The Core Formation

A dungeon was a dangerous place where the monsters were unnaturally strong. It was not uncommon for people to enter and disappear, and they were usually killed or eaten. Those that did common back typically did so without limbs.

"Are you serious? What on earth do you want from a dungeon?" Asher looked at El like he had grown a second head and was basically asking him to kill himself.

"In about a month, we will have the spirit festival, and we need some materials for some of the events. I looked into you and found you are a spatial user, meaning you should have the spell, interdimensional pocket." El explained. Asher understood he was asking and wanted a porter for a dungeon expedition.

The spirit festival was a yearly event to mark the beginning of summer. It was called the spiritual festival because it lines with the migration of the spirit koi, and they were monsters that migrated north at the start of summer like clockwork.

Asher, unfortunately, was never able to go due to his status as a noble. "There is one thing I don't understand. Why would you come and find me? Surely, there are other people with the spacial element."

"You would think so, but most of them belong to one of the aristocratic families. I have a team already put together, but I need a porter. Don't worry about the danger. All the members are above Knight-level, and one is even a king-level." El tried to be as calm about it as possible and not like he would sweat bullets.

The merchant guild, military, and aristocratic families were the three most prominent factions in the city and held the most sway. To hold on to the power, they had to recruit members regularly. That is why events like the spirit festival were vital to their efforts. It gave them a chance to show off some of the benefits of joining them and display their own affluence to the other faction.

The military would show off by having a strength or skill contest. Last year it was a tournament with an exhibition match between two generals. The merchant guild would host an open bazaar with a contest as the grand event. The aristocratic family would host games and hired a performance trope last year. They would use the fun to show off their members and look for new members.

Everything was fine until he heard that aristocratic families were planning to give away King-level magic armor. This left him in a difficult position as it might shift the delicate balance towards the aristocratic families.

He had to convince this ten-year-old that going into a dungeon would not get him killed. It was difficult because he already had most of the events set, and he would cut it close, and there was no guarantee that it would be successful.

Asher was skeptical. Why would he become to him? There were plenty of spacial element users, and the merchant guild would likely have more than one. That means he was unbelievably desperate for him to come to a novice. Asher smiled internally. Heaven would not forgive him if he did not take advantage of this man.

"I don't think I can do it. Dungeons are perilous, and I am not sure I could protect myself should something go wrong." Asher put on a woeful expression like he was terrified of going.

"I will give you 100 gold. Will you be willing to go now?" El was running out of time and did have the time to look for another spatial user, and it was almost to the point that he might have agreed to any price.

Asher did his best not to grin. He was in a perfect position. "I do not want the money that I would risk my life for a few coins. However, I would go for the five-knight magic item, and they could keep me safe."

El felt like he would cough up blood. "Please be serious, and that would be too expensive. There is no way I could agree to that." El tried to reason with Asher.

"Well, I guess I can't help you then." Asher shrugged and got up like he was about to leave. El began to panic as Asher was about to leave. This kid was his lifeline. He had to make sure the festival was a success, or it could cause trouble in the future.

El grabbed Asher's wrist. "I can't do five knight-level items, but I can do two advanced items. Those would be worth about 100 gold."

Asher sat back down. Without missing a beat, He looked into the man's eyes and said, "Five advanced items and a cut of the loot."

El cursed this boy to high heaven in his heart. He was in trouble, and this boy was flat-out ripping him off. It only injured his pride more because he was the Vice Guild Master. "Three."

"Split the difference, and you got a deal. That is if I get 15% of all loot." El nodded, pulled out a sheet, and wrote a primary contract. Asher looked it over and celebrated in his heart. He got four advanced items out of this deal and 15% of monster items.

Asher noticed a part of the contract that said he did not have the right to any monster cores. It was unfortunate, but he doubted El would budge on that. Asher signed the contract and handed it back, and El waved his hand over it and an identical blank piece of paper. The second paper became an exact copy of the contract.

"It is light magic." El saw Asher's curious expression and answered his unspoken question. El handed the second copy to Asher. "I will give you half tomorrow and the other two afterward." Asher was smiling to himself as the two of them left the restaurant. Meanwhile, El had a scowl on his face. He was fuming about how he got ripped off by a ten-year-old. "Come by the merchant guild tomorrow."

Asher waved goodbye to El as he walked away, cursing him under his breath. Asher returned to the shop and pulled out the book Cynthia had left behind, and the book had several diagrams detailing the human body.

After reading for half an hour, he sums up what he needs to do. His body stored the aetheric essence at all parts, and he needed to collect it and move it toward the center of his mana pool in his stomach.

Asher needs to control the flow of energy throughout his body. Asher sat on the roof of the shop and meditated. He focused on the energy in his own body. The energy flew erratic and unplanned. Asher focuses on straightening and forming a continuous flow.

Larger pools of energy were scattered around his body. As the flow became more ordered, the pools began to move along. The pools of energy moved through his body, flowing the rated flow and converging in his stomach.

The flow followed an ordered pathway throughout every part of his body, like veins or nerves. As the large pools of energy began to enter his mana pool, a warmth filled the pit of his stomach. The heat began to grow and fill his belly.

The feeling began to spread throughout his body. It felt just like his awakening. The heat ran through his body, but it wasn't painful like last time. It felt like his cells were absorbing the heat, bursting with new life and energy. The intensity began to pulse like a second heart. After a moment, the energy started to fade, leaving his body feeling warm and relaxed. The heat was gone, but the pulsing sensation remained.

Asher could sense the change. His body felt new and fresh, like he had been reborn. Basking in this feeling was excellent, but he also felt mentally exhausted. His body felt freshly rested, but his mind was strung out on caffeine.

[Congratulation! You have completed the 'Form the core' quest.]

[You have acquired the title, 'Novice Mage.']

[You have refined your trait, 'Mana Circuits.' They have increased to LV2]

Asher was exhausted. He lay on the ground. He used his license to send Henry a message telling him to cover for him as he decided to find a place to sleep in the shop. He was too tired to make it back and didn't even want to return. He doubted his stepmother and brother would care or even notice he was gone.

Henry replied simply with, 'Be careful, young master.' Asher decided to try out his magic. He activated Withdrawal and used it on one of the books. The energy was different than the last time, and it felt purer and under his control.

The difference was like burning coal to gas. Because of that, it was much smoother and more fluid. The book flew towards him, and he caught it with ease. Asher yawned as he headed to the potions lab, where Cynthia kept a cot for when she had to stay overnight to brew a potion.

Asher was so happy that he could use his magic again, and tomorrow he would be able to get two advanced magic items. Despite this morning, it was looking like everything was on the upswing. Asher laid on the cot and thought over his plans for tomorrow until sleep finally overtook him.