What?
Beside him, 10 boar tusks lay bundled together with woven grass, it's a small but satisfying reminder that he killed the beasts with his own power.
"Aghh, my whole body feels like it got crushed by some thing," he muttered, rubbing his bruised shoulder. "But at least I'm not dead yet.."
He turned his attention to the glowing [INVENTORY] screen hovering in front of him. Most of the slots were empty, except for the first one, which displayed a pale blue crystal with "x4" beneath it.
"So these are the beast cores, huh?" He squinted at them. Its the first time seeing them as last time he used all his cores for gaining a skill and gain no chance to see it.
There was a swirling blue mist inside, pulsing faintly, almost like it was alive. "Kinda looks valuable… but what the hell am I supposed to do with it?"
Curiously, he reached toward the screen, expecting to grab the crystal. But as soon as his fingers touched it, his hand phased right through, and a bright glow flickered before him.
"Huh?" Rave haulted his hand back in surprise. "Come on. Don't tell me the system is bugged."
Before he could complain further, the system flashed again, and in an instant, pure energy swirled in the air. The energy was fluid for one moment and solid the next, as it slowly condensed into four physical crystals in front of him.
They were shining like a dai,ond under the sunlight, transparent yet dense, with pale blue mist wiggling inside as if desperate to break free.
Rave grabbed one of the crystal that were floating infron of him.
"Alright, whats nest," he mumbled. "Do I break it? Absorb it? Or… eat it?" he asked the system.
No instructions appeared.
Rave sighed, shaking his head. "Seriously? That old man gives me a system, but no user manual?" He exhaled sharply. "Screw it. This f*cking system was just killing me with questions and doubts, not giving any answer I need."
Without further hesitation, he tossed the core into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
At first, there was nothing. No changes noticed in his body, its like he eated a rock now. But suddenly a wave of cold rushed down his throat. It's not painful but unexpectedly intense. A warm energy sinking into his muscles and spreading across his skin, crawling over his body like thousands of icy needles piercing into him at once.
His breath hitched. "What the hell—?!"
The feeling grew stronger, like digging into his skin and making him tingle like something inside was shedding. The blue, misty energy from the crystal flowed out, blending with him. His skin glowed softly as old dirt and impurities coming out of his body before disappearing like fog in the morning light.
A notification popped up.
[Lesser Rift Beast Core successfully absorbed.][Skin Purification 5%]
Rave looked at the message and then at his hands one after another. Now his skin seemed smoother and healthier. It's not a huge change, but a cleaner change, like years of dirt had been washed away in a flash. He flexed his fingers and noticed a slight toughness that hadn't been there before.
He smiled. "Now thae took another crystal and swallowed it right away.
This time, the energy went deeper, adding to the changes he already felt. The cold feeling wasn't as strong, but the strengthening was clear. His skin felt tougher, like a shield had formed just under the surface.t's cool."
Feeling encouraged, h
[Lesser Rift Beast Core successfully absorbed.]
[Skin Purification 10%]
Rave clenched his fists, his grin getting bigger. "I can see the changes in my skin," he thought. "So this is how cultivation works here." His excitement grew as he thought about the possibilities. "I need to understand the levels of this cultivation when I meet other people," he said to himself, already feeling the strain on his core consumption.
But he had other things to do with the remaining beast cores. "Okay, time for the skill tree."
Sitting cross-legged on the grass, Rave looked at the two beast cores in his hand. He felt very hungry. The warmth, the rush, the pleasure they gave him—it was like a drug, pulling him in. His fingers twitched, and his mind pushed him to take them. But he shook his head. "No. I need to stay aware of my situation and act smart," he reminded himself.
With that in mind, he set the cores aside and focused. Swiping his hand, he opened the [Skill Tree] panel. The layout was simple—a web of glowing lines spreading out, most of them dim, with just one skill lit up in the center.
[Swift Steps – Tier 0]
Next to it was a '+' symbol. Without hesitation, Rave tapped it.
[Do you want to upgrade Swift Steps to Tier 1?]
"Obviously!" he said, rolling his eyes.
[Requirement: 2 Lesser Rift Beast Cores.]
Rave groaned. "C'mon, hurry up and do it."
The two cores behind him were dissapered immediately, and before he could even blink, an explosive surge of energy rushed through his body. Like last time, the process was a gentle enhancement.
An unfemiliar energy flowing through his body. this energy, it nothing like before when he first get skill or when absorbed the beast cores. It was totally different. And it was reshaping his muscled minorly, giving the effects of months of training in an instant and all that possible only with the help of his system.
"Gah—!" His body shook with a short pain, his instincts going haywire as his mind overflowed with new information. Movements, techniques, micro-adjustments—all of it embedded directly into his brain.
Just as quickly as it started, the pain faded, leaving him panting. A notification popped up.
[Swift Steps upgraded to Tier 1.]
[Speed +5]
[Attack +2]
Rave's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!" He quickly opened his status screen, scanning the numbers.
[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Rave Arnet
Age: 18
Level: Body Adapting Stage – Skin Purification Level [10%]
Attributes:
Attack: 7
Defense: 6
Speed: 13
Skills:
Swift Steps - Tier 1
[New Quest Available]
Objective: Kill 10 Lesser Beasts
Reward: Root Map to Treasure Trove (Upgrader Rift)
"What I didn't gain from consuming cores, I got from leveling up my skills." His heart raced. If that was true, then skills were way more important than just putting cores in his body. Right now, these were Rave's thoughts as he didn't know the real uses of the beast cores.
He clenched his fists, feeling new power rushing through him. His muscles felt tighter, his reflexes sharper, and he felt lighter on his feet. This wasn't just about numbers—this was real progress.
"I need to test this out," he said quietly, excitement bubbling up inside him.
He took a step—and suddenly, his whole body blurred forward, covering several meters in the blink of an eye.
"Whoa—!" He was thrilled as he looked back at the ground he had just crossed.
"Oh yeah," he breathed. "Now this is what true skills feel like."
Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground again, this time focusing on controlling his movements. His feet barely touched the earth before he pushed forward again, moving faster than he ever had before.
He zigzagged through the grass, dodging imaginary enemies, weaving between invisible obstacles. Each step felt smoother, each movement more precise.
"Man," he laughed, slowing down after a few minutes. "This is insane!"
His breathing was a little heavy, but his body didn't feel the usual strain of overexertion. In fact, it felt like his movements were becoming even more natural the more he practiced.
His excitement only grew as he realized something—
"If this is just a Tier 1 skill... then how strong will I be when I level up even more?"
he immediately checked for conditions for next level. But huge stone fell in his heart "Whaaat?" he exclaimed loudly. "64 lesser or 2 greater beast crystals needed for next level up" he cried out loud in shock.