Kabanata 9
Four crystals were on his palm, all of them glinted with a crimson shade like rubies shining down the sun. Keenan started at the N-cores, his decision to breakthrough in this wasteland was firm, he would increase his survival if he did this. Keenan shivered in anxiousness even though his heart already accepted the decision, one thing kept tugging him. If he made mistakes, he knew that he would surely die, his veins would pop as blood blew out like geysers, which could be one of the outcomes if he failed to class up.
"Haaa… I can do this, Keenan you are more patient now and you practiced many types of meditation in your past life."
He assured himself as he put his hand on his chest. He was breathing deep to regulate his palpitating heart. Keenan stared down the four shining rubies, the biggest was from the Veloce that he had just recently killed, it was slightly tainted with the monster's blood. This N-core from Class-B would be the one to take him to the higher level, Keenan's trembling hand ceased to shake. His eyes were full of determination, he understood that he would experience this outcome anyway, sooner or later.
"1 2 3- go!"
Keenan put the four twinkling crystals in his mouth. He didn't dare to crack them as he knew that the energy would dissipate in his mouth, instead, he gulped the four down. Keenan felt the four energies melting in his stomach, he digested them with no hesitation, the effect was greatly shown in his face. He was flush red.
Keenan grunted as the powerful surges rumbled in, his body trembled and he began sweating. Every strand of his hair stood as he felt the cold and warm. Two opposite sensations fought in him making him delirious like a child who had a fever.
"Kuck…"
His chest rapidly constricted and broadened, his heart was pounding as it passed the energy around his body. Keenan wanted to scream but even that was hard to do, his consciousness went from losing to regaining. On top of that, this wa just the start, the Class-B N-core was still not completely melted. Keenan felt like he was having a heart attack. He lost control of his body and fell on the dirt. He rolled and the pain engulfed him, he couldn't take the energy that was crawling deep in his veins and assaulting him.
The energy crushed his insides, damaged his bones, and reconstructing him to become tougher, this was the process of class up. The stacked energy in him, the N-cores that he ate for three years, the experience he accumulated, all of them were breaking his body to make him stronger. They rampaged in his body, destroying and reconstructing at the same time.
"Guh!"
He gasped for air since breathing became harder, his consciousness started to get clearer. The pain kept striking him but he forced his battered body to sit down, drops of sweat landed on the dried ground barely hydrating it. Keenan remembered the training he did, his focus came back despite the pain. He knew that things would get dangerous if he lay on the ground and let the energy eaten him.
"Phew…"
He controlled his breathing and breathed hard, even though breathing wasn't easy, he pushed himself to regulate his breathing. Together with that, he controlled the rampaging energy inside him. He knew that the last N-core wasn't fully melted and he had to be prepared to face that incoming eruption. He controlled the flowing energy and divided it into many parts of his body, the energy must not be in one place or else his body won't keep up and exploded. He streamed the energy in every part of his body so that it won't stay in one place.
The output of the energy thinned as they encircled in his blood veins numerous times, the damaged parts regenerated and became stronger, Keenan felt the changes in his body. His meditation was now easier since the energy subsided but he didn't put down his defense as he knew that the next one was coming and this one would be stronger.
"Hhuuupppp…"
He caught a mouthful of air, his body radiated red and black smoke, the impurities came out of him in the form of smoke. Keenan's face was filled with his sweat, his face contorted as some pain struck him. Leveling to the higher class would always be hard, this breakthrough was the hardest even though he had a much sharper mind now. The red and black smoke covered him, mixing and turning around him.
The last surge was finally here, the remaining N-core exploded, the energy splurge out and went to his veins, they flowed fast and wrecked his body.
"Ptui!"
Keenan coughed and he understood that red liquid came out of his mouth, it seemed like he received internal damage. But it was fine, this situation could be salvage if he successfully breakthrough. Keenan who was sitting on Indian sit exhaled and started controlling the energy to restrain it from damaging him again. Another damage would be bad for him, it would decrease his chances of breaking through and his death would be imminent.
The furious energy moved to the point where Keenan wanted it to move. After accomplishing his first step, he divided the energy into two and shifted them from different directions. The two energies moved to their respective points and Keenan divided them into two again, now there were four flows of energies inside him. This number was durable now and Keenan could sustain it without taking any serious damage.
He positioned the flows away from each other so that they won't converge and assimilate. They started doing their process of destruction and reconstruction, the internal damage he got earlier was slowly healing as the energy went around it.
"Phew."
Keenan relaxed his breathing, he was out of the danger now, the energy subsided and sipped in his body. He perceived that he became stronger, even his bones were tougher and hard to crack now. However, the most thing he got was that his new Skills…
"!!!"
Keenan opened his eyes in shock, he was dumbfounded as his mouth opened in an unimaginable way like a cartoon character. He was in a poggers state of mind!
"T- this!!"
His pupils dilated in awe, this was out of common sense. He realized that another power was residing inside him and it had just recently awakened!
"H-how could this be… I'm already an Arma, I can't have another power…"
He wasn't sure if he could believe it.