Chapter 331: Chapter 331: Pain

“As long as you hold it,” Axel explained, “your body will function as if time is speeding up. In reality, it simply accelerates your digestion and absorption processes.”

Understanding dawned slowly.

Axel continued, “If you consume the resources while holding this crystal, there’s a high chance you’ll digest everything within half a day.”

Lana’s eyes lit up.

“However,” Axel warned, “the pain will also be compressed. Faster. Sharper. Much more intense.”

He looked at her seriously. “But if you want to break through within half a day, this is the best option.”

Lana nodded without hesitation. “I’d rather endure short, sharp pain than suffer for days.”

Axel smiled faintly. “With this crystal and my protection, reaching the Earth Rank will not be difficult.”

Excitement flickered in Lana’s chest.

Axel placed the crystal into her hands.

The moment it touched her palm, a strange warmth spread through her body, like countless invisible currents beginning to move.

Lana felt a rush of emotions she could not easily name.

Maybe fate had denied her a loving family in her past life. Maybe her previous life had been unbearably harsh.

But now… she had someone who cared for her, someone who would stand up for her without being asked.

An uncle who would protect her.

An uncle who would fight for her.

An uncle who, without hesitation, would do anything for her.

As for Axel’s claim that he had received the crystal as compensation and had not paid anything for it, Lana did not believe a single word.

From her perspective, there was no way such an item could come without a price.

’He must have spent an outrageous amount on this,’ she thought, her fingers tightening slightly around the crystal.

’How could something like this be free?’

Meanwhile, Axel had no idea that Lana had already guessed the truth.

He had indeed paid an astronomical price, nearly twenty billion dollars, just to obtain that crystal.

The purchase had drained his entire savings, leaving him with almost nothing.

Yet not once did he feel bitterness. Whenever the thought crossed his mind, all he felt was quiet satisfaction.

“At least this way… my niece won’t have to suffer,” he murmured to himself earlier that day.

He had even begun looking for part-time work, something unimaginable for someone of his former status, simply so he could support Lana properly.

Ever since he severed ties with his family, he had been denied any inheritance.

Without that backing, even a sum like twenty billion would have been devastating.

Sometimes, in the stillness of night, he would sigh and think, ’Perhaps I will have to return to that family…’

Not because he wished to forgive them.

Not because he wanted reconciliation.

But because he wanted Lana to live a beautiful, unburdened life.

Even if it meant swallowing his pride, he was willing to do it. Only for her.

Lana held the crystal tightly and consumed all the Earth-grade resources Axel had prepared.

The moment she began circulating her energy, the effect appeared.

Pain erupted.

It did not arrive gradually.

It exploded inside her like a volcano tearing through flesh and bone, scorching every meridian as though molten lava were flowing through her veins.

The sudden intensity was so overwhelming that for a fleeting moment she truly wished for death.

’This… is unbearable…’

Her body trembled violently.

She bit down on her lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, and soon a thin red line seeped from the corner of her lips.

Seeing this, Axel felt as if someone had reached into his chest and ripped his heart apart.

Every instinct told him to rush forward, to stop the process, to comfort her.

But he did not move.

He stood where he was, fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned pale, forcing himself to trust her strength.

“Hold on, Lana,” he whispered hoarsely. “Just hold on.”

Lana did not disappoint him.

Even when the pain twisted her stomach and forced broken breaths out of her throat, even when tears threatened to spill, she endured.

Compared to this, her first-stage breakthrough felt like nothing more than a shallow scratch.

This pain was deeper, sharper, mercilessly compressed by the crystal’s effect.

At times she coughed violently, her body rejecting the overwhelming energy, and she nearly collapsed.

The night stretched endlessly.

Only when dawn approached did the sensation begin to change.

The burning heat abruptly shifted into chilling cold, so intense that she began shivering as if trapped in a snowstorm.

Her skin felt frozen, her bones hollow and brittle.

Only Lana knew how close she was to breaking.

Yet because her uncle was there, because she could feel his unwavering presence, she held on.

When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Axel standing nearby, looking at her with undisguised concern.

She managed a faint smile.

’At least… I didn’t faint this time,’ she thought.

That was the last clear thought she had before darkness claimed her completely.

Axel’s heart lurched when she collapsed.

Still, he did not act recklessly. He turned to Mr. Crow instead.

Mr. Crow closed his eyes, his spiritual perception extending toward Lana.

After a moment, he opened them again and gave Axel a small nod.

“She’s stable.”

Only then did Axel allow himself to move.

He rushed forward, carefully lifting Lana into his arms as though she were made of glass, and carried her toward the bathroom.

The moment he stepped inside, however, he froze.

“…Damn it,” he muttered under his breath. “I forgot to prepare for this.”

After placing Lana down gently, he immediately hurried out, found a female caretaker, and brought her back to the apartment as quickly as possible.

He specifically chose someone with a calm demeanor and kind eyes.

“Please help clean her up and take care of her,” Axel requested, his voice unusually tense.

When Lana regained consciousness, she found herself lying in the bedroom.

Soft light filtered through the curtains, carrying the faint scent of fresh linen and medicinal herbs.

She slowly opened her eyes and attempted to stretch.

The moment she moved, pain flooded her body.

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