The room was quiet as Roma sat alone, leaning against the wooden wall while staring at the small piece of food he had just created in his hand, his expression thoughtful rather than excited, as if he were trying to understand something deeper. At first glance, it looked completely ordinary—simple, plain, almost laughably unimpressive—but Roma wasn't paying attention to its appearance, he was sensing it.
"…There's chakra in this," he muttered softly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he focused more carefully, feeling the faint trace of energy within the food. It was weak—very weak—so weak that if he hadn't been paying attention, he might not have noticed it at all.
"…Trace amount," he continued, leaning back slowly. "…That sounds obvious… but it's not."
In this world, the difference between mortal food and spiritual food was like the difference between earth and heaven, they weren't even comparable. Mortal food simply filled the stomach and did nothing more, while spiritual food contained pure chakra that was refined, natural, and easily absorbed by the body. Roma recalled the knowledge from his memories, knowing that in nature, even in a large garden filled with trees, there might only be one or two spiritual trees growing among them, and even that was considered fortunate. Only noble families with sufficient wealth and resources could cultivate such trees intentionally, and even then it required money, time, and careful management.
"…And those fruits… are treasures," he thought quietly, his gaze returning to the food in his hand. "…And this…" He paused slightly. "…barely makes a difference."
Even if someone ate it, the effect would be negligible, almost useless. Roma sighed softly.
"…So it's still trash."
But even as he said that, he didn't throw it away. Instead, his eyes slowly sharpened as a thought began forming in his mind.
"…Unless…"
He straightened slightly.
"…If this ability improves… then maybe…"
He immediately looked at the system.
"…How do I upgrade this?"
The blue screen flickered faintly before responding.
Two methods were available. First, if the original owner improved the ability through training, then the improvement would also reflect in him. Second, he could improve the ability himself, but that improvement would not affect Arun.
Roma blinked slightly.
"…So if Arun trains… I benefit," he murmured, nodding slowly. "…Good."
Then he paused again.
"…But I can also train it myself."
His expression gradually changed as he began thinking more deeply.
"…Then what exactly is this ability?"
He looked at the food again, his thoughts becoming clearer.
"…Creating food… with chakra…"
Then suddenly, his eyes widened slightly.
"…Wait."
He sat up straight.
"…This isn't about food."
"…This is about injecting chakra."
The room fell silent as that realization settled.
Then Roma slowly stood up.
"…If I can inject chakra… then…"
His gaze shifted toward the corner of the room, where a simple apple lay among some leftover supplies.
"…What if I try it on something real?"
Without wasting time, he walked over, picked up the apple, and held it in his hand.
"…Let's see…"
He focused carefully, directing his chakra not outward, but inward, slowly pushing it into the apple. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then a faint glow began to appear.
Roma's breathing slowed.
"…It's working."
The apple began to change, subtly but clearly. Its surface became smoother, its color deepened, and more importantly—
"…Chakra…"
Roma could feel it distinctly now.
"…This is…"
He paused for a brief moment.
"…A spiritual fruit."
Roma stared at it in disbelief.
"…I just made a spiritual fruit."
For a second, everything was silent. Then, without hesitation, he took a bite.
The moment the fruit entered his body, a surge of pure chakra exploded within him, flowing through his meridians, nourishing his body, strengthening his foundation, and pushing his cultivation forward at an astonishing speed.
Roma's eyes widened.
"…What—"
The energy continued to flow, refining and expanding within him until suddenly—
His aura shifted.
"…Stage 3."
He froze.
"…I… I broke through?"
He looked at his hands, then at the half-eaten apple, and then at the system, his mind struggling to catch up with what had just happened.
"…HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He couldn't hold it in anymore.
"…This is insane… this is broken… this is actually broken!"
Without thinking, Roma rushed out of the room.
"…Arun!"
He almost kicked the door open as he entered, startling Arun, who had been resting.
"…What—"
Before Arun could even finish speaking, Roma grabbed him tightly.
"…Thank you!"
And hugged him.
Arun froze completely, unable to process the situation.
"…Huh?"
Roma pulled back slightly, still smiling widely.
"…You're amazing."
Arun blinked in confusion.
"…What did I do?"
Roma paused for a moment.
"…Good question."
"…Doesn't matter."
Arun hesitated slightly before reaching into his clothes and pulling something out.
"…I… don't have much…"
He extended his hand.
"…But take this."
Roma blinked.
"…What's this?"
"…A spiritual artifact," Arun said quietly. "…It's damaged… low rank… but it can block one full-force attack from someone at the 7th or 8th stage of Chakra Gathering."
Roma froze again.
"…Excuse me?"
He stared at the pendant, then at Arun, and then back at the pendant.
"…You're giving me this?"
Arun nodded.
"…You saved me."
There was a brief silence before Roma slowly accepted it.
"…Thank you."
Later, after returning to his room, Roma sat quietly once more, holding the pendant in his hand as it emitted a faint glow in the dim light. His excitement had gradually calmed down, but his thoughts were still racing.
"…This ability…"
He looked at his hand.
"…I can enhance food… only once."
He paused again.
"…Only once."
Then his eyes slowly narrowed.
"…What happens if I use it on a real spiritual fruit?"
The room fell silent again.
Roma tightened his grip on the pendant slightly as countless possibilities began forming in his mind.
"…Can it be enhanced again… or will it fail… or…"
A faint, dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"…Will it become something even more terrifying?"
Roma continued staring at the pendant, his curiosity growing stronger with each passing second.
"…Looks like…"
"…I have something worth experimenting with."