Chapter 8: The Weight of Power

The cold wind howled under the silver moonlight as Jin Ho sat on the rooftop, legs crossed, fingers pressed lightly against his abdomen. Despite the chill, beads of sweat lined his forehead. His body, small and fragile, quivered with exhaustion, but his mind was sharper than ever. The fire had been kindled—now came the forging.

"0.2%..." he muttered, staring at the corner of his vision where the system data once appeared. "It's not much, but it's something."

Since the first flicker of mana had been detected, Jin Ho had trained without rest. Each breath was a calculated motion, each muscle contraction part of a greater flow of energy. In his past life, training like this had taken him years, but now, with knowledge and desperation guiding him, he was compressing decades into days.

His meditation was no longer just stillness. It was motion hidden in stillness. Tiny circulations of breath. Micro-adjustments to posture. Aligning his soul to the rhythm of the world.

The Yggidrasil system hadn't given him abilities or skills. No spells. No weapons. Only one thing:

[Grow. Train. Evolve.]

No shortcuts. Only the path.

But tonight, something shifted.

As he drew breath under the moon, he felt a sharp stab in his lower back—like a needle threading into his spine. He gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to cry out. His mana core was changing again. Expanding? No, stretching. It was… evolving.

Suddenly—

[Mana Core Activity – 3.7% Awakening]

A gust of wind burst outward from his body. The rooftop tiles shook. A stray bird took flight.

Jin Ho collapsed forward, panting heavily.

"I… did it."

He crawled to his feet, each limb heavy as stone. But the smile on his lips was wide.

"Soon... I'll reach 5%. That's when I can begin Neural Tempering."

In this world, every level meant more than just strength. Level 1 was the true foundation—the activation of the mana core and purification of the organs. Level 2 refined the nervous system. Level 3 hardened the muscles. Level 4 structured the bones. Level 5 awakened the spiritual nerve channels.

But Jin Ho knew better than most: levels meant nothing without understanding. A powerful Level 3 could kill a weak Level 5 if they truly mastered their path.

He would not just rise—he would dominate.