Chapter 44: Risks

Haa.

The absorption had finally slowed down.

It didn’t stop, but the rate of absorption had reduced to more than half of its previous pace.

I could feel that my core had stopped expanding as well. Still, I couldn’t rest.

I began using the mana to actively compress the core—again!

This time, the quantity of mana required was little compared to the monstrous amount required for the expansion.

Ugh… I felt a little uncomfortable while trying to compress such a large core.

Due to the unexpected expansion, I could feel that the size of my core had become almost five times its original size, and compressing it had become much more difficult.

The resistance from the core was massive. It felt like trying to compress a football tightly packed with air.

But I wasn’t nervous.

Even average people with some talent could rank up from Iron to Bronze Core, so me failing in such an endeavour was amusing.

Though the difficulty of the task for me was greater, so was my talent.

My potential for reaching the higher ranks had been increased by the ritual, and so had my mana control.

I focused all of my willpower on compressing the core.

The core began to compress under my pressure. The speed was slow, but there was a noticeable difference with each passing minute.

After about ten minutes of actively compressing the core, it had been reduced to its original size.

Now I had to compress it to its limits like before.

I didn’t stop.

The pressure applied to the core also increased with every heartbeat.

It was reducing.

The size of the core had now reduced to what it was when I had first compressed it.

The cracks on the core began to increase.

I could have reduced the compression and begun patching up the cracks.

But…

I had a different idea.

What if I compressed the core further?

It was dangerous.

I knew it.

Any mistake along the line could completely destroy the core. Compressing it further was akin to asking for death.

A far more brutal death than anyone in history had suffered.

I thought about it.

The core had obviously increased in size due to my unique nature of absorbing the mana essence from the dead.

So couldn’t I utilize it to my advantage?

If the core could expand during evolving—something that shouldn’t have been possible—then—

What stopped me from compressing it further than its original limits?

The risk was high.

Very high!

But where there is a risk, there is a reward.

The chances of me failing in this reckless attempt were high, but so were the chances of actually succeeding.

What I was going to do wasn’t normal, but since when had I been normal?

If I followed the average route, I would be limiting my growth.

The Iron Core was the foundation of one’s power.

If I made my foundation stronger than anything anyone in this world ever had, then—

The result was obvious.

My strength would touch ceilings no one had ever reached.

A stronger Iron Core before evolving meant turning it into a much stronger Bronze Core compared to others.

I would have greater mana reserves compared to my peers at the same core rank.

Coupled with my mana control and absorption of foreign mana essence…

Just imagining the future sent an electrifying feeling across my body.

I didn’t waste any time.

Compress!

I began applying more pressure on the already compressed mana core, trying to reduce its size to the smallest extent possible.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to compress the core any further.

The resistance I was currently facing was far more potent than what I had felt at the beginning of this compression stage.

What I was doing was putting the mana core under immense stress—far more than what it should have been capable of handling.

Result—the mana in my body was becoming volatile.

Waves of mana started to bounce against the walls of my blood vessels. Much of the mana tried to escape the pressure from within my body.

Normally, I should have been able to control it, but…

All of my focus and the entirety of my willpower were being used to compress the core.

Cough…

Blood began to spill from my mouth.

My eyes began to bleed, and so did my nose and ears. Mana began to leak from my body, creating tears across my skin.

The pain from all of it was overwhelming.

Still, I didn’t stop.

More…

Aghhh…

I used every ounce of my strength to compress the core. The cracks grew more pronounced with every passing second.

The core felt like it could burst under the pressure at any moment.

But it held—barely.

Crack!

A deep crack spread horizontally across the core.

My heart sank.

I felt like stopping and entering the last stage of patching up those cracks.

But…

My greed took over.

For the last time, I applied tremendous pressure on the core. The resistance was crazy, but so was my will.

The core had now compressed to nearly a tenth of the size of its previously compressed stage.

Haa…

I let out a small breath.

In the next moment, I inhaled deeply and controlled the mana to enter my body again.

This time, I used the mana to heal those cracks in the core.

The core was smaller in size, but the cracks were much deeper.

Another vortex appeared across my body, but this time it was smaller compared to before.

The rate of mana absorption increased as I continued to patch the cracks on the surface of the core.

I willed some of the mana to compress the core simultaneously.

The surface of the core began to even out, with most of the cracks being filled with mana.

The core had now stabilized.

Just some more…

I willed more mana to fill the remaining cracks.

Time ticked by.

Done!

The core was now fully healed, with no cracks on its surface.

I grew excited for what was to come.

The core began to shine.

Something close to a brownish light was being emitted from the core.

I…

I was ranking up!

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