Inner Core (4)
Cheonma told me. Inner Cores are one of the most precious treasures out there. The moment even one hits the market, the whole world goes nuts. Martial artists pour tons of time into breaking through to the next realm. Unless you've got some freakish talent, it's damn hard to transcend time itself and snag that mana. That's why they crave Inner Cores. Just one could catapult you to the next level.
Inner Core again?! YasaengGrill (photo of a red Inner Core)
Woke up after crashing hard from being sick yesterday. Washed up right away and got to prepping fish for today when—bam—what's this? Another Inner Core popped out? Should I just toss it up on the auction house?
└Cheonma You're awake. I was worried when you stopped posting for a while yesterday.
└YasaengGrill As soon as I memorized the incantation, I passed out cold. Is that normal?
└Cheonma I've never heard of that before. This lady suspects your body couldn't handle the internal power and went into self-defense mode.
└YasaengGrill But my body's all good now, so it should be fine, right?
└Cheonma If you're fine, then it's fine. What do you plan to do with that Inner Core?
└How much?
└Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme
└How do we even know it's real lol I'll eat it and check
That was the dilemma. Who should I give this Inner Core to? Deep down, I wanted to hand it off to the high-nics who've helped me out. But even that wasn't straightforward.
└YasaengGrill Gotta prioritize the folks who've helped me.
└SwordTasteStar I'm good, thanks.
└YasaengGrill Anyone but SwordTasteStar.
└SwordTasteStar ?
└YasaengGrill Kidding lol. Want it?
└SwordTasteStar I don't wanna get healthy. You can give the mandrake to someone else, but I can't accept that, so don't offer.
└Cheonma Treating an Inner Core like some trinket? Are you really at that level?
└SwordTasteStar Yes.
└Cheonma So bold... this lady can't even argue.
SwordTasteStar turned it down, saying she didn't want to get healthy. Fair enough. What about the others? I waited for their replies.
└YasaengGrill High-nics that come to mind: PassingDwarf, StarlightPrincess, ChangguPrincess, SunForever, Olfather? Something like that?
└StarlightPrincess I've received so much already... Give it to someone else.
StarlightPrincess was first to reply. Not as active as Cheonma, but one of the steady high-nics who always comments. Seeing she didn't need it, I replied.
└YasaengGrill You sure you don't need it? No interest in taking better care of your health?
└StarlightPrincess I'm plenty satisfied as is. Body management matters more than mana anyway.
└YasaengGrill Body management?
└StarlightPrincess Yeah. I started exercising yesterday. Never done it before, so I'm totally hooked. Even named Wonmo "Hellin" after that, so maybe she's turning into a gym rat herself.
She'd spent most of her life bedridden, so yeah, that thirst for exercise made sense. Anyway, StarlightPrincess passed too, so time to wait on the others.
└ChangguPrincess Doesn't really appeal to me~ Selling it would be iffy, and giving it away's tricky too~
└YasaengGrill You wouldn't eat it yourself, Changgu?
└ChangguPrincess Nah, don't need it~ Would love to give it to the Chaeyu players though~
└Dude you'd get snatched up for real
└Inner Cores count as drugs?
└Not drugs, but they check for sudden mana spikes.
└But aren't Inner Cores legal? They're Inner Cores.
└ChangguPrincess Legal, but not exactly ethical~. And what's the point of more mana? Sports ban mana use.
└Yeah, ChangguPrincess is right. More mana ain't always good.
└Some players hit enlightenment and tanked hard after, right?
└Enlightenment but slumping? Why?
└Body balance goes to hell. They use mana without realizing and get DQ'd.
└YasaengGrill Then how about some clothes instead?
└ChangguPrincess Don't really have a use for 'em~. Sorry~. I'll just give you clothes~
└YasaengGrill Got any long pants...?
└ChangguPrincess None on hand, but I can get some if you want~. Uniform material?
└YasaengGrill Yeah. Trade for that?
└ChangguPrincess Chaeyu fighting is all I need~
└YasaengGrill Chaeyu fighting! Rooting for the win!
└ChangguPrincess Love it~ haha
└lololololol
└Chaeyu wins lololol
└KingLeor Hilarious af lolol
└KingLeor lololol Excuse me, Grills. Know Chaeyu's current ranking?
└YasaengGrill What's their rank?
└ChangguPrincess Shut it. Before you get perma'd.
└KingLeor Ooh scary haha So Chaeyu? A solid 8th!
└YasaengGrill Kinda low. How many matches left?
└ChangguPrincess 5 left, but it's fine~ haha Challengers is tough, but she'll make Masters Cup~
└KingLeor Talk after Challengers lol
Here they go again. Those two bicker a lot, especially KingLeor picking on ChangguPrincess every time. Didn't look like friendly rivalry to me. She'd helped me out, after all.
└YasaengGrill That's enough. Anyway, ChangguPrincess—you don't need it?
└ChangguPrincess Nope~. Can't give to players either~
└YasaengGrill Got it. Changgu fighting!
└ChangguPrincess Thanks~ haha
└KingLeor Cheer for Leor too.
└YasaengGrill Not into bat-people haha
└ChangguPrincess Even better~. Grabbing those pants quick~
ChangguPrincess passed too, so onto the next.
└Olfather As I said before, my body's not one that can handle an Inner Core. Give it to someone else.
└YasaengGrill Got it.
└Olfather I'd prefer rare creatures over that.
└SunForever Auction it. Don't try scamming me for cash.
└YasaengGrill Wasn't planning to...
└SunForever Kidding. Not that interested. The adult mandrake you gave me last time is plenty.
Olfather and SunForever passed. They only take what they need. That left just PassingDwarf...
└PassingDwarf Gimme more mandrakes. For booze.
└YasaengGrill Yeah, should've known better than to ask you. Barrier done?
└PassingDwarf Trade at lunch. Tell me if short.
└YasaengGrill No Inner Core payment?
└PassingDwarf Booze or bust.
└YasaengGrill ;;;
The dwarf was just a booze hound. Dwarves and their alcohol. Every high-nic I knew had turned it down. Cheonma already had one and said too much is too much.
'Screw it.'
No more agonizing. I listed the Inner Core on the auction house. But prepping fish came first. Guts and heads to Wonmo, cleaned the insides like yesterday. Hose flowed fine today.
'Tasted good.'
Solid breakfast, then fix up the hideout with that energy. Install the barrier at lunch. Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
The cast-iron pan from the auction house. Fish on top, crisping golden. Scales off, salted perfectly, fillets diced. Whole fish yesterday was a hassle.
"Here, Wonmo. Eat up."
I didn't hog it all. Gave her some cooked chunks—not the whole pan, chopsticks instead. Korean habit; chopsticks over forks.
"Kyuu!"
Wonmo's eyes sparkled as she devoured it. Tiny for her size—appetizer at best. Meat later.
"You want some?"
Offered well-done fish to Ppareumbo. Knew he was herbivore, but maybe.
Nod—
Ppareumbo nodded slowly, accepting. Thought he was grass-only? Nah, he'd tried stealing fish before.
Chopsticks to his mouth.
Sloooow—
Sloooow—
"...Eat faster, damn it."
Even opening his mouth was glacial. Yet this sloth threatened me at world's fastest speed. Unfathomable.
Fed both, now fill my belly. Less than yesterday after sharing, but fine. They'd eyed me jealously last time. Guilty vibes.
'Plenty anyway.'
Arm-spanning fish. A few bites won't starve me. Yesterday's fever? Overeating, maybe. Or Cheonma's "too much energy" verdict.
"Tasty."
Belly full post-fish. Fish bones as toothpicks. Zero waste. Bury scraps.
'Time to move.'
No slacking. Not settling here forever.
'Internal power method first.'
Full stomach, circulate mana via the method. Recited Cheonma's incantation. Poetic and tricky, but imagery helped.
'First one's like this... how bad's the second?'
Not some epic like Gwandongbyeolgok, hopefully. That'd be hell to memorize.
'Gotta anyway.'
Circulated mana, focused. Stronger, more domineering than yesterday. Not calm river—raging waves. Good; spun faster.
"...".
Finished, eyes open slow. Ppareumbo's dozy face right there.
"Gah! Scared me!"
"...".
"Ha... you and your jump scares."
Heart nearly stopped. Good he doesn't interrupt, but too close.
'Wonmo's... napping already.'
Our fluffy furball snoozed hard. Baby stuff: eat, sleep, poop. Poops outside, thankfully.
Wriggle—
Wriggle—
Prep to move, Ppareumbo climbs back. Routine now, but hygiene hit me.
'Hasn't bathed.'
Heat bath water ASAP. Or catch something. Olfather warned: no ticks, but bugs galore. Mold likely. Needs scrubbing like Wonmo.
'Fish done. Perfect timing.'
Cleaned cauldron, filled it. Wait for hot—done. Temp later. Dug barrier spots till then. Square around cave mouth.
Dig! Thunk!
'Digging's easy?'
Like logging. Shovel light as feather. Internal power perks. Manual labor? Cakewalk.
"...Already?"
Too easy. Under 30 minutes, base done. Slot barriers, dirt back—finished. Trees in way? Log later.
Boom! Crash! Crunch!
Logging? 30 minutes. Felt like smashing now. Core snap, kick—down. Too fast. Unnerving power spike.
'Good's good.'
Scratched head at fallen trees, shrugged. Auctioned all but one for firewood.
Bath water bubbled gently. Not boiling, good.
"Your turn now."
"...".
Wriggle—
Wriggle—
Got it? Down from back. Thought self-bath, but fled inside. Hates it, slowpoke.
"Hey no. Here."
"...".
Grabbed him, aimed for cauldron. Tried to. Clung to arm.
Squeeze!
Shivering. Scared? Arrow-catching speedster?
"...Hey."
"...".
"Hate baths?"
No answer. Mute anyway. Stubborn = hates baths.
Can't skip hygiene. Shoved gently.
Whoosh! Swish! Whoosh!
Dodged lightning-fast. Slipped like tree-climber. Deathly fear of water?
"Argh! Do what you want! Forget it!"
"...".
Gave up. He eased up.
"—Knew you'd say that?!"
"?!"
Feint, punk. Snagged arm mid-relax. One arm pinned—done.
Splash!
Wrong. Swung free arm—cauldron shattered, water everywhere.
He could do something.
"...".
"...".
Silence. Stared at Ppareumbo. He stared back. Face said: What can you do?
Another L today. 1-0 him.