For the spirit ring to feed on all the mana present within the Elven Mana Core, Leon had to do it manually, using his own body as the channel gateway.

The spirit was not strong enough to absorb such a massive quantity of mana all at once.

Leon sat straight at the corner of his bed, holding the Elven Mana Core in one hand.

Using his [Analysis] skill, he checked the details of the core. Once he finished reviewing it, he nodded and clenched the core firmly in his grip.

The Elven Mana Core was a white core of three star Breaker rank.

Whoever this core once belonged to was surely a powerful elf.

"Let's do this," he said out loud.

Leon allowed the mana within the Elven core to flow from his left hand into his own body, guiding it directly toward his mana core. This would allow the spirit ring to feed on the mana straight from Leon's core without having to draw it on its own.

It was like Leon was spoon-feeding a toddler.

A gush of dense mana rushed through Leon's body, traveling through his arteries before finally converging at his mana core.

Unlike the unstable mana of the Moonblade, an Elven core channeled the purest form of mana into Leon's body.

The process first restored all the mana Leon had lost while using [Mirage Persona], then allowed the spirit to feast on the excess mana left behind.

Leon did not feel the slightest bit of unease.

'So this is what the purest form of mana feels like…'

It was powerful. So powerful that it rivaled the Moonblade, yet far more refined and stable.

Leon glanced at his hand and saw the crystal on the spirit ring glowing faintly with a frosty white light. It was a clear sign that the spirit was on the brink of awakening.

The Elven core contained so much mana that it would not only awaken the spirit, but also restore all of its lost power and allow it to evolve back into a True Spirit.

Leon grinned as he recalled what Charlotte's Ice Spirit Bond had truly been capable of.

"Come on…" he murmured, his eyes fixed on the spirit ring.

A True Spirit was a rare category of existence. They possessed their own consciousness and were capable of bending the laws of their respective affinities.

If Leon succeeded today, he would gain absolute clarity over Ice Affinity. He would understand it at its core level, allowing him to construct new magic formulas and spells related to ice.

He could even craft an entirely new three line incantation.

This spirit was the sole reason Charlotte had been considered beyond expert in controlling ice based power. She had been able to channel ice mana with extreme precision and unmatched stability.

Little by little, the mana within the Elven Mana Core was drained.

The mana contained inside it was massive. Even after three full hours, the core still held an overwhelming amount of energy.

Leon remained seated at the corner of his bed, he was not moving.

Then a faint crack appeared on the surface of the Elven core.

"...!"

Leon's eyes widened slightly.

Crack!

A thin fracture spread across the white surface.

"Keuk…" He clenched his jaw.

Leon did not stop. Instead, he allowed it to happen. He tightened his grip and continued channeling the mana through his body, using himself as the gateway.

Outside, the sky slowly started to brighten up.

By the time six hours had passed, and sunlight poured through the glass window, illuminating the frozen room in pale gold, with a scattering effect.

Leon could hear birds swarming near the trees outside. He took count of the time.

But he did not let it distract him, because only seventy seven percent of the mana had been drained till now.

He was so close.

Leon remained silent.

Another three hours passed.

It was now nine in the morning.

The sun stood fully above the horizon.

The voices echoed faintly outside as students passed through the corridor, chatting casually as they headed toward their daily routine.

Leon could hear footsteps, and laughter beyond his door.

'Classes would begin in less than an hour.'

Leon did not move.

He looked at the spirit ring again.

The crystal embedded within it was now glowing intensely, radiating a violent frosty white light. Thick ice crystals had formed around his finger, spreading outward like veins.

And not just his hand, but his entire room had frozen from the inside.

Thick ice stuck along the walls, coated the floor, and wrapped around the furniture.

The air itself had become icy, and dense with overwhelming ice mana.

If this mana leaked even slightly, Eclipse Institute would detect it instantly.

But it did not leak, as Leon had prepared for this long beforehand.

He had asked Veronica for a customized sealing artifact. One which was capable of isolating a cubic portion of space completely, preventing any mana fluctuation from escaping beyond its boundary. It was an artifact which Leon knew she could easily get using her source.

And the important thing was she had given it to him without hesitation.

She knew exactly what he intended to do with it.

The seal was active now, and it was suppressing every trace of ice mana within the room. To the outside world, Leon's dorm appeared completely normal.

But from inside, it was currently the densest concentration of ice mana in the entire Liora kingdom.

Leon felt the cold crawling all over his skin.

But he did not move, because breaking the continuous flow of mana now would ruin everything he had done till now.

Leon's body trembled violently as chills tore through him. His teeth clenched until they ached and made a tattering sound.

He exhaled slowly, white mist escaped from his mouth.

Even his eyes began to sting as frost crept along his lashes.

If Leon had to estimate, the temperature inside the room had dropped to around negative four degrees Fahrenheit.

Yet he continued to endure it.

"Cough..! Haaah… Haaah…!" His lungs were starting to freeze now.

'Ah shit, I should have prepared a heating source!'

But it was too late.

He had warned Myra the night before not to come near his room this morning. She followed his instructions perfectly, and she did not come to wake him, nor did she bring breakfast or coffee like she usually did.

Half an hour later, another crack formed.

Crack!

Followed by a loud shattering sound.

The Elven Mana Core finally gave in. It crumbled in Leon's fist, breaking apart into dull fragments that scattered onto the floor. At the same time, the luminosity of the spirit ring surged violently.

The frosty glow intensified.

Leon felt it.

"Ah…" Leon breathed softly.

"Heh." Leon's smile widened as he looked at his ring.

The spirit ring in his hand glowed softly,and then began to fade, as if dissolving into the air.

At the same time, the room fell completely still, as the cold stopped biting his skin.

Right in front of him, something manifested.

He looked closely, and saw that it was the spirit ring hovering right in front of him. It was there on his finger a second ago.

Leon pushed himself up on shaking legs. His muscles screamed in protest, which was frozen and cramped, but he ignored it.

His excitement drowned everything else within him.

The ring vibrated.

Leon felt the temperature rise again. The ice coating the walls and floor . Instead, it shimmered and broke apart into countless specks of pure frost. They were sharp, clean, and bright, like glittering snow dust.

Those frost particles swarmed the ring.

They spun around it, faster and faster, forming a dense rotating halo orbital.

And then it stopped.

"Huh?" Leon blinked.

He waited for five minutes, but nothing happened.

The ring hovered in place, and the frost halo remained frozen mid motion.

'Did it fail?'

Curious, Leon took a step forward. He raised his hand and carefully reached out with his fingertips.

The moment he touched it, a violent pulse of mana surged into his body.

"Ghaa!"

Leon was thrown backward. He crashed onto the bed, then slammed into the wall behind it. A dense misty frost exploded outward with a loud boom from the ring, filling the room with dense white mist.

"Cough! Cough!"

Leon struggled to sit up, gasping. His glasses were gone.

"What the fuck…"

He dropped to one knee and ran his hand across the frozen floor.

"Where… ah, got it."

He slipped his glasses back on.

And when his vision cleared, he froze.

Standing where the ring once hovered was a humanoid figure.

A female spirit.

Her skin was pale white, barely translucent.

A pair of frosty white pupils stared straight at him. Her hair flowed down in strands of black and white color.

Then Leon's eyes landed on her body.

She was naked, but completely calm.

Her gaze was dull.

Leon slowly stood up.

His eyes never left her, and hers never left him.

He knew it.

This was a True Spirit.

"You finally woke up," Leon said, stopping right in front of this highly intelligent being.

She blinked.

Her frosty pupils shifted slightly, as if the world itself felt unfamiliar to her. She raised her hand in front of her face and traced her own skin.

'…Cold,' she said.

Leon froze once again, because he heard her inside his head.

Her voice was soft, clear, and oddly human. There was also confusion in it.

'Telepathy?' Leon guessed it.

A True Spirit once contracted, can communicate with its host within their consciousness.

She looked at Leon again who was standing just a step away from her.

Leon waited for her to say something else, but instead, she took a step close to him, and wrapped her arms round him, embracing Leon in a swift motion.

'You…' she paused, as if searching for a word she had not used in a very long time. 'You feel… warm.'

"..."

Leon didn't move

She tilted her head up, and stared at his face then without opening her mouth and said.

'To synchronize, memory access is recommended.'

Leon repeated her words, 'Memory access?'

'Consent required.' The spirit demanded still embracing him

Leon simply allowed it. "Continue."

As he said those words, he saw the spirit's eyes, and saw a sequential code cascade on each of her pupils.

True spirits are one of the high intelligence beings to exist in these words. They can easily understand trillions of data at once.

Leon remained still as the spirit processed his memories.

'She didn't understand something?' Leon tried to guess.

Several minutes passed in silence.

But then, the spirit started mumbling several words in his consciousness.

'…electricity.' '…network.' '…code.' '…database.' '…rendering.' '…engine.' '…studio.' '…simulation.' '…virtual reality.' '…MMORPG.' '…game.' '…player.' '…developer.' '…world system.'

The words flowed one after another, as if she was reading labels from an endless archive.

Leon did not interrupt.

Her voice slowed after some time.

'Veronica…' '...memory wipe?' '…demon.' '…king.' '…self reset.' '…Charlotte…?' 'Eula…?'

Saying that, the spirit's arms loosened. She stepped back from Leon.

Her gaze lifted to meet his eyes directly. The confusion in her expression had faded, replaced by something clearer.

Then she spoke aloud for the first time.

"Nice to meet you, Haru Tsukishiro."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.