Evening descended, casting long shadows over the arena as the final match of the second segment was about to start.

While the tournament was drawing to an end for the day, on the rooftop of a sprawling complex, two young men sat in silence. One was drenched in sweat, his body trembling with exhaustion. Every few seconds, a groan of pain slipped through clenched teeth, as if on a cruel, rhythmic timer. Beside him, the other gazed calmly at the sky, his expression serene. Nothing seemed amiss—except for the occasional, involuntary twitch present on the right side of his body.

Two glowing circles encircled them, each etched into the rooftop floor, spaced just a few meters apart.

"How much do you have left?" Nova asked lazily, arms folded behind his head like a pair of makeshift pillows.

"A-Almost..." Alaric managed to stammer, his voice strained. He clenched his jaw again as Mana surged from his pores—searing, untamed, and merciless, burning through every cell it touched on its way out.

Nearly a full day had passed since he began purging the remnants of his Fire Mana. And still, he hadn't managed to expel it completely. Despite having only about ten percent left—most of it spent recklessly during his clash with Nova.

Nova let out a noncommittal "Mhm" as his attention drifted, checking the stream of notifications that continued to ring silently through his mind.

[Mana Core (Low) +1]

[Mana Core (Low) +1]

[Mana Core (Low) +1]

'Status.'

[Status]

Rank: 0

Name: Nova Grey

Species: Human

Affiliation: None

Level: 27 (170/500)

Mana: Mana Core (Low) (4,986,753/100,000,000)

Class: None

Titles: Goblin Exterminator, Kings Slayer, Survivor, Spear Novice, Troll Exterminator, Orc Exterminator, Rune Novice, Mana Novice, Lord (Giants), Hunter

Stat Points: 343

Attributes:

Strength: 232 (+361)

Vigor: 205 (+647)

Dexterity: 255 (+3461)

Speed: 215 (+2772)

Intelligence: 171 (+43)

Wisdom: 215 (+54)

Will: 10

Luck: 10 (+10)

Skills

Active: Spear Thrust (15) (2671/16384000), Spear Jab (15) (69684/16384000), Spear Sweep (16) (8164615/32768000), Spear Lunge (11) (584102/1024000), Spear Overhead Strike (10) (814/512000), Sword Slash (10) (641/512000), Sword Stab (10) (267/512000), Sword Chop (10) (197/512000), Sword Sweep (10) (784/512000), Sword Parry (1) (184/1000), Sword Block (0) (497/500), Blacksmithing (5) (6472/16000), Woodworking (0) (54/500)

Passive: Regeneration (13) (978465/4,096,000), Keen Reflexes (8) (3140/128000), Momentum Streak (15) (12089674/16384000), One with the World (Spear) (MAX), One with the World (Footwork) (MAX)

'About twenty minutes left. This is faster than I expected.'

Nova's lips curled into a grin, a spark of excitement coursing through him. Just a little longer—twenty minutes, and his Mana Core would hit the five million mark. Then, at last, he could unlock his Spinal Node.

A breakthrough that would grant him an overall body strength increase and a deeper affinity with Mana.

Had he already possessed the Spinal Node, containing 77 Lightning Mana particles in his body would have been trivial. He could've absorbed hundreds of particles without flinching. Instead, the 77 he currently had were enough to numb half his body and send uncontrolled twitches through his limbs.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

'I'd better be in my room when it happens,' he thought, rising to his feet and stretching.

He cast a glance at Alaric. "Keep it up! When you're done, come find me."

With that, Nova turned and casually made his way back into the building, leaving Alaric behind on the rooftop.

Seconds later, Alaric gave the faintest nod—long after Nova was already gone.

Seated calmly in his room, Nova waited in silence as his Mana Core crept steadily toward the threshold.

Moment by moment, the number rose—until it finally reached its mark.

[Mana Core (Low) 5,000,000 / 100,000,000]

He gave a small nod, a flicker of satisfaction crossing his face.

"Now for the easy part," he murmured.

Drawing in a slow breath, he calmed himself. Focus sharpened, he began to guide the Mana stored within his Mana Core toward the Spinal Node.

[Mana Core (Low) -1]

[Spinal Node 1/5,000,000]

[Mana Core (Low) -1]

[Spinal Node 2/5,000,000]

[Mana Core (Low) -1]

[Spinal Node 3/5,000,000]

This time, it didn't stop at three.

The numbers went higher and higher. As Nova grew more familiar to the process, he fed Mana into the Spinal Node with increasing ease—quickly hitting a flow rate of twenty units per second, then blasting past it without resistance.

The more Mana he forced into the Node, the brighter it glowed. Heat radiated from the Spinal Node, intensifying until it began to scorch him from the inside out—searing pain lancing through his spine, licking at the very marrow of his bones.

Hiss—

He sucked in a sharp breath, his entire body trembling, yet a wild grin stretched across his face as the pain flooded every nerve.

"Faster!" he growled. "I need to get stronger—faster!"

The Node pulsed violently, the sheer heat and volume of Mana causing its form to blur and ripple—almost as if it were beginning to melt, liquefying under the overwhelming pressure.

When the Spinal Node reached its halfway point to completion, it finally gave out—completely disintegrating, melting into nothing. But Nova didn't stop.

He continued pouring Mana into the empty space where the Node had been. Even the fresh Mana drifting into him from the atmosphere was instantly drawn in, forcefully funneled into his Mana Core before being directed toward the now-void Spinal Node location.

It was a feat that should have been impossible. A normal human body simply wasn't built to handle both processes simultaneously—absorbing external Mana and transferring it at full force.

Only certain races, those born with an innate and heightened affinity for Mana, were capable of managing such a strain. And even then, the searing pain that accompanied it would drive most to stop, opting instead to wait a few weeks and undergo the process gradually—and painlessly.

But Nova didn't care.

He laughed—wild, unrestrained—as agony roared through every fiber of his being.

"I DON'T NEED THIS NODE!" he shouted, voice trembling with madness "I'LL MAKE A BETTER ONE MYSELF!"

He continued forcing Mana into the hollow space where the Spinal Node once existed. Slowly, he began to sense something taking shape—Mana was instinctively trying to reforge the Node. But he lacked the control to mold it properly.

Without hesitation, Nova reached into his Inventory and pulled out Dreadscape.

The moment his hand touched it, everything shifted. He entered One with the World—his perception sharpened, his control over Mana deepened dramatically.

With newfound precision, he began to compress the Mana inside his body, directing it to form a new Node—larger, denser, and stronger than the one before.

In an instant, the flow rate surged—ten times faster than before. The Mana rushed through him like a flood, yet under his command, it carved a solid foundation within his spine. A wall of raw force began to rise, a barrier to contain and anchor the forming Node, preventing the Mana from dispersing.

The pain grew unbearable—molten fire threading through his nerves—but Nova only laughed harder, louder. The agony fed his will.

And within that crucible of pain and power, the Spinal Node was taking shape—bigger, brighter, and alive with untamed potential.

Before, the Spinal Node had been no larger than a grain of sand—its size limited by the human body's low affinity with Mana. Now, it had grown to the size of a coarse granule, and it continued to swell as more Mana was poured into it.

Minutes slipped by, the Node steadily expanding and radiating a soft, ethereal blue light that gradually intensified, bathing the room in a gentle glow.

Nova could already sense subtle changes coursing through his body—shifts that were faint and fleeting, not yet fully his own, for the Node was still in the process of forming.

[??? Spinal Node (5,000,000/5,000,000)]

When the Node finally reached completion, the glow slowly faded, leaving behind a small bead no larger than a polished pearl—perfectly clear, as if forged without a single impurity.

[??? Spinal Node Has been formed]

[Title ??? has been acquired]

Will 10 -> 11

Gasp… gasp…

Nova's ragged breaths echoed through the darkened room—the only sound in the suffocating silence. His clothes clung to him, drenched in sweat, sticking like a second skin.

He hadn't yet regained his senses. The agony of destroying and remaking the Node in his spine was far more excruciating than he had anticipated.

It felt as if a searing-hot drill was boring into his vertebrae, carving out more space than necessary—then pouring molten lava into it.

His laughter shattered the stillness, growing so loud and unhinged that everyone in the complex hesitated, fear rooting them in place, too afraid to approach.

Even Alaric, who had come down from the rooftop minutes earlier, stood a few meters from Nova's door, fists clenched tight. He had a vague understanding of what Nova was attempting—and if the pain was even remotely close to the torment he'd endured purging Mana from his own body, he fully grasped the brutal hell his boss had to endure.

It took nearly an hour for Nova to steady himself. His eyes remained closed, a deliberate effort to conserve what little stamina his battered body had left. His elbows rested on his knees as he hunched forward, drawing shallow breaths.

"That… wasn't easy…" he murmured, voice barely more than a whisper.

Slowly, he let himself fall backward, surrendering to the cold floor beneath him.

With a long, weary sigh, he finally opened his eyes—only to be met with a sudden, blinding light that flooded his vision.

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.