absorbing the core

The moment I said yes, I felt an intense stinging pain coming from exactly where the tiny diamond was in my head, and the next instant I passed out.

Once again, I was surrounded by blackness.

'Is this another test???' I thought dejectedly, not linking the idea of going through that shit again.

As I was standing there, the pain that I felt before I passed out came back but this time, there didn't seem to be any passing out so I felt the full brunt of the torture.

I don't know how much time passed but it sure felt like a lifetime until the pain started to lessen.

As the pain started to go away and my vision cleared once again, I saw a shiny transparent purple ball, the size of a refrigerator in front of me.

Looking a little more closely, I noticed that it wasn't actually empty… there was…. There was a….

"Shit is that a dragon??" I shouted and stumbled back.

Inside the ball, a baby dragon was sleeping peacefully.

After getting back on my feet, I slowly approached the ball and started studying the dragon within, ready to run at the first sign of it waking up.

"Where have I seen this thing?" I mumbled and got a little bit closer.

As I circled the ball and studied the beast inside more carefully, I noticed something.

"it doesn't have wings… wait… the dragon on the throne room door didn't have wings either… don't tell me this is that dragon's baby…"

Thinking about it more clearly, it seemed like I had absorbed the core of an unborn baby and it sure as hell wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Feeling sad and guilty, I got closer to the ball and carefully touched the ball. A warm feeling entered my body, spreading like a spring breeze.

As if noticing my presence, the baby started wiggling inside the ball for a bit, startling me, and making me stumble back.

But after a few minutes passed and nothing happened, I stood up again and touched the egg one more time.

This time, I was ready for the baby to move, so I wasn't surprised and kept my hand on the ball.

With every passing second, the warm feeling got stronger and more pleasant.

I felt like my body was being massaged in a hot shower.

I closed my eyes and tried to savor the moment for a few seconds.

After a few seconds passed, I opened my eyes and was startled to see that the baby was staring back at me with curious eyes.

I tried to remove my hand and run away, fearing that the dragon might kill me, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn't detach my hand from the ball.

As I struggled in panic, the feeling started to get stronger at a faster pace.

Then I noticed something terrifying.

The ball was getting smaller and smaller with every second that passed.

I looked at the baby dragon, which was still looking back at me, thinking that it would get crushed by the pressure, but it seemed that the baby was getting smaller with the ball too.

"No, I don't want this…" I shouted, not wanting to absorb the power of an unborn child.

Alas no matter how much I tried, I couldn't stop the process that was already at its finishing stages. 

As the ball got smaller and smaller, I felt more and more powerful, but at what cost?

I looked at the baby with tears in my eyes and mumbled, "I'm sorry… I really am sorry."

It looked at me for a few seconds more and then started closing its eyes back. And a few minutes later, I was once again alone in a black space.

I started screaming in anger, frustrated by what I had just done.

As I screamed, the black space around me seemed to shatter into tiny glass-like pieces and fall all around me.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the world around me was in shambles.

It looked like there was a typhoon that had passed over my room, nothing in its place.

I blinked a couple of times, my head blank, not remembering where I was.

After remembering what had happened, a surge of anger took over my body, making me want to kill someone.

"wait what?" I was startled by the intense anger and the desire to kill.

After I took a few deep breaths, taking back control of my own thoughts, I stood up and started examining my body.

It felt… different… I felt taller… more powerful and more confident.

It felt like the "me" from the upper world was just a dream, the boy that was constantly being bullied felt distant and unreal.

There was no way that that was me. It must have been another person.

How could I be so helpless against a bunch of weaklings?

 Then again, when I thought more carefully, I noticed that I was a weakling at the time too.

I took a few more deep breaths and then looked at the time.

It seemed like I had been out for less than two hours so there was no rush.

I was only in the subatomic world for less than twelve hours, meaning that it was still the middle of the night in the upper world.

And Lucile had already assured me that my mother was fine… as much as she could be at least.

Remembering my mother and that mother*er jack, I felt angry again, but I tried taking deep breaths and controlling myself.

"It will be your turn real soon..." I promised and then sat back on my now broken but still comfortable bed.

As I was thinking about my next step, I heard the ring's voice again, "A skill is generating."

"Active skill "Spatial Displacement" has been generated."

"Skill Description: Allows the user to instantly move through space, appearing at a new location without leaving behind any visible trail."

"Skill Limitations: It will allow up to a hundred-meter jump in one use since the user's energy tank is still small. By jumping to a closer distance, the user can save energy and execute more jumps."

Reading the skill description, I instantly felt joy, "I can teleport? I CAN TELEPORT?" I started shouting and jumping up and down on my bed.

In the middle of my jumps, my surroundings suddenly changed, and I was falling to the ground in another location in my room.

It hurt a little when I hit the ground, but my excitement made me forget all about it and jump up, shouting, "I CAN TELEPORT."

I still couldn't control the skill, but I did a few more jumps by chance as I was jumping and running in the room.

After I exhausted myself, I went back to my broken bed and lay down there.

As I was thinking about all the possibilities, a picture of the baby dragon flashed through my head, making my mood dampen again.

"I would beat the shit out of Lucile and that old man for making me absorb a baby." I swore to myself and then closed my eyes, trying to check on my "energy tank".

According to the booklet, the term "energy tank" referred to the core that formed in a person's head as soon as they entered the subatomic world, and the "energy" was the water that covered the surface of the tank.

When that as*hole Lucile said that he had extracted some energy out of my tank he meant it literally.

'I will make sure to extort you real good.' I thought and sent my consciousness toward the diamond in the black space.

Looking at it from the outside, it seemed like it had gone back to its former size, but a tiny bit bigger. But the real change was on the inside.

As soon as I touched the diamond, I was sent inside. The tight space seemed to have grown three times, and the depth of the water-like substance under my feet seemed to have grown as well.

The biggest change though had to be the purple egg-shaped translucent core that was floating in the center of the space.

Getting closer, I found a hollow of the sleeping baby dragon inside the egg. It seemed to be liking its new home.

"We are a part of each other now, little baby. Take good care of me please," I touched the egg and talked to it for a little bit before opening my eyes again.

"Hey AI, how come there aren't any bathrooms in this room?"

"The door to the bathroom has been camouflaged on the front wall next to the mineral-growing cave for design purposes."

After I heard the answer, I sighed and ordered, "Please make it visible."

"Understood."

The next second, a few meters away from the cave, a huge two-piece door appeared out of nowhere.

"Why is it so big?" I mumbled and opened the door.

When I opened the door, my mouth hit the floor.

The luxurious bathroom boasted a stunning 5*6 space with high ceilings and intricate tiling, centered around a beautiful blue pool that reflected natural light. A concealed toilet was located to the right, featuring an elegant design and utmost privacy.

After getting over my surprise, I grinned and jumped into the pool without even taking my clothes off.