Strengthening Themselves

Esdeath wasted no time and immediately grabbed the Soulpiercer Essence Stone and the Forcebreaker Essence Stone.

"First, these two are mine!" Esdeath declared with a confident smile, holding the stones tightly in her hands.

Maruti glanced at her for a moment, her face calm and indifferent. She didn't argue since these two essence stones had nothing to do with her preferences or abilities. Instead, her attention turned to the remaining six rank B essence stones scattered before them.

Among them, one immediately caught her eye. It was a round crystal, glowing in a bright orange hue, with faint smoke curling off its surface as though it were alive. Intrigued, Maruti picked it up.

The moment it touched her hand, she felt a strange, slippery sensation, as if it were made of molten liquid. Then came the heat—intense and scorching. Her skin began to burn, small blisters forming on her fingers. Yet instead of crying out in pain, Maruti's lips curved into a wide, excited grin.

"I'll take this one first!" she said firmly, her voice filled with determination.

Maruti knew exactly what she had chosen. It was the Fire Body Qi Essence Stone, a powerful Rank B offensive stone. Its abilities were remarkable—it could amplify any fire-type attack by more than threefold, turning ordinary flames into devastating infernos. Though it offered only average defense, its offensive power was unmatched, making it the perfect choice for someone like Maruti, whose fiery nature thrived on overwhelming strength.

Without hesitation, she set the stone aside and turned her attention to the next. Among the remaining options, her eyes fell on a stunning yellow crystal that seemed to glow like sunlight. Its shape was unique—a cross-like structure with intricate patterns carved into its surface, making it stand out even more.

She carefully picked it up, feeling a warm, soothing energy flow through her body. Unlike the searing heat of the first stone, this one felt divine, almost like a gentle blessing from the heavens.

"This one is mine too," Maruti said with a smile, holding it close.

This was the "Self-Healing Essence Stone", a rare Rank B light-path stone. Its ability was nothing short of miraculous—it could regenerate lost limbs, repair internal injuries, and even restore mana as long as the user had some left to fuel it. For Maruti, who already had a strong affinity with light, this stone's effects would be amplified even further, making it an invaluable asset.

At this moment, four essence stones remained. They both agreed that two of the stones should go to the newborn dragon to aid her future growth, leaving just two for themselves.

As they looked at the remaining stones, their gazes landed on the same one at the exact same moment.

The essence stone was unlike any other. It was shaped like four stars joined together to form a circle, with each star glowing in a different color—blue, white, gray, and a deep earthy brown. Its unique and captivating design made it stand out, but its true value lay in its ability.

"This is the Five Element King Essence Stone," Esdeath said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

This was no ordinary stone. It had the power to grant its user affinity with five elements: water, fire, earth, wind, and wood—the basic building blocks of magic. For someone like Esdeath, who already had an affinity with two elements, this essence stone would allow her to command all five.

However, it had a limitation—it couldn't grant affinity with rare or special elements like light, dark, or nature. Those required specific stones, like the One with Nature Essence Stone, which granted nature affinity, or the Grant Enlightenment Essence Stone, which granted light affinity. Such stones were far rarer than the Five Element King and only bestowed one affinity each.

Even so, the Five Element King Essence Stone was an incredible find. After all, who wouldn't want the ability to control five different elements?

Both Esdeath and Maruti reached for the stone at the same time, but Esdeath was quicker. She snatched it first, her hand closing tightly around it. Without wasting a moment, she activated her system and refined the stone, claiming it for herself.

Maruti crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes but saying nothing. It was clear that she wasn't happy about losing such a treasure, but she knew she had no right to complain.

However, Esdeath's excitement faded quickly as reality set in. She glanced at the stone and sighed.

"I can't even use it yet," she muttered.

The reason was simple—mana cost. Rank B essence stones were like trump cards, incredibly powerful but just as costly to use. Activating the Five Element King Essence Stone would require a minimum of one thousand mana points, a number far beyond what Esdeath or Maruti currently possessed.

Even if they combined their mana, it still wouldn't be enough to activate even a single Rank B essence stone.

They both have a long way to go.

Esdeath sighed, "What a pity. Even with eight Rank B stones and dozens of Rank C, we can't use a single one. The only ones we can use are Rank D. We need to increase our mana," she remarked before getting back to work.

Maruti scanned the room, her gaze locking onto a fiery orange stone. It radiated intense heat, and thin trails of smoke curled from its surface. She recognized it instantly as the Fiery Whirlwind Essence Stone, a Rank B treasure and part of a powerful series. The set began with the Rank E Fiery Thrust, advancing through Rank D Fiery phantom form and Rank C Fiery Storm and Rank B Fiery Whirlwind. The highest tier, the Fire Deity Essence Stone, was missing from the collection, but Maruti wasn't deterred.

Although if it was before she wouldn't have recognized any of them but after meeting esdeath/fable, She started learning about essence stones as well as their types.

She carefully collected the entire series, Since Esdeath took Five element King, She without a doubt took Rank B feiry Whirlwind too but She decided to focus on the Rank E and D stones for now. The higher-ranked ones would remain out of her reach until she could accumulate enough mana to activate them.

Meanwhile, Esdeath's eyes glinted as she claimed her prize—a series of Forcebreaker Essence Stones from Rank E to Rank B. She knew their potential and wasn't about to let them go. Just like maruti, Rank A Forcebreaker was missing.

For the next two hours, the two meticulously sorted and negotiated over the Rank C stones. Esdeath secured the complete Forcebreaker set while Maruti finalized her claim on the Fiery stones. They worked efficiently, dividing the abundant Rank D and E stones without much discussion. These were plentiful, and they even set aside duplicates to sell later.

By the time their selections were complete, the sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a soft glow through the treasure room. Despite the exhaustion creeping in, both of them looked satisfied with their choices.

Esdeath glanced at her refined selection. Though her ambition urged her to test the Rank B stones immediately, she knew the limitations of her current mana. They would have to wait, serving as a reminder of the long path ahead.

It was finally time for refinement.

The Rank C and B essence stones were few but powerful. Esdeath refined them with her system, letting her weapon, ZK-20, absorb the energy instead of her body. The weapon glowed faintly as it absorbed the refined power. Meanwhile, Maruti directly absorbed the stones into her body, focusing on the flow of energy.

When it came to Rank D and E stones, they pushed aside the Rank E ones. They were useless now. The Rank D stones, especially those for physical strength, were their priority.

They started with the Steel Tendons essence stone, designed to make tendons as strong as steel. Pain spread through their bodies as the stones worked. Esdeath gritted her teeth, sweat running down her face, while Maruti let out a small gasp, her fists tightening. It was painful, but nothing compared to the Iron Bone essence stone, which turned bones into black iron.

Simultaneously they used Third Clock essence stone, it was a expenditure type time path essence stone.

It sped up the body's growth threefold but shortened lifespan by the same rate. For example, The third Clock will work for one who else days but esdeath and maruti's lifelspan will be reduce by three days.

She felt her body heat up as the energy surged through her. What would have taken an hour now took only twenty minutes, but it cost them three days of life. Maruti absorbed hers silently, her expression calm but her eyes determined.

Unlike Ethan, who could use five or six stones at once with ease, Esdeath and Maruti could barely handle two or three. Still, they continued.

Esdeath moved on to the Silver Jade Skin and Silver Jade Muscle essence stones. The skin stone made her sweat heavily, with small drops of blood mixed in. Her body felt like it was on fire, and her breathing grew labored. The muscle stone pushed her further, strengthening her body but leaving her muscles sore and trembling. The stones had a drawback—they turned the skin pale—but Esdeath's skin was already ghostly white, so it made no difference.

Maruti didn't need the same refinement. She had already used Bronze Skin and Bronze Muscle essence stones, so she focused on consuming strength-type stones refined by Esdeath. Her body absorbed them efficiently, showing no signs of struggle.

After strengthening her body, Esdeath used strength, stamina, and speed-enhancing essence stones. The effects were immediate, her body feeling tougher and more responsive with every refinement.

By the time they were done, it was already midnight. Without the Third Clock essence stones, it would have taken much longer. The time acceleration saved them hours, but both Esdeath and Maruti had reached their limit.

No matter how effective the stones were, there were rules they couldn't ignore. Absorbing the same essence stone repeatedly didn't increase their strength, and their bodies could only handle so much before reaching a breaking point.

When Maruti suggested using the Iron Bone essence stone, Esdeath immediately refused.

"Absolutely not," she said, shaking her head. "The pain is unbearable, and it'll leave us numb for two or three days. We don't have any more Third Clock essence stones to speed up the recovery."

Maruti shrugged but said nothing, though it was clear she could handle more than Esdeath. Being a barbarian and the daughter of the legendary Mourya, Maruti's body was naturally built for extreme endurance.

Esdeath snorted, annoyed but unwilling to argue. Because of high endurance, Maruti absorbed more essence stones than her, but Esdeath's pride wouldn't let her admit feeling outdone.

By now, their exhaustion was overwhelming. Their entire bodies trembled, muscles aching from overuse. They could barely stay on their feet. Even their minds felt drained, as if pushed to the edge.

Maruti groaned, flopping down onto a chair. "I just want to sleep. Let me sleep!" she whined, rubbing her eyes like a tired child.

Esdeath leaned heavily against the wall, catching her breath. "Let's go to the room where Michael's child is sleeping," she said after a moment. "There's no one around now, but this isn't a game. Anything could happen. We should stick together."

Maruti nodded reluctantly. Step by step, they stumbled their way to the room. Each movement felt like a challenge, their bodies screaming for rest.

When they entered, Maruti froze, her eyebrows raising as she looked at the dragon child.

"Wait a minute…" she muttered, pointing at the baby. "Didn't she look like a newborn before? Why does she look like she's eight or ten months old now?"

Esdeath sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "Of course. It's the power of two divine-rank essence stones. They don't just help her adapt to her new body; they also accelerate her growth and intelligence. She's growing fast now, but it'll slow down soon. By tomorrow, she'll look like a five- or six-year-old. Reaching sixteen will take a year or two. After that, her growth will return to normal."

Maruti yawned loudly, waving off Esdeath's explanation. "Whatever, whatever. I just want to sleep."

Without another word, Maruti collapsed onto the bed. Esdeath followed, sliding under the covers. The dragon child, nestled between them, was already asleep.

But even as they closed their eyes, both women felt uneasy. A strange tension lingered in the air, as if something was about to happen.

Their worst fear came true.

"Oahhh… Eargghh…!"

The child suddenly began crying. Her voice wasn't just loud—it was powerful. Shockwaves rippled through the room, shaking the walls. The noise was deafening, like a thunderclap echoing endlessly.

Esdeath and Maruti both fell from the bed, clutching their ears.

"Holy shit!" Maruti screamed, her voice filled with desperation. "Someone shut this kid up! I just want to sleep, damn it!"