Bro, I'm not an Undead!

"HMMM.... a blue core?" Sila's voice echoed in Skullius' mind. "Ah... you truly lack one, indeed!"

"Yes I do. How do I get one?" Skullius asked with an annoyed tone.

Sila paused as he seemed to be contemplating.

"Blue cores, my dear tomato flinger, are formed when an individual compounds the mana in their core repeatedly without letting even an ounce of it leak out during a session. A constant cycle of generation and compounding within the core is required over the course of two or three decades for the average person to eventually see the tinge of blue form over the white," Sila explained.

"Wait, what?! Isn't that like.... 20 to 30 years?!" Skullius exclaimed in genuine shock.

"Indeed, tomato flinger, it is. The duration is entirely dependent on the quality of mana that one is born with. You can't possibly expect those from high Families and Houses to compare to the footed pieces of garbage everywhere would you? Heheh!"

Skullius ignored much of what Sila had just said as he contemplated.

He couldn't afford to spend years trying to get a blue core, he would be done for before he could even achieve it!

The Penetrator grumbled as he sank into more thought.

He had used [Depths of Core] some time ago to attempt to get a blue core, but that had failed with the long cooldown of the skill taking effect which effectively guaranteed that for his Penetrator form, it would probably take time to achieve his goal with the use of this skill alone.

[The Doom Factor 'Disowned' has caught up]

[You have failed-]

Skullius immediately fed the damn thing adequate mana, gaining a brief reprieve from the constant pursuit by the Doom Factor.

He had managed to deal with it over the seven day period of training montage.

"What was that?! What's that thing?!" Sila asked in confusion. This was his first experience with the guidance field and it greatly perturbed him.

"You'll learn with time, bro," Skullius said with a sigh as he went on to continue thinking about the blue mana core.

Sila also took some time to digest the sight of the bright screen that had appeared before Skullius and then shook his head, bringing his mentality back to the subject at hand.

"RIGHT! HOWEVER...!" Sila suddenly shouted, making Skullius shudder. "You could acquire a blue core the same way I acquired one!"

"Hmm? How?" Skullius asked.

"Whether or not I tell you depends on whether you're willing to take on the great risk that comes with it or not," Sila said sounding excited which made Skullius suspicious. "It's especially dangerous.

The Penetrator narrowed his socket flames.

"If you get me killed, you'll be doomed too, you know? Unlike what you think, me dying is much more horrifying than whatever you experience," the Penetrator pointed out. "I could show you right now."

Sila vaguely felt threatened.

"....of course. I wasn't thinking of anything bad, tomato flinger..." Sila said with a strangely low voice.

"Really? Now that I think about it, you haven't answered my first question. How did you just suddenly awaken?" Skullius asked.

"It's not anything to do with me, tomato flinger! For some reason. I just found myself shaking an hour ago. I think it had something to do with your own soul that was quivering like a boiled tomato. I only gained the full ability to speak and think a few minutes ago, alright?!" Sila answered with a strangely determined boom.

Skullius cocked back his skull.

'Is it related to what I was feeling when in Somanda's presence? Of course, that would make sense if his own soul woke up because of it,' Skullius thought.

"I can hear you, tomato flinger!"

"Right, I have to consciously block you," Skullius said with a shake of his head. "Your story checks out for the most part, I guess. Now, tell me. How did you get your blue core?"

Sila went silent for a moment. This was slowly turning disadvantageous for him, but for now, he didn't have a choice.

"It's a place. A dangerous place. Under an Eximo tree where a grand pool rests, vibrant waters seated still as they gain a visage akin to that of crystal. Ah, the memory," Sila said with voice saturated with ecstatic reminiscence.

"A place?" Skullius asked. "Where is it?"

"It is within a Sacred Forest in a far off region. We'd have to travel that distance..."

"Hmm? A Sacred Forest?" Skullius thoughts rolled over to harsh memories.

....

Inhone City.

Present time.

Five people stood in front of a small, cube-like cell with iron bars.

Within the cell, a ball of cracked ice could be seen, housing the lone figure of man who was curled up in a stationary position.

The cell itself was marked with numerous runes whose effect on space could be visibly traced. It was no secret that they greatly constricted the prisoner's ability to manipulate their powers.

The large block of ice was still emitting a nasty chill, one of the five figures who was Tulnas having removed the Complete Sand Coffin from it to unseal Guissepo.

What was left was the water his doubles had frozen to trap the explosive bastard.

Naturally it wasn't normal ice as even Terian felt the massive amounts of mana infused within it to give it an insane sturdiness and an absurdly low temperature.

For Guissepo to have survived this, it was a testament to his body's resistance.

"Are you ready?" Tulnas asked Terian who promptly nodded with a hard gaze.

The ice began to rupture under Tulnas' tamed beast's will, while at the same time, Terian raised his hand, extending it to the ball of ice as under the spherical object, a scorching heat began to emanate, melting the chunks that fell off gradually.

Soon, a creature made of flame rose, its wide open maw encompassing the entirely of the breaking apart chunks of ice as it then went to chomp on Guissepo who had been released from the frosty setup!

The creature, a shark, held Guissepo in place, having half his body in its mouth while the rest hung limb as he was yet to awaken, his body soaking wet from the melting ice.

"So this is the man you faced?" Erkus asked with serious gaze. "I can sense incredible power from him."

"Hmmm. In terms of power, I'd say he is as strong as you, Terian," Silrat said with a sly smile.

The old man kept his focus on the limb body of Guissepo, ignoring Silrat's remark.

However, he couldn't help but wonder, as from the creature that held down the cultist holding the man down and passing to him information, it did seem like this man could challenge him to a degree.

"You're going to want to strengthen your hold over this bastard. He's not just some shrub at the Master Stage, he also has a blessing. A powerful one at that," Tulnas pointed out.

Terian nodded.

Silrat paid more attention to the man who seemed to start coming to as his thoughts spawned to what he had had to do to after being told the full information concerning the Evenfall cultists prior to the meeting they had been having.

He and Tulnas had made detailed reports for what to look for in different areas for the Guild members engaging in the operations as it seemed that most wouldn't be as apparent as Tulnas' case.

They had also made note of what to expect if they spotted the huddled cultists as per Tulnas' experience.

'Hopefully it works. If even one case is found and dealt with, then we'll have won our case,' Silrat thought.

As Guissepo raised his head, regaining consciousness, he looked before him with a soft gaze that didn't have any trepidation or anxiety whatsoever.

"...What an extravagant outcome..." he said as he looked to Tulnas who waved with a smile.

The Tamer then turned to Damilla.

"That's your cue," Tulnas said to the woman who then grumbled before walking forward.

"Ah... your extravagant wish to know everything. To divine me. It could get you killed, you know?" Guissepo said with a wry smile.

Unfortunately for him, Damilla was quite eager for the answers.

She especially hated how the Capital Service was undermined by a small branch of the Association.

Silrat waved his hand over the bars to the cell, the objects rising up to sink into the hard ceiling above, allowing the Diviner entry.

"Be careful. Holding down someone at my level is quite difficult. Divining someone a stage above you even more so," Terian warned as his mana bubbled to make sure his grip on Guissepo didn't slip.

Damilla nodded before walking up to the cultist and laying her hands over his forehead.

Immediately, her eyes rolled as she began to discern things about him.

She held herself from wholly making use of his soul, as this man was stronger than her with ties to high powers.

But she was eager for the truth despite everything.

Scenes played out in her vision as she tried to anchor her sight onto the events of the day before and...

She saw it!

A group of figures seated around a strange formation!

Furthermore, several scenes of conflict bashed against her vision though with a lack of clarity.

She decided to touch Guissepo's soul a bit to gain more information.

The link was like an instant electric sensation over her body which enhanced her vision into the occurrences before her.

For a brief moment, she saw the entire scape and when she set to explore further...

"Damilla!" Terian called with a voice full of caution.

---

-Author's Note-

[Ding]

[Ah! Mashu_Berusutora has donated immensely to the novel! I'm heavily inspired! +2 chapters over the daily quota as at 02/08!]