“My gift, human, is a way to carve strength from your bones.” The dragon’s voice growled, rough as grinding rock.
John meditated in the darkness of the cavern, a faint glow emitting from his body. He moved his mana along preset pathways as directed by Tenebris.
"Good. Continue. Your mana is bright, you have been fortunate to attain a glimpse of the aspect of Light. My mana, however, dwells in shadow."
The darkness surrounding John suddenly began to feel more oppressive - pressing against the light surrounding him.
"I will invade your body with this mana. The Aspect of Light, sensing its opposite, will rebel."
Moments passed, and the voice did not elaborate. John spoke up.
"... What does that mean?"
"Certain elements do not tolerate each other. Light and Dark are notorious for this. Holding both in one body will result in a.... contradiction."
John’s eyes flicked up. The reptilian eye burned in the dark. It studied him carefully.
"Meaning...?"
A laugh rumbled, shaking dust from the ceiling. “Pain. It may break you. But if you can withstand it... ” The voice paused for a moment before continuing.
"In breaking and mending your flesh, you will gain strength. This would not be possible, if your Light mana were not particularly suited to healing. Even so, many would consider what you are about to attempt insane... Therefore I will warn you one last time."
The eye narrowed, glinting. "Are you sure you wish to proceed?"
John hesitated only for a second. Something told him that he needed to get stronger, and fast. He always trusted his instincts. He gave a short nod.
The cavern pulsed. Dark mana gathered and crashed in on John. It slammed into his chest, flooding his meridians. Pain erupted, like blades under his skin.
In response, his Light mana surged, hot and clean. When the Light met the invading mana, they went haywire, causing havoc in his veins—muscles tore, bones shuddered and blood burned. John grunted, grimacing.
His chest heaved, each breath a knife. His body began to shudder violently. The clashes ripped through him—meridians cracking, flesh splitting. He was no stranger to pain but this felt like he was being torn apart from the inside.
John snarled, teeth gritted. One part of his mind gripped his Light mana, pushing it to his wounds, knitting torn flesh. The other wrestled the Darkness, forcing it through his meridians, slow, steady. Explosions went off within his body, followed by searing pain, but he didn’t let go.
Focused Energy Circulation has leveled up. The player has gained a new level of mastery over this ability.
His Light mana worked hard to repair his body, barely keeping up as his flesh threatened to fall apart.
Constitution +1
Strength +1
Constitution +1
John's eyes widened at the results. Filled with renewed determination, he pushed harder. Tenebris, watching him closely, responded by flooding even more Darkness mana into him.
“Good... Hold it,” the dragon's voice rang out.
Time passed, and Tenebris kept watch over John's cultivation - occasionally giving him guidance.
-----
Justin stumbled, boots sinking into soft grass. The air was cool, sharp with the scent of pine. A green valley stretched around him—rolling hills, a clear stream glinting under sunlight, distant peaks jagged against the sky. No forest, no John, no dark elves. Just… here.
His hand tightened on the sheathed dagger given to him by John, his pulse quick. The System had yanked him away without warning, same as it had dropped him into that forest with the elves. The weight of solitude hit hard. Where the hell was John?
A chime rang in his head, cold and clear. Words flashed across his vision, glowing blue.
Welcome to Stage Two of the Tutorial. Initiates from Earth must now unite to face the might of two rival worlds, each with their own tutorial entrants. Gather resources, build defenses, and wage war. Rewards will be allocated accordingly. Only one world will move on to Stage Three.
Justin’s jaw tightened. Two other worlds? A nation?
Your reward for your performance in Stage One has been delivered.
As he read the notification, Justin looked between his legs to find a sealed wooden box. Curious, he bent down and picked it up. Opening it, he found a palm-sized, blackened piece of metal.
Looking closely, Justin saw runes scrawled across it and it hummed faintly with heat.
Smelter's Shard
Superheats metals for efficient forging, enhances fire-starting.
Justin frowned, turning the shard over. Looked like scrap, but it tingled against his skin. Superheat metals? Useful for making stuff, maybe? He pocketed it, and as he did the box disintegrated. Neat!
His attention moved on, scanning the valley. In the distance, figures moved. People, scattered, like him. The System gave no further answers. Survive, it demanded. Always survive.
He adjusted his pack, sheathed dagger in hand, and started walking toward them. John had to be out there, somewhere.
-----
Focused Energy Circulation has leveled up. The player has gained a new level of mastery over this ability.
John did not know how long he had been meditating, but his body was covered in blood and injuries. New wounds were appearing all over his body, but they would quickly be healed by his Light mana.
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It turned out that this was a great way to "power level" his mana circulation ability. The downside is that if he slipped up, it could kill him at any moment.
Strength +1
Constitution +1
This wouldn't be possible if he didn't have his Light mana to heal his wounds. He was getting the impression that he had stumbled on something really special with that.
Focused Energy Circulation has leveled up. The player has gained a new level of mastery over this ability.
His meridians burned, Light mana sealing wounds as fast as they tore open. The dragon's Dark energy churned, heavy, wild—but smoother now. He cycled it through his veins, slow, steady. It might be his imagination, but he felt like it wasn't fighting him as much. He gained confidence.
On impulse, he pulled the black mana toward his core, where Light pulsed hot and clean.
Tenebris' eye widened imperceptibly.
"No! Stop!"
A spark caught, like oil meeting flame.
His body shuddered. Light and Dark twisted together, clashing as they cycled together within his core. Pain spiked—sharper, deeper than before. His meridians cracked louder, explosions ripping through his chest, arms, legs. Blood leaked from his nose and his ears. His bones groaned, flesh splitting faster than his mana could heal.
John grunted, teeth bared. His core felt like it’d burst—Light and Darkness grinding together. Each breath was fire, each pulse a hammer. He was slipping, body breaking. One wrong move, he’d be gone.
“Purge it from your core!” Tenebris growled, eye fixed on him.
John didn’t hear. His mind narrowed. He forced Light mana to his wounds, sealing splits, while struggling to tame the interaction within his core. The pain was blinding—meridians fraying, muscles shredding—but he held on.
Strength +1
Agility +1
Constitution +1
His Light mana burned steady, a beacon, and he used it to guide the Dark, not fight it. Each clash sparked insight—Dark wasn’t just destruction; it was weight, depth, a pull like gravity. He gritted his teeth, forcing balance, his core trembling but holding.
Something clicked. The black mana wasn’t just heavy—it was vast, endless, like a night with no stars. He understood a sliver of it, enough to guide him. Gradually, the Dark mana settled within his core. It did not fuse with the Light, but instead existed side by side - separated by a thin line, like oil and water.
Examining his core, he noticed that it seemed more tangible now - like a viscous black and white sphere rather than just a void where his mana dwelt. His core pulsed stronger, Light and Darkness spinning together, no longer at war.
A bell chimed. John checked his notifications.
Player has received a glimpse of the Aspect of Darkness (Lesser)!
Darklight Body (Unique) (First Stage - Tear Stone): The conflict of Light and Dark mana tempers meridians and flesh, forging a powerful body. Failure risks annihilation.
The player's mana core has formed according to their Aspects.
Darklight Mana Core (Unique) (Level 1): The player’s mana core has condensed, able to generate both Light and Dark mana. The aspects must remain separate—mixing them risks violent internal conflict, damaging meridians and flesh. Precise control is required to avoid ruin.
John collapsed, gasping, body trembling. His core thrummed, now a revolving swirl of black and white energy.
Tenebris’s eye widened, pupil dilating. “Impossible,” he rasped, voice low. “You… comprehend both?”
John’s breath steadied, eyes meeting the dragon’s. He didn’t answer. Blood dripped from his chin, but he sat up, gladius across his lap.
He experimented with his new core. He sent both Light and Darkness flowing through his veins, yet when they met, they clashed once again. It seemed that although his core could sustain both elements, he still couldn't mix them.
It occurred to John that this meant he could cultivate the Darklight Body without needing the dragon's mana.
Tenebris, recovering from his shock, realised this too. His Dark energy retracted, leaving John's body.
"It seems you no longer require my aid to cultivate your body. I must admit, I counted on you returning here... I seem to have miscalculated... I'll have to rely on your good will."
John stopped meditating, and stood up. He clenched his fist, and felt the power in his hands. He felt different. Stronger, faster... Like impure steel that had gone through a thorough tempering process. He summoned his Status.
Status
Name: John Silver
Race: Human
Class: N/A
Level: 16
Strength: 28
Agility: 24
Constitution: 31
Focus: 43
Instinct: 16
Perception: 10
Unused stat points: 0
Abilities:
Darklight Body (Legendary) (Passive) (First Stage): The conflict of Light and Dark tempers meridians and flesh, forging a powerful body. Failure risks annihilation.
Darklight Mana Core (Legendary) (Passive) (Level 1): The player’s mana core has condensed, able to generate both Light and Dark mana. The aspects must remain separate—mixing them risks violent internal conflict, damaging meridians and flesh. Precise control is required to avoid ruin.
Focused Energy Circulation (Uncommon) (Passive) (Level 9) - The user has achieved finer control over their mana, allowing them to more efficiently enhance specific body parts for increased speed, strength, and recovery with minimal mana use.
Nova Draw (Peak Epic) (Level 1) - A relentless fusion of blade and light, the player channels mana as long as they can maintain focus, honing their cutting force. A lighting-fast draw from the sheath unleashes a devastating, radiant strike. Power grows with channeling time.
Dual Focus (Rare) (Passive) - The player can split their concentration into two distinct tasks. This ability also improves their general focusing ability.
Combat Sense (Rare) (Passive) (Level 5) - After surviving many near-death experiences in battle, the player's instincts have sharpened, allowing them to predict and react to attacks with surprising accuracy.
Basic Swordsmanship (Common) (Passive) (Level 5) - The player has taken their first steps on the path of the sword, gaining basic control and the ability to infuse mana with limited efficiency.
Aspects:
Aspect of Light (Lesser)
Aspect of Darkness (Lesser)
John's eyes widened at what he saw. He had gained over fifty points total in Strength, Agility and Constitution. Moving around, he tried to get used to the changes in his body. Finding it difficult to believe, he walked over to a nearby rock and picked it up.
It was solid, and big enough that he could barely wrap his fingers around it. John squeezed, and the stone crumbled as if he was holding a fruit.
Watching him with curiosity, the dragon suddenly spoke up.
"'Tear Stone' is the first stage of the Darklight Body Forging technique. They call it that for a reason. There are four stages that I know of, and you'll find each stage progressively harder to cultivate..."
"Four stages?" John asked, marvelling at the stone crushed within his fist.
The dragon chuckled, the cavern shaking.
"Luckily, the other stages have names that give us an idea of what to expect. Stage two is called Sunder Mountains, stage three is Rend Continents, and finally, stage four is Cleave Worlds."
The voice seemed to hesitate before continuing, "There are also rumours of a stage five... It is called Shatter Stars."
John's eyes widened at hearing the last name, and he turned to stare at the dragon's eye incredulously.
"There are no records of any being within the System reaching this stage. Perhaps it does not exist. The Darklight Body is an exceedingly difficult and risky tempering technique. Few have cultivated it and lived, and little is known about it. To be honest, I'm still amazed you are alive."
Remembering the pain he had gone through, John grunted.
"Yeah, so am I. How long was I... Cultivating for?" John said, using the unfamiliar word.
"It has been over a week."
John's eyes widened. He didn't expect that he would waste so much time. He had stayed behind to help free that girl from the dark elves. What if they had left? He wasn't confident that he'd be able to find her.
"I have to go. Thank you... Tenebris."
"You may go but first, here is a final parting gift."
Tenebris’s eye glinted, unreadable. A small, obsidian-colored rock flew over to John, hovering in the dim cavern air. It was smooth, warm, no bigger than his fist, with faint veins of shadow pulsing beneath its surface.
“Feed it your mana,” Tenebris rumbled, voice low. “Keep it close.”
John frowned, gripping the rock. It felt heavy, alive almost. “What is it?”
The dragon’s laugh shook dust from the ceiling. “You’ll see. Now go.”
John pocketed the stone, its warmth seeping through his tunic. Questions burned, but Tenebris’s silence was final. He nodded, gladius sheathed, and turned toward the cavern’s exit, mind already on Helena and the elves.
