The Absorption

"You sure?"

Kyle held a small herb with slender stems and leaves. The leaves were a vibrant shade of green, and were arranged in a spiral pattern around the stem. The herb had small, white flowers that were arranged in clusters at the ends of the stems. The petals of the flowers were thin and papery, and had a subtle, sweet aroma.

However, the most striking thing about the herb was the density of Mana that surrounds it. The Mana was in a visible, glowing aura that seemed to pulse and swirl around the herb. It was a powerful force that is palpable even to those who cannot normally sense Mana.

Kai gazed at the herb with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, taking in its delicate, slender stems and vibrant green leaves that seemed to pulsate Mana.

'It's at least C-Rank!'

Kai thought to himself, recalling the ranking system for Natural Treasures. He knew that C-Rank herbs were considered to be relatively rare and not that easy to obtain.

Natural Treasures were ranked like skills, F being the lowest and SSS being the highest possible rank.

"Do you really want to give this as a gift?"

Kai spoke whilst his eyes were locked onto the herb. He didn't even look towards Kyle, making Alexandra chuckle.

"Yes, but first let's go over the process..."

His new guardian spoke and Kai nodded his head. Injecting a Natural Treasure requires preparations and Kai hadn't encountered or heard about this herb in his past life.

"The Herb I'm currently holding is named the Icy Iris and it's a C-Rank Natural Treasure!"

Kyle spoke, emphasizing the rank of the herb. Kai could see pride visible in his eyes, and could tell that Kyle truly treasured the Icy Iris he carefully held in his grip. There was probably a whole story behind the Treasure, but Kai had no desire to hear it.

"The Icy Iris was found in a Tundra Biome far into the north. The herb has some Ice properties, so your Ice affinity will increase... It also possesses quite a lot of Mana and if my calculations are correct, it should bring your Core Creation to 70%!"

Extending his hand forward Kyle gave the herb to Kai which he gladly took.

Holding it between his fingers Kai could feel the tickling feeling Mana dancing on his palm and smiled.

"So... Should I just eat it?"

Kai asked and seeing Kyle nod his head leaned against the wall of the cave.

"Thank you... I'll make sure to pay you back!"

Putting the Icy Iris into his mouth Kai started meditating, but before cutting off all of his senses heard Kyle's voice.

"Don't worry about it, kid... Let's just say this is my way of keeping you alive"

Taking a deep breath, Kai focused on the icy energy and the huge amount of Mana moving throughout his body. He felt a surge of power as the Mana entered his system, and could feel his Lunar Core responding to the influx of energy.

Kai focused the incoming Mana on his Core, using the Mana from the Icy Iris to create new layers and strengthen the existing ones. He could feel the foundation of his Core growing stronger and more stable with each layer he added, and he could sense the increased capacity for Mana that came with it.

As he worked on creating his Core, Kai could feel the changes happening to his body. Gritting his teeth he endured the pain that would drive most to madness.

Kai had already spoken about this with Kyle, who wanted to wait until Alexandra brought expensive painkillers from a city, but Kai insisted on awakening without using any of them. They would only weaken him after all.

As the hours passed, Kai continued to work on his Core, using the Mana from the Icy Iris to shape new layers and thicken the previous ones.

Finally, after what seemed like an entire week, Kai finished his work on the Core. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling a sense of accomplishment and hunger wash over him.

Stretching his body, he stood up and looked around only to see Kyle glaring towards him with a smile, while Alexandra was peacefully sleeping on top of the moss bed she had made a day prior.

"Here!"

Kyle spoke while throwing some kind of sandwich towards Kai. Fortunately Kai was able to catch it and consumed it instantly.

"How long was I meditating?"

Kai asked the question that bugged him the most.

"A few days..."

Kyle nodded his head. A normal teenager would take a bit over a week to fully absorb the herb, but Kai did it in a week!

'An anomaly...'

Kyle shook his head while gesturing Kai to stand up.

"Let's see how much you've changed!"

Kai could hear a hint of curiosity in his guardian's voice as Kyle led him outside the cavern. He knew that the man was interested in seeing the effects of the herb on his physical capabilities.

Kai was feeling curious himself. He had consumed the herb and used its Mana to create new layers and strengthen his Core, and he was eager to test his body and see what changes the herb had brought about.

Kai knew that his Lunar Core was now much more potent than a Mana one, and he began to wonder what he might be able to achieve with his enhanced abilities.

'I might even be able to defeat the weakest Baron Rank monster!'

Kai thought to himself, feeling a sense of excitement and joy. Defeating a Baron Rank monster, would be a huge achievement for someone who had yet to awaken their Mana.

Kyle led him to the plain field he had found while staying in the cavern. Kai has been told that his guardian had killed every monster within the vicinity, so he was temporarily safe, at least until the other monsters inhabited the area.

"Let's start by stretching..."

Kyle spoke while showing Kai exercises that should break one's spine.

'...'

Kai was rethinking his decision of choosing Kyle as a guardian.