirit stone from each, bringing his total to 10.
The faint white glow of the stones illuminated his hands, their light as mystical as this new world around him.
He muttered softly, his voice carried by the crackling of the fire, “so this is what they were willing to trade their lives for… Spiritual Energy… fascinating! But how can I use this energy?”
He frowned, staring at the stones in his hand.
“Sigh! I should have asked that man before killing him! What if there was a technique or method they had to refine this energy?”
His eyes glinted with a hint of frustration.
“Do I need to chant some mantra or something?”
Lucian let out a deeper sigh, his breath mingling with the cool night air.
He rolled one of the stones between his fingers, feeling the steady pulse of energy within it.
“This power is so close, yet just out of reach.” He shook his head, lips curling slightly in self-mockery, “was I too hasty? Too ruthless?”
“No… hesitation is weakness. I’ll just find the way on my own, even if it takes time. Did he say something about holding the stones and the body would automatically absorb the energy slowly?”
Pausing for a moment, he clenched the stone in his hand tighter.
The stones, irregular and rough like uncut diamonds, intrigued him.
Lucian turned one over, feeling the cool, solid surface against his fingers.
He couldn’t determine whether they had been naturally formed this way or carefully shaped by someone before they reached his hands.
The pale glow from within seemed to pulse faintly, like a heartbeat frozen in time.
He applied pressure, testing its strength.
But no matter how much force he used, the stone remained unscathed, its glow unwavering.
It had no scent, no taste — just a cold, mystical beauty, as though he held a shard of the heavens themselves.
Suddenly, as he turned the stone over in his palm, he felt a strange warmth spread through his hand.
A surge of energy began to flow from the stone, not outwardly but inward, seeping through his palm.
“I can actually absorb this energy?! And I don’t feel any discomfort, but instead…” Lucian exclaimed, his eyes widening with astonishment.
He closed his eyes, focusing intently on the sensation coursing through his veins.
The sensation was strange, yet extremely intoxicating.
The energy naturally moved along defined pathways within his body, channels he instinctively ‘saw’ but could not yet control.
However, those pathways felt clogged in certain places, blocked, as if something within him was hindering the flow of the energy.
Lucian frowned slightly, though his curiosity more deepened.
“What is this blockage?” he whispered, furrowing his brow in confusion. “Could it be… my reincarnated soul hasn’t fully adapted to this world yet?”
His mind raced, grappling with the idea.
“No, this isn’t right! The soul and the physical body should operate independently. Forget it, let’s take one step at a time.”
This must be spiritual energy, he mused.
It was as though his body had been given water after a long drought, his fatigue and hunger slowly washing away, replaced by a sense of invigoration, even euphoria.
The energy wasn’t just a refreshing sensation; it was fundamentally altering him.
His skin cells seemed to devour the spiritual energy, absorbing it eagerly, like a beast feasting to grow stronger.
The energy coursed through his body like molten fire, spreading from his hand to his limbs, igniting an unexplainable warmth as it slowly flooded every corner of his body.
“So, this is how it works,” Lucian muttered, watching the faint glow radiate from his skin, “a cycle of devouring and growth… like a predator consuming its prey to evolve.”
The energy didn’t merely flow through him; it was merging with him, reshaping him from within on a microscopic level.
Each pulse of power interwove with his very essence, altering his physical body in profound ways.
His very skin began to radiate a faint glow, nourished by the energy as it coursed through him.
Beneath his flesh, in his blood, the energy seemed to take root, mingling with his very essence, strengthening him not just outwardly, but at a cellular level.
Lucian felt his bones hum, his muscles tightening with newfound power, and his blood burning with an otherworldly warmth.
“To grow stronger by devouring… how fitting,” Lucian muttered, a dark smile curling on his lips.
For a moment, he closed his eyes, feeling the rhythm of his own heartbeat slow to match the ‘pulsing’ of the stone.
Then, as the energy gradually built up inside him, ‘something’ snapped.
Crack— Boom––
It was as if an ‘invisible ceiling’ had been shattered within his body.
An inner tremor shook him from the inside, and almost immediately, a thick, tar-like substance began to seep out of his pores.
The smell was extremely foul, the residue black and vile, covering his skin like filth.
Lucian quickly stood and removed his clothing, allowing the black impurities to pour out of him, staining the ground beneath his feet.
A wave of comfort washed over him as the dark substances left his body, releasing pent-up energy and tension.
Each drop that fell felt like a weight lifted, as if he were shedding layers of burden that had clung to him for too long.
The process lasted nearly five minutes, his body seemingly purging itself of its past weaknesses.
When it finally stopped, Lucian felt lighter, his senses even sharper than before, and his connection to the spiritual energy within the spirit stones felt even more profound than few moments before.
The stone in his hand had dimmed, its once vibrant glow fading until it crumbled into dust, scattering like whispers in the wind.
With this transformation, now he was left with only nine spirit stones.
“Is this… the Body Strengthening Realm?” Lucian muttered, feeling his body anew.
His skin had become more resilient, his muscles denser, and his reflexes faster. Even his blood felt thicker with vitality.
“It’s like I’ve been reborn!”
“But didn’t he say I can’t directly absorb this energy otherwise my body would burst? Is my physical constitution really that powerful?”
Doubt crept into his mind, mingling with his exhilaration.
But before he could continue his thoughts,
Gurgle~
His stomach growled, a primal hunger rising within him.
Lucian didn’t hesitate.
He reached for the wolf’s fur and wiped off the remaining impurities from his body, cleaning himself with the rough pelt.
The sensation was coarse, yet he paid it no mind.
“The more I appear ragged, the more convincing my struggle becomes. Let them think I’ve suffered greatly…” he whispered, chuckling darkly to himself.
Once clean, Lucian turned his attention to the roasting wolf.
Tearing into the meat, he ate swiftly, the flavors exploding in his mouth.
The rich, smoky taste of the wild wolf meat filled his senses, its fat dripping down his chin.
It was tender, savory, with a slight char from the flames, its natural oils enhancing the flavor.
As Lucian devoured the meat, savoring every bite, his gaze shifted toward the still-alive wolf tied nearby.
The beast, trembling in fear, stared at him with wide eyes, its body shivering uncontrollably.
Lucian smirked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“And as for you…” he muttered darkly, approaching the beast that lay crippled, unable to escape.
The creature shivered, its eyes wide with terror as Lucian slowly uncorked the poison-filled bottle.
With deliberate care, he let a single drop fall onto its skin, ensuring none of the deadly liquid touched him.
As soon as the poison hit, smoke rose from the creature’s body, followed by an agonizing scream that pierced the quiet night.
Lucian muttered to himself, his voice low and cold, “such a small drop, yet it burns straight through you. This is some good stuff.”
The stench of burning flesh filled the air, and Lucian’s lips twisted into a satisfied grin.