Sunlight filtered through the partly drawn curtains and slowly spread across the pillow until it warmed June's face—a familiar heat he'd feel when burying his face in Natalie's bosom, breathing in her light scent of lilac and vanilla. However, unlike her sweet embrace, the accompanying light was unwelcome. He rolled away, the plush sheets rustling beneath him. His skin tingled as her arm wrapped around him, caressing his chest. The heat of Natalie's warm, silky skin pressed against his back—her light breath brushing his ear, a ghost of her voice whispered to him.
Morning, June.
"Morning, babe."
June sank into her embrace, reaching for her hand only to find empty air. His heart skipped, and he spun around, sheets tossed haphazardly aside, to find the bed empty. His heart sank when Sarah's voice rang clear, like a punch to the gut.
I'm sorry, June. I didn't mean to—
June cut her off before she could continue.
No, you don't have to apologize. I was just…
His voice trailed off like the lingering presence of Natalie had the moment he woke. Not wanting to wallow in his pity, he rose from the bed, the hardwood floor cool beneath his feet, and stretched, grunting in satisfaction when the tension in his back released. He got his morning routine out of the way before dressing, re-equipping his gear, and heading downstairs.
Opening the fridge door, he recoiled as a putrid scent smacked him right in the face like a scorned lover. He slammed the door as quickly as possible, shielding himself from further assault. There was no way he was eating last night's dinner now.
Rummaging through the pantry, he grabbed an MRE packet and read the label. Chili with beans. He shrugged, not really caring what he ate as long as it was edible, and sat at the dinner table to eat his breakfast. He ate in silence, yet his mind raced as he and Sarah were having a full-blown mental conversation.
So, Sarah. About our conversation from last night. What's this about a Mythic Realm?
The Realms of Power are ranks used to denote your place within The System. Starting from the bottom, you have the Mortal Realm, then Awakened, Sovereign, Mythic, Transcendent, and Divine. Advancing through each Realm comes with its own unique challenges and trials to overcome, but once achieved, you will gain new insights into your Cultivation path, and the scope of your power will expand.
Then I'm currently in the Mortal Realm, correct?
Yes, but technically speaking, you're in the Sovereign Realm.
June stopped chewing his chili as his eyes widened at her revelation.
What!? Why?
When integrated, you'll be given a choice between your Essence or Energy Core to unlock, starting you on your Cultivation path. Get it? It's one or the other. It's not until you ascend to the Sovereign Realm that you can unlock the other.
June frowned as he resumed chewing his food.
But I have both.
Correct.
How?
My best guess is that it has something to do with you fighting off the Dweller's corruption.
His hands went numb, and a cold sweat broke out across his back when she mentioned the Dweller. Was that even possible? He did not know. So he asked the only person who most likely had the answers.
Not that I'm aware of, but the moment you returned from the Abyss, you exerted your Aura, so there has to be a correlation between the two.
You've mentioned my Aura several times already. What is it?
It's the physical manifestation of your Soul Essence and Energy combined into an attack. Although, do be aware that by using this attack, others could gauge your power if they're also in the Sovereign Realm. So you should refrain from using your Aura until you've at least reached the Sovereign Realm.
Noted. Now, back to the main topic. I am essentially a person in the Mortal Realm, but under unique and mysterious circumstances, I have gained powers only accessible to someone in the Sovereign Realm.
Yes.
June finished his breakfast, still hungry, but decided to ration his food since there were only so many MRE packets and non-perishable foods in the pantry. After clearing the table, he retrieved his backpack brimming with Soul Crystals and returned to his seat.
So, what does this mean for me, having both my Essence and Energy Cores unlocked while still in the Mortal Realm?
It means that you aren't constrained to only one Cultivation path. Cultivators who started with their Soul Essence will be formidable with their magics, becoming powerful sorcerers. However, they'd be physically weaker than those who started with their Soul Energy, and the inverse is true.
However, you can excel on both paths from the outset, eventually becoming the strongest Cultivator to have lived. But before any of that, you should choose which of the other Essences you want to unlock.
June frowned as he fiddled with the diamond-smooth Crystal.
There are more Essences?
Yes! Remember the other inert Cores within you? Your Elemental Cores and Cores of Duality.
June nodded in affirmation.
They house your other Essences. Choosing one of the different Concepts will unlock that specific Essence. The Elemental Concepts include Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. The Concepts of Duality are Light and Dark, Nature and Metal, Life and Death, Kinetic and Psionic, and Time and Space.
That was a lot. His head spun as if he'd gone through a blender. He could parse out what most of the Essences were and did, but he needed to confirm it.
Most of these are easy enough to understand, but could you please clarify what each does before I make my decision?
It's pretty simple, really. The Concepts are as straightforward as they seem. For example, if you unlock the Concept of Fire, you would gain your Fire Core, which allows you to convert your Soul Essence into Fire Essence. With this, you can control and wield fire in the same way you currently do with your Soul Essence.
June held his hand out, and it pulsed as a ball of Soul Essence formed.
So instead of this, it would be what, a ball of fire?
Or whatever you want. Again, what it becomes is up to your will and intention.
Then, does having the Concept of Life allow me to bring someone back from the dead?
No.
June deflated before her following words brought him back.
The Concept of Life alone can't bring the dead back. You'd also need the Concept of Death, Time, and Psionic, as well as having unlocked your True Soul.
June was just about to ask what his True Soul was when Sarah interjected.
Your True Soul is a Concept that you shouldn't bother worrying about for the moment. Not until you've reached the Transcendent Realm.
If you say so, how many Concepts can I unlock?
You can unlock one in each Realm of Power, and upon ascending to the Divine Realm, you'll unlock three, giving you a total of eight Concepts.
June pondered his options as he casually flipped the Crystal in his hands. Eight, huh? That only left four if he wanted to conquer death itself, and conquer it he would. He had to. For his family, he'd ascend to the Divine Realm and become a god to protect them. But what did he need most right now?
Hey, Sarah? Would having the Concept of Space allow me to teleport out of here?
No. The Repository has a powerful barrier of Space Essence to prevent that. What would happen is you'd just end up teleporting into another Dungeon.
Well, that was a bust, but it was worth a shot. June would need that Concept later if the War Dungeon didn't open to Earth, which left him with three free choices. For now, he needed something to help him survive and kill as many monsters as he could.
The Concept of Fire, that's my choice.
He nodded to himself for reassurance as Sarah spoke up.
Okay, now to unlock it, all you need to do is channel your Soul Essence into your Fire Core, which should be the dull orange one.
June sank into himself and scoured the inert Cores until he found the one Sarah had indicated. With a thought, his Essence flowed seamlessly through his pathways and into his Fire Core. It blazed to life, burning bright orange like a flame. Heat radiated from it, warm but not hot enough to burn, just like a campfire trying to keep the cold at bay.
He kept funneling Soul Essence into his Fire Core, converting it into Fire Essence. Heat flowed through him like a warm summer day as his pathways flooded with Fire Essence when he channeled it to his hand. Opening his eyes, a ball of fire puffed into existence in his palm, yet no heat radiated from it.
Is there supposed to be no heat, Sarah?
There is, but since it's your own Fire Essence, it'll never burn you.
That made a lot of sense.
He snuffed the flame out and moved from the table over to the couch. Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes with Crystal in hand and Cultivated. Since he had Cultivated his Soul Energy the night before, this Crystal would be for his Soul Essence. After finishing, he placed the Crystal beside him and immediately pulled another from his backpack and Cultivated his Soul Energy. He alternated cultivating his Essence and Energy until Sarah interrupted him while he was mid-Cultivation of his tenth Crystal.
June! Manticores! Approaching the cabin!
The Crystal fell out of June's hands and clattered onto the floor as he hopped off the couch, shouldering his rifle. He glanced briefly at the rifle; the Capacitor reader glowed a bright blue, telling him it was full. Moving to the window, he glanced through and saw two Manticores approaching from the front of the house, each sporting twin swords.
Is that all of them?
Another is moving around to the back.
Shit!
June moved upstairs, his body light as a feather even with his gear, and entered a bedroom overlooking the back, pressing himself against the wall beside the window. The Manticore outside gripped a spear, pointing it at the cabin, keeping its eyes trained on the first floor. Clicking his tongue, June exited the room and rushed to the bedroom at the end of the hallway.
The window in that room faced away from the front and back, and looking through it, he saw no Manticores. Sliding it open as quietly as possible, he jumped through and landed as silently as a cat. Creeping to the corner of the cabin, he peeked around and caught sight of the lone Manticore. Unfortunately, its large, feline eyes saw him as well. His ears reverberated as it roared like a lion on the hunt and charged at him, spear leading the way.
"Fuck!"
June bolted from the cabin toward the shoreline. He didn't want the monsters anywhere near his current residence, as they could cause unnecessary damage during the fight. The air whooshed past him as he sprinted fifty yards in less than three seconds, beating any Olympic record. However, the Manticores were hot on his tail, and he barely got a shot off before the first reached him.
He dodged to the left, avoiding a spear thrust, as the plasma bolt seared a hole through the attacking Manicore's chest. It barreled past him and crashed into the water with a splash, quickly drowned out by a loud hissing. Sparing no time to check it, he ran along the shoreline, keeping a safe distance from the remaining Manticores, and fired upon them until they were both dead.
Without even losing a breath, he pivoted and returned to the Manticore that ran into the water. An acrid smell slammed into him, causing tears to well up and bile threatening to rise like an erupting volcano. What he had initially perceived to be water was in fact some kind of acid. The Manticore's corpse sizzled as the acid ate through its flesh, like a swarm of locusts stripping a field of corn. At least he hadn't taken a bath in the river, or the acid would have eaten him alive instead of the Manticore.
Predictably, the Soul Crystal formed, and his heart didn't even skip a beat. Thanks to his heightened reflexes and reaction time, his hand shot out like a cobra striking its prey and caught it with ease. He collected the other Soul Crystals, but before heading back inside, Sarah told him to retrieve the swords. She reasoned that he'd need to learn how to use them in tandem with his Essences and Energy. Eventually, he'd outgrow the rifle, rendering it moot. Additionally, he could imbue weapons created by the System or by individuals integrated with it with his Essences, enhancing and strengthening them.
The rough-hewn leather handle was still warm as he pried one sword from the Manticore's dead hands. It was of moderate length, three feet at most, with a single-edged blade that glinted in the sunlight. He retrieved the other sword before unstrapping the scabbards from the monster's torso—sheathing and strapping them to his own.
He then surveyed the cabin, checking for any damage. Finding none, he stood outside, watching the mainland for any Manticores coming to investigate. When nothing arrived, he went back inside and resumed Cultivating. A couple of hours later, his backpack sat empty to his left with a mountain of inert Crystals to his right.
What should I do with these?
Keep them. They are now Essence Crystals. As the name suggests, you can pour your Essences into them to store for later use. Their uses vary depending on the Essence stored inside. They can range from restoring your depleted Soul Essence to powering devices and machines, or even serving as materials for crafting items.
June got up and grabbed a black trash bag. Gathering up the Crystals, he stored them away in the bedroom closet. Despite noon not having broken yet, he fixed himself lunch with an MRE, this time treating himself to a roast beef stew. The sweet, tangy aroma of the stew filled the cabin as he ate. Afterward, he gathered the gear he'd need for his midday expedition and left.
He spent the rest of the day hunting as many Manticores as he could. Throughout the entire time, he mainly focused on using his looted swords, gaining valuable experience in close-quarters combat. By the end of the day, he returned to the cabin with 35 newly acquired Soul Crystals.
His daily routine became this. Wake up, Cultivate, hunt, sleep, then repeat. He continued until he had hunted down the entire Manticore population to one, and on the fourth day, only the Dungeon Boss remained.