Chapter 86- Breakthrough

Rion sat cross-legged in the dimly lit room, his breathing slow and steady. His senses sharpened with each breath, pulling in the faint scents around him—the smoky incense that curled lazily in the air, the lingering tang of metal from the raw materials he had procured from the Normos Family sales channel to upgrade his gear.

The incense's aroma was calming, a delicate floral note that helped him sharpen his focus, while keeping him in a state of relaxation.

With practiced ease, he activated [Energy Training Technique III], the technique he had practiced more than any other, second only to the [Energy Absorption Technique].

The technique was a series of deliberate mental motions that guided his origin energy through his body in rhythmic cycles. He visualized the energy flowing through the channels of his limbs, pooling in his chest, gathering strength before being directed toward his body's natural barriers, the ultra-thin membranes encasing his charged cells.

As always, the energy washed against the barriers with no effect, like water pressing against a dam. This was exactly what happened every time he tried to break through.

Since reaching the threshold of the Early-stage, he had remained trapped at this point, each attempt, including this one, serving as a painful reminder that he was no closer to breaking through than he had been on his first try.

He let out a slight smirk. Well, this time, I came prepared.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two small vials, their contents shimmering like liquid silver. Wild Energy Potions. He'd gotten them at a discount through the Normos Family's sales channel, an opportunity he wasn't about to waste.

He uncorked the first vial, the faint hiss of escaping vapor sending a shiver down his spine. The liquid inside swirled with an otherworldly glow, as if it contained the essence of a storm.

"No backing out now," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart. He tipped the vial back, the cool liquid sliding down his throat.

The moment the potion hit his system, his body seized. It was like swallowing molten lava. The energy exploded through him, igniting every nerve with unbearable heat. His muscles spasmed, his vision blurred, and for a moment, everything went black. He felt as though he were being torn apart from the inside, his very essence unraveling under the onslaught of raw power.

For a few terrifying moments, his mind simply went dark and the world around him vanished. Then, just as suddenly, awareness returned.

When he came to, sweat dripped from his brow, his breath ragged and uneven. His entire body ached, every fiber of his being screaming in protest. But he forced himself to push through the pain. Gritting his teeth, he reactivated the [Energy Training Technique III], funneling the wild, untamed energy directly toward his cell barriers with great effort.

This time, something changed.

For the first time ever, the barriers resisted. Not fully—but there was a reaction. The energy didn't simply wash over them this time. He could feel the barriers start to show signs of cracks as the energy pressed against them, tiny fractures spidering across their surface. The corners of his lips curled into a sharp grin even through the pain.

It's working... he thought, directing the energy to continue assaulting the barriers. However, most of the efficacy of the potion had been used up at this point, and it's effects were already fading.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the second vial and swallowed it down. The pain returned, a violent surge of energy tearing through him, but he was much more prepared this time. Probably because he was already under the painful effects of the first one, it took him less time to regain his wits and wrestle the energy under control.

His vision pulsed, his nerves burned and his body felt like it would break apart at any moment. It was only through sheer force of will that he persevered, controlling the energy and forcing it toward the barriers once more.

Like fractures spreading through glass, the cracks on the ultra-thin barriers surrounding each cell continued to expand, the fractures growing deeper and more pronounced. Energy seeped through the openings, stretching the barriers toward their breaking point.

His mind lost track of time.

Had it been minutes? Hours? He couldn't tell.

All he knew was that the moment was close. He pressed on, pouring every ounce of his focus into maintaining the [Energy Training Technique III]. His body trembled violently, his breathing ragged, his skin burning with an unnatural heat. The world around him had long since faded into irrelevance.

Then, finally, it happened.

A tremor ran through him—subtle at first, then stronger. His breath hitched, his heart hammering as something deep within him unraveled. The cracks had reached their limit.

With one final, unstoppable surge, the barriers shattered, breaking apart into tiny, ethereal fragments. A soundless explosion rippled through his being, and in that instant, his world changed.

Oh, that's new....

A surge of raw power flooded his body, more potent and exhilarating than anything he had ever felt before.

This feeling… Sssss.

He felt a surge of pain and pleasure crash over him, tearing through his body like a storm. The feeling was paradoxical. One one hand, he was feeling searing heat burning through his veins. But on the other hand was a profound sense of pleasure.

He really didn't know how to describe this feeling. The closest he could compare it to was a blade, blazing hot from the forge, suddenly plunged into cold water—searing heat giving way to a sudden, almost shocking relief.

He could only say that it was… comfortable, very comfortable!

The sensation continued to wash over him, wave after wave of pain and pleasure. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, and his vision blurred. Before he could catch himself, the world around him faded to black and he passed out, collapsing onto the floor with a soft thud. The room was silent, save for the faint sound of his steady breathing.

The breakthrough process continued, unfettered by the physical state of its host. The tiny, ethereal remnants of the barriers didn't disappear. Instead, they were somehow drawn into his cells, his bones, his tissues, and even the abstract parts of his being, like his mind and spirit and assimilated with them.

All the parts that absorbed the fragments were refined through some mystical process, as though they shed some of their impurities and were strengthened.

But as the fragments were absorbed, something else began to happen. The barriers that had shattered magically began to regrow, a process that lasted more than an hour. The regenerated barriers, while still ultra-thin, were stronger and more durable than the previous ones. They were no longer the fragile, brittle walls of before. They were now more robust and resilient, capable of withstanding even greater forces.

At the same time Rion was experiencing his breakthrough, far away in the boundless depths of an unknown dimension, darkness ruled—a dense, all-consuming void that devoured both light and sound. It was not mere emptiness but an entity of its own, vast and unfathomable, stretching beyond the limits of perception. The void pulsed, not with life but with an eerie rhythm, as if the darkness itself breathed, expanding and contracting with an unseen force.

Here, the very fabric of space twisted in unnatural ways, folding and unfolding upon itself in paradoxical contortions. There was no ground, no sky, no sense of direction—only an expanse of shifting blackness that seemed to stretch forever, an ocean without surface or depth.

The only physical concept that should have made sense in this barren dimension was time. However, in the absence of events, even time felt irrelevant, the concept of past and future blurring into meaninglessness.

Yet, amidst this all-consuming abyss, something defied the oppressive nature of the void. A solitary light, faint yet unwavering, flickered like a distant star. It was not an ordinary glow; it neither radiated warmth nor cast shadows. Instead, it existed as a presence—an interruption in the void's relentless dominion. The light shimmered, its pulsations synchronized with some unseen rhythm, as though responding to the breath of the abyss itself.

At the core of this glow, hovering in absolute defiance of gravity, was an object—a crystal, seemingly unremarkable in size yet commanding an undeniable presence. Its surface was smooth yet riddled with complex, fractal-like patterns that shifted when observed, their designs never settling into a fixed shape. It was as if the crystal held within it an infinite number of possibilities, each moment birthing a new form before vanishing into the next.

Slowly, it rotated, not haphazardly but with a deliberate, almost sentient grace. Each turn released a subtle ripple, sending waves of invisible energy cascading outward, distorting the void like ripples across the surface of a still lake. And with each ripple, the shadows recoiled—not in fear, but in recognition. The darkness did not merely exist around the crystal; it acknowledged it as its sole ruler.

The crystal pulsed in a steady, rhythmic heartbeat.

It was not alive. And yet, in some ways, it was more than alive.

The waves of energy it exuded carried an essence—an ancient presence, an intelligence woven into its very being. Not a mind in the traditional sense, but a will, a purpose, something that had persisted through countless eons, untouched by the passage of time. It was as if the crystal did not belong to any one moment but to all moments simultaneously, its existence spanning across different realities.

The void, infinite and unyielding, did not dare consume it.

As the crystal continued its slow, hypnotic rotation, fragments of space itself seemed to unravel and reassemble around it, like a puzzle constantly solving and encrypting itself. Every pulse of light from within its core carried a hidden message, an echo of something greater. But there was no one here to listen. No mind to grasp the significance of its silent whispers.

And yet, had Rion been there, he would have immediately recognized the object. It was the very same crystal that had caused the explosion back on Macipher, the catalyst for his inexplicable transmigration—the object that had set everything into motion.

Back in the present, the breakthrough process continued, silent and unseen, until all of the barriers had fully regrown. The transformation was complete.

Some time later, Rion groggily stirred, his body feeling both heavy and strangely invigorated at the same time. A deep breath filled his lungs—and immediately, he gagged.

"What the hell…?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.

A thick, foul stench clung to the air, making his nose wrinkle in disgust. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he pushed himself upright, only to grimace at the sticky sensation covering his skin. His entire body was coated in a disgusting mix of sweat and an unfamiliar dark, oily residue.

His lips curled in revulsion. Ugh… Did I roll in a sewer or something?

Despite his exhaustion, he forced himself up, and stripped off his clothes, now ruined beyond saving. Then, he staggered toward the bathroom and stepped into the shower, the water turned on full blast.

The warm stream cascaded over him, and as the filth washed away, he felt an odd tingling sensation prickling across his skin. It wasn't painful, but it was… different. Almost as if the water was subtly stimulating his body on a level deeper than the surface.

Frowning, he ran a hand over his arm, feeling the texture of his skin. Smoother? Tougher? Or was it just his imagination?

"Side effect of the breakthrough…?" he mused, letting the water run over his face. Or was it simply his body becoming more sensitive to origin energy? Either way, he'd have to test it later.

For now, he just wanted to be clean.

He scrubbed himself down vigorously, making sure every trace of the filth was gone. Only when he felt fresh again did he step out, drying himself off with a towel.

The moment he hit the bed, sleep took him instantly. No thoughts, no resistance—just deep, dreamless rest.