"Let me show it to you."
*Crnch—* *Krkch—*
Agonizing pain shot through Jan as Saveth's hand dug deeper into his chest, clawing through his very being.
"Augh! W-what are you doing, you sick bastard?!" Jan cried out, his face contorting in pain and horror, as his inner world trembled around him.
"Looking for your essence, huh?" Saveth's twisted grin widened ominously.
*Schlrrk—*
"Here it is—the thing you've been desperately searching for."
Saveth pulled out a blood-soaked, pulsating orb of light.
*Om—* *Om—* *Om—*
Flesh and mana stretched from Jan's chest, desperately fighting to reclaim it, but Saveth's grip was unyielding.
The orb shuddered and throbbed violently, pulsing with raw power yet seeming dangerously fragile in Saveth's crushing grip.
*Hrkk—* *Splash—*
Blood spurted from Jan's mouth, splattering onto the ground.
Sophia looked frantically toward her sister. "Maria, it's happening again! Do something!"
"I—I don't know what to do! We've already accelerated the process." Maria stammered, panic in her eyes. "He's losing too much Mana. We need to get it back into him, now!"
Maria turned urgently to Aeris.
"We overestimated his Mana Reserve!" Aeris agreed, directing her attention to Sophia. "Crispy, ease up a bit more—let his Mana flow naturally!" She shifted her focus back to Maria. "And you—prepare yourself! We're moving into phase four!"
*Badum—* *Badum—* *Badum—* *Badum—*
Holding Jan's essence in his hand, Saveth sneered. "Kehehehe, I love this! You look surprised."
Jan stared at the orb in astonishment. At first, he'd thought it was a burning fire—that's what it felt like when he first saw it up close.
But as he reached it, his perception shifted. It didn't resemble Aeris' magic—it was something else. It looked like fire, and though it radiated warmth, it didn't burn.
That led him to think of it as a beacon of pure light. But what he was seeing now was completely different. Now, it looked like a living organ—a heart—throbbing rhythmically in Saveth's hand.
It was dire, he felt like he was bleeding out, however—
"Hahahahaha!"
Saveth's eyebrow twitched with irritation.
"Hahahahahahaha… kkkk… hahahahahahaha!"
"What's so damn funny?!" Saveth snarled, anger boiling in his voice.
"All of it," Jan managed to speak through his laughter, shaking his head. "You appear now, showing me these people I've come to care about, lecturing me about saving the world—telling me I'm not a true hero… You're nothing like him!"
Saveth's expression contorted dangerously.
"So what are you supposed to be? My greatest fear?!"
"Yeessss." Saveth hissed.
"You?" Jan scoffed, eyes bright with defiance. "Not even close! Maybe if you had those green little bastards with you, then I'd be afraid!"
*Badum—* *Badum—* *Badum—* *Badum—*
A radiant, blinding light erupted from Jan's essence, surging hotter and brighter with every heartbeat. Saveth's hand began to smoke and sizzle, flesh blistering painfully.
"Tch!" Forced by searing agony, Saveth released the orb.
Now hovering freely, it immediately surged back into its owner's chest, sealing the wound as if he had never existed. Jan stood tall, glaring defiantly at Saveth, who clutched his scorched hand in pain.
"I've been wanting to say this since we last met," Jan smirked confidently.
"..."
"You talk way too damn much!"
*Boom—* *Boom—* *Boom—* *Boom—*
Jan lunged forward, landing a devastating punch squarely on Saveth's face, followed by a relentless barrage of strikes, each hit more fierce and powerful than the last.
"So what if I was a mistake?!" *Boom—*
"So what if I'm out of place?!" *Boom—*
"So what if I don't fit your mold?!" *Boom—*
"Everyone's got to have a path—and this is the one I've chosen!"
Saveth collapsed to the ground, blood trickling from his lips. Jan seized him by the collar and yanked him up to face him.
Looking into his enemy's battered expression, Jan grinned with newfound clarity.
"One's mind can play cruel tricks sometimes, but guess what? It's my mind, it's my inner world, so you better play by my damn rules!"
[Congratulations, your skill has improved: "Meditation Lv.3"]
[Congratulations, your skill has improved: "Clear Mind Lv.2"]
The oppressive darkness surrounding Jan began to dissipate rapidly, replaced by a comforting warmth that illuminated the entire area.
Jan stared down at Saveth one final time.
"You're just noise—the meaningless whispers I chose to ignore. But it's good you've manifested like this—now I can see things more clearly."
Releasing his grip, Jan watched Saveth's figure dissolve into nothingness, gone without a trace—as if it never existed.
Silence—
Jan took a moment, observing the transformed landscape of his mind—now bright, clear, and radiating warmth. It felt more welcoming, peaceful, as if it had always been meant to be this way.
He scoffed lightly, shaking his head.
"I can't believe I let something like this happen to me."
Lowering his gaze, he looked at his chest.
*Omm—* *Omm—* *Omm—*
"Still, it wasn't pointless."
He could feel it clearly now, throbbing rhythmically like a second heart. The essence he'd been desperately seeking had always been within him.
It surged powerfully, channeling life force through every fiber of his being.
"But not just that—he could now feel everything happening within his body: how Mana was being drawn out of it, and even how some of it was forcing its way back in."
Jan smiled softly.
"JAN! Can you hear me now? We're entering phase five—more Mana will flow into your essence!"
Aeris's voice cut through sharply, clearer than ever. Jan nodded instinctively, signaling his readiness.
The three girls exchanged relieved glances, their expressions finally softening. Whatever had plagued Jan just moments before was clearly over.
"Alright!" Aeris called out again, a bit more cheerfully. "We're nearly there. Just remember—actively absorb the Mana flowing back into you! Don't just stand there!"
*Badum—* *Badum—* *Badum—* *Badum—*
Now that Jan no longer had to seek his essence, he calmly sat cross-legged, readying himself to receive the incoming Mana.
'We're finally here. The girls did everything they could to get me this far. I can't let their efforts go to waste.'
Soon, Mana began seeping into his mental space. Unlike the thread he'd imagined before, it appeared as clouds of energy drifting gently from every corner of his mind, coalescing into a radiant orb of pure light suspended above him.
Jan felt his essence pulsing urgently within his chest.
'It wants it.'
Although Mana was steadily entering his space, it didn't merge with his essence spontaneously. Instead, the energy hovered separately, while Jan's essence continued releasing more to the outside, steadily weakening.
If this continued unchecked, he'd eventually drain completely and die.
Jan's essence clearly craved the energy, throbbing dangerously inside him, desperate to consume the hovering orb of Mana. But he didn't know how to make it happen.
He closed his eyes again, focusing deeply.
'I can't feel any connection between the two. It's like they're completely different in nature. Maybe this kind of merging isn't natural at all…'
'But this is my mental space. I don't need to find a natural connection, do I?! I can just create one myself!'
With that decisive thought, a slender thread extended from his essence, gently rising from his chest, reaching upward to connect with the brilliant orb of Mana.
'Slowly…'
*Vooom—* *Vooooom—* *Voooooom—*
Jan smiled in relief as he felt his essence slowly absorbing the orb's Mana. The transfer rate was initially slow—not enough to make up for the mana he was losing. But this method was undeniably working.
'And this is just the beginning.'
One by one, more threads emerged from his essence, each connecting steadily to the Mana orb above, stabilizing his essence even further.
*Crack—*
Sparks flew as two of the threads intertwined.
'I have to give each its own path.' Jan squinted uncomfortably.
He needed to maintain the delicate balance, making sure the amount he absorbed matched what he lost. That would allow the Mana outside his body to circulate naturally as if it were within him.
But suddenly—
[You have been poisoned!]
[Health will be reduced by 1% every 1 second!]
Jan gasped, eyes flying open. "Am I going too slowly?"
He had no way to confirm this suspicion, but panic set in. He rapidly increased the absorption rate, desperately weaving more threads to counteract whatever was poisoning him.
Yet—
[You have been poisoned!]
[Health will be reduced by 3% every 1 second!]
[You have been poisoned!]
[Health will be reduced by 5% every 1 second!]
[You have been poisoned!]
[Health will be reduced by 8% every 1 second!]
[You have been poisoned!]
[Health will be reduced by 10% every 1 second!]
[Congratulations, you've learned a new skill: Poison Resistance Lv.1]
[YOU DIED]
[You will not receive a penalty or punishment. You will respawn in Valkeries Town in 3 seconds with 20% HP.]
In a flash of light, Jan vanished into thin air.
"What?! What just happened? Where did he go?!" Sophia shouted, eyes darting around.
"Huff... Huff... Huff…"
Still catching her breath, Aeris leaned on her staff. "He… *huff*… died."
"But how?! He looked fine just a moment ago!" Sophia turned sharply to Maria.
Maria frowned. "Something's off…"
"What do you mean?!" Sophia pressed.
"I have a few theories, but it's better to wait and ask him directly."
Jan's return was slower this time. Aeris had already recovered—but he hadn't. The spark in his eyes was gone.
He walked in, eyes downcast and shoulders low, and muttered, "Sorry, guys. I wasted all your efforts. I failed again."
His voice was heavy with sincerity.
Sophia stepped up and patted him hard on the back. "What are you talking about? You're not giving up this easily, are you?!"
"Of course not."
"Then we'll do this as many times as it takes." She gave him a warm smile.
"Besides," Maria added gently, "this isn't something you're supposed to learn in a day. Really, it's okay."
Then she leaned in. "But what actually happened?"
Jan sighed. "I'm not sure. I was doing fine. I could see the Mana—I even started absorbing it. But then things went south. At first, I thought maybe I just wasn't doing it fast enough."
"That could be the reason…" Maria murmured, brow furrowing in thought.
"I don't think it is, though." Jan turned around. "Aeris, did the old man ever mention anything about poison?"
"Poison?!" she snapped. "What does that have to do with anything?!"
He gave a bitter smile. "Yeah, I thought the same. But both times I died, I got a notification about being poisoned."
"N-Notification…?" Aeris blinked.
"It's a Hero thing," Jan explained.
"Huh?!" Aeris blinked harder.
Sophia sighed. "He can see messages about his status, enemies, skills, that kind of stuff. They call it 'the System.'"
"You know about that too, Crispy?!" Aeris said, looking at her.
"Yup!" Sophia grinned smugly. "Guess it's one of those things you don't get, Your Leafiness."
"W-Well, that's handy…" Aeris muttered, trying not to get triggered.
"Anyway," Jan said, "The System said I was poisoned. In fact, the faster I absorbed the Mana, the worse it got. I even learned a new skill—Poison Resistance."
"Hmmm…" Maria's eyes narrowed.
"So yeah," Jan continued, "I think if I tried one more time, I could actually pull it off."
"I'm in," Sophia said without hesitation.
"You too, Aeris?" Jan asked.
"W-We can try again," she nodded.
"And you, Maria?"
"..."
"Maria?"
"Huh? Sorry—did you say something?"
"Can we try again?"
Maria hesitated, then gave a small sigh. "Sorry, Jan. I'm really running late. I need to get back to the Council."
She looked at Aeris. "Also… I don't think it'll work if we try again right now."
Jan lowered his head.
"I didn't mean it that way," Maria added quickly. "I'm sure you'll get it. Just… maybe not today. If it's okay, I'd like to borrow the book. I might find something helpful if I dig a little deeper."
"Yeah, if you think it'll help. Just… keep it safe, alright?"
"Don't worry," she replied, distracted again.
"Seriously," Jan said with a half-smile. "Please keep it safe."
"O-Of course." Maria nodded. "All good, then. I'll head out. You three can close the guild when you're done—it's already afternoon."
"Got it."
"Ah, before I go—Aeris."
"Yes?!"
"You'll be staying at the inn tonight. Sophia will show you your room." She turned to her sister. "I can count on you for that, right?"
"Yes, yes," Sophia waved it off.
"Wait a minute!" Aeris interjected. "You're putting a princess in an inn?!"
"Again, you don't exactly have the luxury of choice," Maria said flatly. "Besides, we'll all be there. It's the safest place for now."
"B-But…"
"Relax," Sophia added. "It's not that bad. And hey—maybe we can have an all-girls night later."
"That'd be fun." Maria smiled, "I'll try to join you guys once I'm finished."
"An… all-girls night…" Aeris mumbled, face warming.
"Anyway," Maria continued, turning to the rest, "keep a low profile when you leave. And clean up this mess before you go."
With that, she gathered her things and quickly left, leaving the three of them alone in the guild.
Jan quietly slipped his hoodie back on.
"So," Sophia said, watching him. "What are you planning to do now?"
"Well, I thought maybe I'd finally get to read a book or two."
"All you've talked about since morning is books. Did you even eat anything today?"
Grumble...
Jan froze mid step. "Now that you mention it... I'm actually starving."