Noa took another crystal into his trembling fingers and directed his mana stream straight into its core.
This time a sharp, shrill screech seemed to rise from within; the crystal instantly shattered into countless tiny fragments that scattered in four directions.
At the same moment, a smoke-like torrent of black mana poured out, spreading through the cold air of the cavern and swallowing the silence, as though the cave itself had begun to breathe.
Noa clenched his fist, breathing hard with irritation.
"This just made everything harder…" he muttered, voice low but laced with barely contained anger.
X glanced sideways, curiosity and suspicion mingling in his tone.
"Or perhaps the opposite… It's less dense this way. Doesn't that also mean the pain is noticeably reduced?"
Noa hesitated.
"You might be right… but it takes far longer—"
X pressed his lips into a thin line, clearly displeased.
"Where exactly are you rushing to? Even if we stay here for weeks, you have to do it properly. Don't rush."
Noa shot him a look, then slowly lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs. His breathing steadied a little.
"Fine… no rushing," he said, and resumed the absorption.
The black mana began seeping into his body, piece by piece, as though it were dismantling him from the inside. The difference was that this time it didn't tear him apart; it sank deep and slow.
Noa thought to himself:
This was actually a good idea… the pain is cut in half. The breaking process is slower, but it's far more bearable…
X bent his head with a strange little smile.
"Call me master," he said, half-joking.
Noa's neck stiffened.
"Why does your voice suddenly sound so annoying?" he snapped, patience wearing thin.
X tilted his head, feigning offense.
"Maybe because I'm actually speaking."
Noa let out a short laugh.
"Very clever. Now shut up and don't disturb me."
X gave a low, grumpy grumble.
"Brat…" he muttered, then fell silent.
A long time passed. Inside the cavern there was nothing but the faint hum of flowing mana and the irregular rhythm of Noa's breathing, sometimes suppressed, sometimes flaring.
At last Noa finished absorbing the batch. Exhaustion and weakness were written all over him; his shoulders sagged and rose again and again.
He leaned back as though about to collapse, propped himself on both hands, lifted his face toward the ceiling, and drew a deep, ragged breath.
Almost without joy, he whispered:
"So, how much did the stats rise this time? Show me."
X flashed a faint gleam.
"What, now you need my voice?"
Noa's lips twitched; he couldn't hold back a laugh.
"What's this, were you sulking?"
X answered in an icy, emotionless tone:
"No."
Noa burst into genuine laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Look at this, our second personality was actually sulking! It suits you; sulking like a spoiled little girl."
X grumbled again, clearly annoyed.
"I wasn't sulking. I was busy thinking about the future."
Noa's laughter stopped; curiosity took its place.
"What kind of plan?"
X replied coldly, as if the matter were trivial:
"While you were busy breaking mana, some kind of slime… crawled out from the spot where your blood dripped."
Noa narrowed his eyes and fell silent for a moment.
"What? Why didn't you say anything? Danger level?"
X answered with calm certainty:
"You couldn't have been distracted. You may possess the dark mana shattering technique, but you were at a stage where interruption was impossible. And I don't think ordinary slime can harm us."
Noa relaxed slightly.
"Good… then we continue."
X nodded.
"Better to check the stats all at once. That way we won't be disappointed by small gains."
Noa placed a hand on his neck, turned his head, and a soft crack sounded from his spine.
"Fine," he said.
Then he sent mana into every remaining crystal at once.
In a single instant they cracked and burst, one after another.
Thicker black mana, ten times denser than before, blanketed the entire cavern like dark fog.
Noa dropped to his knees, planted his feet firmly, and rested both hands on his thighs. His breathing grew heavier; intense pressure filled his lungs. Exhaustion seeped into his very veins, momentarily disrupting even the flow of mana.
Yet he persisted. The cavern filled with the mingled sounds of his labored breathing, the low hum of mana, and the sharp cracks of shattering crystals, forming a strange, complex rhythm.
Roughly three or four hours later, the cold cave air began tickling Noa's skin. He felt overwhelming exhaustion and ravenous hunger; his muscles trembled, every breath grew harder. He let himself fall back against the cold stone.
"This… the exhaustion and hunger are holding me more than the pain ever did…" he rasped, drenched in sweat. Droplets rolled from his forehead, striking the stone and leaving faint trails.
X answered calmly, yet cautiously:
"Go outside, eat something, rest a bit, then continue."
Noa thought for a moment, weariness clouding his face.
"This mana… it could leak outside…"
X gave a faint smile, but his gaze turned serious.
"What's wrong with you? Has exhaustion made you stupid? The mana is already flowing out on its own."
Noa frowned in surprise and looked toward the depths of the cave. A visible current of mana was streaming upward like an invisible river.
"You're right… it's flowing somewhere. I think the wind is carrying it…"
X cut in, worry and suspicion lacing his voice.
"This place is completely sealed. What wind could possibly get in? And the fact that the mana is moving in a single stream…"
The cold edge in X's voice stirred an uneasy feeling inside Noa.
Noa slowly sat up.
"You're right… something's wrong…"
Suddenly, along with the flowing mana, the thick fog that had filled the cavern began to thin rapidly, as though something were swallowing it. The air pressure shifted.
Noa felt it instantly and stood, alarm rising. His heart pounded.
"We're not alone…" he whispered to himself, then turned to X.
X switched to full alertness and shouted in an icy voice:
"It might be dangerous. Get out! Now!"
Noa hesitated, suddenly remembering how the goblins had fallen eerily silent long ago. Their silence, the strange stillness of the cave; none of it was normal.
"I'll push mana perception to the maximum," he declared, voice tense.
He drew a deep breath and extended his mana sense.
The mana waves around him expanded; images unfolded in his mind like a map of the entire cavern; cracks in the walls, hollows beneath the floor, the goblin corpses… everything lit up in an instant.
And the moment Noa pushed his perception to its absolute limit, he froze, breath catching in his throat. His blood seemed to turn to ice.
Noa stood stunned.
"What… is this supposed to be?"
X drew a slow breath; the increasing pressure in the air was unmistakable.
"I don't know…" he said quietly. "Those goblin corpses… and the thing standing in front of them…"
His words were cut short.
Something inside the cavern moved.
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