The Inner Core and the Explosion

As planned. "Hoo... Hoo..." This was the moment of peak tension. To consume the inner core of the Bear Lord, what I needed was a thoroughly trained body and the ability to gently guide the core's energy using mana. But since I couldn't handle mana at all, I had no choice but to use a workaround.

Thank goodness I have the mana stone.

A mana stone crafted by condensing a magic stone. And not just any—it was a top-grade mana stone. Originally I'd planned to settle for a mid-grade one, but the amount of money involved was so substantial that I revised the plan. There were several ways to apply mana even without possessing any, but among the methods that involved throwing money at the problem, mine was the only truly safe one.

Place the mana stone in the center and evenly insert fifty mana needles across my entire body.

I couldn't reach my back on my own, so I asked the innkeeper auntie for help. Once all the mana needles were in place, the next step was to seal the space as tightly as possible. I taped over every single gap until not even a single molecule of air could escape, then sat back down.

Now... from here on out...

This was the stage of consuming the inner core—the part where I became both omega and alpha. The most critical precaution when eating an inner core was to shatter the top-grade mana stone the instant I swallowed it. The boiling heat that erupted from the core could cause me to lose consciousness in that brief ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moment, so I had to stay absolutely focused.

Gulp. Crack!

The moment I swallowed the inner core, I shattered the mana stone and immediately assumed a lotus position, directing every ounce of my focus into my breathing. If you broke a mana stone at a precise angle and position, it wouldn't explode—instead it would turn into powder and scatter through the air. That floating mana stone dust was pure mana itself, and the mana needles could absorb it.

Then, by guiding the absorbed mana along the paths created by the needles to replace my body's natural flow...?

Inhale... Exhale...

Even someone without mana could operate it after consuming an inner core. Of course, it only worked once per mana stone, and failure meant the risk of every blood vessel and nerve in my body rupturing. But since freshness was everything with an inner core, I had no choice but to rush.

I need to keep my mind steel-tight. My concentration absolutely cannot waver.

The most important thing was circulation. I had to move the muscles around each embedded needle bit by bit, gently guiding the inner core's energy so it could flow smoothly. I could never act hastily. Even when moving the energy from one needle to the next, I had to be extremely careful. The mindset was that it was fine even if it took hours—as long as the energy kept moving.

I never forgot that, and continued focusing solely on circulating the inner core's energy throughout my body.

Hoo... Hoo...

Slowly. Extremely slowly. I took deep breaths and kept the energy moving without pause. I didn't need to worry about the mana dissipating whenever my concentration slipped for even a split second. That's why I'd sealed every gap in the room. As long as I kept absorbing the scattered mana in the air through the needles and spread the energy into every corner of my body, that was enough.

To put it in perspective, it was like driving an eight-ton truck across a narrow wooden bridge while being given the absolute minimum amount of fuel. If the steering wheel so much as twitched, death was immediate. But if I could stay perfectly composed and maintain perfect posture, an enormous reward awaited.

Don't get impatient. That's exactly why I made sure to defeat the Bear Lord as quickly as possible. I can take it slow for the next six days.

The Bear Lord's energy was ferocious and violent, as if it could tear through my skin and roar at any moment. The power that started in my stomach and spread through my body like a spiderweb felt ready to rip me apart at any second. And because this wasn't an ordinary spiritual beast but one born from repeated slaughter, its energy was unbearably toxic.

The resentment of those who died meaningless deaths, the sins of toying with others' lives at will—all of it was condensed within the inner core, desperately trying to drag me down into the abyss. It cursed me, resenting me for trying to use its power, calling me no different from the monster itself.

But.

All of it is an illusion.

These were nothing but empty delusions born from my own shaken heart. With a rock-solid will that carried zero guilt—only the firm determination to use it solely for myself—I continued moving the energy.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

One full cycle back to my navel. Another full cycle to my heart. One final cycle to my head.

Since my body couldn't sense or use mana, I couldn't send the energy exactly where I wanted. So instead, I simply stored it in those predetermined locations in advance.

Slowly. Continuously. Forgetting even the passage of time. I gradually became something like an idiot whose only thought was to keep the energy flowing.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Finally. When the sound of the second hand became audible again and the stabilization of the energy was completely finished, I took stock of the situation.

How much time has passed?

In truth, the state of the room was far more important than the time. The energy of the inner core and the top-grade mana stone had mixed together, creating an incredibly hot and dense heat. It felt like being forcibly locked inside a steam sauna, unable to leave until I'd finished an impossible amount of homework. A living hell.

If someone were to forcefully open the door right now, there was a risk of explosion. But I'd given the innkeeper auntie extremely strict instructions about that, so there was no need to worry.

This is dangerous.

The stabilization was complete, but the overall situation could hardly be called good. With a mid-grade mana stone, this level of energy containment would have left no mana floating in the air. But a top-grade stone completely ignored such logic and still filled my room with an incredibly thick concentration.

The problem with this was that no one could predict what the mana—now with nowhere to go—might do.

I didn't expect buying something too good would cause problems.

Thanks to that, I'd perfectly contained and digested the inner core. But because its efficacy was so outstanding, the system still hadn't registered it as fully absorbed. It seemed the system wouldn't acknowledge the digestion and grant the rewards until all the mana filling this room had disappeared.

Handling this alone is impossible.

If I moved even slightly by mistake, my muscles would shift and the mana needles would start gathering mana again. At that point, my body—which could no longer handle the mana—would undoubtedly burst apart with a bang.

I couldn't move at all, yet I had to get rid of this densely concentrated mana. There was only one way to resolve this situation.

Or rather, one person.

There's no way they didn't investigate me.

What were the odds that the big shot I'd met in the black market—who'd paid extra for the goods—wouldn't look into my background afterward? The answer was zero percent. Paying a premium for good items meant they had a strong monopolistic desire, and that desire probably didn't stop at objects. Besides, there was no way someone who threw money around so recklessly would leave the person who'd killed the Bear Lord alone.

When I sold the testicles and heart, I thought it might be fine. But the pelt and claws were way too suspicious.

With all the games I'd played, there was no way I'd miss something so obvious and just happily count my money like an idiot. The moment I recalled that thought, as if on cue—

Tap tap tap tap.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Even though I'd specifically asked them not to let anyone in and even slipped them some extra cash, someone was approaching? It was beyond suspicious. If they had business with me, they could have waited quietly. The fact that they couldn't wait and were sneaking over here meant only one thing.

They've got shady intentions.

Tap. Tap. Tap. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Click.

The footsteps stopped right in front of my door. The moment the person I assumed was the big shot's subordinate opened it, a sound like a grenade pin being pulled rang out, and then—

KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!

My room exploded. Or more precisely, the area right outside the door did. And the instant the explosion began, the rewards poured in all at once.

"Hell yeah!"

The moment I saw the rewards, I couldn't help but shout in triumph. This wasn't just success—it was a massive success. And it was all thanks to that big shot who'd diligently investigated me. If not for him, I might have been helplessly trapped inside the mana and slowly withered away.

I can analyze the rewards later.

Since things had worked out so perfectly, there was only one thing left to do.

"Kuhk... Cough..."

The figure gasping for breath, his entire body covered in blood from taking the full brunt of the explosion. The black eyes that stood out against his pale skin revealed his identity.

"Why the hell is a demon following me?"

During the one-week grace period I'd prepared for the academy, there had been a few variables. But the result had never changed.

Everything had gone exactly according to plan.

Not bad.

It was all within the palm of my hand.