Beneath a towering tree in the snow-covered land, a massive wolf lay, his breath slow and steady. With each exhalation, spiritual energy converged around him, drawn in like the tide to the moon. Time passed, and the rhythmic, thunderous sound of his heartbeat echoed through the stillness.
Drawn to the sound of the heart beat people with a third verticle eye on the center of their forehead arrive.
With bated breath, they look at the wolf, some of them with different color pupil on their third eye than black can feel the spiritual echoing with the heartbeat. Their Heartbeat also starts to match the wolf's heartbeat horrified they step back distancing from the wolf.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the full moon cast its ethereal glow across the land. The spiritual energy swirling around the wolf thickened into a mist, ghostly and white. Slowly, the mist darkened, shifting into a deep yellow hue.
The white mist starts to slowly change into a yellow color mist. Gavin feels the transformation of his magic core reaches the last step. If he passes the last step, he will advance to a Bronze magic beast.
But the last step is like an insurmountable wall. No matter how much magic energy he absorbs he still is unable to take the last step. As time passes he feels his rapid absorption of 'earth magic' energy has led the magic core to expand but without evolving. The magic core will collide with the barrier in the space and shatter.
He would perish along with it.
The thought sent a jolt through Gavin's mind—he couldn't let the clone die. If the clone perished, breaking the seal would become far more difficult.
Focusing his spirit field, he meticulously examined the clone's body, searching for the obstacle preventing his magic core's evolution. Finally, he found the answer—the cause lay in his blood.
An Earth Wolf was meant to be a Bronze-rank magic beast, but only those of pure blood could ascend. His current form lacked the necessary purity.
However, there was a way. A risky, desperate path.
Instead of allowing the transformation to stagnate, he forced it forward—igniting his blood, burning his vitality, and feeding it to the magic core. The moment he did, he felt a shift. The core, once stalled, began to change again. It contracted, refining the magic energy within, much like iron being tempered into steel. His vitality was the catalyst.
A race had begun—would his magic core evolve in time, or would his vitality run out first?
As his life force continued to drain, weakness overtook him. His limbs grew heavy, his thoughts sluggish. Darkness edged into his vision. Slowly, his consciousness faded.
Then—his mind slipped away entirely.
Gavin, from his true self's perspective, realized that the clone had lost consciousness. Yet the magic core did not stop. It continued its relentless absorption of the clone's vitality, pressing forward in its evolution.
Now, there was no turning back. The core would either ascend—or shatter.
Gavin watched intently as the transformation accelerated. His clone's body began to change—his very bones started to shrink, compressing under the force of evolution. Guided by the spirit field, his organs followed suit, becoming denser and more resilient. When the process reached its limit, a faint bronze hue emanated from his newly fortified skeleton.
The transformation didn't stop there. The strengthened bones produced a new kind of blood—thick, tinged with bronze. As it surged through his veins, it forced out the old, impure blood. His muscles ruptured under the strain, spilling crimson onto the snow. The pain would have been unbearable had the clone remained conscious.
Gradually, as the last drop of ordinary blood was expelled, the wounds began to heal. His muscles and skin tightened, molding perfectly to his enhanced skeletal structure. The old, matted fur—soaked in expelled bloodshed in clumps. In its place, fresh fur sprouted, radiant and golden under the moonlight.
The final stage arrived. His claws and teeth loosened, then fell away, replaced by new ones—sharper, stronger. When the moon's glow touched them, they gleamed like polished metal.
Then, at last, the magic core itself completed its evolution. No longer a mere virtual construct, it solidified into a true, tangible core. Now, if someone were to slay his clone, they would find the magic core embedded within its body—a mark of its newfound power.
The transformation was complete.
Gavin noticed an elder observing his clone. Without hesitation, he sent a brief message: "Put some meat near the wolf."
The absorption of vitality had its price. Though his spiritual field couldn't detect the consequences yet, he knew that once the clone awoke, they would become clear.
Turning his focus, Gavin examined the blood of his clone. If he could comprehend the enhanced Earth Energy control ability now embedded within it, his clone would no longer need to waste time mastering the enhanced 'Earth elemental' energy control. Instead, he could immediately focus on pushing the limits of the initial Bronze magic beast realm.
But there was something even more pressing—the evolution of blood itself.
The clone was an Earth Wolf, and from what Gavin could sense, the power contained within its blood only allowed advancement to the initial Bronze magic beast stage. A shackle bound its potential, preventing it from reaching the intermediate Bronze level. Unless this limitation was broken, the clone would never progress further.
As he delved deeper with the help of his spiritual field, the world around him began to fade. Everything vanished, leaving only a single drop of bronze-hued blood floating before him.
Within that single drop of bronze-hued blood, a profound mystery revealed itself—the very essence of Earth control.
Gavin was completely immersed in comprehension, unaware that his clone had already awakened. However, the clone remained motionless, attuned to the awareness of the main body. Like Gavin, it instinctively invested its consciousness into its blood, seeking to grasp the newfound ability.
Inside the sealed space…
A pair of eyes flickered open in the darkness—deep crimson pupils glowing like embers. For a brief moment, tiny yellow specks shimmered across their surface before vanishing.
Then, the Bat let out a piercing screech.
In response, ten golden runes emerged around it, their radiant glow pulsing as if resisting the sound.
The screech intensified, a desperate cry pouring every ounce of energy into a single, devastating wave. Though the sealed space was devoid of light, wind, or energy, the bat's voice alone distorted the void, sending powerful ripples crashing against the runes.
At first, the golden symbols held firm. But as the relentless sound battered them, they began to quiver, retreating under the force. One rune—just one—cracked, then shattered.
The bat, utterly drained, could do no more. Its strength spent, its eyes fluttered shut as it drifted once more into the endless abyss of the seal.
In his spirit world, Gavin took a deep, imaginary breath—an instinctive act, as if doing so could wash away the exhaustion he felt. Despite his fatigue, his mood was exceptionally good.
He had done it.
One of the seals was broken. More importantly, he now understood how to break the others.
His newfound mastery over Earth Elemental Control had granted him a glimpse into a fundamental Earth Attribute Rule. With just this fleeting understanding—before even truly comprehending the rule—he had already shattered one of the seals.
Closing his eyes, he visualized it.
Before him stood a mountain, towering ten thousand feet high. This was the path to mastering the Earth Attribute Rule. Right now, he was only at its base, but he was no longer lost. For the first time, he could see the road ahead.
Every step forward would bring him closer.
And one day—when he finally reached the peak, when he stood before the rule itself and fully grasped its essence—the seal would shatter completely.
That time would come.