Balance

When the young boy previously tore apart the corpse of the mouse, all he found was flesh and bones. But when he tore open the body of the Scarlet Wolf, inside its chest, he found a large, crimson-colored core that radiated a powerful aura.

Although the young boy saw this core for the first time, he recognized it when he read the shabby instruction book earlier. The book contained a detailed explanation of the core and its many uses, such as a source of energy or as a material for making armor and weapons.

As he held it, he felt a strong urge to eat it. He didn't know why, was he hungry after his fight with the Scarlet Wolves or was it just instinct.

The young boy hesitated to eat the kernel because there was no mention of eating monster kernels in the shabby instruction book, but he couldn't resist the urge to eat it. After putting the kernel in his mouth, he immediately swallowed it, waiting to see what would happen. At first, nothing happened, but this calmness didn't last long as powerful flames engulfed his entire body, turning his skin pink.

The young boy struggled with the pain for a few moments. Despite all the grueling challenges he had gone through, it was impossible for him to resist this kind of pain and he slowly began to lose consciousness. Meanwhile, the mysterious giant rock began to shake, sensing the young boy's situation and that he was in danger. One of the inscriptions began to glow, and it shot toward the little boy with great speed.

At the same moment, the little boy began to lose consciousness and give up, but just as he was clinging to his last thread of consciousness, the inscription merged with his body at the location of his heart. The little boy felt the coldness he had wished for, as a wondrous coolness began to spread throughout his body, penetrating the fire.

After a few moments, the fire and the coldness that was coursing through his body receded to a point within his chest, forming a shape that resembled two spheres spinning opposite each other, balancing each other out. The young boy sat contemplating the changes taking place within his body, and as he meditated, new information began to flow into his head, teaching him how to balance and utilize any two forces.

Unlike the other inscriptions he had acquired, which only contained some information, the new inscription he had acquired had a name: it was called the "Balance" inscription, and as its name implies, it weighed any two forces in the universe.

After the boy weighed and controlled the two forces within his body, he noticed a strange development, as if there was a new channel within his body in which this mysterious energy flowed like an artery, but instead of flowing to the heart, it flowed to his chest. It was like a black hole that swallowed this energy and then redistributed it to his entire body.

The young boy woke up from his meditation, amazed at what had happened inside his body, but his amazement wasn't over yet, he also discovered major changes in his outer body; he had grown to twice his previous height, and his body was armed with the muscles he had gotten from the previous engravings.

Immediately, full of enthusiasm and vigor, the boy jumped up and began to run around the forest as if he had been reborn, exploring every inch of it. He didn't stop there, he went deeper and explored places he had never set foot in before. As expected, he found new flowers, exotic trees, diverse plants, and a giant bear.

"..."

"Eh!"

A giant hairy bear, covered in white hair on its lower half, black hair on its upper half, and a bright red star in the center of its forehead.

When their eyes met, they both looked at each other with goofy looks and froze for seconds until the giant bear started screaming at the boy and destroying everything in its path. The boy barely escaped the grip of the bear, which seemed to have invaded his territory, and was about to retreat. After reaching home, he decided to postpone exploring the depths of the forest for another day.