I opened my eyes and found myself lying upright against a tree, its bark cool and rough against my back.
I surveyed my surroundings—it felt like something out of a fairy tale.
No, it was more than that.
It felt like one of those vivid dreams—the kind where a faceless woman whispers promises of love, a love so perfect it wraps around you like a tapestry of belonging.
You don't want to leave, but when you inevitably wake, a crushing emptiness lingers, with depression shadowing your days like an unwanted companion.
"Is this… Is this my core?"
I rose to my feet, brushing stray leaves from my clothes, and began to walk.
This is what I envision—an island instead of a bland, floating mana core.
A person can observe their mana core by accessing their aperture, located at the solar plexus.
However, achieving this demands intense, uninterrupted meditation. Upon success, they can perceive both the core and themselves in a spirit-like form.
"I'll call it the Immortal Core for now."
The color of a mana core corresponds to an individual's rank or level of power.
Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, Silver, and White.
Beyond the peak White lies a critical threshold. Those who surpass it ascend to the higher realms:
Transcendent, Ethereal, and Crowned.
Beyond the Crowned rank, individuals are known by the monikers.
The Class-S students at the Aurelian Academy of Eminence are already at peak-Silver rank, whereas the novel's protagonist already at low-White.
By comparison, Atticus, at mid-Yellow, is considered well above average by the world's standards.
Realistically, he could qualify for Class C, the academy's lowest class.
In the game, players begin at peak-Red accompanied by an Apex Constitution of their choosing.
From that point forward, it's entirely up to them to surpass the Prodigies and Antagonists. Mechanics, tactics—everything they have must be brought to bear. This is the essence of the game.
Now, speaking of the mana core—or rather, what I reconstructed from primal essence—it has transformed into a small island that I now call the Immortal Core. I've come to realize that my ranking has regressed.
I can sense that I've fallen to mid-Green.
The Immortal Core still adheres to the foundational rules of ranking, yet thanks to the primal essence within it, I feel capable of defeating a mid-Orange individual.
To put it in RPG terms, it's as though I wield a tier-2 weapon with a celestial classification, while my opponent has a tier-4 weapon but at an epic grade.
The primal essence is both invigorating and refreshing, but what stands out most is its ability to silence negative emotions, stripping them of their hold and reducing their influence to more than a distant echo.
It feels as though I've been infused with profound clarity—a heightened perception of myself and the world around me—and an unwavering sense of presence, as though every thought and action is aligned with an unshakable purpose.
"So this is what the Ancient Humans must have felt like."
This was no mere alteration of body or mind.
To the Ancient Humans, it must have been a state of transcendence—an existence free of doubt, guided by unyielding focus and instinctive mastery, where fear and uncertainty were replaced by resolve and harmony with the primal forces of the world.
"Damn, they're probably terrifying."
Before long, I came across a small pond nestled among the rocks, tiny droplets of water fell delicately from above, each ripple breaking the pond's still surface in a rhythm only nature could compose.
The water shimmered a clear green—too pure, too rich, too pristine.
A few chrysanthemums floated gracefully on the surface, their delicate petals undisturbed by the gentle ripples.
"My primal essence pool… And isn't that my self-sustain essence regeneration? Why is it only droplets?"
I frowned, watching the slow trickle.
Everyone has a self-sufficient mana regeneration—an innate ability to gradually regenerate their mana over time, even when idle.
For someone like Atticus, his capacity would probably be equivalent to one glass. But the protagonist? Let's not even compare, it's more like Niagara Falls.
I gazed at my essence pond, its still surface whispering a subtle warning: use it wisely.
Damn it.
When I think about the heroines and the protagonist, frustration wells up inside me. I can't help but want to strangle something. Let's spare the details about their mana pools.
"How about the absorption rate?"
Seating myself cross-legged, I concentrated on my surroundings.
The anti-mana field had already dissipated; I could faintly sense traces of lingering mana, though there was no primal essence nearby.
I attempted to absorb the mana.
To my surprise, it worked.
A brief smile tugged at my lips, only to be chased away by a wave of disappointment.
The mana I absorbed passed through what felt like thousands of filters, until all that remained was a single speck of dust.
It fell into the pond, vanishing without so much as a ripple.
"I'm fucked. What should I do?"
The absorption rate of mana was awful, endlessly refining itself until it reached its highest level of purity so it could be accepted by the pond.
Even if an entire waterfall of mana cascaded over me, it would be reduced to mere droplets.
Primal essence, likewise, was not so easily obtained.
"Simple, you should unleash an onslaught."
I looked up to see the shadowy being—a figure molded into the form of a woman wearing a dress, hovering above.
Her entire figure was cloaked in darkness, a silhouette without distinct features, except for the faint movement of her mouth.
She floated just above the essence pond.
Despite her appearance, her voice was androgynous.
I had nearly forgotten about this entity.
"You should kill. As you do, you can absorb every type of core."
Her gaze piercing through me despite her featureless form.
"What? I can absorb any core? Then… doesn't that make me no different from a demon?"
No better than a heretic?
If that's the case, the situation is far worse than I imagined.
I might end up hunted by both sides.
Does this mean I've become a Vagrant player from the very beginning?
Vagrant players—the ones who abandoned the academy midway, strengthening themselves through unconventional means.
They coveted the protagonist's and heroines' opportunities, seizing what wasn't meant for them. Yet, no matter how they became, their route always led to Bad Ending.
"Not exactly. Demons who consume cores only grow increasingly corrupted."
Her gaze lingered on me, scrutinizing, as her smile twisted into something unnatural.
"But you're different—different even from the First Humans."
"H-How?"
"As you've likely surmised, you can absorb any type of core to strengthen yourself, replenishing your essence in the process—all without consequence. Well... you'll understand fully when you kill someone."
So I'm... some kind of variant Devourer.
"Unlike the First Humans, who could only harness primal essence to enhance their primitive abilities, you, on the other hand, can not only conjure spells using primal essence but also evolve those same primitive abilities to greater heights."
"Evolve primitive abilities?"
She fell silent for a moment, letting the concept linger in the air, as if she wanted it to take root in my mind.
"What do you think about primal essence?"
Instead of responding to my question, she asked her own, her tone tinged with curiosity.
"They are the purest form of energy and counter to Primordial Monsters."
I replied, offering what I understood.
She hummed softly in acknowledgment before speaking.
"Primal essence is the inaugural force of creation—unbound by allegiance, morals, or ethics.
Should it encounter something... intriguing, it may choose to nurture it, shaping its concept or forging an audacious foundation. It is raw, untamable, and unpredictable, imbued with a consciousness, temperaments, and the immutable essence of nature itself.
It is Life and Death, inseparably intertwined."
Her words carried a weight that deepened my understanding; this was far beyond what I had imagined.
She descended gracefully and began petting the headless azure tiger that had appeared out of nowhere.
Where had that tiger come from?
"Now, about your primitive abilities," she said, her gaze shifting back to me, "you should touch the chrysanthemum resting above your essence pond. Only then will you begin to understand."