Taking a deep breath to prepare himself for what was to come, Steve began directing his mana towards the Soul Heart.
The heart, as its name suggested, allowed him to completely energize his cells with Soul Energy, just like the normal heart did with oxygen. It was something he hoped would put him on par with the Monarchs.
---
You have been invited to Cartenon's Temple, do you accept?
Yes | No
---
"More polite than before. Seems like I'm doing something right," Steve said as a smile appeared on his face.
Judy stood behind him, knowing what he was about to do. A blue field of energy could be seen flowing out of her.
From a small field to a large dome, it completely encased him. Steve noticed this and smiled in approval.
With the shield in place, Steve immediately began activating the new heart.
As soon as his mana touched the heart, he felt a massive suction force from within himself as his mana began draining quickly.
Within seconds, only half his mana was left, but he could feel a whole new kind of power within himself.
He could feel his cells filling with energy, and they, in turn, delivered the energy to every part of his body. This was way different, far beyond anything he had ever experienced.
"Holy shit!" Steve cussed.
His skin was flaking off as if he was molting and being replaced almost just as quickly.
If he didn't know better, he would think this was the same thing that happened back in the Red Gate, but slightly less gruesome than that.
Minutes passed before this finally stopped, but he was no longer the same.
"Congratulations, sir," Judy said.
Turning to her, Steve couldn't observe her as she once was; rather, she seemed to be made of the elements.
"Thank you," Steve replied as he blinked, and she returned back to normal.
However, one thing remained constant: he could see the soul energy in the area with far greater clarity than ever before.
Crack
A loud sound was heard, but for some reason, Steve could be seen smiling.
"I wondered when that would happen," Steve said before standing up.
Being extra careful, even more so than he normally was with his touch, he understood that physically, he was now far above what a human could achieve.
Before, he could enhance his body by imbuing mana into his muscles and coating himself in it, but that was only temporary.
Now he was growing stronger with each blood circulation and permanently.
---
You have been invited to Cartenon's Temple, do you accept?
Yes | No
Timer: 0:00:09
---
"Hahaha," Steve laughed.
"Sir, I just received news about the Hunter, Sung Jin Woo," Judy said.
"What happened?"
"Apparently, he encountered the Double Dungeon again, and he has been unconscious since yesterday."
"That explains why Mr. Gunhee didn't respond to me about him," Steve responded as he shrugged.
There was nothing he could do about the boy's encounter. It was foolish of him to think that those statues would contact him before they did the boy. If one thought about the events of that day, it was clear that the boy was the intended target. He, on the other hand, was just collateral.
"What about the Gate in Japan?"
"It's going exactly as you expect it to," Judy replied as Steve sighed.