Chapter 35 — Worst Day Ever
In the broken shell of the building he had called home for weeks, Seth stood before a mound of beast cores. The heap gleamed faintly even in the dim light, each one pulsing with a faint aura of life long extinguished.
They were all higher-ranked cores—level sevens, eights, and nines. Dozens upon dozens of them stacked together, collected from his hunting spree over the last five days. The air was heavy with their presence, thick enough that nearby beasts were constantly drawn in… only to be cut down and added to the pile.
But now, standing before them as a novice, Seth's expression was unreadable. He had saved these cores precisely for this moment—quick advancement once he broke through.
Without hesitation, he picked up the first one. A level seven.
The familiar flow of energy streamed into him, dispersing into his body, then trickling into his core. It was smooth, clean. But when it settled, he frowned.
The second core. Then the third. Then the twentieth. Still the same result. The saturation within him barely shifted, like drops of rain lost in a vast ocean.
With his brow furrowed, Seth moved to the level eights. The energy surged into him more strongly than before—but again, it felt meaningless. By the time he was on his tenth, his frown had darkened further.
Finally, he reached for a level nine core, its energy far denser, almost biting against his palm. He absorbed it. For a heartbeat, he felt a tremor in his core, a ripple of potential. But the surge dispersed just as quickly, vanishing into nothingness.
Silence.
Seth stood there, unmoving. Then, as if an illusion had been wiped away, the frustration bled from his face. His shoulders slumped, and he let out a long sigh.
"…So that's how it is."
His voice was hoarse, but steady.
"Only novice-ranked cores can push me forward now."
It made sense, even if he hated it. Against his new rank, the energy from initiates felt like dust, impure. He calculated quickly in his head: at least a hundred level nine initiate cores might push him half a percent. Totally inefficient. And he was only level one—what would it be like when he reached the second or third level?
Another sigh.
"This is officially the worst day ever."
With that, Seth dropped onto his favored spot on the floor, stretching out with a bitter smirk. The pile, simply forgotten. No matter how many cores he had, they were now useless. For now, rest was the only answer.
In the forest.
BOOM!
The world shook as Austin was hurled through a treeline, his body crashing into the dirt. His ribs screamed in protest, breath torn from his chest. He staggered upright, coughing, though uninjured. his hand grasping for his fallen sword.
Through the shattered gap in the forest, chaos unfolded.
The beast was a nightmare—an elephant-like monster towering over them, its hide glowing with veins of blue luminescence. Every step made the earth quake. Its tusks were jagged, unnatural, carved like weapons meant for impaling.
Paul, in his full werewolf form, lunged at its flank with a low snarl. His fangs tore into its hide, glowing blood spilling out in streams. The beast bellowed and swatted him aside with its trunk, sending him skidding back through dirt and leaves.
"Strong" But Paul rose almost immediately, unshaken, circling for another strike.
Sylvia raised one hand, her emerald eyes narrowing. Vines erupted from the soil, snaring the beast's legs. She wasn't straining—merely testing its strength. The monster ripped some free, but enough held to slow it down.
Iris swept in with a flash of her trident, carving shallow but clean wounds into its glowing flesh. Each strike left blue ichor dripping to the ground, sizzling faintly. When the beast stomped, the shockwave cracked the earth and forced her back, but she flipped upright, Calm. Detached.
The zombie was next. She weaved in with her twin daggers, precise cuts slashing across the glowing veins. When the monster's tusk clipped her side, she was flung into a tree—but stood again without a single mark, brushing dust from her clothes as though nothing had happened. smirking as if enjoying the challenge.
Patric, half-shrouded in shadow, lifted his hand lazily. A blood spear coalesced with little more than a thought before streaking across the clearing. It tore into the beast's shoulder, drawing a deep howl. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "It has high physical resistance, but not a very high resistance to magic."
Austin exhaled, gripping his sword tighter. His weapon flared faintly with aura as he rushed forward, cleaving at its foreleg. Sparks flew where blade met bone, the shallow cut proof the statement was true.
The monster bellowed again, the sound rolling like thunder through the forest. Trees shook, loose branches raining down.
Yet none of them looked panicked.
Sylvia's vines tightened, holding it fast once more. "Enough playing around," she murmured, her tone calm.
Iris's trident flared brighter as she lunged again. Paul struck the throat with renewed force. The zombie scaled its back, stabbing at glowing veins with cold precision.
The monster stumbled.
Patric finally stepped forward, his expression almost bored. He raised his arm, crimson power condensing into a far larger spear this time, its presence warping the air. With little more than a flick, he hurled it.
The crimson lance streaked like a comet, detonating in a burst of bloodlight as it struck the beast's skull. Bone shattered. Flesh split. It stood still for a while before its massive body toppled, crashing into the forest floor with a thunderous quake that sent dust and leaves spiraling upward.
Silence.
Leaves drifted lazily through the air.
"…It's dead"
Austin, Sitting down slowly on a fallen tree thrunk, camly assessed.
Paul shifted back to human form, brushing blood from his mouth. "Three weeks and we have found nothing. What do we do?"
Everyone reacted differently to those words. Though it was clear that they had also thought on the subject.
Patric said nothing, merely staring at the ruin of the beast's skull. His spear dissolved into mist, his expression unreadable.
Though they had just come out of a fight with a stage 2 beast, apart from dirt and a few scratches, there looked as good as new. Their eyes were calm made it was obvious that they had not really given their all.
Not even close