Chapter 125: Energy Absorption
The energy compressed inside the Core was far greater than anything Cain had previously given them.
Even after the Zombie King’s death, traces of corrupted energy still remained within it, mixed throughout the enormous reserve stored inside.
Cain allowed a thin layer of True Ruin to gather around his fingers.
Dark-gray energy spread across the surface of the Core, and the remaining contamination immediately began disappearing.
True Ruin did not destroy the enormous amount of energy contained within.
It simply erased the incompatible corruption mixed throughout it, leaving behind a much purer source of energy that could be absorbed safely.
Once Cain was satisfied, he held it toward Evelyne.
"Take it."
Evelyne stared at the object in his hand.
"What is this?"
"The Zombie King’s Core."
Her hand stopped halfway toward it.
Elara looked at Cain.
"The 2nd Echelon Zombie King?"
"Yes."
Evelyne looked down at the Core again before returning her gaze to Cain.
"And you want me to absorb it?"
Cain nodded.
"I have something I want to test."
Naturally, that was not the only reason.
Evelyne was currently the strongest healer in their group.
So, strengthening her Mana Core meant increasing both the quality and amount of Mana available to her, which would become extremely important during prolonged battles.
The Invasion Corridor was completely unknown territory.
Cain would rather strengthen their healer now than regret holding onto such a resource after someone suffered a serious injury inside.
Besides, his Investment System made the decision far easier.
There was a good chance he would either receive something related to the Core or obtain whatever benefit Evelyne gained from absorbing it.
"Sit down," Cain said.
Evelyne looked at the Core one last time before sitting cross-legged beneath a nearby tree.
She placed the staff beside her and held the Core between both hands.
Cain remained close.
"Let your Mana Core draw the energy naturally. Don’t force too much into it at once."
Evelyne nodded and closed her eyes.
A moment later, pale-green Mana began flowing around her body.
The purified energy inside the Core immediately responded.
Thin streams escaped from its surface and entered Evelyne through her hands.
Her breathing immediately changed.
The Mana Core within her began rotating faster as more and more energy flowed into it.
Cain could sense the tremendous concentration gathering around her even without touching her.
The amount of energy contained within a 2nd Echelon Core was enormous compared to what a normal 1st Echelon Awakener possessed.
However, Evelyne’s Sacred Life Body allowed her to handle the influx far better than Cain had expected.
The Core gradually became smaller.
At the same time, the Mana circulating throughout Evelyne’s body grew noticeably denser.
Several minutes passed before the first change occurred.
A pulse of pale-green energy spread outward from her body.
[Mana Core Stage has advanced.]
Evelyne’s eyebrows tightened slightly, but she did not interrupt the absorption.
The remaining energy continued flowing into her.
Her Mana Core compressed everything it received, gradually becoming more stable as another layer of refinement took place within it.
Another pulse followed not long afterward, then came the final transformation.
This time, the wave of energy was considerably stronger.
The grass surrounding Evelyne flattened outward beneath the pressure before slowly rising again.
Her eyes opened.
A translucent notification floated before her.
[Mana Core has reached the Tempered Stage.]
Evelyne stared at it.
"Tempered Stage."
Her expression immediately brightened.
However, the System was not finished as another notification appeared.
[A special characteristic has been obtained through the absorption of a powerful external Core.]
[Energy Absorption]
[Allows the user to absorb compatible external energy sources and convert them into Mana or strengthen the Mana Core.]
Evelyne read the description twice.
Cain’s eyes lit up when he read the system notification that just appeared in front of him.
[Ding! You have invested the Zombie King’s Core in Evelyne.]
[Ding! Evelyne’s Mana Core has reached Tempered Stage.]
[Ding! Evelyne has obtained Energy Absorption.]
[Ding! Investment Return obtained: Energy Absorption.]
A new understanding appeared naturally within Cain.
His expression became pleasantly surprised, since his guess had been roughly correct.
Cain had expected Evelyne to obtain some kind of benefit after absorbing the Zombie King’s Core, especially considering the enormous difference between its Echelon and hers.
He simply had not known what form that benefit would take.
Energy Absorption was almost perfect for Evelyne.
Healing Skills consumed large amounts of Mana, especially whenever she needed to continuously treat several injured people during a prolonged battle.
That weakness would only become more troublesome as her Healing Skills became stronger.
Now, as long as Evelyne possessed compatible external energy sources, she could directly absorb them and replenish her Mana instead of relying entirely on natural recovery.
They currently did not possess many resources suitable for that purpose, but that could change quickly.
Especially inside the Invasion Corridor as there must be a lot of resources to put into the invasion plan.
Cain nodded with a smile toward Evelyne.
"Good."
Evelyne stood and picked up the staff.
The pale-green Mana surrounding her had become noticeably denser than before.
"What happened?"
"I was talking about what you just got. It’s good, right?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"You know?"
"Maybe." Cain shrugged.
Evelyne clearly did not believe that was the entire explanation, but she had already learned that asking Cain about his strange abilities rarely produced useful answers.
Cain ignored her suspicious gaze as it was his turn now.
He opened his Inventory again.
One Core after another appeared on the ground in front of him.
Elara’s eyes gradually widened.
Evelyne silently counted them before looking at Cain in disbelief.
"...How many do you have?"
"Fifteen."
Fourteen of them were resources Cain had kept from previous Investment Returns.
The final one belonged to the Flamecrest Lion.
Cain had deliberately saved them rather than immediately absorbing every resource he obtained.
His Ruin Mana Core had already reached the Tempered Stage after completing his advancement, but Cain had always intended to push it further once he accumulated enough Cores.
Considering they were about to enter an unknown World-Class Mission, there was little reason to continue saving them.
Cain sat down cross-legged.
"Give me a few minutes."
He picked up the first Core.
True Ruin spread from his palm and covered its surface.
Any incompatible remnants within the Core were rapidly erased before the remaining energy began flowing into his body.
His Ruin Mana Core reacted immediately.
Its rotation accelerated.
The absorbed energy entered the Core and was compressed into its structure, strengthening it little by little.
Cain waited until most of the energy had been completely integrated before reaching for another Core.
Then another followed.
He maintained a steady pace throughout the process, allowing his Mana Core to properly absorb each Core before moving on to the next.
There was no reason to rush when they still had enough time before entering the Invasion Corridor.
Core after Core gradually disappeared.
With every absorption, the dark-gray sphere inside Cain became denser. Its rotation grew smoother, while the True Ruin flowing from it became increasingly concentrated.
The enormous amount of energy he had accumulated through the fifteen Cores was steadily pushing his Ruin Mana Core closer to another transformation.
Eventually, only one remained.
The Flamecrest Lion’s Core.
Cain picked it up and took a closer look at it.
Compared to most of the others, the energy contained within was significantly greater.
He immediately began absorbing it, a powerful stream of energy entered his body and flowed toward the Ruin Mana Core.
The Core trembled.
Dark-gray currents accelerated across its surface as the previously tempered structure became increasingly dense.
The pressure inside Cain’s body steadily rose.