Free Web NovelChapter 10: Ch 10: Determination, Courage and Pure Will
Unique Mana Cores.
It wasn’t a mana core that was simply "rare" or something just "uncommon" - it was the highest rank when it came to mana cores.
In fact, if going by the rankings, Unique was at the top of them. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Humans in a sense could be related to goblins, that is, both like to hoard resources for themselves. Humans just happened to be more intelligent and their selfishness wrapped up in cunningness.
And in this world, potential and talent sounded great until you faced the reality: nurturing them consumed resources. A great deal of it.
So as much as it felt like a kick in the guts, the fact that resources, specially artifacts and anything above ordinary rank, were the catalyst to one’s growth.
Luckily for humans and others sentient creatures, the planet never lacked in resources. No matter how much powerful families would hoard the resources for themselves, the world would still have enough, which through dedication and definitely with some luck, the impoverished but talented people could gain.
While Enzo was doubtful of the talent part, he for sure knew he was the poster boy for the impoverished.
He was a nameless barbarian on top of that. And his fragile body...
Well, walking on the poisonous ground was already showing his limits.
Enzo remembered how Thorgar had manipulated the mana in his body and distributed the total pain inside him; his talent was that godly.
But Enzo? Leave mana manipulation, his body had never felt or tasted what mana was like. He didn’t have any mana core inside him unlike Thorgar who actually had one, which was obviously replaced by the Unique Mana Core after he had reached the ancient tree.
But being distressed about his bad luck wouldn’t help him in completing the objective. Enzo could only grit his teeth, his jaw clenching so hard that veins popped out of his forehead.
The skin at the base of his feet were starting to peel off as raw flesh touched the ground. The pain was enough to send Enzo to the edge of unconsciousness.
He bit his tongue lightly, drawing a trickle of blood. But this had to be done to keep his mind from fainting. He knew if he dropped down on the ground now, he was just as good as dead.
Even if he assumed he would wake up fast, the damage done to his entire body by then would be enough to make him immobile. Thus, leading to his sure death.
All the while through this, Enzo had taken only a few steps forward. The ancient tree loomed in front of him, the distance between him and it not too much and yet, at that moment, with all the pain crashing inside him, Enzo knew he had quite a low chance of survival.
A few more steps in, his feet wobbled under his weight. They were no longer stable, having been injured terribly.
Enzo cast a look downwards and immediately regretted it. Whatever the poisonous and demonic substance the tree had been excreting, it was now entering his body as well.
The miasma had already spread upto his ankles and it appeared so disgusting that Enzo had to use all his will power to not vomit out his stomach from the stench alone.
"Eyes forward..." He muttered in a shaky tremor as he looked at the tree - his destination and salvation.
"One step..."
His foot stepped forward. Lifting it up now felt like a chore of its own. He felt as if his feet had suddenly become as heavier as a block of iron.
"One more step..."
He muttered the same phrase as a mantra, willing against desperation to somehow lend him the strength to move one more inch.
A sharp howl pierced the air as panic flared inside him and his numb legs gained a sudden increase in energy, which he used to move forward by a few more steps.
However, that only caused the howling to increase, the sound chilling him to the soul.
Enzo paused briefly and with heavy breaths, looked towards the source of the sound. Towards the ancient tree, The Great Old One.
A shocking sight was witnessed by him. Several of the hanging branches now rose up towards the sky and were shaking in tandem. Almost like they were shouting...
’Not almost. They are literally shrieking!’
As the realisation dawned upon him, a wave of uneasiness settled inside him. A heavy pressure rooted him to his spot as the demonic miasma continued spreading upwards.
Only after he realised that the corrupted particles had risen upto his knee did he shake away the pressure and stubbornly pressed forward.
"Damn you, that psychological ploy almost tricked me into staying at one place."
And as if the tree had heard him, the shrieking stopped and the branches dropped down one by one. The other branches, which hadn’t even moved all this time, were as still as if its colleagues hadn’t just been rampaging around.
Enzo took another step forward, almost relieved.
The Great Old One groaned, the roots above the ground shook at their places. The corrupted and poisoned ground cracked open as a bubbling liquid
oozed out of them. The liquid then spread outwards, an irritating smell filling the atmosphere around.
As if not satisfied with its display of power, this time all the branches rose upwards like long hairs flowing wildly in a thunderstorm.
And then, they shrieked together.
Enzo almost fainted at the spot. The entire air was filled with indistinctive sounds mingling with each other- children wailing, fire crackling, warriors groaning for the final time, prisoners burning, their screams tearing through the very air, victims gasping for mercy...and many more.
They carried on and on. They struck him so hard that without even seeing anything, the sounds alone had forced his brain to construct a terror filled image of a battlefield.
He shuddered visibly, rooted to his spot - both from the poison slowing eating him alive and...the image reeking of bloodshed and horror, now burned deep inside his soul.
His eyes watered involuntarily as if every single scream resonated with his vulnerable heart. His body felt like giving up, all energy suddenly sapped out of him.
Compared to what they have suffered, wouldn’t death be an easy option?
Maybe this time, nobody would transmigrate him somewhere else. He would finally be at peace...
’Dreams mean nothing...as long as I can be safe. Safe from all worldly desires, safe from all the mortal dangers and safe from the monsters - both the literal ones and the ones in human skins...I can be at peace. Never to be bothered by any of them...’
He let go of himself and almost dropped down on the ground in complete surrender when suddenly, his glazed eyes lightened up and a deep frown appeared on his forehead.
"What the hell are you making me speak, you wooden piece of insecured, imbecile, coward, dimwit, milksop, wimp, goofball, doofus shit?!"
Enzo burst out in rage as he threw out every insult he could find in his limited vocabulary. His body was so much heated that it didn’t even register the extreme pain when his palms and knees touched the ground, as a result of falling.
Involuntarily, he even stood up and dusted himself as if nothing life threatening had just taken place with him.
In his rage, he started walking naturally towards the ancient tree, which had gone completely silent now.
"Fucker, atleast die gracefully! Are the World Tree’s Blessed all wimps like you, afraid of something as natural as death?!"
Inwardly he did realise that his words were quite hypocritical but he didn’t care anyways.
