From afar, one could see giant trees. There were also trees of normal and small sizes, flowers, and all sorts of small animals.
But the grass wasn't green—it was gray. And right ahead lay a clearing, where large colonies of fungi had spread.
They were certainly not a good sign!
At one of the entrances of the colony, a mushroom-shaped creature appeared. It had sharp teeth, grayish skin, black eyes, a small pair of wings, and it growled—a sound far from pleasant to the ears.
"I found this clearing... I should try to build some kind of shelter.
With only my core exposed, I'm far too vulnerable. I need a temporary home to plan things better."
Moving forward, Langdon saw—
"No way! What are those? They look like humanoid mushrooms!!!
Damn it... Just when I thought I had a little luck, this happens.
They don't seem very strong, but there are more of them.
Since they haven't noticed me yet, I probably have the upper hand in terms of perception.
Maybe I can take one down—that would help me figure out my limits.
But first... I need a quiet place to organize myself and understand what I'm capable of now."
Langdon walked to the left side of the clearing for about ten minutes until he came across a small stream, its water a blue-green color.
It didn't look safe to drink, but that didn't matter—he didn't need to consume anything anyway.
Sitting on a rock, he began his tests.
"Let's see what I can and can't do for now.
Hopefully... I can at least touch something!"
Willing it in his mind, he tried to place his hand into the stream.
Nothing happened...
The water didn't react or show any sign of change.
But that didn't discourage him—it was something he had already considered.
Without being too shaken by the failure, he tried again.
This time, he focused the glow of his spectral form into one single spot, shaping a hand—
And this time, the water reacted.
"Hahaha! The heavens haven't completely abandoned me after all! There's still hope!
Now I know I can interact with things that are physical to living beings.
I need a plan. Before night falls, I must kill at least one of those monsters.
I'll gather mana in my Stellar Core... and then I'll hunt.
Time to sit and meditate!"
Crossing his legs into a lotus position, he began to imagine mana being drawn into his core.
He condensed it into Stellar Dust—
A process that produced a power several times stronger than regular mana.
That's why Stellar Masters were such formidable forces in battle.
At level 1, the core looked like a dark, cracked stone, lifeless and slow to recover its dust.
It allowed the use of both attribute and non-attribute magic, and provided slight resistance to poisons.
But someone with a level 1 core wasn't much different from a normal person.
They only had slightly more strength than a strong, healthy adult—only truly standing out in magic and endurance.
"Hm... I think I'm making progress.
Feels like I'm entering the early phase of level one.
No idea how good that is, considering my poor absorption talent...
I'd have a better idea if I could compare myself to someone.
Ah, forget it. That's impossible for now.
Let me try touching the water again.
Wow! I could only form a hand before—but now I can form my whole arm!
This spectral mist that makes up my body... it seems to have thickened.
Now I know I can take down that beast!"
He sat again—but this time, to devise a way to kill the monster.
After much thought, he returned to the clearing.
There, he found a sharp branch and positioned it behind a bush.
He gathered a few stones and slowly approached the fungal colony.
There weren't many mushroom creatures around—
They seemed to be scouts.
Throwing one of the stones near the most isolated one, the creature reacted and was lured.
They didn't seem very smart...
Tossing more pebbles along a path, Langdon led the creature exactly where he wanted.
Then, with a strong throw, he sent a stone toward the bush where the sharp branch lay.
Curious, the creature leaned closer—
BAM!
Langdon shoved it hard, driving it onto the branch—
It struck its head and let out a pained growl.
Black blood oozed from its wound, but there was nothing it could do—
Its fate had already been sealed.
"Hahaha! I killed it!
Alright, I need to find its core...
Probably in the chest.
Aha—got it!
Time to absorb the mana—quickly."
He sat once again in lotus position and broke the core open, drawing the mana into himself.
It took about twenty minutes to absorb it all.
"This efficiency is insane!
It's as if I'd meditated for hours.
Let's test how much I improved...
Damn, not only can I form one full arm, but I've got enough left for the other too!
Hunting these monsters is totally worth it.
But... I need to get out of here.
The others might notice this one is missing.
Tomorrow I'll kill another, then decide what to do next."
Heading back to the stream and walking further, Langdon eventually found an empty cave.
It wasn't big enough to house a person—
But at the moment, he was just a floating core,
So this was the perfect home for now.
He gathered a few leaves to cover himself and rested inside the small cave.
Mentally exhausted, he finally cried—
Though no tears came out, his voice trembled.
There, in the comfort of the cave, the emotions he had been repressing through everything that happened finally broke loose.
After a brief moment of sobbing, he sharpened his gaze.
It was just an eye made of faint mist—
But no less determined than that of any normal person.
Surprisingly... he could sleep.
And that made Langdon truly happy.
It was the best good news he'd had in a long, long time.