With the first step of sensing completed, Nico moved on to the second stage.
It involved him drawing upon the mana in the air and guiding it toward his body, where it would enter inside and converge in the area around his navel.
Based on his reading on the topic before the Ceremony, Nico knew this was the part that most people who wanted to form a core struggled with.
The reason was that the surrounding mana did not accept them.
Only through its consent could one successfully pass this hurdle.
Increasing his concentration, Nico reached out to the pure energy with his mind.
'Hello. My name is Nico. I would greatly appreciate it if you helped me form a core. I'm on a tight deadline, you see.'
The mythical energy appeared to show no response.
The brown-haired boy gritted his teeth, refusing to become discouraged by the failed attempt.
'Please. It would mean the world to me.'
Again, no reaction.
His brows furrowed as he racked his brains to come up with a message that would move the mana in the air.
He recalled his experience in the first few days in the Dungeon, the clash against the Dungeon Boss, Cedric's reveal, and his newfound desire.
Eventually, he settled on an answer.
'If you will accept me, I promise to give you a show worthy of a warrior blessed with mana. I have someone I need to stop at all costs. No one can get in my way. Not even the Transcendents, or even fate itself! If you aid me now, I'll treat you like my closest kin. So come forth and help your friend out!'
Nico's soul blazed with ambition.
He transmitted his desires to the powerful energy, hoping on the off chance it could resonate with him. The two particular wishes that shone above all else, he also hoped would display just how serious he was.
No changes seemed to happen in the surroundings.
Nico's shoulders fell.
He sensed a slight vibration in the air in the next moment and thought he was hallucinating.
It was only after the intensity of the humming increased and a flood of energy rushed towards his figure did he realise that he had succeeded.
A bright grin coloured Nico's face, his eyes lighting up.
'Onto the next step.'
Nico pushed any elation he felt from the small victory aside and sharpened his focus.
He would need it for the final step, which was the most dangerous and lethal for those who had previously received a dose of mana.
…Like him.
Inhaling to calm his nerves, the brown-haired boy steeled himself for the pain that was to come. He felt the mana flood his body, and rush towards his navel without him having to guide it.
Coincidentally, that was also the area where the Dungeon Boss had injured him.
Perhaps the lingering mana in that area had attracted the rest of the incoming mythical energy?
It certainly seemed so to Nico.
The brown-haired boy gritted his teeth at the intense discomfort of having the foreign energy invade his body. It felt like countless small pins were piercing his body.
It was mild at first, but as soon as the rush of mana met his wound, an explosion of pain wracked Nico's mind.
He groaned, his mind and body reeling from the sudden shock.
That was not all as the agony did not stop there.
It only increased.
The brown-haired boy wanted to scream, to shout, to hold on to something… but his body completely froze in place.
No longer was the pain akin to a small pin. Now it was like a barrage of scorching needles burning with a divine flame that wreaked havoc on his body, both internally and externally.
Nico released a silent scream.
He instinctively fell onto the ground and curled into a fetal position. His body convulsed, while his eyes turned bloodshot, and an endless deluge of tears leaked from his tear ducts.
The boy bit his tongue so hard that an iron taste quickly spread through his mouth.
He dug his nails into his skin, hoping to scratch away the pain.
Unfortunately for him, it was bound to get worse.
And more dreadful did it get…
The exposed patches of skin on his face rapidly turned red, before bursting in a splatter of blood, revealing the bone beneath. In the next second, his body regrew as fast as it had been destroyed, the parts of skin regenerating almost instantly.
Again and again, the process repeated, and a pool of blood swiftly surrounded his figure.
His mind turned faint, incapable of forming any coherent thought.
All that remained was a hellish agony that burned through his entire being.
At some point, Nico started to feel like his very soul was also being torn asunder.
The sensation was utterly nauseating, alien and extremely harrowing.
Nico almost wanted to succumb to the embrace of death again. Even with his powerful conviction not to let his former best friend have his way spurring him on, it was almost too much to bear.
He knew he had to hold on, though. For the successful formation of a mana core not only gave a qualitative evolution to the mortal body, it also did the same for the soul.
…That was probably what was causing him so much agony.
Releasing another scream, Nico continued to bite his tongue and dig his nails into his skin, wishing the torture would end.
At the back of his mind, he wondered if this was similar to what Cedric had gone through for months.
The thought only served to sour his mood further.
Time seemed to crawl excruciatingly slow.
Nico did not know how long had passed, but since no one had come to escort him out, he assumed the deadline had yet to be passed.
It was probably near, though.
After an eternity of pain, torment and cruel torture, Nico felt the pain slowly subside.
Somehow, he had survived the hellish ordeal.
Staring at the stalactites shining softly like little stars in his vision, a weary sense of exhaustion immediately assaulted the brown-haired boy.
It seemed he had battered his body beyond belief… yet again.
'Ah, man…'
He did not receive a chance to view the changes made to his body as his eyes slowly closed shut.
Nico inwardly hoped he had been successful in forming a core.
[End of Awakening Ceremony]