Chapter 8: The Cost of Power
The core glistened faintly in Ethan's palm, an unnatural glow pulsing from its warped surface. The deformed beast core throbbed with a presence that felt utterly foreign—small in volume, yes, but dense with something more terrifying: purity. It was a compressed reservoir of raw power. Not just any power—this was something far beyond anything Ethan had faced.
His golden eyes narrowed.
This wasn't just a foundation realm beast like he had first assumed. No—now he was sure. The purity of the energy, the intensity of the presence still lingering in the core... this creature had been in the Inner Core Realm.
And not just any Inner Core Realm. Late-stage.
"Damn," Ethan whispered, a mix of awe and trepidation threading his voice. "That thing should have been able to destroy me with a snort."
The idea of it dying without a full fight still disturbed him. Was it dying already? Or did something else kill it?
Ethan didn't have time to dwell on the mystery. The energy in the core called to him like a siren—promising evolution, power, and clarity.
He crushed it.
Mana erupted into his body like a tidal wave, slamming into his meridians with the force of a collapsing star. His veins glowed briefly as the energy was absorbed, but it didn't stop there. It invaded every inch of his being—cells, bones, nerves.
Then came the agony.
He convulsed violently, teeth grinding together as his body surged to keep up with the incomprehensible power. Flesh tore and reformed. Bones snapped, restructured, grew denser. Blood boiled and evaporated before reconstituting itself, purified.
His breath caught in his throat. Pain unlike anything he had ever felt surged through him. Muscles stretched and tore only to knit stronger. His brain flared with so much heat he thought his skull might burst.
And then—
He felt his cultivation break through.
Level 6.
Then seconds later—Level 7.
He should've felt victorious, triumphant. Instead, he felt himself unraveling.
His consciousness slipped. His heartbeat slowed. Vision blurred.
" What the hell have u gotten myself into"
He was dying.
Not because the energy was malevolent—but because it was too vast, too refined, too pure for his body to contain.
Just before blacking out, his mysterious energy responded—violently. It surged from the core of his being, surrounding the foreign mana like a living wall. It compressed, folded, and sealed the excess energy, trapping it within some hidden chamber deep in Ethan's body.
Darkness consumed him.
---
Two hours later, Ethan opened his eyes.
He gasped, breath returning in short, ragged bursts. Sweat soaked his clothes. He lay atop a shallow crater, the forest floor around him scorched.
His body... felt stronger. Tighter. Sharper.
He had jumped two entire cultivation levels. He was now solidly at Level 7 Mana Condensation. But he hadn't absorbed all of the mana in the core , not even close.
The rest of the beast's mana—more than 70% of it—hadn't disappeared.
It was still there.
Sealed within him.
Dripping into his meridians in droplets so minuscule he could barely sense it. And yet, it was being absorbed. Painfully, slowly, his body continued to evolve.
It was unlike anything he'd ever felt.
And it was terrifying.
"Never again," Ethan murmured, staggering to his feet. "Never again will I absorb a core from something that powerful. Not until I'm ready." Ethan was shocked, if the beast core hadn't been deformed and the energy in the core almost depleted before he absorbed it then he was sure he would have exploded before his mysterious energy acted, hell even his cells wouldn't have had time to try and evolve his body to the point where the mysterious energy could act to contain it.
He limped out of his room , each step harder than the last, but his eyes glowed brighter than ever. He had risked everything and survived.
But the price could have been steep.
He decided that he would go eat something and stretch his limbs to get ready for the final day of the tournament.
---
The sun rose sluggishly behind scattered clouds the next morning, casting a golden hue over Aslaug's tournament grounds. Today marked the final day. The last eight participants remained.
Ethan stood beneath the arched entryway of the arena, fully aware that he still held the lowest cultivation level among the remaining contenders.
Level 7.
The next weakest was Level 9. Two of the strongest participants had even stepped into the Foundation Realm—Level 1. Their energy flared like bonfires compared to his flickering flame.
And yet... he smirked.
The energy still leaking into his system from the beast core gave him an edge they didn't know about. His cultivation wouldn't increase suddenly again—not soon—but his strength was already far above what Level 7 should have granted.
More than that, he had made a wager with Countess Lagertha Ivera. Not just to win the tournament but to dominate and beat each opponent in less than 45 seconds —or become her servant.
He remembered her words, her smirk, the power she still held despite her lost cultivation.
No way in hell was he going to lose.
---
The arena buzzed as the elite eight took their positions. The crowd numbered in the thousands—nobles, merchants, commoners alike all jostling for a glimpse of potential Academy legends.
The announcer's voice echoed through the arena.
"Today, we witness the final battles of the Aslaug Provincial Tournament! Eight contenders. One victor. Glory, wealth, and a chance at the Royal Academy await the champion!"
Ethan's gaze swept the field. Reznak, a giant for his age —smirking like the king of thugs. Garrik, bruised but alive after their last bout, he was eliminated from the tournament but had come to watch what he though would be Ethan's inevitable defeat. Lira—recovered from her 'accident', her eyes colder than ever, the Count had pulled some strings to get her into the top 8 even though she didn't participate in the last round. The rest were nameless, but each carried the aura of practiced killers.
His name was called.
"Kael versus Reznak the Steelborn!"
Cheers erupted.
Reznak was Level 9. His skin gleamed with metallic hues—either from a bloodline trait or a forbidden technique. Muscles bulged beneath heavy armor. He towered over Ethan.
"I will crush you like ash beneath stone," Reznak growled, slamming his fists together.
Ethan tilted his head. "You sound like a children's book villain."
The bell rang.
Reznak charged like a mountain given legs.
Ethan didn't move.
At the last second, he stepped aside with supernatural grace, planted his foot, and drove his elbow into Reznak's exposed side.
Something cracked.
The titan stumbled.
Ethan followed up with a spinning heel kick to the back of Reznak's knee. The larger man dropped to one leg.
Ethan's dagger—newly acquired and imbued with a thin trace of his mysterious energy—pierced Reznak's exposed neck joint.
The giant froze.
"I yield!" he roared.
Silence fell.
The announcer choked on his next words.
"Winner... Kael!"
---
In the royal box, Countess Lagertha exhaled slowly, amber eyes gleaming.
"He's gotten stronger," she whispered. Unfortunately, due to her injury she could no longer feel that he had actually improved his cultivation by 2 levels in just one day.
Unlike her, Count Ivera watched besides her, and coupd clearly feel the difference in his strength from yesterday, his jaw clenched.
"The boy is dangerous, much more than i thought."
"Exactly," she said, lifting her goblet. "And he's mine." She said this in a casual manner but the warning was clear ' Don't touch him'.
---
Ethan returned to the waiting lounge, his breath controlled, his body humming.
The energy sealed inside him shifted again.
Just a little.
The next fight would be harder.
But he was ready.
Let the final trials begin.