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SYSTEM ALERT
Mana Overload Detected
Warning: Nexus Core exceeding safe absorption limits.
Current Stability: 65%... 61%... 55%...
Emergency Protocols Engaged.
—
DK's entire body trembled as the sheer weight of the mana inside the Nexus Vein forced itself into his core. The pulsing energy, once a steady rhythm, had become erratic, wild. His vision blurred, flickering between the cavern and an overwhelming flood of system notifications.
"What the hell is happening?!" DK gritted his teeth, trying to push back against the tide of raw energy. He could feel his Nexus Core struggling to contain the influx—first stabilizing, then destabilizing in rapid succession. It was as if something inside him was interfering with the process.
Then, the system responded.
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SYSTEM RESPONSE
Query Detected: Why is excess mana being absorbed?
Processing…
Explanation:
User's Nexus Core is exhibiting an anomaly.
Standard Nexus Cores have a set absorption threshold based on stability levels.
However, due to the presence of Corruption, the usual mana limits no longer apply.
Corruption in user's body is acting as an unregulated conduit, forcefully expanding absorption capacity beyond normal safety limits. A paradoxical cycle where stabilization is perpetually undermined by corruption's influence.
—
DK clenched his teeth, his entire body wracked with pain as the raw energy of the Nexus Vein continued to pour into him. His breath came in short, ragged bursts. His knees buckled, but his grip on the glowing vein remained locked, as if his body had fused with it.
"I don't get it!" DK growled through clenched teeth. "My core needs mana to stabilize, but now you're telling me corruption is preventing that? What the hell am I supposed to do?!"
The system did not answer. Instead, the overwhelming force of mana kept surging through him, raw and unfiltered. DK's veins felt like they were boiling from the inside. His limbs spasmed involuntarily, muscles tightening to the point of tearing.
He tried to pull his hand away from the Nexus Vein, but his body wouldn't obey. It was as if an unseen force had tethered him to the source, binding him in place.
His consciousness flickered. One moment, he was kneeling in the cavern, surrounded by glowing mana veins, the next—blackness.
His vision swam with distorted memories. Fleeting images. A world not his own. A life that no longer existed.
His chest tightened as his Nexus Core pulsed violently, consuming more mana than his body could safely contain. The system interface flickered erratically before stabilizing, presenting a new notification.
—
SYSTEM QUEST: ENDURANCE OF THE DAMNED
Objective: Survive the Nexus Vein's Overload for 1 Hour
Difficulty: High
Rewards:
+7 Mana (Increase max mana capacity)New Skill: Corruption Flow (Tier 1) (Allows limited safe usage of corruption energy directly)+5% Core Stability
Failure Consequence: Permanent Nexus Core Instability (-15% Stability)
Time Remaining: 1:00:00
—
DK's mind screamed. One hour? He was barely holding on now! The pain was unbearable. The pressure inside his body felt like he was about to burst open at any second.
His vision continued flickering—light, darkness, fractured memories.
But deep inside the agony, there was something else.
A realization.
This wasn't just about survival.
This was a trial.
The system wasn't just trying to kill him—it was forcing him to evolve.
DK gritted his teeth, forcing his awareness back into the present. If the system was throwing this at him, then it meant there was a way to endure it.
Through the haze of pain, DK forced himself to analyze the sensation. The raw mana was devouring his body, but so was the corruption.
Two conflicting forces.
Mana and corruption. Opposing energies.
But what if… they could be synchronized?
His Nexus Core wasn't rejecting the corruption outright. It was absorbing it differently than regular mana.If he could control the way they interacted, maybe he wouldn't have to suffer through an hour of torture.A mad idea formed in his mind.
Instead of resisting, DK did the opposite.He let go.
He let his body absorb the mana completely, without restriction. At the same time, he willed the corruption to move—not as an unstable force, but as a channel, a conduit for the raw energy.
Corruption wasn't an obstacle.It was a tool.
His Nexus Core roared as the two forces clashed inside him, but this time, they weren't fighting.They were merging.The system immediately responded.
—
SYSTEM ALERT
Unregistered Synchronization Detected.
Modifying Absorption Pathway…
Adjusting Corruption Flow…
Core Stability improving.
—
The unbearable pain dulled to something tolerable. Still excruciating, but no longer lethal.The quest timer ticked down.
56:39… 50:01… 45:22…
With every passing minute, DK felt more in control. He wasn't just enduring anymore—he was mastering it. Lucy, watching from a distance, had kept herself from interfering, but now, she took a cautious step forward.
"DK?" Her voice held an unfamiliar note of hesitation. The air around him had changed.
The raw mana wasn't rejecting him anymore. It was surrounding him, wrapping around him like an extension of his being. The chaotic flares of corruption no longer looked wild and untamed—they moved with purpose. DK looked more stable and calm and looked like he was in control.
Lucy had seen people wield raw mana before, but this wasn't mana. It was something else. Something dangerous.
—
SYSTEM UPDATE: A NEW FORM OF POWER
Nexus Core Absorption Efficiency Increased (+30%)
Mana & Corruption can now co-exist without immediate destabilization as long as the ratio of mana to corrupted energy is 10:1
New Adaptive Trait: Dual-Mana Flow (Allows controlled redirection of corruption into offensive techniques)
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