I opened my eyes and tried to get up, but my whole body screamed with jolting pain and I collapsed back onto the ground.
" Aaha it's hurt .... " saying this I look around
The bear's dead body lay where it had fallen. Through the branches I could see the sun — maybe rising, maybe setting; I had no idea.
" I survive ha ha ha " i laughed and then remember.
"Yes — my reward affinity unlocked! Let's see what affinity I got. Maybe two, maybe three… maybe like a protagonist with five affinities." I grinned and called the system.
───────────────────────────
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Tylar Draven (14)
Race: Human
Class: None
Title: None
Rank: E-
───────────────────────────
Strength: E-
Agility: E-
Intelligence: F+
Endurance: E-
Charm: E
Mana: F+
[Affinity: Darkness, Space (locked)]
[Skills]
Shadow Step: Merge with your own shadow for an instant to dodge or reposition.
Dark Pressure: Channel mana through surrounding darkness to create an invisible field of crushing force. Only effective against weak opponents.
[Quest]
Main Quest: Win the God Trials Tournament
Reward: Grant any one wish
Failure: Error
───────────────────────────
"I ranked up, yeeah!" I said, forcing myself to move. I crawled to the nearest tree and sat against it, scanning the status window more carefully.
I'd unlocked affinities — two of them.
"Darkness and Space…" i say slowly.
" And I also feel a little connection to the darkness," I murmured, sensing the mana around me.
I already have two darkness skills.
Shadow Step — merging into my shadow would help me surprise opponents.
Dark Pressure — a crushing force that might down weaker enemies.
"Kneel, you ants," I laughed, itching to try them and mostly the Dark pressure.
But the Space affinity was the real thing. I knew because I read it from the Heroes of Present book how dangerous Space Law ability could be. The main character in that story struggled very much against the Space affinity enemy, even though MC had five affinities while the enemy had only one.
" But why is it locked?" I asked aloud.
Ding!
[The host has no understanding of Space law.]
The system replied, and I thought. Yes space laws were harder than they looked — they are the second-highest difficult Law, not something you mastered by just skimming a book. There are top five laws that couldn't be learned that way they can only be master by our understanding.
Space Law affinity is was great power, but to use it you had to learn and understand the space itself.
Still curious about my Darkness affinity, I asked, "If I don't understand Space, why did Darkness unlock?"
[Darkness is also related to Death how much you understand about the dark. The host died in their last life, which is why Darkness affinity unlocked along with two related skills.] The system answered, clearing my doubts.
"So that's why I have those abilities," I said.
[Yes. The host experienced death. Additionally, the host was in proximity to, or associated with, a being who had a higher understanding of Space law — that is why the host acquired Space affinity.] The system's reply this time felt more helpful than before.
Than a thought came to mind.
I asked another question: "If these affinities aren't from this body, then what this body affinity or originally his body had no affinity?"
[Yes. This body was lost of affinity.] the system confirmed.
I looked up at the sky. Dawn had fully broken. "How much time passed while I was out?" I asked.
[16 hours have passed.] the system notified me.
I had been unconscious for that long — and not a single monster had attacked. They must have thought I was dead.
Ding!!
[The host cleared a hidden quest.]
Hidden Quest: Survive the night in the forest.
Reward: Umbral Burst (Skill)
"Wow, There are hidden quest and I cleared it — survive the night. Maybe in this life I'm little lucky," I said, grinning.
I see the skill and want to know it details.
"System, give me details on Umbral Burst," I asked.
[Yes.]
[Skill: Umbral Burst]
[Harness condensed darkness and compress it around your muscles, then release it in an instant — propelling your body forward with explosive speed while leaving no sound, no trace, and no light. To observers, it appears as teleportation, but it is pure physical movement enhanced by dark energy pressure.]
"This is really useful," I smiled at the description.
[Overuse can temporarily drain your stamina and reduce mana sensitivity.] the system warned.
"It can drain my stamina and mana… So not that usefull for now , met it will my last resort for surviving and by the timeI should increase both," I told the system.
The system pinged again.
[System advises the host to absorb the bear core.]
"Oh — I totally forgot about that we can rise our rank by absorb a mana core," I said, forcing myself up. I used the broken sword to slice open the bear's chest and pried out the core above its heart. It was a white orb.
I held the core and froze. How was I supposed to absorb it? I had no knowledge.
"System, do you have any method?" I asked, desperation in my voice.
[The system has no information about that.] came the reply.
My heart sank. What would I do then? Another notification arrived.
[The host can swallow the core to absorb it.]
"You expect me to swallow it?" I asked suspiciously. "What!! Do you want me dead I read in the novel eat the core directly can cure mana explodes in our blood stream and you are saying swallow it and kill you yourself."
[No. The system cannot kill its host.] it replied.
[The system will assist the host in absorbing the core and purifying its impurities.]
After thinking for minutes.
"Okay, if you say so," I whispered. I swallowed the core.
Heat flooded through my body. Twenty minutes later, a black substance expelled from me, and a Ding echoed in my head.
[The host has fully absorbed the core and removed the impurities from the body.]
"All absorbed," I breathed. My wounds were healed; the hand that had felt broken was now function again. "I broke through… Status!" I called, excitement shaking my voice.
───────────────────────────
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Tylar Draven (14)
Race: Human
Class: None
Title: None
Rank: E+
───────────────────────────
Strength: E-
Agility: E+
Intelligence: E-
Endurance: E+
Charm: E+
Mana: E-
[Affinity: Darkness, Space (locked)]
[Skills]
Shadow Step
Dark Pressure
Umbral Burst
[Quest]
Main Quest: Win the God Trials Tournament
Reward: Grant any one wish
Failure: Error
───────────────────────────
"I broke through two sub-ranks — hell yeah! Now we're talking," I said with a smug smile.
Still, I knew in the academy main character is the real deal.
He had been E- when he awakened and soon climbed to greatness. In the world of Lumariya, children usually awakened their cores between twelve and fourteen, then applied to the academy. The MC in that story had awakened late but emitted a golden light that Proof him as the chosen by the Goodness of Light. He entered the academy as a D+ and came first in the 1st year in the class.
If MC in my situation now he already have killed the bear within the five move.
I couldn't be sure that I could beat anyone yet. I had only defeated this bear because it had been overconfident and already wounded.
Yes wounded. How lucky I'm .
When I examined the bear while cutting it open, I saw red marks across its body — sword or dagger wounds. Its front paw had been injured; that was why it missed its final attack.
I ask the system it rank and it said the bear was an E-rank monster .
Monster ranks ran from G (weakest) to SSS (strongest).This includes Dragons also with the different categories.
The system also give me a proper explained of why I couldn't been able to absorb higher-ranked cores: "If you try to absorb a D-rank or higher core you will fail. Every being has a core resonance frequency — the natural vibration of their mana. For absorption to succeed, the two energies must resonate. Higher-rank cores vibrate denser, faster, and more chaotically. If your body can't match that resonance, the energies clash instead of merging."
I checked the bear's rank, satisfied that absorption was safe.
Now I had to leave the forest.
"Give me directions to exit the forest," I said, but the system didn't respond. "Looks like I'm on my own," I muttered, and chose the direction the bear had come from. Dangerous, perhaps — but a wounded bear coming from a path suggested travelers passed that way.
"I also need water," I added, staring at the bear.
"What should I do with his body…?" I thought aloud. "If I'm stuck, I can use it for food. It's heavy, though — maybe I should cut some parts and carry them."
I was just thinking about when similar sound echoed in my mind.
[The host can store non-living things in the provided space.] the system informed me.
"Wait — it has space? A fucking space? Thank God. Now I look like a Second rated novel haha ,How do I use it?" I asked out loud.
[Say the word 'storage' in your mind and make physical contact with the object.] the system instructed.
I placed my hand on the bear and thought storage. The bear vanished.
"Wow. How much can it hold?" I asked.
[The storage has a maximum limit of up to 10 objects and cannot be expanded at any time.] the system replied.
"Ten items — that will be comes very handy but the real saddenss is i can't increase the storage it will always be 10 ," I said. I stored the bear's head and started my journey out of the forest.