Chapter 4
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Dual Cores and a Hidden Enemy
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‘That was a close call at the end. One wrong move and I could have died or been crippled.’
Bone Metamorphosis involves several stages.
Purifying impurities with White (白), forging with Fire (火), strengthening with Earth (土), and ensuring flow with Water (水).
Each step was a difficult process.
The most difficult was the final stage, the process of Dream (夢).
‘Because I had to artificially experience enlightenment.’
Bone Metamorphosis was a supernatural phenomenon.
The body is completely transformed to match one's enlightenment.
Therefore, I had to induce an artificial experience of enlightenment.
‘The Dream Stone is essential for that. Luckily, I got one easily.’
Using a secret art, I achieved Bone Metamorphosis through the artificial enlightenment experienced with the Dream Stone.
Chris let out a long sigh.
A breath incomparably clearer than before escaped him.
His appearance had also changed dramatically.
His scrawny body remained. That was from living a wasted life, his muscles having atrophied.
But his internal condition was completely different.
He was now in the optimal state for learning swordsmanship.
Furthermore, his very bone structure had improved, so once he put on some weight and built muscle, his external appearance would become ideal.
His face had changed too.
He still looked ill-tempered.
But as the foul energy that had accumulated in his skin and blood vessels drained away, his face cleared up, and an air of dignity flowed from him.
He had gained the appearance of a noble, aristocratic young master.
‘And there's something more important.’
Chris observed his inner self.
An unbelievable phenomenon was observed.
The core below his navel (dantian).
There were two cores there!
‘Hehe, Chris-style Bone Metamorphosis is a success.’
This was the reason Chris had suffered so much during his Bone Metamorphosis.
As he underwent the process, he increased his cores to two: an inner core and an outer core.
It was an insane attempt.
Nowhere in the world was there a person with two cores.
But Chris had an idea.
‘Since the core is conceptual anyway, and Bone Metamorphosis reshapes the body according to one's enlightenment, if I hold the concept of having two cores during the process, couldn't I actually increase the number of my cores to two?’
Others would have called it bullshit if they'd heard it.
But he had succeeded.
He almost died when things went awry, but he'd done it.
‘Hehe, good.’
There was a reason for specifically dividing the core into two layers.
‘This way, I can use the powers of the Light Faction.’
A flash of light burst from Chris's hand.
It was the 1-Star magic, ‘Light’!
‘There's no need to only learn magi, is there?’
In his past life, Chris had learned the Light Faction's swordsmanship and magic up to the 4-Star level.
He probably would have reached an even higher level if he'd had more time.
He didn't want to throw that ability away.
‘This power of light will be my hidden trump card.’
He didn't have to worry about being discovered, either.
Chris had hidden the 'light' core inside the 'darkness' core.
Thanks to the outer core of darkness, the light mana core was completely concealed.
Furthermore, he connected the mana channels of the light core to the darkness core, creating a double camouflage.
There was no fear of being caught even if someone were to look directly into his cores.
‘I need to learn as much of the Light Faction's swordsmanship and magic as I can in the time I have left before I get out.’
Once he was outside, it would be difficult to learn the powers of the Light Faction.
The remaining time was just over 20 days.
He had to achieve as much as possible within that time.
Chris devoted himself to training.
It was easy to retrace a path he had already walked.
"Hooo."
He inhaled.
It was the breathing technique of the Meyer family, a renowned house of swordsmanship and the most prestigious family in the Crusade Alliance, used by the Hero.
He'd seen it so often that he'd eventually picked it up.
‘I got so much grief because of this.’
Chris had been endlessly pestered after imitating the Hero Evan's breathing technique.
How did you copy it? Have you seen my family's secret manual? And so on.
They wouldn't believe him when he said he'd just copied it by watching, so he had to show them exactly how he did it, demonstrating the breathing method slowly.
‘The look on his face then was a masterpiece.’
It was the first time he'd seen the Hero Evan with such a dumbfounded expression.
"H-how?"
And after observing Chris's breathing technique more closely, his face showed even greater astonishment.
"It's similar, but different. Different, and... superior?"
In the first place, the Hero's breathing method was too advanced to be suitable for a beginner like Chris.
So he had modified it to suit himself.
The so-called Chris-style, perhaps?
"It's simpler and more efficient. How is this possible?!"
The Hero Evan couldn't escape his shock.
‘I just followed the basics of breathing techniques.’
Breathing techniques.
Nature contains 'essence'.
Breathing in that 'essence' and converting it into the energy of 'light' is 'mana'.
Converting it into the energy of 'darkness' is 'magi'.
As their names suggest, 'mana' was more stable and pure, while 'magi' was unstable but destructive and sinister.
Chris discarded all other parts of the Hero's breathing technique, learning only a condensed version of how to take in nature's essence and convert it into mana.
How did he do it?
‘I don't know, it just works.’
Chris recalled the exact words he'd told the Hero's party, who couldn't believe what he'd done.
It just happened.
What can I do if it just works?
Fwaash!
Light gathered around Chris.
Mana was accumulating in the core of light.
And a short while later.
Chris felt a sense of fullness.
A vessel had been formed.
He had stepped into the realm of 1-Star.
‘I did it faster than before. Is that to be expected since I've done it once?’
How long did it take in my past life?
I don't think it took a full day then, either.
Well, it's only 1-Star.
The 'Runner' stage, meaning one has just begun to learn. And he had only just set foot in it.
Of course, for others, it would take a year at the fastest, and even those called geniuses would need six months, but Chris thought nothing of it.
‘I have a long way to go.’
After that, Chris continued his training.
Time passed quickly.
How many days had passed?
Five days? Seven?
Mana continued to fill the newly formed vessel.
Quickly.
At an abnormal speed.
The small vessel grew larger and stronger.
And after so much mana had filled it that even that vessel was not enough.
Fwoosh!
Mana swirled through Chris's body.
The stage where one could strengthen their body with mana.
He had reached the realm of 2-Star, a 'User'.
Now Chris's body would become incomparably tougher and faster than an ordinary person's.
"Am I as strong as a decent knight now?"
Outside the Magitech Empire, there were plenty of people who strutted around calling themselves knights but hadn't even reached 2-Star.
That wasn't all.
"Flame, arise."
Fwoosh!
A flame flared up.
It was the 2-Star elemental magic, Fireball!
‘Well, it was already in my head.’
Normally, reaching the 2-Star realm was not easy for either knights or mages.
It wasn't just a matter of accumulating mana; knights had to grasp the knack of strengthening their bodies with it, and mages had to understand the magic formulas to reach the 2-Star realm.
But in Chris's case, since he had done it all before, he had the knack and it was bound to be easy.
…Well, actually, it hadn't taken him very long before, either.
‘Up to 2-Star is just the basics, after all.’
If the disciples of swordsmanship houses or magic towers, who worked their fingers to the bone to reach 2-Star, heard him, they would cough up blood from indignation.
For ordinary talents, it usually took 5 to 10 years to reach 2-Star.
‘Anyway, I have to reach 3-Star before I leave.’
3-Star.
From that point on, one is treated as a bona fide elite force wherever they go.
A key asset in a knight order.
And a core member among mages.
‘It's a tight schedule. I'll do my best.’
The moment he spurred himself back into training.
Chris abruptly stopped moving.
As his realm advanced, some of his senses had returned, and he felt a presence outside.
‘It hasn't been a month yet, has it?’
Chris tilted his head.
‘Are they ending the punishment?’
But it didn't seem like it.
The footsteps were quiet and cautious.
As if they were worried about being discovered.
‘Could it be... an assassin?’
A shiver ran down his spine.
It was entirely possible.
‘I won't go down without a fight.’
Chris thought resolutely.
The opponent probably thinks I'm just an ugly ruffian.
So, if I strike when their guard is down, I can win.
‘Come on. I'll make you regret it.’
And then.
The person arrived right in front of the Punishment Cave's door.
He tensed his body, but something unexpected happened.
The person didn't open the door.
Instead.
Through a faint crack in the door,
Thud.
something was dropped.
‘What the?’
Chris was bewildered.
That was it.
The person disappeared again.
As if their only purpose was to deliver the item.
‘What was that?’
After cautiously checking the item, Chris let out a dry laugh.
‘These bastards.’
It was a Dream Stone.
* * *
The intention behind dropping the Dream Stone was obvious.
‘They want me to get addicted to the Dream Stone and be ruined.’
Chris remembered that he had brought a Dream Stone for his Bone Metamorphosis.
Whoever the opponent was, they knew that fact and had made a move to ensure Chris would become completely addicted and ruined.
‘Because getting heavily addicted to a Dream Stone has consequences more fatal than any drug.’
He tapped the Dream Stone and thought.
‘Who could it be? Alright, let's organize my thoughts.’
Chris could deduce a few things.
First, there's someone who wants this body to be ruined.
‘Perhaps this body becoming a ruffian was also someone's intention.’
Second, the opponent is an important figure in the family.
‘They're someone who knew I brought a Dream Stone with me into the Punishment Cave.’
And they secretly approached the heavily guarded Punishment Cave.
That means the opponent knows the security loopholes inside and out.
‘Or, they could be in cahoots with the guards.’
Chris let out a smirk.
‘What a mess.’
The County of Cazar, an honorable branch family of the Dark Magic House of Baron.
It seemed rotten on the inside.
And all without the knowledge of the family head, Count Cazar.
‘Well, this isn't bad. No, it's actually good. Perfect.’
It was an unexpected thought.
Perfect?
There was a reason.
‘I'll use them as a stepping stone for my rise.’
His goal was to stand at the pinnacle of the Magitech Empire.
The first goal was the Dark Magic House.
To do that, he first needed to get the branch family he was currently in, the County of Cazar, in the palm of his hand.
If there were scoundrels gnawing away at the family, they would make for excellent achievements.
‘But first, 3-Star.’
Chris's breathing deepened.
Fwaash, light enveloped his body.
Soon, the promised month had passed.
* * *
"Today is the day you promised the Young Master. Do you not plan on going to see him?"
Count Cazar kept his mouth tightly shut.
He didn't want to go.
He hated the thought of getting his hopes up, only to be disappointed.
He would only be disappointed anyway.
But the butler cautiously suggested.
"This may be your last time with the Young Master, isn't it? Why don't you go see him yourself?"
“…”
"Or, perhaps he might come out having endured it better than expected."
Count Cazar let out a hollow laugh.
"Do you really mean that? He's probably just indulging in hallucinations."
Count Cazar had abandoned all hope after hearing that his son had taken a Dream Stone with him.
"...My apologies."
"Still, I will follow your advice. As you said, it may be the last time."
A sharp glint appeared in Count Cazar's eyes.
"I will follow."
"No, I'll go alone."
If he opened the door to the Punishment Cave and found Chris truly lost to the Dream Stone, he felt he wouldn't be able to suppress his murderous intent.
Count Cazar dismissed the butler and headed to the Punishment Cave himself.
Then, he took a deep breath and opened the door to the Punishment Cave.