Ether Awakening and the Primordial Egg
As I swallowed the Omehwan, its effects began coursing through my body.
Hummm.
The moment the medicinal power circulated, a cool energy started seeping out from my body.
It’s working.
I curled the corners of my mouth upward while sitting cross-legged.
My physical condition was actually quite ambiguous. There was definitely S-rank ether dormant inside me, but I couldn’t utilize it at all in my current state.
The mind that once touched transcendence recognizes the ether, but this infant body can’t perceive it at all.
It was a truly contradictory situation—one born because the flesh couldn’t keep up with the spirit.
I need to carve out a single pathway to draw up the ether.
If I succeeded, I’d be able to use at least a tiny handful of ether, however meager. Of course, compared to the vast ocean of ether slumbering within me, it wouldn’t even amount to a speck of dust. And with this untrained body, properly wielding even that much would be difficult.
But the beginning is what matters.
As the saying goes, even a string of beads is a treasure if strung together. Taking the first step toward using ether held immense significance in itself.
Besides, being able to wield even a handful of ether... in this phase, it’s no different from a cheat key.
The stage where one generates and manipulates even a little ether inside the body comes only upon reaching maturity. Maturity isn’t divided into three detailed stages for nothing.
Thus, being able to use even a bit of ether before maturity was tantamount to a key that partially overcame the racial limits of the praying mantis tribe.
Alright... time to focus.
I closed my eyes. Gazing inward, I concentrated—again and again—to feel the dormant ether in my body with my flesh as well.
Normally, there’d be no progress, but with the Omehwan’s effects aiding me, results appeared almost immediately.
Hummmm.
I could feel an ether circuit forming in this frail body. It was a ticklish, refreshing sensation.
Sensing ether directly with the body was vivid in a way that was utterly different in quality.
Like connecting a thin tube.
Just like drilling into the ground to draw up groundwater from kilometers below.
I created a conduit linking the ether sea buried deep within me to my bloodstream.
Got it!
I cheered inwardly. Though I could only draw up a speck of ether, this alone meant I’d successfully achieved my goal.
Confidence surged that I could handle any variables in the department assignment exam.
Fhew.
A giddy breath escaped my lips. My forehead and back were slick with sweat.
It was the backlash from the intense concentration in such a short time.
Now, to end this inner contemplation and surface my mind...
Wait, what?
It was right then, as I tried to withdraw from introspection.
Shaaaa—.
A faint sound echoing from afar. It was a language I’d never heard before, but it was clearly calling me.
What’s that?
I directed my consciousness toward the source of the voice. Into the abyss of the abyss. Deeper and deeper into the depths of my mindscape.
This was the first time since reincarnating that I’d descended so far into my consciousness.
...!
Then, a massive silhouette the size of a mountain entered my view.
A mountain? No... that’s an egg.
What revealed itself before my eyes was a colossal egg too vast to simply call a mountain.
It floated alone amid surroundings as black as the cosmos.
That thing...
I stared piercingly at the unidentified egg.
Its shell was so transparent that the interior was clearly visible, allowing me to faintly make out the being curled within.
The entity was enormous, just as it appeared. A single one of its gleaming yellow eyes was the size of my entire body.
I drew a little closer to discern its true nature.
Flash—.
“...!”
The instant I thought our eyes met, a jolt like being struck by lightning coursed through me.
My body trembled uncontrollably. Was it because I sensed a presence akin to the administrator I’d glimpsed through the hazy fog right before reincarnating?
How could something like this be inside my body...?
With that thought, my consciousness was ejected from the space.
“Gasp!”
I snapped my eyes open with a startled cry.
“Huff, huff.”
I panted heavily. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead unbeknownst to me.
What the hell was that?
Why would such a monstrous entity exist inside my own body?
If not for my spirit that had once touched transcendence, merely meeting its gaze might have shattered my mind.
I took a moment to catch my breath and calm down.
Fhew... interesting.
The corners of my mouth twitched upward slightly.
I still couldn’t pinpoint exactly what that entity was. My guesses were that it was related to the Megaera Mantis or connected to the Holy Grail I’d touched before reincarnating.
But one thing was clear: it was linked to me.
In that case, it’s nothing I can’t handle.
Its power was certainly enough to devour me in reverse, but I trusted in the stature I’d achieved.
Someday, I’d conquer even that entity’s power. With renewed resolve, I checked the results from consuming the Omehwan this time.
I can feel it.
The vast sea of ether slumbering in my body. As I drew it up, a tiny stream surged from that immense ocean.
Thrum.
Thunder rumbled in my ears. A spine-tingling euphoria spread through my body, making me feel like I could do anything.
Ah!
The sensation I’d forgotten since reincarnating filled me once more.
The mystical power that let one surpass racial limits—like magic itself! Ether was flowing through my body.
Though it was barely a mouse dropping’s worth, my instincts told me I could now exhibit physical abilities far beyond my current specs.
It’s possible.
Grinning with ecstasy, I circulated the ether once around my body.
Zing.
Pain prickled along the circuit where the ether passed. The untrained pathway ached fiercely from even that small amount.
Without the Omehwan, it might have torn outright.
That’s why I’d chosen it. Without paving the way in advance via the Omehwan, it wouldn’t have ended with mere pain—the circuit might have been damaged entirely.
An infant body was that fragile, like glass.
Still, this much should hold up for occasional use.
Consecutive uses would be impossible, but once or twice? It could endure.
And the more I repeatedly used ether, the wider and sturdier the circuit would become.
Foundations are always the most important.
By forging an ether circuit from infancy like this, I’d achieve unmatched efficiency in ether use going forward—efficiency no one else could rival. Even excluding the Megaera Mantis power.
With this alone, I’ll grow several times stronger than my pre-reincarnation self.
A satisfied smile formed on my lips.
The ether conduit created via Omehwan. Until this usage became known, Omehwan wouldn’t be too expensive, so procuring more should be easier than expected.
I’ll periodically consume Omehwan to widen and reinforce the ether circuit pathway.
The first proper foundation for the future I’d prepared since reincarnating. A good start.
Time flew by like an arrow, and the day of the department assignment exam arrived.
“Wow, this cohort is huge.”
“It’s all thanks to that Aleck guy, isn’t it?”
“Which just means more work for us.”
The instructors and sub-instructors preparing the assignment exam chatted idly while glancing at the qualifiers gathering in the auditorium.
Nearly 300 in number. Considering past batches usually had around 100 qualifiers, this was a record high.
That’s the Aleck guy, huh.
Havi, the instructor overseeing this exam, eyed Aleck standing far off, his gaze sharpening.
A praying mantis tribe member, they said—and he really looked small and scrawny.
Challenging the Warrior Department with a body like that...
He wondered if this might be the first time the top qualifier failed to get their desired department.
The Warrior Department had 30 projected slots this time—double the usual—but with so many applicants, over 100 had flooded in.
Even if rejected, they’d be assigned to another department with openings, but that dishonor would tag along for life.
Havi clicked his tongue softly.
His skills were too good for Espionage or Support; he could’ve gone to Assassination and been treated like an ace, thriving there.
Though Warrior Department training and support were overwhelmingly superior in every way.
Wouldn’t it be better to rise as the head of a snake than cling to a dragon’s tail in ill-fitting clothes?
Well, his choice.
Havi shook his head, tongue clicking, as he watched Aleck’s difficult decision. He wasn’t in a position to interfere, so all he could do was observe.
“I bet 50,000 on Aleck failing.”
“Ah, Dane, if you bet on failure too, the odds tank.”
“What’re they at?”
“Failure’s at 0.118.”
“Damn, everyone’s betting on failure.”
Those bastards...
Come to think of it, besides watching, he could bet like them.
Instead of doing their prep...
He muttered inwardly and approached the sub-instructors huddled together.
“Ah, Instructor! We’re mid-bet—wanna join?”
“Ahem. I’ll put 500,000 on Aleck passing.”
“Ooooh!”
“The big whale’s here!”
“Instructor, you trying to get skinned by the wife again? Sure you can handle 500,000? No take-backs!”
“Just process it quick.”
The sub-instructors who’d bet on failure cheered and whooped at his wager, as if they’d already won. The commotion drew glances from the qualifiers.
Something’s gonna go down.
He’d briefly locked eyes with Aleck at the end. Aleck’s calm gaze made it seem like passing Warrior Department was a given.
Somehow, he’d been drawn in and bet on Aleck’s success without thinking.
I’m rooting for you! My month’s allowance is riding on your shoulders.
“Now that everyone’s seated, we’ll begin the department assignment exam.”
Havi stepped onto the platform and addressed the qualifiers.
Most wore calm expressions, with only a few looking tense as they watched him.
Those tense ones were the Warrior Department applicants.
“As you know, all departments except Warrior have no headcount limits. Pass the minimum benchmark after testing, and everyone qualifies.”
That’s why Espionage and Support applicants weren’t tense. Anyone failing the test wouldn’t have survived the survival exam anyway—virtually no failures expected.
“Warrior applicants must first pass the minimum benchmark, then the top 30 by score qualify.”
Once Havi finished explaining, the department-specific test details were revealed.
Espionage and Support proceeded with simple physical ability tests as usual.
But for Warrior...
“Wh-what? Warrior’s changed like this?”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd at the sudden alteration to the Warrior test.
As expected—they had something prepared.
I looked up at Monahan seated on the platform as an observer.
Monahan met my gaze with a composed look—as if asking whether you could pass this test.
Without the Omehwan, it might’ve been tough.
I grinned and eyed the item introduced for this Warrior exam.