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Chapter 15 - The Yin Body

"This could be a curse… or it could make you a being unlike any other in this world."

His words left me adrift.

How could something be both? A blessing and a curse.

But he didn't give me time to ask.

> "Now's not the time to explain," he said. "I'll summon Harvey."

There was no point in arguing. His tone made it clear — this was serious.

He drew a small box from his spatial ring, simpler than Harvey's usual ornate containers.

We waited half an hour before the air shimmered and carried us to his office on the ninth floor.

The door burst open before we could speak, accompanied by Harvey's familiar, booming voice.

> "Man, you should've told me where you were! This tower's massive — it took me forever to find you."

Mike didn't respond. He merely gestured for him to sit.

Harvey dropped into a chair with his usual grin, eyes flicking between me and Mike.

> "What? Already done? I know he's talented, but I figured it'd take a full day at least."

Neither of them answered.

The heavy silence was enough to drain the smile from his face.

Then Mike spoke, voice like cold steel.

> "The awakening failed."

For a heartbeat, Harvey just stared.

> "What?! That's impossible! Ordinary people take a week just to sense mana! I gave you seven days — how could it fail in just a few hours?!"

He shot to his feet, his voice echoing off the walls.

He looked angrier than I was — as if he were the one who had failed.

Mike didn't flinch. He simply moved a teacup toward Harvey with a flick of mana.

> "Have you calmed down now?"

Harvey glared, then sighed and sat. A few sips later, his voice was steady again.

> "Alright… what's the issue?"

Mike nodded, as if confirming his friend had returned to reason.

> "Yin Body. Nine points."

The words froze the air.

Harvey's brow furrowed.

> "You're joking. He's a boy — that's impossible."

Mike didn't react.

> "When he first sensed mana, he was fast. Brilliant, even — better than I was at his age. But when I tried to guide it toward his chest, it slowed… like something was blocking the flow. Then it froze completely."

The two exchanged a strange look, their eyes turning toward me.

I could feel them assessing me — like I was some strange specimen.

When I realized their gaze had dropped below my face, my temper flared.

> "I'm a man," I snapped. "More than either of you."

My voice came out colder than I intended.

Harvey smirked.

> "A twelve-year-old man, sure."

They ignored me after that — as if I'd said nothing at all.

> "Do you have a solution?" Harvey asked.

Mike leaned back, thinking.

> "It's not a cure. Just a way to ease the symptoms. The real method was lost long ago. But… a bath infused with Sun Essence Herbs might help. It can soften the mana stiffness in his body temporarily — at least until he forms his first mana ring."

Harvey frowned.

> "Sun Essence Herbs? Never heard of them."

> "They're rare," Mike replied. "They only grow in the deserts of the Sand Kingdom. They absorb sunlight and heat, which makes the ground around them cold — colder than any desert should be. Luckily, I have four left. I was studying them for research. It's not enough for a full recovery, but it might ease his condition."

For me, it wasn't about the herbs.

I already knew the truth.

That coldness they spoke of — it was part of me.

The System had called it Body of Eternal Ice.

They called it something else — Yin Body with Nine Points.

Maybe it was a misunderstanding. Maybe just a difference in names.

Either way, it didn't matter.

What mattered was this:

I had no core.

No mana.

Just a body that couldn't even pass the academy's entrance test.

> If only I'd had the System from the start…

The thought hit me like a slap.

If I had it now, everything would be different.

But reality?

I was just a boy — ordinary, fragile, barely capable of basic combat.

And yet…

I had to find a way.

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