Absorbing Ability Energy

Arden gazed outside through the window, his eyes fixated on the night sky.

People were still walking about, albeit not as many as before. He could see individuals entering their houses, and some even going out; after all, some people's businesses began at night.

"I'm sure the tavern is still packed with people," he muttered, his eyes still fixated on the sky.

The moon and the stars were present, making the sky more beautiful, but Arden was thinking about his actions tomorrow.

He now had some really good equipment: the Rank 2 Dagger, the mask, and the cloak. So, he certainly had to hunt some beasts.

It would be his first time doing that. But it had its own advantages. Not only would he be able to sell their Mana Cores for more coins, but he would also take it as a form of training.

Revenge wouldn't be possible without any battle experience, so it was better to start now.

[There's a forest nearby with beasts. The beasts in that forest aren't that strong, so they'll serve as a first battle experience.]

"Yes, I don't want to encounter a high-ranked beast from the start; that would be too much to handle," he muttered.

"Locating the forest won't be hard; I just have to get prepared."

The next second, he walked towards the middle of the room and sat down on the floor in a lotus position.

This was the sitting position required to effectively absorb the Mana in the air, and according to the system, it also worked for Ability Energy.

Arden decided to absorb Ability Energy before going to bed. He had never done anything like this before, but with the system's guidance, he would be able to do it.

[Now, close your eyes, and try to drown out every other sound.]

Arden read those words before closing his eyes. Though he couldn't help but wonder how he would be able to receive the system's assistance with his eyes closed; after all, he had to read the words written on the system screen.

Well, he decided to leave that for now and drown out every other sound.

He had done this before in the alley, and the system helped him that time, but now, he had to do it himself.

Seconds passed by, but he was yet to drown out every other sound. He could still hear the voices of some of the individuals passing the inn.

Still, he kept his eyes closed, trying to do it.

Like that, seconds turned into minutes, and he still wasn't successful.

Opening his eyes, the system screen materialized in front of him.

[Host, you're thinking of drowning out the noise. That's why this isn't working. You can only do this if you stop thinking about doing it.]

"Huh?" Arden couldn't help but mutter.

He didn't know that the procedure was this... complex?

The system was basically telling him not to think about drowning the noise, but he had to drown it out.

He knew that the system was correct, but it seemed impossible. Well...

"It'll only be impossible if I don't try..."

Arden took a deep breath and closed his eyes again, repeating the process.

"Don't think about it..."

"Don't think about it..."

"Don't think..."

"Don't..."

Like that, minutes went by again, and Arden kept trying, but at last, he was becoming successful.

The sounds he was hearing before were slowly fading, but he didn't even seem to notice it; he was just focused on the task.

In a matter of seconds, he couldn't hear any sound again, but he didn't open his eyes, because...

'W... what is this?' he thought.

He felt as if he wasn't in the room anymore, as if he were floating.

But that was not all. His eyes were closed, but he could sense something... no... feel something.

'Is this... Ability Energy?'

The feeling he got from this was... ethereal, almost otherworldly.

It was foreign, something he had never felt before.

Instinctively, without anyone telling him, he knew it was Ability Energy.

'I thought it would take longer,' he thought, but he was glad it didn't.

Now that he had sensed the Ability Energy in the air, it was time to absorb it.

'So, how do I abs—huh?' Arden suddenly stopped as he noticed something.

He was just thinking of a way to start absorbing Ability Energy, but he suddenly felt the Energy coming towards him.

'Wait... Is it because of my Ability Core?' That was the only theory he could come up with at the moment.

If it wasn't because of his Ability Core, then what was the reason?

He didn't know for now, but he just continued sensing the Ability Energy that was coming towards him.

At first, the Energy was moving slowly, but as it got closer to him, the pace at which it was moving increased, and in a matter of seconds, it reached him.

"Oh..."

Ability Energy slowly entered Arden's body, and he could feel it spreading out to every inch of his body.

From his chest to his stomach and legs, it kept spreading out.

Like that, more Ability Energy began entering his body, giving him a warm feeling and an unexplainable sensation.

'It's as if my Ability Core is a magnet that's attracting Ability Energy...'

Though it was just a thought, he believed that this was actually happening; there was no other explanation he could come up with.

It continued like that for some minutes, and Arden decided to open his eyes.

WHOOSH

'Huh?! What is going on?'

He thought that after opening his eyes, he would find himself in the room, but he was actually back in that dark space where he saw that blue portal.

But something was different this time...

He could also feel Ability Energy in this space, and that was when he saw it...

A bluish gaseous substance...

'So this is Ability Energy, huh?'

He could see the Ability Energy moving towards a light in the distance.

'That's probably my Ability Core...'

At the same time, he suddenly felt a burst of strength, making him widen his eyes.

'I remember reading this...'

'D... did I just rank up?!'