In the heart of the "Hidden Sanctuary," where the air pulsed with pure energy almost visible to the naked eye, the scene sharply contrasted with the violence and destruction left by the "Eclipse Minotaur" outside the fog barrier. Beneath the twisted white roots of the towering "World Tree," which radiated a soothing golden light, Dex sat cross-legged on the carpet of glowing moss.
His body was a map of suffering; his leather armor was completely shredded, his shirt clung to his skin with coagulated blood, and his chest rose and fell with extreme difficulty with every breath, as if he were lifting a mountain. His broken ribs pressed against his lungs, and the mana pathways (magical veins) inside his body were dry, cracked, and scorched from forcing the massive Phoenix energy out all at once.
Before him, the cores of the monsters and the "Black Claw" guild mercenaries were scattered like cursed jewels. Green cores pulsing with wind energy, cold blue ones with water energy, and that large, dark red core he had ripped from the B-Rank mercenary leader, radiating a malicious, bloody heat.
"True healing isn't just about closing wounds," Dex thought, looking at the red core. "True healing is tearing down the crumbling structure completely and rebuilding it from invincible foundations."
He closed his blue eyes and focused the remnants of his consciousness and willpower. He placed his burned hands over the red core.
"Devour!"
The "Phoenix Core" in his chest awakened. It wasn't a quiet awakening; it was the uprising of a starving beast roused from a deep slumber to find a lavish feast before it. The red core between Dex's hands began to vibrate violently, emitting a sharp screech as if the residual soul inside it was screaming in agony. Suddenly, the core turned into a viscous crimson liquid, pure, condensed fiery energy, that began to seep through the pores of Dex's hands, piercing his flesh and rushing directly into his bloodstream.
The moment the external B-Rank energy touched the cracked mana pathways in his body, Dex's eyes flew wide open, and he let out a muffled scream from the depths of his throat.
The pain was beyond description. If tearing muscles was painful, "rebuilding" them magically was pure hell. The absorbed core's energy was violent and chaotic, brimming with the impurities of rage and violence. But the Phoenix Core didn't care; it acted as a cosmic "smelting crucible." The deep, primordial Phoenix flames collided with the intrusive red energy, grinding it down, purifying it, and incinerating all its impurities at unfathomable spiritual temperatures.
Dex's body began to convulse violently. The broken bones in his ribcage emitted terrifying cracking and popping sounds as they were magically forced back into their proper places. The scorched cells on his back flaked off like black ash, replaced by new, pink, vibrant flesh growing in mere seconds.
But the real danger wasn't in the bones or flesh; the danger lay in the "mana pathways." The energy surging from the B-Rank core was vastly greater than what Dex's pathways (still at D-Rank) could handle. The magical veins beneath his skin began to swell and glow with a reddish-golden light, like fragile glass tubes channeling molten lead, on the verge of bursting and tearing him to shreds.
In that critical moment, Dex felt a comforting, familiar coolness touch his burning back.
It was Lumia. The celestial girl sat silently behind him, placing her slender hands on his broad shoulders. She closed her eyes and began to summon her own energy... the energy of the "Void and Sky." Lumia didn't interfere with the fiery healing process; instead, she created a cold, embracing field around his mana pathways. Her void energy acted as a "cosmic insulator," absorbing the excess pressure and lethal heat that threatened to destroy his veins, allowing the Phoenix energy to expand freely without detonating its human vessel.
"Thank you..." Dex whispered in his mind, utilizing this celestial support to focus entirely on the offense rather than defense.
With his mana pathways stabilized thanks to Lumia, Dex began to devour the other cores. He picked up the green and blue monster cores. An ordinary mage might think that mixing water and wind energy with fire was certain suicide, but the "Phoenix Flame" wasn't just a traditional fire element; it was the ultimate element of "Life and Destruction."
The Phoenix fire swept through the water and wind energy, dismantling them down to their primordial magical atoms, converting them into raw, pure fuel.
Dex's magical level began to shift. He was previously at mid D-Rank, considered strong for a beginner but merely an insect before the real monsters of the world. Now, with this massive torrent of pure energy, and the fact that his body had been "forged" and hardened under the crushing gravity of the Minotaur, his vessel was ready to expand.
Dex felt the invisible "dam" inside him—the rank barrier that prevents mages from advancing.
The immense energy gathered at the center, where the core resided. The core began to spin at a maddening speed, creating a miniature vortex that siphoned every remaining drop of mana from the scattered cores around him, which had now turned to worthless, pale white ash.
"Ascend!" Dex roared inwardly, pushing the willpower forged in the dark cells of "Black Rock" to spearhead this energy.
The condensed mana vortex slammed into the magical dam with the force of a meteor.
The first strike cracked the barrier.
The second strike made it tremble violently.
And with the third strike, backed by the pure, residual flame of the Phoenix's will... the dam shattered!
Dex heard a silent explosion echo inside his skull, followed by a sensation of absolute liberation.
It wasn't just a single-step advancement. He had bypassed the advanced D-Rank level and shattered the barrier to reach the very peak of D+ Rank (D+ Peak).
A shockwave of pure, golden-red mana erupted outward from Dex's body, causing the glowing grass around him to bow in reverence and gently pushing Lumia back a few centimeters.
Dex opened his eyes. They were no longer just human blue eyes; they glowed with a deep, living golden flame, carrying within them ancient wisdom and a cold ruthlessness.
He looked at his hands. The deep gashes, the blistering burns, and even the old scars... they had all completely vanished. His skin was flawless, as tough as smooth dragon scales, and the muscles beneath were perfectly sculpted and dense, pulsing with a brutal strength he had never known before. The mana pathways in his body were no longer small rivers, but vast oceans capable of absorbing and channeling terrifying amounts of spells without burning up.
He took a deep breath, filling his healed lungs with the pure air of the Sacred Forest. He felt as though his body had become lighter, yet it possessed its own distinct weight and gravity. His senses had become as sharp as a samurai's blade; he could hear the sound of sap flowing within the trunk of the "World Tree" behind him, and he could sense the steady beating of Lumia's heart with infinite precision.
At D+ Peak, Dex was no longer just a talented academy student, nor an easy prey. He had become a true predator. His destructive power had quadrupled at the very least, and his motor response speed transcended the limits of ordinary humans. Most importantly, the synergy between his body and the "Phoenix Core" had reached an entirely new level, which would allow him to use abilities that were previously forbidden to him without incinerating himself.
Dex stood up slowly, with a flawless, fluid motion. There was no trace of pain or fatigue. He overflowed with lethal vitality.
He turned toward Lumia, who was looking at him with wide eyes, studying the radical change in his magical aura. She no longer saw the broken young man who had almost died in her arms minutes ago; she saw an entity standing on the precipice of evolution, a warrior harboring the flame of a dormant catastrophe in his chest.
Dex extended his strong hand to her, flashing a confident smile that illuminated his hardened features.
"The worst is over, Lumia," he said in a deep, soothing voice, devoid of any tremor. "I am ready now. All that's left for us is to move forward."
He looked upward, where the branches of the "World Tree" embraced the foggy clouds, hiding within its golden leaves secrets known only to the Elves. Somewhere up there, in the heights of this forbidden sanctuary, lay the "Holy Nectar"... the only hope to save his father, and perhaps, the key to unlocking deeper secrets about this world.