Linfel took the magic Energy back into his Core and redirected it to his soul, which was one with the Core. The first time he absorbed Magic Energy, it changed his colored Core into a Yellow one. At that time, he could feel the core transforming to adapt to this new type of energy.
However, now that he thinks about it, that change also happened to his soul. 'Most likely, I changed because my soul took it first. I was almost without energy back then, so I was desperate to absorb anything. Without me noticing, my Soul Took the color of that energy, and so did my core. Could it be that if I absorb Red Magic Energy with my soul, I will reach Level Two straight away?' Linfel couldn't help but wonder.
The Red Magic Energy quickly filled the entire extent of the Core, and the soul within it also took that Energy. Both worked together, allowing the soul to take the Red Magic Energy always gradually. It took a few minutes, but Linfel finally noticed a few changes start to happining.
'Hm?' Some very tiny spots within his core and soul began to change color, taking a more reddish tone. Those spots were still yellow, though. Linfel continued that practice, absorbing more and more Red Magic Energy into his soul. Not long after, the Red Magic Energy he had stored was gone.
"Linfel..." Alvin spoke with a surprised expression. "Your Yellow Magic Energy got slightly denser now. It looks a lot more like the Yellow Energy of Familiars that was close to Level Up."
Felia quickly agreed. "Indeed, you did that with only half a Red Magic Stone? That's crazy..."
Linfel took a look at himself in the mirror. "Hehehe! I knew it! When I absorbed Magic the First Time, I took it with my soul, too. Now, I did the same process, and it worked. I can feel several spots in my Core and Soul going in the direction of Red Magic Energy."
He quickly looked at the Red Magic Stone Boxes and felt excited. "Well, let's not stop here."
The same box was open and Linfel quickly took out the remaining Magic Energy of the Red Magic Stone. The stone broke apart right after, having gone dry of Magic Energy completely. Linfel ignored that and simply focused on cleaning the Red Magic Energy.
The impurities of the Magic Energy rushed out of his Core, bringing with it quite a big amount of the Magic Energy itself that was too contaminated. The Magic Energy was definitely a lot better. After cleaning Low-Grade Yellow Magic Energy into Low-Grade Red Magic Energy, Linfel loses 90% of the Magic Energy of the Stones. With the Red Magic Stones, however, he only loses around 80% of it. Considering the Red Magic Energy was much more compressed, 20% of a Red Magic Stone is still a lot, especially when you consider it is now High-Level Red Magic Energy.
Alvin looked at the Red Magic Energy that escaped Linfel's body. "Such a waste... Can I use-"
"Out of the question!" Linfel immediately stopped his words. "The Red Magic Energy you are seeing is truly just the dreg of the real product. If you try to absorb and integrate it into your core, you will feel a short-term improvement. But, as time passes, your own core will definitely suffer. It is different from absorbing a normal Red Magic Stone since it still has all of its properties. The one I'm eliminating can only be considered poison. Understood?"
Alvin bitterly smiled and nodded. 'Well, I'm sure a lot of the students in the academy wouldn't mind these risks if they could simply absorb Red Magic Energy...' he thought in the end. He most likely would be one of them if he didn't have Linfel.
The integration of Red magic Energy into his soul continued when suddenly...
*Argh!*
Linfel's Core fell to the floor as a grunt came out.
"Linfel!" Alvin and Felia were shocked. Alvin quickly picked him up and put him on the bed, not knowing what to do. "Are you okay? Are you still there?"
"Y-Yeah..." Slowly, Linfel's Magic Energy began to take a humanoid shape as he began to float again. "Holy shit... that almost slipt my soul in two."
"What happened?" Felia quickly asked back.
Linfel already knew the answer. "Red Magic Energy is indeed much gentler than Primordial Energy, but it doesn't change the fact a Soul is a very delicate thing. I pushed it a little too hard due to my excitement, and my Soul immediately paid the price. Simply put, my level is too low to take in so much High-Level Red Magic Energy at once."
Alvin sighed in relief. "The important thing is that you are fine. Has there been any lasting damage?"
"No," Linfel shook his head. "But I will need to rest for a while. It is definitely the end of Magic Energy Integration for today."
Felia didn't like the idea. "You better not absorb more High-Level Red Magic Energy for now. It will be the same as playing with death. Wait until you reach level two. That will make things a lot safer. For now, concentrate on the Low-Level magic Energy you can make from Yellow Magic Stones. This one should be fine."
Linfel agreed with her. "Yes, I thought the same thing. The difference between Low-Grade and High-Grade Red Magic Energy is enormous."
"Of course!" Alvin nodded. "Have you seen the price of Medium and High-Grade Red magic Stones compared to Low-Grade ones?"
Linfel hasn't truly checked yet. "Let me see." He took his MCOM and quickly took a look at the online market. "Yeah... that makes sense."
-Medium-Grade Red Magic Stone: 1600 Academy Credits.-
-High-Grade Red Magic Stone: 4000 Academy Credits.-
"This is a good thing, though," said Linfel. "I will never have the need to buy Medium and High-Grade Magic Stones. I can always stick to Low-Grade ones and clean their energy."
"That's definitely great," Alvin was happy to hear that. "By the way, you spent all your Academy Credits in those Red Magic Stones. What will you do?"