The Chitterbeasts Nests raid was over, and Tommy had never felt a sense of accomplishment quite like this before. As he and the others made their way back to the nearest town, the cold night air hit him with a refreshing sting. He was exhausted, bruised, but undeniably proud.
He had contributed, and the dungeon's final moments had shown him that, no matter how much the world saw him as a "glitch" or a "failure," he was becoming stronger. His mana had given him a glimpse of what was possible, and he was eager to push further, to grow beyond what he thought he was capable of.
After the raid, the group went to cash in their rewards at the local Adventurer's Guild. The atmosphere was bustling with other adventurers, some celebrating, others nursing wounds. As Tommy entered, his eyes landed on the large desk where adventurers turned in their dungeon cores for a payout.
Tessy stood by the counter, chatting with the clerk, her youthful face aglow with excitement. She was a prodigy, after all, and the fact that she had played such a significant role in the dungeon made her even more of a spectacle in the Guild. Tommy had heard whispers of her innate talent, the way her wind magic seemed to cut through enemies with ease. Even Clinton had to admit that he was impressed by her potential.
Clinton, on the other hand, was further back, leaning against a pillar, his arms crossed. His expression was inscrutable. Tommy didn't miss the way Clinton had been avoiding eye contact with him after the raid, his usual arrogance now tempered with something Tommy couldn't quite place—uncertainty? Hesitation?
Tessy, however, was still beaming. As Tommy approached, she turned to him, her voice filled with youthful enthusiasm.
"Glitch, we did it! That Queen didn't stand a chance against us!" she said, her eyes twinkling. "We should team up again, keep doing raids together!"
Tommy smiled back at her, grateful for her kindness. She was young, but her skills were impressive. He felt a kinship with her, an understanding that she, too, was pushing the limits of what was possible. Perhaps they could continue helping each other grow.
Clinton, overhearing their conversation, suddenly pushed off the pillar and walked toward them, his face hardening. "I'm not teaming up with you two again," he said bluntly. His tone was cold, distant. "Something about the way you fought, Tommy...It's weird. You don't have a system but the way you fought, It feels unnatural."
Tommy blinked, taken aback by the harshness in Clinton's words. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused.
Clinton scoffed, a bitter edge to his voice. "You don't get it. You don't have a system, no [class], no stats. Yet you fight like you do. That's not normal." He paused, clearly lost in thought. "I don't like it. I don't trust you."
Tommy's stomach twisted at the words, but before he could respond, Clinton turned on his heel and walked off, disappearing into the crowd. Tessy watched him leave, then turned back to Tommy, her expression apologetic.
"What's up with him," Tessy said with a sigh. "But you were amazing in that dungeon. Honestly, I couldn't have done it without you." She gave him an encouraging smile. "So, what do you say? Team up again? We could make it big, Glitch.. no Tommy."
Tommy's heart skipped a beat. Despite Clinton's dismissal, Tessy's words were like a beacon of hope. But deep down, Tommy knew that he had more work to do. He couldn't just rely on others to carry him through dungeons. Not anymore.
"Maybe," he said, his voice thoughtful. "But I think I need to handle some things on my own first. I'll catch up with you later." He said tucking in the mana potion he bought into his bag.
Tessy nodded, her expression understanding. "Alright, but if you ever change your mind..."
With that, Tommy left the Marketplace, his mind racing with the possibilities of what lay ahead. He had earned a sizable reward from the raid—enough to cover a few more purchases and potentially even invest in his own gear. But there was something else on his mind, something that had been nagging at him since the battle with the Queen: his mana.
Back at his small apartment, Tommy paced restlessly. He had used mana in ways he never had before, and it had felt powerful. But there was a danger to it, something he couldn't quite grasp. He had been warned by others—mana potions could be dangerous for someone like him, someone without a system. But Tommy had always been the type to take risks, to push the boundaries.
He retrieved the rank C mana potion he had purchased from his stash, the thick, glass bottle gleaming with an almost ominous glow. He hesitated, his fingers trembling slightly as he uncorked it. The last time he had used a potion, he had felt his body tear apart from the inside out, but it was worth it, wasn't it? His mana had grown exponentially, and he needed more. He needed to know how far this power could take him.
With a deep breath, Tommy drank the potion.
At first, nothing happened. For a brief moment, he thought maybe he had overreacted. But then, a warmth spread through his chest, and a surge of energy rushed into him—no, more than energy. It was raw power, something he had never experienced before. No, he had but this felt better.
He staggered backward, gasping for air. His body began to shake uncontrollably, and his head spun. He could feel the mana swirling within him, wild and untamed, surging through every cell, every muscle. His blood pulsed in sync with the energy, but it was too much–what did he expect. He could feel his heart racing, his lungs struggling to keep up with the sudden pressure.
Tommy fell to his knees, coughing violently. He gasped for breath, his mouth filling with blood. It dripped from his lips, staining the floor beneath him. He tried holding off the pain with mere willpower but he failed.
His body convulsed as the mana inside him began to rip at his organs, pushing them into overdrive. His liver, kidneys, and heart worked in frantic overdrive, trying to process the immense amount of power flooding into him, but it was too much.
He could feel his very cells burning as if they were being torn apart and reassembled. The pain was unbearable, but he couldn't scream. His mouth wouldn't cooperate. Instead, he could only cough, the blood pooling in his throat, choking him as he tried to breathe.
In a haze of pain, Tommy felt something else. His senses sharpened. The mana—it was everywhere. Everything contained mana? What is this feeling. He could feel it, see it, almost taste it. His mind seemed to expand, his understanding of the world around him deepening as he felt a force out of the ordinary even in this crazy world.
There were threads of mana in the air, weaving through everything—people, objects, even the very fabric of the world itself. He could feel them, stretching out in all directions.
Take it in. Absorb it. Swallow it all.
The urge to absorb it was overwhelming. It was a primal instinct, something deep within him screaming to take it all. And he tried. He reached out with his mind, pulling in the mana around him, feeding on it like a starving man at a banquet.
But his body couldn't continue. The more he absorbed, the more his body fought back. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, his mind beginning to spin as he tried to process the vast amount of energy. It was too much. He could feel his life force slipping away, his body on the brink of collapse.
Just as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, a hand grabbed his shoulder, yanking him back from the edge.
"Tommy!?" a voice cried. He couldn't see who it was, his vision blurring in and out, but the voice was familiar. It was Patrick.
Patrick's face appeared before him, his expression a mixture of shock and concern. "What did you do!?" he yelled, his hands trembling as he held Tommy upright.
Tommy tried to speak, but all that came out was a broken, wheezing cough. His body felt like it was being crushed under the weight of the mana he had absorbed.
"*
You're going to kill yourself," Patrick growled, his voice low with urgency. "This isn't how mana works! You can't just absorb it without a system to handle it."
Patrick's eyes flicked to Tommy's hands, which were still crackling with energy, as if drawn to the power around him. Without hesitation, Patrick reached out his hand that began to emit a calming energy, it felt pleasant. It shimmered with a calming aura, and he pressed it into Tommy's chest.
"This will help stabilize you," Patrick said. "But you have to stop. You can't keep doing this. You're doing too much"
Tommy barely registered the words. His mind was too overwhelmed by the raw power, but he forced himself to focus on the energy entering his chest. As it absorbed into his skin, he felt the mana within him begin to settle, his body slowly regaining some semblance of control.
Patrick didn't let go. He stayed with Tommy until the tremors stopped, until
Tommy's breathing steadied. Finally, Patrick helped him sit up, his voice softer now. "You can't keep doing this to yourself, Tommy. You're playing with fire. You might think you can handle it, but you don't understand mana. Infact nobody does. That's why the system helps us regulate and channel it."
Tommy nodded weakly, still trying to process everything. Mana. It was the power he wanted, but it could also be his downfall.
He understood now that if he kept going down this path, it would be his life on the line. And he wasn't sure if he could afford to make that sacrifice.
Tommy began feeling something darker stirring deep inside him—the hunger for more power.