After incessantly pleading with Drago, he finally forgave my rudeness.
"So what did you want to teach me?"
"I wanted you to create an energy core," he said.
"What's an energy core?"
"You're as hopeless as usual. I guess that I have no other choice than to give you an explanation before moving on," he said.
"Every species in the world has their own special power source and you will learn about those in the future. But what every species has in common, is an energy core. The energy core is a small crystal ball in your abdomen. You can store an intangible substance that we call energy in there. You can get more energy through meditation or through pills and medicines. The rate at which you increase your energy core is dependent upon your talent and the type of energy arts that you use. An energy core can only be created once you feel energy," he said.
"What are energy arts?" I asked.
"Energy arts are types of meditation used to increase core size and to absorb energy. They are usually in the form of scriptures. There are millions of energy arts in the world and you can also create your own, just like martial arts."
"And why is this energy core so important?" I asked.
"That's a great question. For starters, the more energy you possess in the core, the stronger, the faster and the more sensitive you are to movements. Secondly and more importantly, you can imbue parts of your body or weapon with energy. It will be like an aura around that part. As you use energy in battle, it will continue to decrease until you have none left in the crystal. The color of the aura is entirely personal. The bigger your energy core is, your aura will naturally leak to your surroundings."
"You mean like the orc chieftain?"
"Yes, exactly like him. His energy core has reached an advanced stage and his aura leaks without him even wanting to."
"Do the three orcs have energy core?" I asked.
"Don't be silly, of course they do," Drago replied.
"How do I sense energy?" I asked.
"Sit cross-legged."
Gently, I lowered myself to the ground and sat in the position that he instructed. I closed my eyes and relaxed my body. I could feel the tension leaving my muscles. My breathing slowed down and was stable.
"Good! Now that your eyes are closed, use your other senses to try and 'see' the surroundings," he said.
My ears and nose adjusted and I tried to notice any changes in my surroundings. At first, everything was pitch black, but soon enough a light purple glow lit up the darkness. The purple glow intensified and I could make out more details.
"Its fine if you don't see anything for now, just keep practicing," Drago said.
"But I see everything."
"W-What!" he exclaimed.
"How did you do that. It usually takes a few days."
"What color is the room?" he asked.
"It's purple."
"Purple? I have not heard of that aura amongst the beast. Maybe it is something better understood in the human kingdom. Now try to suck in that color into your abdomen."
I focused on bringing everything towards me. The purple particles were rushing towards me and formed a vortex. I directed everything to a single point in my abdomen.
"Here comes the painful part," Drago said.
"Don't let this fail. If it does, you may die or become paralyzed," he added.
I did not yet understand what he meant. As soon as every particle had been accumulated in my abdomen, an agonizing pain ran through every bit of my body. It felt like I was being torn to shreds. My faces was crunched and my veins were bulging out of my skin. Every muscle fiber was contracted to their maximum capacity. I gritted my teeth to deal with pain . Blood began oozing out of my orifices. The floor was shaking vigorously and the entire room felt like it was about to fall apart.
"Think of creating the crystal ball. Do not let the particles escape. Afterwards, solidify it."
An image of a crystal appeared in my mind and I tried to move the purple particles into the sphere. The process was long and tedious. After the desired shape was acquired, I solidified it. A loud cling echoed throughout the room as the purple glow disappeared. The room also stopped shaking and everything went back to normal.
"Congratulations Luke. You have done it."
My body felt better. It was like I had gotten an instant upgrade. At the center of my abdomen, was a small purple ball. I had created my energy core! The ball was still nearly empty, but I could now feel energy around me. It was still transparent but I could now sense it.
"You will also be able to see if other people have energy cores and you will be able to guess their level if they are weaker or around your strength."
"How are many levels are there?" I asked.
"There are ten levels for the energy core. You are currently at level one. But don't let the levels fool you, some people have battle prowess far surpassing their energy core," he replied.
"Before I go, I'll imprint the draconic energy art into your mind," he said as his body manifested in front of me.
He raised his hand and placed his finger on my forehead. A flashing light blinded me as I felt thousands of words moving into my head. As soon as he was done, he just told me to practice well and to not become complacent before disappearing into thin air.
"Of course I wont become lazy. I have to get my revenge," I thought to myself.
I started jumping around and doing push-ups to see the difference. It was outstanding. The number of repetitions that I could perform nearly tripled. I tried to throw some strikes and everything was way faster. A wide grin appeared on my face as I saw the changes.