Chapter 24: Who Are You

Vell screamed, a sound that tore from his throat as the dark energy ripped through him. His body felt like it was on fire, every nerve screaming.

He dropped to his knees, vision blurring as he tried to focus on the figure, which was now watching him with cold detachment. The orb’s power felt like it was tearing him apart from the inside out, each pulse hitting the three mana cores inside him.

’What is this… corrupted mana?’

[Yes, but it’s more pure, more evil, which makes it a lot denser and stronger. This might be where you die… master.]

’Fuck that. If it’s mana, then it can be absorbed. Which means I have a chance.’

[I’m afraid your body might break down if you attempt that.]

’Why do you sound so against me?’

[…]

’Then shut up and let me concentrate.’

The figure just stood there, its white eyes watching, calculating.

(Interesting. Your body resists well. Most humans would have turned to ash by now.)

The creature’s voice echoed directly in his mind, sending chills down his spine. He gritted his teeth, fists clenching as he fought against the force.

“Y-you call this a test?” he spat through gritted teeth, his body trembling. “Feels more like a punishment. I’m literally dying here.”

(Punishment? No. This is… a gift. If you survive, you might gain something valuable. If you don’t, then you were never worthy of my interest in the first place.)

’Fucking bastard. I will kill you.’

(Human, what do you think corrupted mana is?)

’What bullshit is it talking about now? Corrupted mana is evil and dirty. There’s nothing more to it.’

(Beings always label what they don’t understand and can’t control as evil. Boy, listen well. Corrupted mana is not simply a “dark” or “evil” variant of conventional mana. It is a primordial energy, predating the structured flow of elemental and arcane forces in the world. Where ordinary mana is shaped by laws, elements, emotions, and intentions, corrupted mana exists outside these constraints. It is pure, unfiltered power, raw and chaotic, with an inherent will to dominate and consume. This is why what you call monsters are always so chaotic.)

He listened through the pain, forcing himself to understand every word.

(The process of becoming “corrupted” isn’t merely about exposure to this energy. Instead, corrupted mana chooses its hosts, testing their resolve and compatibility. Those who succumb are consumed entirely, their bodies and souls disintegrating into fuel for its endless hunger. This is what happened to many of the monsters you people fight. However, those who survive… they are changed. Will you be one of those very few? Or will you be nothing but ashes for the soil?)

’Kugh… dammit. This whole thing is so fishy. Why is this thing testing me? Where did it come from? What does it want? So much is not adding up, but right now I should really focus before—’

His vision dimmed. He felt the mana pressing hard against his cores, trying to shatter them from within. His own pure mana was fighting back, trying to repel the corruption, but it wasn’t going to last. The corrupted mana was slowly eating away at his own.

[Master! Your mana is going haywire! If this continues—]

’I know, damn it! Just… let me think!’

He thought hard, desperately searching for a way to control or expel this raw, chaotic energy, but nothing came to mind. Was he really going to die here? Without getting his revenge? Without living his life to the fullest?

’Fuck that. If you’re denser and stronger, then I’ll just make something that can hold you.’

The figure’s posture shifted, its expression turning to a frown of surprise. (It seems I was wrong about you. You are going to kill yourself with what you are attempting… truly a shame. I expected more.)

’Shut up. I’m a genius when it comes to learning. Something like this is nothing. Even if it means coming face to face with death, I will survive this.’

[Master…]

He pulled his three cores together, a move so painful it felt like his insides were being ripped apart, but he pushed through it. He drew them closer until they were surrounding the swirling mass of corrupted mana. He then slowly, deliberately, began to absorb the dark energy, splitting it equally among the three cores. They immediately began to crack under the strain.

(Human, stop this! You will cripple yourself! You have passed the test! I will remove the mana, so stop!)

He smirked through the pain. “Would you look at that. It sounds scared, as if it was told not to harm me… Too late, fucker. I’m seeing this through.”

The next step began. The cores started to spin around the corrupted mana, faster and faster, forming a whirling vortex. His body screamed in protest, dark veins appearing on his skin as the energy tried to consume him.

’I won’t… lose!’

He channeled every last ounce of his willpower into the process. The corrupted mana pushed back, but he met its ferocity with his own. Mana was still mana. Slowly, painstakingly, he began to force the dark energy into submission, molding it to his will.

His own pure mana left the cores and wrapped around the corrupted mana, a feeling like lying on broken glass. Blood started to seep from his pores, a sign that he was running out of time. If he didn’t finish this soon, he would be consumed.

Then, with a final surge of effort, his cores shattered completely. He coughed up blood, but he didn’t lose focus. The shattered pieces of his cores were still spinning. He pulled them together, forcing them to fuse, not into three separate cores, but into one large, solid cube. This new core, created by combining all the different types of mana inside him, was obsidian black and radiated a dark crimson hue.

The corrupted mana, now free from the spinning vortex, tore through his pure mana, but it was still trapped within the new, stronger core. It tried to break free, but the cube was too dense, too powerful.

’Hehe, thanks for the idea. And since you’re contained, I can do this…’

He moved the mana against its will. It was under his control now. But that wasn’t his final trick. His old pure mana and the newly tamed corrupted mana began to fuse, swirling together, forming a new, stable, purple-colored mana that started to fill the empty core. The pain slowly faded, the bleeding stopped, and he could finally breathe again.

’Man, I’m so good at this, hehe.’

He staggered to his feet, panting heavily, his body drenched in sweat. He glanced down at his hands, noticing faint tendrils of purple mana swirling around his fingertips.

The figure tilted its head, an amused expression crossing its otherwise unreadable face.

(Very good. Very, very good. You are… resilient. Rarely do humans impress me, but you, Vell, may prove to be an exception.)

His eyes instantly went cold. A new type of energy, sharp and dangerous, began to leak out of his body.

“You. How do you know my name?”

(Oh? Look at you, forcing yourself into the second stage of mana. Haha, truly an impressive human. To answer your question, I know many things. Including your hatred for the Association, your fractured bonds with those you once called family, your desperate desire to survive in a world that has turned its back on you. And I also know about the organization that has sunk its teeth into you. Your existence is a threat to them. You are supposed to be dead, but you are alive. It intrigues me… us.)

“What did you say? You know the people who framed me? Who are they? Tell me, now!” This new, sharp energy went wild, cutting through the air, slicing at everything in its path as it rushed toward the figure. But it didn’t leave a single scratch. He didn’t care. He needed answers.

“TELL ME, WHAT DO THEY WANT WITH ME!”

The figure chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that seemed to vibrate through the forest itself.

(Tell you? Why should I do that? What good will that do you right now? At your current level, you can’t even win against their weakest member.)

[Master, calm down and listen to it.]

He sighed, and the sharp energy disappeared as he collapsed back to the ground, out of breath.

“Fuck that. Just tell me.”

(Those emotions are going to be a problem. Get those under control, learn about that new energy, and master it. Only after you do that will I tell you about ’who’ you really are. Get strong, human. We shall meet again.)

After those words, it vanished into the night, leaving him alone with a thousand new questions.

’…Who I am?’

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