February 17, 204X

  14:42

  Baek’s hands remained steady against the young trainee’s back, his fingers lightly splayed, palms flat. The mana around them stirred faintly, the delicate shimmer thickening into tangible wisps.“Focus where the mana is pooling,” Baek instructed, his voice calm but firm. His accent softened the consonants slightly, but the precision in his tone left no room for misinterpretation. “Let it gather—here.” His hand pressed slightly over the trainee’s lower abdomen. “Not too fast. Breathe.”

  The room fell into near silence, save for the faint, rhythmic inhale and exhale of the trainee’s breathing. The other students leaned in subtly, their eyes narrowed with concentrated fascination.Dev, still leaning against the doorframe, frowned slightly, his eyes tracing the movement of mana with quiet precision.

  Baek’s own mana was barely visible—pale threads, thin as vapor—but its influence was undeniable. The faint, glimmering strands clung to the trainee’s skin, drawn inward with each slow, steady breath.“Look at his breathing,” Baek continued, his voice low, deliberate. “See it? He’s drawing in ambient mana with his lungs—letting it ride on the air. From there, guiding it down.”

  The glow brightened faintly, collecting just beneath the trainee’s navel, pooling slow but steady.Baek’s fingers remained still, yet the mana flowed as though threaded through his hands, following his guidance without resistance.“I only lead the flow,” he said evenly. “Compression, connection—it is his work.”

  The trainee’s breath quickened slightly, and the edges of his core flickered with instability.Baek’s hand firmed—just slightly. A subtle gesture, but steady, reassuring.“Steady,” he murmured. “Don’t push. Let it settle on its own.”

  The swirling mana gradually thickened, moving deeper into the trainee’s abdomen, forming a faint, rotating nucleus. But the real shift came when the mana latched onto the vagus nerve.

  Baek’s eyes sharpened slightly as he sensed the connection.“There.” His voice dropped lower, almost a murmur. “Watch carefully.”The mana, no longer idle, began to creep along the vagus nerve—the longest cranial nerve, snaking its way through the body.

  Dev’s eyes narrowed slightly, watching with newfound intensity.

  The glow traced upward along the nerve’s winding path, following its thread-like fibers like roots sinking into rich soil. The energy clung to the nerve’s natural signaling pathways, using them as a conduit into the central nervous system.

  Baek’s voice was steady but more measured now.“You see?” he asked the group. “It clings to the vagus. Travels upward.” His Korean accent was more pronounced when he spoke slowly, enunciating clearly for the younger trainees. “It moves with your body’s own signals—from the core to the brain.”

  The trainees watched, wide-eyed, as the mana slowly bled into the nervous system, seeping into the brainstem and radiating outward. It spread along the dorsal branches, reaching into the peripheral nerves with a fine, glimmering diffusion.

  Baek’s hands slowly lifted from the trainee’s back. The boy’s core remained stable, the mana threading through his nervous system without faltering.The young man’s fingers twitched experimentally, and the mana responded instantly, shimmering faintly at his fingertips with fluid ease.

  Baek gave a small, approving nod.He turned his eyes back to the gathered trainees, his voice calm but firm.

  “This,” he said, “is what my Master called the first stage of dantian formation—the creating of your core, and the first full cycle through your meridians.”He exhaled softly through his nose, the faintest smile tugging at his lips.“But instead of burying you in old words you don’t know, I explain with what is familiar.”

  His voice grew sharper, more direct.“There are three main benefits to this practice.”

  He raised one finger, his eyes scanning the group.“First.”

  His voice was steady, deliberate.“You will call upon mana easily. Not like before, when it was fleeting. First-generation Hunters—they described it like grabbing fog, always slipping through the fingers. Not being able execute it freely without [Mana Manipulation]” His eyes narrowed faintly glancing towards Dev. “But you—it will feel like a muscle. Something real. Reliable. You will move it with thought, not strain.”

  Baek raised a second finger.“Second.”

  His voice carried more weight now.“You will learn mana management methods. Internal arts—not just for fighting, but for survival. You will not waste strength by flooding your limbs like brute beasts. You will refine it. With practice, you’ll weave mana into muscle and bone.”He gestured to the trainee’s hand, where mana still clung faintly to the boy’s fingers.“You will strike harder. Faster. With less effort.”His eyes narrowed slightly.“Some of you… depending on the art” His tone grew drier, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “You’ll learn effects. Shockwaves. Reinforcement. Maybe even elemental techniques.”

  The trainees leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming with interest.

  Baek’s mouth quirked faintly.“Yes,” he added, almost deadpan. “those martial arts will even show up as skills in your status window.”A few students murmured excitedly at the prospect, their expressions brightening.

  But Baek’s face hardened again as he raised his third finger, his voice lowering slightly.“And third—and most important.” His eyes narrowed. “You will grow your mana capacity without leveling.”A few trainees exchanged sharp glances.

  Baek’s voice lowered, quieter now, but firm.“My Master called this cultivation.”The mana swirling around the trainee’s core pulsed faintly, slow and steady.Baek gestured toward it with a slight nod.“As you refine your core, the mana will reforge your body.” His voice softened slightly, but the cadence became deliberate. “The vessel grows stronger. Then the vessel strengthens the mana. Over and over.”

  He slowly turned his eyes over the group, meeting the gaze of each trainee.“The stronger your core, the better it holds mana. The stronger your body, the more mana it can bear.”

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  ………

  As Dev stepped through the gate, his surroundings shifted abruptly. The air thickened, humid and sticky, clinging to his skin. A heavy, muggy heat settled over him as he took in the dense jungle-like terrain—towering trees, sprawling vines, and the distant calls of unseen creatures. The entire environment was reminiscent of a vast, living swamp.

  “Stay sharp! Keep an eye on the vines—those bastards like to drop from above!” the foreman barked, his voice cutting through the thick air.

  Dev glanced down at the map in his hand. His assigned zone was the closest to the boss area, meaning he’d get a full tour of this alien world on his way there.

  As he moved forward, his eyes scanned the battlefield. The corpses of various creatures littered the ground. Lizardmen—scaled humanoids with elongated jaws, jagged teeth, and crude weapons—lay in twisted heaps, their armor rusted from exposure. Wraithbeasts, four-legged predators as black as night, with slick, shadowy pelts that allowed them to disappear beneath the water’s surface, sprawled lifelessly along the murky banks. Vinebiters, long serpent-like creatures that coiled seamlessly among the jungle vines, dangled limply from branches, their fanged mouths frozen mid-snarl.

  While his team worked on setting up their gear, Dev casually moved among the corpses, appearing to inspect them. But in truth, he was searching for something specific. His fingers brushed over a vinebiter’s remains, pushing past its tangled coils—then he felt it.

  “Found it,” he murmured.

  A mana stone. Small, no larger than a child’s bouncing ball from an old gumball machine. It shimmered faintly, pulsing with residual energy. He quickly pocketed it before anyone took notice.

  Core formation required an initial injection of mana to get started. Normally, this would be done by an experienced cultivator through a formal master-student ritual. But as far as Dev knew at this point in time, only two people alive who had any knowledge of the process.

  And both of them were on another continent.

  That meant he had to find another way.

  And step one was already in his pocket.

  “Yo!” the lead called out. “You gonna help us set up, or you just gonna keep poking dead things with a stick?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Dev replied, jogging over to join the group.

  Over time, the team set up containment units for the bodies, along with trucks and forklifts to transport the heavy corpses out of the gate. The work was methodical, slow.

  After a while, Dev called out to the lead. “Hey, I need to take a piss.”

  The lead looked around, then scoffed. “Does it look like we got a porta-potty out here? Hold it till we’re done.”

  “Look, man, I really gotta go,” Dev insisted. “I had one of those Big Gulps—but with a Slurpee instead of soda. I’m about to burst.”

  A few chuckles rose from the crew. The lead sighed. “Alright, alright. But take someone with you. Don’t want some monster creeping up on you while you’re taking a leak.” He turned and shouted, “Rowan! Go with Dev and keep watch.”

  Rowan groaned. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. Also, bring one of Dev’s pieces with you for protection.”

  Rowan muttered under his breath, something about being a toilet buddy in the middle of a damn jungle. Then he exhaled sharply and motioned for Dev to follow.

  “Come on,” he grumbled.

  Together, they disappeared into the jungle.

  As they walked through the dense jungle, Rowan suddenly exclaimed, "Alright, this should be a decent distance. Do your thing."

  Dev hesitated for a moment before replying, "Uh... I can’t pee when someone’s watching."

  Rowan groaned, rubbing his temples. "Okay, fine." He turned around with an exaggerated sigh. "There. Problem solved."

  Dev shifted uncomfortably. "I have to go down a little further. I can feel your presence—"

  Rowan cut him off mid-sentence. "Dude, just do whatever. I’ll be turned around. Pee as far away as you want."

  Taking the opportunity, Dev walked further into the jungle, pretending to relieve himself before slipping away into the undergrowth. His heart pounded in anticipation—this was where he’d find a wraithbeast and, more importantly, the second ingredient: its spit.

  As he moved deeper into the jungle, the air grew colder. A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the trees. Emerging from the thick foliage, a massive, spectral figure with shifting, shadowy tendrils took shape. The wraithbeast’s glowing white eyes locked onto Dev, its elongated limbs twitching in agitation.

  Without warning, the beast pounced, its powerful limbs propelling it forward in a blur of motion. Dev barely had time to react, diving to the side as the creature crashed into the spot where he had just stood, uprooting vines and sending a spray of dirt into the air.

  Dev didn’t hesitate. He raised his gun and fired at its joints. The impact caused its limb to give out, and the monster growled at him, baring its teeth, unable to move without yelping in pain. The wraithbeast screeched, lurching forward with jagged, unnatural motions, swiping at Dev with claws that shimmered with raw energy.

  He dodged, rolling beneath its outstretched limb and rushing toward its head. As the beast roared, its maw opened wide, revealing a slithering black tongue dripping with thick, acidic saliva. Dev lunged forward, grabbing the slick appendage with both hands. The creature howled, shaking violently, trying to dislodge him.

  Gritting his teeth, Dev yanked hard, forcing more of the corrosive spit to spill forth. With his free hand, he swiftly uncorked a small glass vial and let the viscous fluid drip inside. The moment he had enough, he released the tongue and pushed himself backward, narrowly avoiding another swipe from the beast’s claws.

  The wraithbeast shrieked in fury, its form flickering erratically as it reared back. Dev took the opportunity to fire one last round into its skull. The bullet tore through its head, and the beast let out a final, guttural cry before collapsing into the dirt. Its body twitched once, then went still.

  He exhaled sharply, staring down at the corpse before tucking the vial safely away. He heard footsteps as Rowan came rushing in, breathless. "What happened? I heard gunshots!"

  Dev dusted himself off. "It was the wraithbeast. The guy came in before I could even undo my belt."

  Rowan stared at him, then at the massive corpse sprawled on the jungle floor, exhaling in exasperation. "YOU SHOULDA JUST PISSED NEAR ME—" but his words were cut short by a scream—a human one—coming from deeper in the jungle

  Rowan tensed. "What was that?"

  Dev’s expression darkened. "Came from up ahead."

  Rowan frowned, glancing in the direction of the sound. "Shit. What do we do?"

  Dev adjusted his grip on his gun. "I’ll check it out. You go tell the others."

  Rowan scoffed. "Why do you get to check it out? We should both go."

  Dev shook his head. "No, someone needs to actually see what’s happening. If it’s bad, we need intel before everyone rushes in blind. I’ve got experience with recon—military ops, you know how it is."

  Rowan narrowed his eyes. "You were military? A kid like you doing covert ops? I don’t buy it."

  Dev huffed, rolling his shoulders. "Believe what you want, but I know how to move without getting spotted. Recon, infiltration, gathering intel—it's not about age, it's about skill. You think they only send old guys to do that shit?"

  Rowan crossed his arms. "Still sounds like bullshit."

  Dev exhaled sharply, debating how much to say. Finally, he muttered, “What do you want me to say? I enlisted early, alright?” He hesitated, then doubled down. “You ever hear of Operation Silent Veil?”

  Rowan blinked. "No."

  "Exactly," Dev said flatly. "Because it was covert."

  Rowan scoffed. "That's the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard."

  What Dev was saying was technically true—it just hadn’t happened yet.

  "Look, we don’t have time for this. Someone has to check it out, and I have the best chance of doing it without getting caught. You go back, get to the others, I’ll take a look. If I don’t come back soon, then evacuate the porter teams and call Pantheon.

  Rowan chewed on the inside of his cheek, still skeptical, but the urgency of the scream lingered in the air. Finally, he groaned and threw up his hands. "Fine. Whatever. Go play secret agent or whatever the hell you think you are. Just don’t get yourself killed "

  Dev replied. "Fair trade. Now get moving."

  Rowan shot him one last look before turning back toward the others, muttering under his breath. Dev didn’t waste another second, slipping into the jungle toward the source of the scream.