Core, Pulse

Once the final bits of the earth barrier blocking Lan's Core from the rest of the underground domain crumbled, a drastic change occurred.

Mana seemed to be excited, as if seeing a long-lost friend, moving quickly and erratically, startling all living beings inside Lan's domain.

At first, physical changes happened to the core itself.

Before, it was barely floating above the ground, bearing the form of a rather asymmetrically shaped crystal, being 1.3 meters in size, having grown from casualties of fights.

Now, however, the Core was enlarging rapidly.

Like foam from a reaction of a certain cola and chewing gum, an amorphous mass seeped out of the Core, and then, under the influence of extreme amounts of mana, was compressed back into the Core, forming layers upon layers of additional surface.

Gradually, along with such a process, the Core no longer looked like some kind of deluxe version of a mana crystal, no, it was now much more grand.

When the rapid expansion finally stopped, Lan's Core was now 5 meters in size, being a symmetrical crystal, having something like a teardrop shape: thinner at the top and thicker on the bottom, but having edges instead of being smooth.

It was now steadily hovering over the ground, spinning in place.

Mana was rushing through it with no signs of stopping, the speed of mana cycling increasing exponentially. If the previous mana cycle could be compared to a breeze, then the current one could be compared to a hurricane wind.

Along with the gushing mana that was damn near condensing, forming a fog near the Core, the Core Chamber was gradually being expanded, the stone being eroded by intense mana, not even having the chance to absorb it. The whole spectacle looked as if the walls themselves were retreating away from the Core.

After a while, the result of such a change looked like this: The Core floating amidst a spherical chamber, walls being 20 meters away from the Core in every direction.

However, while all of this was happening on the outside, Lan himself was undergoing changes as well.

When he just broke down the wall and connected to the domain fully, he felt it.

Like a blind man opening his eyes for the first time,

Like a deaf man hearing a sound first time in his life,

Like a disabled man finally feeling his legs after a lifetime of living without them.

He now felt...

Complete.

A deluge of feelings and sensations rushed into Lan's mind, the concept of an 'attention point' losing all meaning.

Strangely enough though, Lan was not overwhelmed, his mind, his soul greedily absorbing and processing the data like a thirsty man drinking water, as if it was meant to be originally like this.

He felt everything.

The Core was his brain.

The Domain was his flesh.

The Mana was his blood.

Every little thing was reflected in his mind. If he wanted to find something, as long as it was within his domain, it could not hide. From a blade of grass on the surface to the cougar hiding amidst the grasses, to a previously unnoticed tree (which was quickly growing as well) atop the hill on top of the entrance to the underground, everything lay beneath his gaze.

Mana, which previously flowed and needed conscious control, even the most docile neutral one, now flowed as a part of him.

As he connected to the rest of his body, one thought appeared in Lan's mind amidst the euphoria of new feelings.

'Damn... Why didn't I do it sooner?!'

With mana becoming a part of him, it acted the part. Just like you usually don't usually control breathing, the mana cycled automatically in a similar way.

The earth mana, although previously obedient, now could be felt pulsing in its' own rhythm, forming its' own cycle.

Slowly recovering, Lan was eager to test his newfound capabilities.

First of all, he tried to manipulate earth mana, to reinforce the first Floor(not Chamber), the most strenuous task he could think of. This time though, it was completely different.

Earth mana manipulation, completely different from before, required close to no mental mana expenditure, just like ambient neutral mana. With but a single command, it surged into the walls and ceilings, ground which was not yet solid nigh instantly turning to rock, and then solidifying further, turning even darker and probably sturdier by the moment.

Stunned, Lan released the control, observing the result of his 'effort'.

'I really, REALLY should've done that WAY sooner!'

With the previously hard task easily done, Lan looked for a new challenge, which soon revealed itself in the form of a boring and barren first floor with the exception of ferns, The Huntress, as no wildlife gathered their courage to go down yet apparently.

With an 800x800m playground, Lan got to work.

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Meanwhile on the surface...

While Lan was basking in newfound power below the ground, a tree that was previously 10 meters tall, which resided on top of a hill where lay the opening to the underground, could be seen absorbing mana.

When the Core Connection was executed, accelerating mana flow greatly, the roots which were covering the top of the hill slowly, got to work.

The roots absorbed the mana surging from the underground as if it were water, spreading themselves across the rest of it in the process.

And the tree itself, receiving the 'nutrients' was quickly growing in height.

While it started from 10 meters, it thickened and stretched upwards.

It didn't take long to reach 15 meters...

20 meters...

30 meters...

Finally slowing down at a whopping 50 meters in height, its sprawling branches covering the sky above the previously sunny clearing.

Its roots now enveloped the whole surface of the hill, enveloping it.

However, the strange thing was, that the roots avoided coming close to the chambers dug underground by Lan, weaving through the ground only a certain distance from them.

The Tree's roots now reinforced the ground leaving no possibility of collapse, at the same time absorbing any mana that would otherwise leak from underground, the only untouched exit point being the cave entrance.

At the same time, while the Tree stopped growing, it was still absorbing mana. If one could see the flow of mana though, one would see a curious scene.

The mana wasn't being absorbed completely but rather sucked in, stored, and then released back, like some kind of mana photosynthesis.

However, the mana being released was different from the neutral mana, it felt different.

When coming in contact with said type of mana, plants grew even more rapidly than they did under the normal condensation of mana. Near dead insects and plants were rapidly recovering, wounded animals staring in shock at quickly healing wounds.

The mana felt gentle, and uninvasive, spreading throughout, forming a haven beneath the Tree's branches and beyond.

As a consequence, however, it could now be felt by those even less attuned to mana...

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Somewhere to the west

Beyond the western borders of Lan's domain, beyond the running river and the woods lying beyond it, there was a certain point where the woods began to thin out giving way to patches of tree stumps, and plains.

Eventually one would come across linear patches of land barren of grass, stretching throughout.

Roads.

And following one of the said roads, built in a valley, to the view would come a peculiar-looking settlement.

It was quite large, looking like it could house thousands of people. However, the reason it looked peculiar was not because it was a mishmash of wooden or stone buildings built from zero, differing in style. No, instead it was the presence of houses that looked as if they were a patched-up ruin, the architecture being completely different.

Interestingly enough, ruins possessing the same architectural style sprawled outside the stone wall that was surrounding the settlement.

Between said ruins, repaired roads of the same style ran to the settlement, leading to the gates in its walls.

And on said gates, a sign hanged for one to read:

'Welcome to Cypress Town'

And beyond the gates lay a vibrant town, with humans going on their ways in crowds, some selling wares in street stalls, some browsing said stalls.

And beyond all that, in the center of the settlement, a high tower stood, (unironically) towering above all other buildings.

And in that tower...

A man was sitting cross-legged in the middle of a room. He could be easily mistaken for being asleep. In truth however, he was listening, constantly listening to the quiet flows of mana.

Such was his job, for he was one among many mana-sensors, responsible for... Sensing mana.

As the day was quiet as usual, an abnormality occured within the familiar flow.

From the far east, mana changed. When it could be said to whisper like a passing wind, it was now louder, it was now singing. 

It became louder and louder, and at some point, a wave of mana swept over the man, and all others in the tower, striking him awake from his trance.

The man, panting heavily, having fallen over, mumbled to himself.

"Curses... Such a strong mana pulse is unprecedented! It usually only happens when a boss monster is formed... For it to be this strong..."

His eyes gradually widening in realization, he immediately got up and slammed out of his room, beginning to run up the stairs which were just outside of it.

Eventually, he came before a grand, adorned door. The man spared no time to admire it though, as he hurriedly knocked and entered without waiting for a response.

Behind the door lay a luxurious room, with tables and shelves filling it at the sides, various equipment of unknown purpose on them.

His attention was drawn to a different place however. In the center of the room, there stood a big desk facing the entrance, and behind said desk was a window which presented a view of the entire city and its' surroundings.

And facing such a view was a woman.

She stood tall, her raven-black hair cascading upon her back, white robes adorning her contrasting sharply.

Even as the room was entered, she showed no response.

The intruder himself though, talked in a loud voice.

"...Pardon for my intrusion, Tower Master! But the situation is urgent, the mana..."

"I know."

The panicking man was cut off suddenly by the woman. Her voice sounded raspy, emotionless.

"A monster nest has appeared."