Chapter 43: A Monster

'Phew...I'm halfway done.' Desire thought as he looked at his Core.

He then turned his eyes towards the long line of mana originating from the Magic Core of a monster.

The amount and the thickness of the mana were less than before, but it was still plenty for Desire, who only had two mana.

The time that he spent to make the mana look like this is between 4 hours, but Desire couldn't feel the time passing.

No...he could feel it, but he was confident that it wasn't 4 hours.

After all, Desire felt the pressure inside and made his sense of time waver and blurry that he felt like he was practicing the Heavenly Demon Trait.

However, because he already had experience in doing something like this, Desire could quickly adapt.

Desire could move even under the pressure of the monster's mana, and he could also stand the pain of having his skin being skinned.

It was proof of his hard work for the past few months.

'Still, why is my Core looking like that...?' Desire thought as he swam to look at his core better.

He had his hands stretched out to the mana so that he could keep them in check.

It was quite amazing that he was capable of doing this even though he just started doing it in less than a day.

But, if you think about his Trait, it was completely reasonable.

The Heavenly Demon Trait helped him remember things perfectly even though he only saw it once, kept his emotions in check, and even forced the system.

It was clear that there were still many things hidden inside the Heavenly Demon Trait.

But, Desire knows what exactly was helping him do it. He knew why he could control the mana as if he were an expert and look like he had a huge amount of experience in doing so.

It was due to the Heavenly Demon Trait's guidance. No, if we simplify it, the Heavenly Demon Trait helped him to remember the feeling of controlling the mana.

It was the same as when he remembered what happened inside his body and remembered the No-Attribute Magic book.

And because he remembers the feeling, he knows how to make it better the next time he does control it.

Meaning the Heavenly Demon Trait was increasing his efficiency and maximizing the results with lesser time.

Anyway, Desire was on the way to his Core and tried to inspect it upon seeing the strange happenings.

No...what was strange was that even though he was halfway in completing the task, his Core wasn't being cleaned or anything like that.

Before, his Core was full of dark spots and holes, and now, after hours of hard work, it was still the same.

'Hmmm. Jarina didn't tell me anything about this.'

Jarina told him about what would happen to his Core once he started doing the process.

She told him that it would get cleaner and fuller over time, making his Core look more incredible.

However, the results now aren't the same as what she said.

That was why Desire was lost.

After all, what should he do now that things aren't going his way, and his instructor hasn't told him about what to do if ever this happens?

At the very least, Desire wasn't some intelligent kid that could come up with solutions every time he is faced with problems like this one.

'Should I just continue...or?'

If a student or a person was lost in a study, it is normal to ask the instructor for more detailed instructions.

However, the situation doesn't permit Desire to do so.

After all, there were so many unknown factors here that could affect the results.

If Desire were to leave now, what would happen to the outstretched line of mana? What would happen to his Core? What would happen to him if ever he returned his consciousness to his body?

These questions made him unable to go even think about going back.

'Phew. Why is my Core acting like this at this point?'

Desire was so frustrated at this cycle of looking and thinking that he just straight out blamed his Core for being like this.

Well, it wasn't unreasonable for him to do so.

After all, the time was running out. And in this process, Jarina told him that time was as important as the Core.

This process has a time limit because things could get ugly if unknown and unfamiliar mana stays inside a person's body for a longer time.

In this case, the Magic Core's mana is staying inside Desire's body, and if ever it reaches a certain point, it could disrupt Desire's own mana.

'However, I could feel the effects even if my Core is still like that...'

And the reason why this Cleansing is important is because of its special characteristics of being beneficial to a person, even with its risks.

A dirty Core could have a much better effect and results of being enhanced with a Magic Core than with how it is with a clean Core.

However, this fact only applies to children. Adults or teens who have dirty Core are already crippled and cannot store mana in their Cores.

After all, what would they clean if their Core is already broken?

There are some special cases when a person could receive a second or a third cleansing, but those are very rare.

After all, what the people do when they have already undergone a cleansing is just enhancing their Cores. It's the same, but the effects aren't really great.

It was then.

Because Desire kept looking at the Core that is still the same and the mana that is steadily flowing inside, he suddenly had an idea.

He then swam to the point where the mana was flowing, and when he saw it, he nodded his head.

'It should be possible...' Desire thought as he looked back at his Core.

And when he thought about the benefits to come, he compared it with the risks.

And Desire's answer to that was...

'I'll do it!'

****

"Yawn~" A yawn resounded out in the room as Jarina stretched her arms and legs.

It was already about time Desire finished his work, but he didn't show any signs of waking up.

However, Jarina wasn't really worried about him.

After all, Jarina could feel something amazing building up in Desire's body.

"I still can't identify what it is..." Jarina looked at Desire, who was concentrating deeply.

His body was still the same as before in that veins were appearing all over his smooth skin, sweat was forming on every part of his body, and his face was looking roughed up.

Jarina spent the time here just watching Desire's funny reactions every time he moved the mana.

Even if Desire got better at controlling doesn't mean the pressure is less than before; it was quite a funny experience for Jarina to see Desire's cool and calm face disturbed so badly.

She intended to do the same this time, so she had an expectant face, but...

"Kuha!" Desire coughed blood.

The blood splattered on the ground and his legs, tainting whatever it touched.

"W-what?" Jarina became flustered at the sudden cough of blood, but she wasn't really panicking.

Because this was a common occurrence in this process, but...

"D-desire is failing in this?"

Jarina knows Desire practiced Cold-blooded and got something better. Just from this fact, Jarina predicted that this process should be a piece of cake for Desire.

However, as if it were to tell her she was wrong...

"Kuhaaa!" Another cough of blood escaped Desire's mouth.

Blood flowed from his nose as well, and his breathing got rough.

Jarina bit her lips when she saw this.

After all, she didn't know what to do in this situation. Even if Desire was coughing blood, he was still in the process of Cleansing.

If Jarina were to wake him up abruptly, things could get even more ugly than what it is now.

It was then.

A light escaped from Desire's hand...from the Magic Core that he was holding, and this light caught Jarina's eyes.

This light lasted for more than a second, and then...

"Dust?" Jarina said as she looked at the Magic Core. However, she didn't have the time to mind the dust that was once before the Magic Core.

Why? It was because she felt it.

"W-what the hell..." This time, Jarina was completely shocked. She couldn't keep her cool anymore as she muttered while dazedly staring at Desire.

Blood was flowing out of Desire's every pore, and he was also crying tears of blood.

It was the sight of a monster!

However, Jarina ignored that as she felt Desire's power rose as if it were unchained.

"Uahhh!!" Desire's body shouted out involuntarily.

And Jarina witnessed it all with shaking eyes; fear was evident in her expression.

Why?

It was because of the power that was inside of Desire, yet Jarina could feel that it was somehow staring at her face to face!

"W-what..."

The killing intent of that power was so intense that it made Jarina go weak in the knees and made her fall to the ground.

As she looked at Desire dazedly, she muttered, her feelings bared.

"M-monster..."

At that moment, she knew that she was looking at a monster, a monster greater than her.