The portion inside the beautiful jade was the definition of disaster itself in terms of appearance alone—black, viscous liquid bubbling like a swamp, sizzling sounds coming out of it as if it were acidic, as if even a single touch could cause great harm. The thought of drinking this disaster was the farthest thing Rain could even imagine.
And there was no point in even talking about its smell. Normally, a soul core or anything made from it should contain the same scent as before, depending upon the characteristics of that individual—but this… this was pure malice. If it had to be described in words, then only one would fit—it was dreadful.
Rain closed his nose with his hand, his gaze fixed on the liquid he was supposed to consume soon, disbelief clear on his face. "What even is this…?"
He wasn't sure if it was even safe to stay in the same room with this vicious liquid, let alone consume it. The thought alone made his stomach turn.
But he had no choice.
His fate had already been decided the moment his hand landed on "BUY."
And now he also understood why something like this was priced so cheaply—the reason was simple. Who would even buy something they couldn't use?
A thought crossed his mind.
It was pure self-pity.
He wasn't sure whether to feel happy about obtaining something so rare… or terrified of what was about to happen to him next.
'Haha… just my shit choices I make in my life.'
The laugh came out hesitant.
But he had already made up his mind, giving himself a faint hope by comparing the thought of drinking this dreadful potion to the pain he had suffered from that red devilish screen.
"It couldn't be worse than that… right?" he murmured, unsure even in his own words.
His grip tightened around the jade bottle, its surface smooth and beautiful, as he slowly brought it closer to his mouth.
'Now I understand why people say inner beauty is more important than outer beauty…' Even though the two cases were completely different, they somehow felt related.
The outer beauty of the jade could be compared to a person's appearance and behavior—something used to fool others—while its true nature could be filled with something far more dangerous, like this potion.
But now, those thoughts were irrelevant.
"Here goes nothing," he said, letting out a breath as he tilted the bottle and gulped down the entire liquid in one go as if it were nothing.
But the moment he tasted it—
"…Hmm?"
"It's not bad…"
The potion was surprisingly sweet, like nectar from the finest flowers.
He said with a relieved smile, "I was worrying for nothing!" feeling happy that he hadn't died or experienced anything bad like he had expected—but it could only be called his delusion.
Because the very next moment, before he could even say anything further, a sharp pain struck his stomach.
"What… what's happening!?" he murmured, grabbing his stomach tightly with both hands, his face twisting in that despicable pain.
But soon, he got the answer he was searching for.
[Hubby, the trait is binding with your core] the message appeared with a serious, almost instructive expression.
Rain gritted his teeth. "What do you mean!?" he said, unable to properly understand what she was talking about.
But that wasn't really the case.
It wasn't that he couldn't understand—
It was that he couldn't think of anything except the pain he was suffering right now.
His heartbeat grew heavier.
"Ahh! My chest—!" he cried out in pain before dropping to his knees, his body undergoing violent changes, like something that had been sleeping deep inside him had suddenly awakened, causing havoc throughout his entire being.
[Hubby, just a bit more—the core is binding with the trait, you can't give up now!] the message appeared with a worried yet encouraging expression.
Rain screamed as the pain grew heavier and heavier, as if his entire blood flow had reversed. Something began glowing near his stomach, deep inside his body.
He couldn't think straight—couldn't even process what it was.
"Hnn…?"
His vision started blurring, darkness creeping in from the edges, but somehow he held on.
[The core is binding with the trait, just a bit more, hubby!] the message appeared again, this time more urgently, still trying to cheer him on.
The soul core—
It could be considered similar to the mana core of beasts in fantasy.
All creatures possessed a soul core.
Located near the abdomen, it was responsible for storing mana and other forms of energy within the body. As an individual grew stronger, so did their core.
And within it—
Resided an immense amount of energy.
Something that would not perish… even if the body did.
But suddenly, instead of relief, the pain hit even harder. Rain screamed and screamed, his body collapsing as he crouched on the floor, clutching himself like he might tear apart. 'This fucking pain!'
"THIS FUCKING PAIN—!!"
The agony didn't stop.
It grew.
Heavier. Deeper. Like something inside him was being crushed… then rebuilt… then crushed again.
THUD
His forehead slammed against the ground.
His fingers dug into the floor, nails scraping as his body trembled uncontrollably.
[Hubby! Hubby!] the message appeared with a worried expression.
But the pain only grew heavier and heavier as his screams continued.
Rain's mind started breaking—his thoughts cracking, splitting apart—before suddenly…
His body arched violently.
A silent scream ripped through him this time—no voice left, no breath, just raw, tearing sensation.
and then—something changed, a sudden peace.
the shackles binding something deep within him—broke, the light inside his body began to bloom, faint at first, then brighter, brighter.
Spreading through his veins like fire… yet it didn't burn.
Rain felt as if he was finally free from all his sufferings. Only one thought crossed his head—it wasn't any curse, but something philosophical. With a faint smile, something completely out of his character, he thaught,
'Pain doesn't just break you… it teaches you who you truly are when there's nothing left to hide behind.'
As if he had somehow understood the meaning behind those words, as if they had come to him at the exact moment he needed them the most.
The light grew stronger and stronger, until it covered the whole room.
[Hubby!]
Rain's vision filled with darkness.
There was nothing left.
---
"Hm… why is my body so sore?" Rain muttered as he slowly pushed himself up from the floor.
[Hubby! You are awake!]
"Yeah… I am," he said, looking around, trying to recall what had just happened—but he didn't need to search for answers.
His body felt different.
'What is this…?' he thought, sensing a strange new kind of energy inside himself.
His head suddenly hurt as memories flashed back.
He let out a shaky laugh, a scared smile forming on his face.
"Now I remember… ha…"
Remembering the suffering from just moments ago.
'It was worse than the penalty…'
[Hubby, you have awakened the first trait: Gravitational Domination ] the message appeared with a happy smile.
"Hmmm… what?" he said, still not understanding.
Then—
It hit him.
His eyes widened.
"WHAT!?" he shouted, disbelief written all over his face.
A smile slowly formed.
'First… that means there are more than one…'
'No wonder my body feels different… so this is the power of Gravitational Domination… Now thats some damn luck!'
Rain asked with excitement, "What does it do?" his voice eager, almost rushing over his own words as he leaned forward slightly.
[Hubby you can control gravity around you at your will]
"So fucking cool!" he said instantly, unable to hold back the surge of happiness and excitement bubbling inside him.
A grin spread across his face.
'Looks like I finally have a card up my sleeve…'
And this was just the beginning.
But then—
The grin slowly faded.
Rain scratched his cheek, an innocent, slightly hesitant smile forming.
"…So how do I use this…?"
[It simple hubby, just feel the new energy in your soul core and let it flow outside of your body]
With a deadpan expression.'Why do I feel a sudden déjà vu'
he knew that word, simple, and yet it was never actually simple.
"…Whatever," he muttered, waving it off, though the excitement was still clearly there. "Let's try this."
'Focus… focus…'
he closed his eyes, cleared his mind, all the noise, all the thoughts pushed aside, until only his body remained.
and then—he felt it, a new power, flowing, moving through him like a quiet current, originating from deep within—his soul core.
His eyes snapped open.
"Got it!"
His expression lit up, confidence surging instantly as if something grand was about to happen.
He raised his hand dramatically toward a book lying across the room.
"Here comes… Gravity Slam!"
… Nothing.
A tiny— FLICK
The book trembled, barely, just a slight twitch—and then silence returned.
Rain stood there, arm still stretched out, his grin slowly freezing on his face.
"…Huh."
Then he burst out in anger, veins almost popping on his forehead.
"Where the hell is my gravity slam!"
[Excellent, hubby! You can make such a movement with your current level] the message appeared, carrying a bright, utterly shameless smile.
Rain stared at the screen, his eye twitching, then his lips twitching, then his entire face twitching as if everything was falling apart at once, and after a brief pause—
'…Are you mocking me on purpose?'
With a long sigh, he muttered, "Let's take care of this matter next time," his gaze shifting toward the remaining time he had.
[ Time — 4 Days Remaining ]
Rain clenched his arm tightly, excitement flashing across his face as his thoughts turned sharp.
'Time to wreck the exams… and pay her a visit heheh!.'
A slow grin spread across his lips, something dangerous, something promising… as if something very good—no, very, very good—was about to happen soon.