Chapter 280 - A Second Mana Core

'Weird,' Rynold thought as he visualized what was happening to his Mana Core.

It was a sensation unlike any other, so much so Rynold couldn't put into words what was happening. Although, he could see it. As bright as day, too.

His Mana Core was releasing Mana out of the wazoo. It exuded Mana at an inconsistent and uncontrollable rate. Rynold couldn't put a lid on his Mana Core even if he wanted to. It was as though he had opened the floodgates. There was nothing Rynold could do about it now. Except, of course, waiting for his Mana to run out.

Or, that was how it seemed.

For some reason, Rynold's Mana suddenly coalesced. Bits and pieces of his Mana that his Mana Core was letting out reformed to this abstract concentration of Mana. It was like a ball of hot primal energy, floating just above his Mana Core. A mysterious force contained the Mana, one that was unknown to Rynold. He couldn't put his finger on what was happening even if he tried.

Then, the collected Mana turned from blue to red, a change that Rynold had never even heard of before. All Rynold knew was that he felt weak. That wasn't much of a surprise, though, seeing as how he forcibly drained his Mana Core.

Nonetheless, the fiery-red Mana got brighter as time passed. The dissipating Mana slowly became more and more concentrated. Rynold didn't realize what he saw until it sent a shockwave, shocking him from his trance. It jolted him awake, much to his surprise, as his Mana's never done it before.

Rynold gasped for air as soon as he woke up and went down on all fours. He took in deep breaths, finally understanding what had just happened. Whether it was a good thing or not, though, that wasn't clear just yet.

As soon as Rynold woke up, the Mech God finally lowered his arm. Crimson took it as a sign to check up on Rynold, much like how he wanted to do long before now. He quickly rushed up to Rynold's side, grabbing his shoulder and falling down on one knee.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

Frantic questioning aside, Rynold was fine. He felt okay, not that he didn't have complaints about what had transpired. Although, now wasn't probably the time to bitch and moan about everything.

"Check my Mana Core," Rynold turned his head slightly, just enough for his eye to land on the Mech God, "I'm going to need you to check what the hell happened. Now, if you don't mind."

With a sly smile, Rynold got a feeling that the end result was, for the lack of a better word, magnificent. The Mech God raised a brow as he walked up to Rynold. He wasn't sure why the mortal was smiling just then, so the Mech God naturally wanted to find out.

It was just that what the Mech God saw wasn't what he had expected. And, as he placed his hand on Rynold's back, the Mech God's eyes widened.

"You see it, don't you?" Rynold's sly smile turned to a full-on cheeky grin. He motioned to Crimson, asking for support to stand up. And, as soon as he did, Rynold faced the Mech God. "I know I didn't imagine it. Heh. And, I'm guessing you didn't see it coming either."

The Mech God was in shock but didn't bother showing it. That said, the stare the Mech God was giving off was slightly off-putting for Rynold.

"So," Rynold spoke up, not so eager to be the subject of such a stare, "What do you think?"

"What do I think?!" the Mech God suddenly yelled, unable to contain what he felt about the situation. Fortunately, he realized his outburst almost immediately after, calming himself down.

"A second Mana Core. It's hardly the first time I've seen the case, but it's still a miracle nonetheless. Having another Mana Core makes you stand out among others. Although, it's not without its problems. Either way, it's pretty good. Especially for someone like you."

Rynold placed his free hand on his chest and tried to visualize his Man Core. But, even if he didn't, he could feel it there. It was like something hot was living inside him, like his insides were constantly warm.

"I can tell," Rynold nodded as his face turned serious, "This Mana Core... It's giving off a different vibe from the other one. I can't describe it well enough, but it's like there's a fire inside me."

"Like many other spells and things related to Mana, Mana Cores can also take on the Elements. A Magic User's Mana Core eventually turns to a distinct color. The color corresponds to the Mana Core's inclination towards a specific Elemental Attribute. There are even cases when a single Mana Core can attain up to two colors at any given time. It's not as powerful as a pure one, of course, but wielding two elements has its own advantage."

"But what about me?" Rynold asked as he let go of Crimson's shoulder. "What's up with two Mana Cores?"

"Let's say that it's a rare occurrence. There aren't any indications of how a Magic User would get two Mana Cores. But, when they do, it's a sign of greater power. You can do things that others can't. That much, I know. Although, if you want to really find out more, it's entirely up to you. History had shown that Magic Users such as yourself take up the strangest of paths."

"Heh."

Rynold wiped the blood off his chin with his shirt, scoffing at the Mech God's explanation. Something about what he said bothered him. Strangest paths? What? Had his current path been so smooth sailing that it wasn't strange enough? It was hilarious to think that he'd get a relaxing time moving forward,

"This thing inside me," Rynold suddenly looked solemn, "The thing that's been on my Mana Core ever since the first trial. It fought off the orb's transformation and tried to kill me. Whatever it is, I don't think it's worth it to keep around anymore."

"You're being shortsighted," the Mech God shook his head and said otherwise, "That thing you called an inhibition will bring you numerous benefits in the future. You have my word on that. It might not be of much use now, but it will. Besides, can you blame it? It probably just didn't want to get burned. The element your Mana Core took isn't exactly the friendliest of the Elements."

"Guess not," Rynold chuckled as he sighed. "Fire-Attributed, huh? Kind of weird that it took that."

"Whichever element it took, be grateful that it happened. And, another thing, I did say that there was a good chance you'd die, right? So, be glad that it turned out fine."

"Heh," Rynold scoffed while standing upright, "Talk about the understatement of the century."

"Whatever," the Mech God smiled before turning towards the exit, "Come on. Let's get a move on, shall we? We're burning daylight here."

That said, the three of them left the underground armory. Rynold followed behind the Mech God, while Crimson followed behind Rynold. Crimson had to make sure that Rynold wouldn't stumble and fall, given his condition. Although, Rynold didn't share the same sentiment.

Rynold was focusing on something else entirely. He pulled up the new window that had popped up as soon as he woke up. Rynold knew this had something to do with his new Mana Core, wondering what benefits it brought him.

A smile formed on Rynold's face as soon as he read the window. He took time to absorb every piece of information, not that there was much to read in the first place. But, at that point, he had to agree with the Mech God's statement. Rynold just had to acknowledge that he was on a higher stage than before, that he was more powerful than before.

"Hey," the Mech God suddenly called out as the three of them stood on the platform, causing Rynold to turn his attention away from what he was looking at, "This mission. Are you sure that you're up to it? Even after through all this trouble, you're sure you want to go through with it?"

"Where's this coming from?" Rynold asked as the platform levitated upwards, "You shouldn't ask someone something like that. Hell, I don't even know what the mission is. You're not telling me anything about it, so how am I supposed to answer?"

Rynold frustratedly sighed and shook his head before continuing.

"Look, whatever concerns you have, I have no idea. But, you know as well as I do that I have to do this. It's not a question about whether I'm up to it or not. I've been too docile. While my friends are doing god knows what, I'm not gonna sit around and let the rest of the world move forward. I'll be damned before I get left behind. And, as it is, I don't have the luxury of being inactive any longer."