Chapter 58: Forming a mana core
"Hmm? 100,000? But I don’t have that many coins, though. Will it go into a negative balance?" Lin Fang wondered aloud, looking at the notification. But he didn’t ponder for too much time either and just went ahead to accept the offer while his heart pounded at a crazy rate.
*Ding!
[100,000 coins were deducted]
[Creating a Mana Core]
As Lin Fang sat down in a lotus position and closed his eyes, he felt a strange pulse in his body, right in the middle of his chest, but it only lasted a moment before it became normal, as if nothing else had happened.
But Lin Fang got his confirmation in the form of a chime in his head, followed by a notification.
*Ding!
[Mana Core formed successfully]
[103 units were converted into Manapoints.]
[Calculating the amount]
[13453 Mana Points have been added to the character]
"Thirteen thousand? Let me see..." He murmured, rubbing his chin while calculating how high it is. "In the dungeon raid I participated in, for every attack, it consumed me like 60-80 mana points. That means around 150-160 strikes? Should be enough for an actual battle." He exhaled a mouthful of air in resignation, keeping his excitement in check. "Let’s head back. Don’t have the strength to test these newfound powers anyway."
Clenching his jaw, Lin Fang focused and opened the system menu with fingers that were trembling not out of excitement but from physical exertion.
[Exit Habitat: Return to Real World – Confirm?]
With a click, a flash of white enveloped his body, and he vanished from Silver Moon Snow Mountain.
Lin Fang just lay motionless on his bed after returning to reality, his limbs still feeling heavy, and his breath was quite shallow. His complexion was quite pale, but nothing could remove that small smile from his lips.
His fingers curled slowly into fists, trembling from the weakness in his body as he whispered. "I’m no longer a plainfolk. I never planned for this, but managed to rewrite my fate in the end. Now, my plan should be to increase my mana points until I cannot do it anymore. First, let’s empty that mana vein. Then, my next step should be training with the daggers."
The next day, morning;
Lin Fang stood in the center of the boxing gym’s ring, sweat trailing down his temples. His breathing was steady, but the exertion was catching up to him.
Across from him stood Adam, looking like he had barely any sweat. However, the frustration behind his eyes was quite evident, and his expression seemed dead serious.
A few trainers leaned against the rails outside the ring, murmuring among themselves.
"That Lin Fang kid’s improving crazy fast."
"Yeah, well... it’s just his footwork. Still no power behind those punches."
"Are you blind? Adam hasn’t landed a single hit in almost half an hour. What’s that now... 28 minutes? He’s thrown over 115 punches."
"124 to be exact. Close, but anyway. And it’s true that Lin Fang’s movements... though they are very fast, still carry a poor technique."
"Still, can’t deny he’s become harder to hit."
"Yeah, I guess."
Adam surged forward with another flurry of sharp jabs with a low hook, a high feint, but Lin Fang slipped through the barrage, narrowly dodging them by twisting his waist at just the right moment to avoid the final uppercut.
As a result, it only grazed his hair.
Adam exhaled through gritted teeth.
At the thirty-first minute mark, Lin Fang raised a glove at last, stepping back. "I’m done," he said between pants. "Let’s stop here."
He removed his gloves slowly, carefully not showing how sore his arms had become. His breathing was heavier than usual, last night’s blood loss still lingering in his body like a dull ache even after 12 hours had passed. As for mana, for outsiders, nothing has changed as the Amulet of Velmura hanging around his neck continued to suppress it, alongside hiding the Nemesis’ remnant will.
Adam finally halted his stance and cracked a smile, brushing the sweat from his brow.
"I must say," he said, his tone more relaxed now, "I’m really impressed by your growth. No, did something happen yesterday? Your speed and reflexes progressed a bit too fast in one day..."
Lin Fang, breathing heavily, dropped onto the ring floor and leaned against the ropes. "I still have a long way to go. By the way, I’ll be absent tomorrow."
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow... ah, the Sky Hunt Exploration, huh?"
Lin Fang blinked in surprise. "You know about it?"
Adam gave a short laugh and walked over to the edge of the ring, grabbing a towel from the post. "It’s all over the television these days. Some live broadcasts even ran interviews with the big-name tamers. I was invited too."
Lin Fang looked up. "You were? Then... are you going too?"
Adam shrugged as he wiped his neck. "It’s a B-class Stellar Rift, Mate. The mana density there is low. The monsters in there were all around Elite or commander tier, save for regional bosses. For me, it’s just not worth it."
He tossed the towel aside, then looked at Lin Fang seriously. "But for someone like you, it’ll be... interesting. A good experience, if nothing else."
Adam then stepped closer and lowered his voice, as if passing on a secret. "Here’s my advice: take it seriously. Stick close to your group. No matter who provokes you, just keep your head down. Don’t covet treasures or monster eggs; don’t stand out. If you do find anything rare, just sell it to your group and make money. But it is best to let it go."
Lin Fang nodded slowly, listening with earnest eyes as Adam continued.
"And if someone from your own group turns out greedy..." Adam paused. "Just give it to them. Trust me, pride and treasures aren’t worth dying over in a Rift. Dungeons in the wilderness and the stellar rifts, those places are the places where the laws of the world don’t apply. Whatever crimes happen in those places, the government cannot arrest them because it is out of its jurisdiction. Because of that, certain hunters will go all violent over the slightest of disagreements, because it is a lawless land with zero accountability."
"I understand," Lin Fang said quietly, bowing his head. "Thank you. I’ll remember that."
But inside, he was smiling.
’I have the inventory anyway. Anything I find can disappear in a flash. No one needs to know. And this trip wasn’t just for experience. It was for Po and Cloud.’
After taking a break, he resumed sparring.
By late in the morning, they were done with the sparring, and together, they went out for brunch at some burger joint.
As they sat down, Adam continued to teach Lin Fang dos and don’ts in the stellar rift.
And one big silence filled between them once he was done with it. Adam continued to have his meal in silence with his eyes on the phone, while Lin Fang had things on his mind that he wanted to speak to him about.
In the end, Adam spoke without looking at him, "What is it, Brother Lin? It seems like you have something to ask for?"
Lin Fang was momentarily taken aback, but he asked. "I’m curious about something. If you don’t mind sharing personal things, I want to talk about Li Liu."
"Li Liu?" That name instantly made Adam raise his head to look at Lin Fang. "What is it?" He asked.