Six more days had passed.
Almost all our practical exams were over.
All but one — the Spirit Realm Simulation.
Since the whole purpose of that class was to prepare Cadets for the harrowing threats lurking in the Spirit Realm, it made sense that our final exam would take place inside it.
Yes.
Inside the actual Spirit Realm.
Not a simulation dome.
And naturally, our examiner would be Selene Valkryn.
Tomorrow morning, she’d take us back to her Sanctuary. Once there, we’d get a full day to rest before she’d assign us our objectives.
We wouldn’t be thrown into untamed wilds. Not with her around — and not with the exam happening in the bounds of her own Sanctuary. There wouldn’t be any real dangers.
Of course, that didn’t mean the exam would be easy.
Or safe.
It would still be difficult. Still dangerous.
…But that was tomorrow. There was still some time for it.
So right now, instead of stressing about it like my peers, I was sitting cross-legged in the middle of my living room, doing what I’d been doing for the last few weeks — shattering Essence Stones and trying to break through my Soul Rank.
Each time I cracked one of those glowing crystals, raw Essence spilled out, and I absorbed it using my Circulation Technique.
My mind had gone numb. My hands trembled from the countless Stones I’d broken. My breathing was ragged from how close I was…
Close to ascension.
Close to shattering my current Soul Rank.
A storm was raging inside me.
And it was only getting louder.
I could feel it.
So much Essence was constantly clashing inside me that I could feel it — psychically, yes, but also physically.
The pressure was supposed to be spiritual. It was supposed to be in my soul. But it felt visceral. Like my bones were humming. Like thunder was rolling through my bloodstream.
I was still a C-ranker.
C-rankers weren’t supposed to feel Essence like this.
Not directly. Not naturally.
But right now, I could. That’s how close I was.
And then, after cracking a few more Stones — something inside me snapped all of a sudden.
“Gaaah!”
It hit me like lightning.
A white-hot surge of agony erupted in my solar plexus — right where my Essence Pool was.
“Khuu…!”
My breath hitched. I choked on it. My vision blurred. The world swam. And every nerve in my body lit up like wildfire.
I collapsed backward, eyes squeezed, body drenched in sweat, every muscle twitching. My heart pounded so fast it felt like it would punch through my ribs.
I couldn’t even breathe properly. Only taking in short ragged gasps, like I was being crushed from the inside out.
It lasted only a few minutes, but the sensation devoured me.
Then… slowly… it faded.
The pain didn’t vanish all at once. It merely receded — pulled back like the tide.
And in its place, something new took hold.
Stillness.
Weightlessness.
…Power.
I opened my eyes, took a few shallow breaths, and felt everything in my surroundings more thoroughly.
Not just the room around me — like the chair in the corner or the low flicker of the electric fireplace — but also inside me. Every tendon. Every muscle fiber. Every vein… pulsing with new energy.
My soul felt… expanded.
Like I’d been peering through a pinhole, and now the blindfold had been torn away.
There was space inside me I hadn’t known existed — deep, vast, and awake.
And the Essence…
I could sense it now.
Not as an idea. Not something vague or metaphysical. I could sense its swirling currents in the air, drifting like embers on a breeze.
And when I breathed in, I didn’t just absorb it — I guided it inside me. Easily.
“What the…” I blinked, my breath catching somewhere between a laugh and a gasp.
I’d felt Essence before. I could manipulate it before with my Circulation Technique. But not like this.
This was different.
I wasn’t using my breath to control the flow. I was commanding it with a thought. Not forcing — compelling.
I could guide this mythical energy. Instinctively.
It responded to me.
I reached out with my will, and it moved.
It listened.
I lifted my hand and, with a flicker of intent, pulled a thread of Essence from my core. It traveled up my arm and reinforced my fingers.
I’d never been able to strengthen such small parts of my body before. Not like this. I couldn’t even feel this power before.
And now?
Now it felt addicting.
Like touching lightning without the burn.
I guided the flow downward, into my chest, through my spine, and into my legs. I could feel it fortifying me everywhere it traveled — muscles, joints, even the fragile ligaments between bones.
My legs buzzed with strength.
My arms felt lighter. Stronger.
I could feel the explosive force beneath my skin. It felt raw and untamed.
“This… is so fucking cool,” I stood with a laugh and it felt wrong.
Not because I was unsteady. But because I wasn’t.
There was no weakness. No ache in my knees. No stiffness in my joints.
My body moved like it had been reforged.
The sluggish weight I hadn’t even realized I’d been dragging around was now gone.
I clenched my fists and heard the subtle creak of Essence-woven bone.
I inhaled and the air didn’t just enter me.
It welcomed me.
No… it fed me.
And I felt something else, too. The world — it was different now.
Sharper. Brighter. More alive. More colorful.
My heart thudded, slow and sure now.
The storm was still raging inside me.
But it didn’t hurt anymore.
Now, I could control that storm.
It was done.
I had broken through.
I wasn’t a C-ranker anymore.
I could feel it without even looking.
But I checked to confirm anyway.
====
Name: Samael Kaizer Theosbane
Spirit Essence: 1000 / 50,000
Soul Rank: B (Absorb 49,000 Essence to level up)
Soul Potential: SS
Origin Card: Matterweave
Acquired Cards: Quickstrike (Common) || Piercing Bolt (Common) || Battle Reflex (Common) || Flame Lash (Common) || Bleeding Edge (Common) || Fire Arrow (Common) || Barrier Breaker (Common) || Vortex Pull (Common)
====
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Matterweave, huh?”
The name of my Origin Card had changed from «Materiokinesis» to «Matterweave.»
I wasn’t shocked by it.
It wasn’t anything unheard of.
An Origin Card’s name is derived from the Rune etched on its surface. The Appraisal Card reads that Rune and translates its meaning into the user’s preferred language.
And as a person’s Soul Rank evolves, so does their Origin Card. Its Rune changes, along with its powers.
Consequently, its name changes as well.
So, since the name of my Origin Card shifted from «Materiokinesis» — indicative of the crude, raw manipulation of matter — to «Matterweave», which felt more elegant and intricate, I knew I had definitely received a buff.
But what exactly was the nature of that buff?
I had no idea.
I would have to head down to the private Training Hall to find out for myself.
Nothing beats firsthand experience, after all.
I stretched once more, relishing the subtle crack of my joints as they realigned with divine precision.
“Right,” I muttered, clapping my hands once. “Training Hall time.”
I turned, took a single step—
—and froze.
Because out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of myself in the mirror.
And for some reason… I stopped.
I mean, yes, I’d seen myself before. Daily, in fact. Occasionally shirtless. Often smug. Sometimes both.
But this time was different.
I took a step closer.
Then another.
Then leaned in like I was inspecting a suspicious artifact.
“…Well, hello there,” I whispered suggestively.
My reflection stared back with dangerous levels of charisma.
My skin was glowing. Like I’d moisturized with the tears of angels.
My hair was thicker. Shinier. Bouncier. Was it also… glossier?
My eyes, on the other hand, had this unnatural clarity now. Brighter. Sharper. Sparkling like I had a beauty filter on.
I blinked. Then smirked. “…My god. I look like the final boss of a dating sim.”
I did a slow spin.
No cape. No flashy new outfit. I wasn’t even wearing a proper shirt — just a sleeveless vest. But something about my looks now screamed: ‘You can’t afford to gaze at me, peasant.’
I flexed my fingers and casually struck a half-heroic pose. “That’s it. I’m a problem now.”
I mean, I was hot before.
But now I was downright a jade beauty!
Then I leaned in again, real serious, and whispered to my reflection, “You glorious bastard. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not the main character.”
With a smirk, I turned away while sighing dramatically.
…Then tripped over a stray Essence Stone.
Face-planted into the carpet with a dull thud.
I groaned, still face-down.
“…Okay. Maybe second lead. For now.”