Endless Extraction in a Game-Like World

"Haa!" The old man grunted as he moved his body in a constantly shifting rhythm. One second his hands were reaching for the sky, and the next they were grounded. Then, he thrust both his hands forward as if he were firing an energy blast toward an invisible enemy.

A terrifying gust of wind blew across the surrounding trees directly from his palms. This alone spoke volumes. This old man was no ordinary individual. He had to be someone incredibly powerful.

Caelus entered the privacy barrier without a second thought. Immediately, he felt a crushing pressure assaulting his body.

"This is... a gravity dome?" Caelus mumbled as he easily stood straight despite the immense weight. His Iron II Combat Score was no joke. He was incredibly strong now in reality.

Only time would tell just how terrifyingly powerful his Plasma Nuke was in the real world. He would test it out once he entered the Domain again later today.

"Oh?" The old man stopped his forms and looked at Caelus in surprise. "You are completely fine under this gravity pressure?"

"I guess," Caelus replied, looking from the swaying trees back to the old man. "Were you trying to practice your aura?"

The instant those words fell, the old man swallowed whatever he was about to say and looked at Caelus with a dead-serious expression.

"I am, young friend. Can you sense the aura coming from me?"

"Sense your aura?" Caelus shook his head. This old man had no aura. That much he was absolutely certain of. "I cannot sense your aura. But I can clearly see you are trying to use an Aura Manifestation Art."

The old man nodded softly upon hearing this. "Aura is another type of power that can be utilized by people within the Domain. It is the indomitable will of our soul. Once manifested, it can be used similarly to mana. Those who utilize aura in the Domain possess an immense amount of stamina, making it far easier for them to grind and level up."

"How did you learn about it, young friend? The matters of aura are completely unknown to ordinary players. Only a few hidden NPCs in the Domain possess that power."

"I also chanced upon an Aura Manifestation Art in the Domain," Caelus said casually, crossing his arms.

"Same as me then," the old man said with a bitter chuckle. "I encountered this technique several years ago. Back then, I was a powerful player with a burning heart full of determination. I have been cultivating this art for all these years, but I still have not made a single breakthrough yet."

His bitterness was clear from the heavy way he spoke.

Then, the old man snapped out of his funk and smiled heartily. "Well, there is no point in mulling over the past. My name is Welt. You can call me Old Man Welt." He slowly stretched his hand out for a handshake.

Caelus looked at the calloused hand and reached out to meet it.

Boom!

A powerful force transferred through the old man’s grip.

A terrifying pressure that felt like it could crush steel was channeled directly into his hand. Caelus’s eyes widened for a split second before he flexed his fingers, easily matching the grip. The crushing power quickly subdued, and the old man spoke again.

"You have a very strong hand, young lad," Old Man Welt spoke with a slightly excited gleam in his eyes.

"Uh... thanks," Caelus replied with twitching lips.

This old man was definitely testing his strength just now. But Caelus had deliberately held back on his own monstrous physical power.

"Then, how about this? Would you like to practice the Aura Manifestation Technique with me for some time? Maybe we can both help each other out," Old Man Welt offered with an enthusiastic smile.

"Sure. We can do that. But before we begin, you might want to correct your forms," Caelus said after a brief pause. "They are wrong."

"My forms are wrong?" Old Man Welt frowned. "Can you explain more in-depth, young friend?"

"Well, there is a core reason why you have not made any progress all this while," Caelus spoke softly. "The physical movements in the technique are designed to help you align with the aura hidden deep within your soul. But your technique seems fragmented. It is incomplete."

"That is correct," Old Man Welt admitted with a heavy sigh. "Mine is regrettably incomplete."

"I knew it," Caelus nodded. "Well, for now, I will demonstrate the correct sequence to you. See if you can learn anything from it."

As he said that, he stepped back and began to utilize the Aura Manifestation Art. Having received the flawless Mythical version directly from Allstar, he knew the forms completely.

However, just as he began the first stance, his body buzzed and violently shuddered. His legs gave out, and he fell hard to the ground.

Old Man Welt frowned seeing this. He thought this kid was a hidden expert, but he turned out to be even worse than him?

The bodily buzzing and shuddering were actually the earliest signs of the art in practice. From what Welt knew, this was related to the very first hurdle of the soul and body aligning to produce aura. He had been stuck at that exact step for several years now.

Just as Welt shook his head in disappointment, Caelus stood back up with an awkward smile.

"Well, I did not expect something like that to happen. Watch closely this time. There will not be any more mishaps."

Caelus wore a dead-serious expression as he began to perform the forms once again.

This art was at the Mythical level. It was fundamentally different from whatever fragmented version Welt possessed. With that firm belief, he slowly shifted into the movements.

It was much harder than he anticipated. His body was shuddering and buzzing rapidly under the immense internal pressure. He could loudly hear his blood flowing, his draconic heart beating like a war drum, and his muscles contracting and expanding with each precise shift in stance.

He did not know whether this extreme strain was the result of his body and soul aligning, but he pushed through the pain and kept going.

Old Man Welt’s expression morphed from disappointment to sheer shock as he watched the flawless sequence of movement from Caelus.

Subconsciously, he also took on the stance. He began to move in tandem with Caelus, a determined and deeply enthusiastic smile forming on his weathered face.

It finally clicked! He finally understood exactly where his incomplete art had gone wrong!

Both men, old and young, moved in perfect alignment. Their breathing and movements matched harmoniously as a mysterious white mist began to flare around their bodies.

However, while the old man’s aura was a pure, blinding white, Caelus’s aura began to rapidly change color as the mysterious Ender power stirred awake within his soul once again.

In the following moment, everything in the courtyard fell completely silent.

They were both sweating profusely from the technique.

It was extremely taxing on their physical vessels.

Then, loud crackling noise rang out from both of their bodies as their joints and bones popped rapidly under the surging energy.

Immediately after, a supreme golden aura erupted from Caelus’s body just as a majestic white aura exploded from the old man’s body in perfect unison!

Boom!

It was a complete, monumental breakthrough.

System screens flooded Caelus’s vision.

[Ding!]

[You have awakened Aura.]

[You have obtained the Aura of Origin (Mythical).]

[Status Update]

[Stamina -> Aura]

[Aura: 25/25]

[Recovery Rate: 5/min]

[Aura Rank: Tier 1 (1/100)]

[Aura of Origin: The Origin of All Aura.]

[Passive Effect: Restores HP at a 5/min recovery rate.]

[Status Window Update]

[Your lifespan has increased.]

[Lifespan: 100 -> 125]

[Combat Score: 1.65 -> 2.0 (Iron II)]

"This is... this is true Aura!" Old Man Welt’s voice trembled with overwhelming emotion.

A powerful, condensed aura surged around the old man. As the energy nourished his cells, he visibly began to grow younger. The deep wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and his muscular physique expanded, radiating an incredibly deadly presence.

Right next to him, Caelus was also undergoing a rapid, terrifying transformation. The golden aura permeated his Origin Domain-forged body. His human-dragonic cells eagerly absorbed the energy, undergoing a profound evolution as his Combat Score skyrocketed to new heights.