Ch.20: We Are All Animals At The Core
--<3rdPoV>--
Now then, why were these girls in Ray's room so late at night?
That question could be answered by the cuboid object floating steadily in front of Ray, glowing with a deep yellow ring encircling it. Faint purple marks swirled slowly around the ring, adding an otherworldly aesthetic to the scene.
The soft illumination from the object bathed the surroundings in a dim yet steady light, casting subtle shadows across the room.
This was Ray's Martial Spirit, which had formed its very first spirit ring earlier that afternoon when he awakened his aura.
At the time of its formation, the ring's age was merely one year—white in color. Magical, yes, but still within the bounds of what was considered ordinary.
However, some time after its initial manifestation, the ring began to change. Its color deepened, gradually transforming from white to yellow.
Now, it radiated the presence and pressure of a ring approximately equivalent to nine hundred years of age.
How this evolution occurred was still a mystery, even to Ray. But one thing was certain—the ring was growing on its own.
This increase in age did not merely boost its mana storage capabilities; it also provided enhancements to his physical parameters.
Whether this was due to the natural properties of the Martial Spirit itself or due to the world's foundational rules adapting to his unique spirit construct was still unclear.
Nonetheless, the effect was undeniable—he was stronger. Even in base metrics such as mana capacity, defense, strength, and agility, Ray was already outperforming others at a comparable stage.
And that didn't even account for his inherent adaptability. With that, he was already more than twice as powerful as a typical individual at his cultivation level.
While this curious phenomenon involving Martial Spirits and self-evolving spirit rings was fascinating, it still didn't explain what the two girls were doing in his room at this hour.
Surely, they hadn't come all the way here just to use his Martial Spirit as some kind of night lamp… right?
"Master, could you please increase the light a little near my table?"
Ray blinked, speechless.
A moment later, the same voice chimed in again, this time with a coquetry-laced tone, soft and almost pleading.
"U-um… Just a little brighter, please. I need to finish this diagram on elemental configuration. Pretty please~!"
"…"
Well… maybe one of them was here for that.
But that wasn't the main reason.
No, the main reason they were here was something else entirely.
Ray's Mana Core.
The moment it awakened, it had started operating entirely on its own. And since it was already familiar with one particular pattern—the Mysterious Heaven Skill—it naturally aligned with it and, over time, became permanently integrated into its cycle.
This meant that Ray was now constantly absorbing the surrounding mana, refining it into his attributeless aura, compressing and solidifying it, and then repeating the cycle—absorbing more, compressing further, and reinforcing it again and again.
To put things in perspective, the amount of mana he had absorbed so far was equivalent to what a hundred people would require to advance from the level of a beginner aura expert to an intermediate one.
And yet, despite all that, Ray himself was still technically at the beginner stage.
But that was intentional.
He was deliberately maintaining his current realm to maximize his gains—to increase the total volume of mana his body could store while remaining within the bounds of his current stage. It was a method of strengthening his foundation to a degree that would be a hundred, thousand—no, a hundred thousand times—stronger than any so-called genius of his age.
After all, one of the biggest lessons he had picked up from countless novels—whether they were about Eastern immortal cultivation or Western sword-and-magic fantasy—was this: a solid foundation is everything.
The greater the compression and quantity of energy retained at the early stages, the more terrifying one's future potential becomes.
And with his attributeless aura, which was both gentle and nourishing, there was no risk of internal backlash or injury from overuse, and if there was he is sure he will adapt to it.
It would be sheer idiocy to waste such a perfect opportunity.
As a result, Ray's body had become like a vacuum—constantly drawing in more and more mana without pause or restraint.
The rate at which he absorbed mana had reached such extremes that it wasn't just interfering with others—it was outright crippling their ability to function.
Seraphina and Lilia, despite their talent, could no longer even recover their expended mana, let alone cultivate further.
The surrounding ambient mana was simply being pulled away before it could even reach them.
The situation had become so unbearable that it triggered a rather chaotic series of events a few hours earlier.
Without warning, Seraphina had stormed into Ray's room, fury blazing in her eyes, and practically shouted at him to stop absorbing half the city's mana like some kind of vampiric parasite.
"I can't," he had replied flatly.
"…What?" she had blinked, caught off guard.
"It's happening automatically," he said with a lazy smile tugging at his lips. "I'm not doing it consciously. The aura cultivation technique is operating on its own now."
When met with Ray's answer, Seraphina's eyebrows couldn't stop twitching.
Despite her adorable cat-ear hoodie pajamas and her normally casual demeanor, her expression was anything but relaxed—her face was twisted with irritation, her jaw clenched tight with barely restrained fury.
But then, all of a sudden, she stilled.
Her features relaxed, her body stopped trembling, and a cold gleam flashed in her eyes as she muttered something that made the his hair stand on the end.
"So… it's not going to stop… unless…"
Ray's eyes narrowed warily. "Unless what?"
"…Unless you're unconscious."
His eyes widened slightly, alarm flashing across his face. "Wait—"
But it was already too late.
In one fluid motion, Seraphina vanished from his line of sight and appeared behind him. Her arm slipped around his neck in a well-practiced chokehold, locking him in with lethal precision, and she began to apply pressure.
"W-What kind of logic is that?!" Ray coughed, struggling against her grip.
"Scientific logic," she shot back, her voice burning with righteous fire. "Let's test it."
But then—something completely unexpected happened.
As Seraphina maintained the chokehold, a subtle fragrance rose from Ray's body. It was faint, so delicate that it might've gone unnoticed if she hadn't been this close. Yet, once it entered her nose, it was impossible to ignore.
It smelled natural—like the first breeze of a spring morning on a mountaintop, laced with something warm, pure, and strangely invigorating.
Her body responded instinctively before her thoughts could catch up.
Her chaotic mana, which had been unstable ever since Ray's aura awakening, suddenly began to settle. Her control over it, previously hindered by frustration and interference, started to solidify. Her awareness heightened; the fog in her mind lifted.
Her emotions calmed. The pulse of irritation and rage that had brought her storming into Ray's room faded into a deep, serene clarity.
And though the surrounding mana was still being pulled toward Ray like water into a black hole, everything else—her coordination, balance, even her mental clarity—felt elevated.
Then she noticed it.
A golden glow began to spread from Ray's body. Not a radiant flash, but a gentle, ambient light—like sunlight spilling through leaves. It extended outward, wrapping around her as if she were standing within a sacred domain, with Ray at its very center.
She stared down at herself, dumbfounded.
"…What… is this?" she whispered, eyes wide.
It felt… familiar.
This sensation—this hyper-awareness, this refined control—it wasn't new. She'd felt it before. During past training sessions with Ray. Rare, fleeting moments when her instincts and power aligned perfectly, when everything had clicked.
But this was on another level entirely.
'…This feeling is stronger now,' she realized, still clutching him in the chokehold. 'So much stronger. Is it because… you're stronger now?'
Her eyes narrowed in thought as they lingered on Ray's face. His features were calm despite the choke, his expression composed. His symmetric handsome features, coupled with that sharp jawline. Those jade-green eyes shimmered faintly, pulling her gaze in with a magnetic, almost mystical allure.
She didn't release her grip—but she no longer tightened it either.
As if caught in a spell Seraphina simply stood there, her arm still loosely around Ray's neck, suspended in a quiet stillness. The storm inside her had disappeared, replaced by an odd sense of focus and inner power radiating from his body like a tide.
She remained frozen, locked in that strange, overwhelming tranquility, lost in the world of her own, till she heard his voice...
"...Cough... cough... Let me go, damn it!" Ray choked out, struggling as he realized that even after activating his Innate Domain, Seraphina hadn't loosened her grip in the slightest.
Feeling the urgency of the moment, he grit his teeth and immediately activated his first spirit skill. A soft, whitish-blue light began to glow beneath his feet, quickly spreading outward in a circular pattern until it covered the same radius as his innate domain.
Within that newly formed domain, the surrounding mana began rushing inward at an even faster rate—like air violently rushing into a vacuum-sealed container the moment it's opened. The dense mana coalesced visibly in the air, thick enough to almost take form.
Then, within that mana-rich zone, something peculiar happened.
The energy condensed and solidified, taking shape into two large, soft feathers, almost ethereal in appearance, hovering just behind Ray—positioned directly behind Seraphina's waist.
'You're the one who forced me to use this,' Ray thought with a glint flashing in his eyes.
And then came the attack—not a fiery explosion, nor a blinding strike of magic.
But something far more devastating.
"Tickle Attack!" he declared with mock seriousness.
...
Fortunately for Ray, that underhanded tactic was enough to free him from Seraphina's grasp.
But even as he retreated a few steps, he knew better than to keep provoking someone who was clearly stronger than him—especially not when he'd narrowly escaped a chokehold seconds ago.
Now out of immediate danger, he raised his hands in mock surrender and began explaining—this time, seriously.
He described the ability granted by his first spirit ring: a domain-type skill that allowed him to manipulate the flow of mana within its boundary. He could create mana constructs, freely control the mana's movement, adjust its density and distribution, and even interfere with others' mana flow.
Beyond that, it also enhanced his own control over mana in general. His attacks became more precise and more powerful within the domain, while the potency of others' mana-based abilities was passively weakened. At the moment, the amplification and reduction was only about 5%, but he noted that this effect would grow stronger as the spirit ring's age increased.
Naturally, this called for experimentation.
And the results?
They were downright shocking.
Both Seraphina and Lilia, while cultivating within Ray's domain, found that their cultivation speed had increased by nearly four times compared to their usual rate. The mana-rich environment created by Ray's mana core, combined with his spirit ring's mana control to keep the certain part of the room protected from mana suction force, had transformed his room into a near-perfect cultivation hotspot.
From that moment on, it was unanimously decided: Ray's place would now serve as the shared cultivation space for the trio.
Fortunately, the room was quite large—spacious enough to accommodate all three of them comfortably. Even the bed was oversized, clearly meant for nobility or special guests, and could easily fit six people without issue.
So, even sleeping together in the same room wasn't a problem at all.
...
Things continued as usual.
Their routine settled into a rhythm—daily training in the morning, adventures and quests in the afternoon, leisurely strolls through town during the evening, and deep mana cultivation late into the night.
The only thing that saw a real change was Ray's speed of growth. Day by day, his power increased—no, skyrocketed—as if the very concept of adaptation had taken root inside his body.
It was like the "Ultimate Adaptation" ability from Lord of Domains was manifesting through him in real-time, triggered the moment he gained his first spirit ring, evolving from zero to one, giving him ability to adapt to frequent changes in the situation every time he adapted to them.
And with his powerful regeneration already in place, making his slightly adaptative powers to appear to be more effective than what should be possible.
But eventually, the time came.
Time to leave the town behind and move toward their next destination.
"So, we're going to the commerce city of Laurence on foot, then heading to the coastal city of Greenwind the same way… and from there, we'll board a non-exclusive, non-luxurious, general-category ship that'll take us to the island city of Valderia?" Ray asked, blinking.
"Exactly!" Seraphina responded cheerfully, her eyes shining.
Ray gave her a flat look, utterly baffled. "Are you right in your mind? We can't do this. That's a complete waste of time!"
"No, it's an adventure," Seraphina countered, her voice dreamy and excited. "Just imagine it—walking through dense, wild forests filled with unknown dangers, completely isolated from the outside world. A place where you don't even know if you'll make it out alive. That's where your true survival instincts awaken. That's how you become stronger—by overcoming nature itself!"
The way she said it sent a cold shiver down Ray's spine. This wasn't just an impulsive idea—it was a serious death wish disguised as romanticism.
"Look," he tried to reason with her, "we have enough money to afford every comfort this continent can offer. You might not have had money in the past, but I do. I have more than enough for three of us to travel in luxury for many years. We can—"
But before he could finish, she interrupted with the enthusiasm of someone recalling a deeply treasured memory.
"You don't understand how satisfying it feels to conquer nature. When you're out there, with no proper tools, no map, relying only on your instincts—and you emerge out of the forest, climbing over the final ridge to see the city lights glittering in the distance… That feeling? It's priceless. Finding rare monsters, discovering untouched natural treasures, witnessing beautiful scenery no one else has seen—it's better to give up comfort and embrace nature. After all, we're all animals at our core."
She said this last part while staring at Ray with hopeful, sparkling eyes."And you're more so than me. Not only are you a quarter Kijin, but also half Dryad!"
"…Correcting you—it's 'Demi-human,' not animals," Ray replied with a twitching eyebrow, trying to keep a straight face.
"Whatever you say," Seraphina replied with a dismissive wave, "the animal inside of you will wake up once you're in the wild."
Then, turning away from him, she locked her next target with fiery determination.
"You might not get it, but I know Lilia understands me. After all, she's an elf." Her voice dripped with confidence as she looked at Lilia like she had just found a kindred spirit.
Lilia, caught in the spotlight, broke out in a nervous sweat under Seraphina's intense gaze.
"U-Uh… I-I'm fine with whatever you two decide…" she said quickly, deciding neutrality was the safest option.
"It's decided then!" Seraphina declared triumphantly. "We're taking the forest route tomorrow!"
"Hey! That's not how this works—it's a draw! You can't just decide that on your own!" Ray protested, stepping in to stop the overexcited warrior before she could take it too far.
But the moment those words left his mouth, Seraphina's expression shifted. Her eyes narrowed.
She unsheathed her sword, stepping into a battle stance with a sharp glint in her eyes.
"So… do you want to see whose resolve is stronger?"
'This girl…' Ray's eyes widened in disbelief.
"On second thought… I'll humor you this time." He sighed, resigning himself to his fate.
"Thank you, dear husband~!" Seraphina chirped as she suddenly rushed in and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
Ray blinked. He could clearly feel the soft mounds of her chest pressing into him, their shape adjusting under the pressure.
'…She's not wearing her under armor today,' he realized with a startled thought.
And then it happened.
Smooch!!
He felt a soft, warm sensation on his lips. Her red lips had pressed into his in a sudden, unexpected kiss.
It lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to freeze him in place.
By the time he regained his senses, her arms had pulled away—and she was gone.
"What the—?"
Just as he opened his mouth to ask what that was about, he realized she'd already disappeared from the hallway.
'Looks like she really wanted to go on an adventure like this,' Ray thought to himself, oddly calm.
Maybe it was rare for Seraphina to act shy, but this time… it felt genuine.
"Well, might as well enjoy it. It'll be a new experience," he murmured, turning around and walking back into his room to pack up.
Tomorrow, the wilderness awaited.
_______________________________
To Be Continued:
[Word Count: 2850]
A/N: Next arc will be some action and adventure then world travel. And maybe a new chat group member in the group. So tell me if any suggestions. Also don't forget the power stones.