Ethan didn't hesitate. He slowly extended his hand into the glowing lake.
The moment his fingers touched the surface—
A surge of energy roared up his arm like a flood. His meridians and internal circuits lit up instantly, ignited by the raw power pouring into him.
Idra and Auri reacted almost immediately.
The two little girls seemed unusually attuned to this energy. They absorbed it joyfully, their auras climbing fast. Their levels rose in real time, and their internal stability improved noticeably.
At the same time, Ethan's own Tier spiked upward.
His power grew denser, more refined. Control sharpened. Every movement felt tighter, cleaner.
But deep inside him, Lily remained still.
She didn't absorb the energy at all. In fact, she seemed to recoil from it—subtly resisting, as if the lake's essence clashed with her very core.
Ethan took note of that.
Once the energy flow stabilized, he withdrew his hand and turned to face the others scattered across the mining zone.
