The first sensation Kael felt was the smooth stone pressing against his back, cool and utterly static. He woke with a deep breath that didn't catch in his chest. His consciousness, usually brittle with exhaustion, felt clear and sharp.
He flexed his will and channeled a thread of Arcane Mana. The raw ache that had felt like torn flesh was now a dull, manageable throb. The hours of sleep within the perfectly stabilized dwelling, coupled with the strange regenerative properties of the Troll's blood, had accomplished what days of academy rest never could. His channels were far from perfect, but they were bearable.
For the first time since his awakening, Kael felt true, physical safety. His mind relaxed, a foreign, dangerous luxury he quickly redirected toward ambition. If he could survive this trial, if he could continue to harvest and progress with the Compendium's guidance, he would not only be powerful, but he would be that much closer to dealing with Lyon.
The air in the stone dwelling was thick with a savory, intense aroma. The cooking array had done its work. Kael's stomach gurgled a loud, embarrassing protest as he got up and approached the earthen pot. He removed the lid. Inside, the raw vampiric bat meat had transformed into a deep, rich brown, its fibers tenderized until they were almost melting.
He extracted a piece of the meat. It seared his fingers instantly, so he set it on a carved stone shelf to cool. While he waited, he dipped a cup into the pot and extracted the broth. The flavor was overwhelmingly intense, a punch of high level essence that tasted of both metallic power and rich umami. He swallowed it slowly, relishing the stabilizing heat it spread through his core.
The meat had cooled enough. Kael took a substantial bite. It was savory, tender, and carried a subtle, almost minty coolness that belied its temperature. The moment the meat reached his stomach, his stomach's Mana Gate activated.
Kael's body instantly locked up, a sudden, blinding panic seizing his heart. His first frantic thought was: Is the beast meat poisonous? Nothing in his borrowed knowledge suggested that was the case.
[Input received: High level nutrients absorbed. Quality exceeds the current body rank.]
Not a poison, but high level nutrients, which in this volume were just as dangerous.
A surge of energy, violent and raw, erupted from his stomach. It was power far more potent than any fortified food he had consumed before, a high ranking essence hitting a low ranking body. Kael's body spasmed uncontrollably as the raw energy ran wild through his limbs and core. If left unchecked, this potent tide would tear his newly stabilized channels apart.
Kael fought the chaotic storm. He visualized the energy rampaging through his body like a red tide and tried to coerce it, pushing the chaotic waves toward his bones and muscles to strengthen them. He remembered Lilian's procedure, the precise, slow movement of nutrients used to heal and fortify. He was able to contain the energy enough to prevent immediate damage, but the majority of the high ranking essence was wasted, dissipating from his skin in puffs of hot steam.
A flicker of frustration crossed his mind. The Compendium could do this perfectly, efficiently, for a price. He glanced at his balance: 963 CP. He had plans for that CP—plans that involved permanent advancement, not simply mimicking a nutrient routine he could learn himself.
He stared at the rest of the meat, momentarily afraid. He wanted to finish the nutrient rich broth and stop, but he knew he couldn't afford to waste this resource. He had to master this process.
Kael took a second, smaller bite. The energy burst forth again, but this time he was ready. He seized the chaotic torrent with his will, forcing it to follow the pattern the Compendium had briefly flashed during the Troll assimilation: a tightly wound spiral.
He forced the energy to coil into a perfect, inward turning helix, directing the geometric structure to slowly grind against the inner surfaces of his muscles and bones. It was excruciatingly difficult, demanding absolute focus to maintain the complex pattern. The first spiral crumbled, wasting another blast of energy.
He tried a third time, then a fourth, each bite fueling a renewed battle within his own body. He failed and corrected, failed and refined, until finally, on the tenth attempt, the pattern held. The spiral turned with a clean, low hum, distributing the energy evenly and without waste.
His bones felt dense, his muscles firm, and his channels stable. Kael felt a deep, satisfying robustness spread through his frame, a solid foundation he had never possessed. He continued eating, consuming every precious bite, the new knowledge flowing with the rich essence. He knew that with food this good, every deficiency in his nascent body would soon be wiped clean, leaving him stronger, faster, and much more capable than any student in the academy system.
Kael didn't stop. He consumed the rest of the vampiric bat meat with a ruthless, almost mechanical focus. Each subsequent bite was no longer a struggle, but a deliberate, practiced process. The moment the essence burst from his stomach's Mana Gate, Kael's will snapped around it, coiling the energy into the tight, inwardly rotating helix he had finally mastered. The process was still intensely painful, a burning sensation that ground against his insides, but now it was productive pain—the demanding price of forging strength.
He ate until the pot was empty, until the last scrap of high-level essence was contained and absorbed. The broth was a rich, metallic chaser that soothed the newly-forged pathways. When he was done, he placed the empty earthen pot on the counter. His entire body hummed with a low, deep power. His vision was unnervingly sharp, and his senses, already augmented by the mana sight, felt hyper-aware.
To cement these gains, Kael immediately slid into a deep state of meditation. He needed to fully stabilize the volatile energy within his channels, ensuring the raw essence from the Bat meat was properly integrated into his bones and muscles. Time flew by without measurable change, defined only by the slow, painful compaction of energy into his core. After a whole day, Kael emerged, the low hum in his body replaced by a profound, stable stillness.
The immediate crisis was over. Now, he needed a plan to clear this dungeon, and he had a card he could fully utilize, now that he was safe.
"Compendium, how much CP is required to transfer Rakshar's memories fully for complete assimilation?"
The response was immediate, cold, and utterly prohibitive.
[Query Initiated: Full transfer and assimilation requires 20,000 CP.]
Kael had expected as much. The memories gained from a Magus-tier Troll were too vast and complex for his current rank to process instantly, and the Compendium's price reflected the staggering complexity of translating a thousand years of combat knowledge.
"Understood. Compendium, does Rakshar's memory set contain the layout of the current dungeon? Specifically, are there memories of the areas where initiate level creatures might dwell?" Kael asked, narrowing the scope to the only knowledge that mattered right now.
[Clarification required – There are memories of both beast species and the Troll scouting parties at Initiate Rank level within the acquired knowledge.]
Kael's eyes widened. "Trolls at Initiate Rank? What will be the CP cost for a complete layout of the dungeon, focused on the safest paths and resource deposits known to Rakshar?"
[Full layout assimilation of current dungeon area. Cost – 50 CP.]
"Execute transfer."
Knowledge flooded his mind, a structured, crystalline wave of geographical data. Not just walls and tunnels, but the tactical knowledge of ancient hunting paths, blind spots, patrol routes, and deep warrens. A complete, three-dimensional blueprint of the dungeon floor materialized instantly in Kael's spatial awareness.
A plan was finally forming in Kael's mind, a strategy based on exploiting the blind spots of a creature that knew the dungeon better than its creators. But he had to be vigilant; no mistake would be allowed, or the result would be the swift loss of Kael's life itself.
Now that he had the full layout of the dungeon, Kael understood the scale of the problem. Even the weakest beasts roaming these tunnels were top-tier Initiate level. In his current condition, any direct confrontation would leave him injured at best—or dead at worst.
He wasn't desperate enough to gamble his life without a concrete plan. That would be stupidity, not bravery. Yes, he would soon have enough soul energy to open more mana gates, but raw capacity alone wouldn't be enough to achieve his target.
Kael's gaze shifted to the troll satchel resting near the stone table. If Rakshar had been a Magus-tier scout, then whatever he carried wasn't random—it was chosen.
Kael opened the satchel. A preserved herbal scent spilled into the room, sharp and earthy. The interior space felt subtly insulated, as if time itself moved more slowly inside.
He withdrew a small wooden box. Inside lay several tightly bound herb bundles, their aroma flooding the dwelling.
"Compendium. Identify these herbs."
[Herb Bundle: Giant's Surge.]
Effect: Temporarily increases physical size by up to five times. Severe reduction in mental acuity during effect. Duration: Two hours.
Note: Only applicable for Troll physiology, might be very harmful for a human resulting in death.]
Cost: 2 CP. Balance: 911 CP.]
Kael's eyes narrowed. So Rakshar wasn't naturally that massive.But this feels useless for him.
"If he hadn't used this," Kael muttered, "my ambush might never have worked."
He reached into the satchel again and extracted a folded bundle of cloth. It shimmered black, as if darkness itself had been woven into fabric. Kael tugged at it experimentally. It didn't tear. He pulled harder. Nothing.
"Compendium."
[Void Hopper Spider Cloth.]
Description: Woven after Void Hopper Spiders consume metallic matter and convert it into a liquid state. Commonly referred to as liquid-metal cloth.]
Usage: Primary material for high-durability flexible armor. Natural infusion of spatial and void energies.]
Additional Data: Rakshar acquired this cloth for his disciple and son.]
Note: Prime ingredient in spatial storage artifacts.]
Cost: 5 CP. Balance 906 CP.]
Kael exhaled slowly. That explained why the cloth resisted his spatial artifact—it already carried spatial authority.
If I could locate this crafter…
He would happily gobble that crafter's soul. For now, the cloth was far beyond his ability to use. He placed it carefully on the stone bed.
The next container held several small packets of finely ground powders. Kael's anticipation flared again.
"Compendium?"
[Spices and Condiments.]
Function: Culinary enhancement only. Cost: 2 CP. Balance 904 CP]
Kael blinked, then huffed out a quiet breath. Even Rakshar, it seemed, cared about the taste of his meals.
The satchel yielded one final item: two narrow ribbons, braided together. They radiated no mana, no pressure, nothing remarkable at all.
Kael hesitated—but asked anyway.
[Joining Ceremony Ribbon.]
Description: Symbol of bond between Rakshar and his mate.]
Cost: 2 CP. Balance 902 CP]
Kael's hand closed around the ribbons. He said nothing and set them aside gently.
At the bottom of the satchel lay a stone tablet—plain brown, worn smooth by use. No aura. No ornamentation.
Kael frowned. He didn't want to spend CP unnecessarily—but instinct told him this mattered.
"Compendium."
[Array Testing Tablet.]
Function: Safe testing and refinement of new arrays and runic placements.]
Additional Data: Stores prior configurations and provides comparative feedback against existing arrays.]
Cost: 2 CP. Balance: 900 CP.]
Kael went still.
He picked up the stone tablet and infused a thin thread of Arcane Mana into it. Nothing happened. He tried Earth Mana next, then Air. Still nothing. The tablet remained inert, a plain slab of worn stone.
Kael's brow furrowed. He did not want to spend more Compendium Points than necessary, but the artifact was clearly more than it appeared—and the uncertainty gnawed at him.
"Compendium," Kael said at last, irritation creeping into his voice. "What is the cost to assimilate the memories related to the proper usage of this tablet? I want the full tutorial."
[Query Initiated: Memory Assimilation — Array Testing Tablet.]
Cost: 50 CP. Balance: 850 CP.]
This time, the transfer was different.
Kael was no longer skimming fragments of useful knowledge. He was Rakshar.
He stood in a stone hall, massive hands clenched tight with nervous anticipation. He was young—barely more than a child by troll standards—his body dense but untempered, standing at the threshold of mana core formation.
The memory skipped past the formation itself, but Kael understood the implication instantly. Unlike humans, trolls did not receive aspects. They prepared their bodies instead, a brutal process they called body tempering. The Compendium's distant presence noted that such methods were inefficient—and largely useless—for human physiology.
Rakshar knelt.
His father placed a stone tablet into his hands. The artifact was ancient, its surface smooth with age, its weight heavy with expectation. These tablets were sacred among the trolls—relics whose method of creation had been lost to time. Rakshar's family, professional array masters, possessed three.
They were the pride of the lineage. The secret that allowed their arrays to surpass those of other tribes.
Rakshar cut his finger. A single drop of blood fell onto the tablet. The stone drank it in.
Bound, Kael understood.
These tablets were keyed to a single individual through blood. Rakshar had been granted one because he was precise, disciplined, and relentless in runic development.
The memory shifted again. Rakshar infused his mana into the tablet—and his consciousness followed. His mind was projected inward, into a constructed mental space where arrays could be built, tested, dismantled, and rebuilt endlessly without consuming resources.
Failure carried no physical backlash. No collapsed ceilings. No shattered bones.
But that wasn't the tablet's greatest strength.
The arrays stored within it—decades of refined configurations—guided the user. Not with words, but with instinct. Subtle corrections. Pressure against wrong angles. A pull toward efficiency.
It was not a Compendium.
But it was close.
Kael's awareness snapped back into his body. He stared at the stone tablet in his hands, his breathing slow and controlled.
A dangerous clarity settled over his thoughts.
He placed the tablet carefully on the stone table.
And now it's how I perfect my arrays and rune thus ensuring my survival.