Chapter 319: cores.
Energy slowly seeped from the core and entered his body, spreading through his passages before being drawn toward the beast tattoos integrated into him.
Silver closed his eyes and concentrated on controlling the flow rather than absorbing everything as quickly as possible.
His body was already damaged. Forcing too much energy through it would accomplish nothing.
A notification appeared.
[Beast Core Absorption Initiated.]
[Core Tier: One.]
[Energy Compatibility: Moderate.]
[Absorption efficiency reduced due to Host’s current physical condition.]
Silver opened one eye.
"Of course it is."
The system ignored him.
He continued.
The process took longer than usual.
When the first core finally lost its energy and crumbled between his fingers, Silver didn’t immediately reach for another. He rested for several minutes, drank more water, then began with the second.
Time moved slowly.
There was no sunlight underground or wind. Nothing except darkness, occasional drops of water somewhere in the cavern, and the faint sound of Silver’s breathing.
He absorbed another core, rested, ate and drank. Then absorbed another. At some point, exhaustion pulled him into a shallow sleep.
Silver woke abruptly perhaps half an hour later with his hand already reaching for his gun. Nothing was there.
He remained still, listening. The queen hadn’t returned. Silver exhaled and lowered the weapon.
"That’s going to get annoying."
He checked the system clock. More than two hours had passed since he’d awakened. His condition had barely improved but it was enough to notice.
Silver rolled his shoulders.
The pain remained, although it had become duller. His legs no longer felt completely hollow. More importantly, the spatial tattoo had begun responding again.
He could faintly feel it. The space squirrel integrated into him had always possessed a strange presence compared to the strength ape.
The ape’s energy felt physical and direct, something that settled into his muscles and bones. Spatial energy was different. It seemed to exist around him as much as inside him, making him subtly aware of distances, empty spaces, and the boundaries separating one point from another.
Right now, that sensation was weak. Silver reached into his storage.
The first Tier Three space core appeared in his hand. Even in the dim cavern, it gave off a faint light.
Silver stared at it.
"Ninety-sixty Affection Points." He shook his head. "You’d better be worth it, I went broke for you."
He began absorbing.
The difference was immediate. Silver’s eyes snapped open.
The energy entering him was considerably denser than the lower-tier cores he’d just consumed, but that wasn’t what caught his attention.
The moment the energy entered his passages, the space tattoo reacted. A faint distortion appeared around Silver’s chest before disappearing.
[Space-Type Beast Core Detected.]
[Core Tier: Three.]
[Attribute Compatibility: High.]
[Existing Space-Type Beast Tattoo responding.]
[Absorption efficiency increased.]
Silver closed his eyes again.
"Finally, some good news. I thought the bad luck had finally caught to me...sigh... I’m really talking to myself."
The spatial energy moved through his body. Silver guided it carefully.
His reserves were so depleted that the first waves seemed to disappear almost immediately, swallowed by the emptiness left behind after his repeated use of Short-Step, Space Slash, Spatial Sense, and finally Spatial Distortion during the escape.
That last skill had nearly destroyed him. He remembered the feeling of forcing the barrier into existence while the queen attacked.
Remembered his reserves disappearing. Remembered his mind feeling as though it were being pulled apart.
Silver’s expression tightened.
He had been reckless, necessary, perhaps but reckless. If he hadn’t used Spatial Distortion, Ravenna and Antony might not have escaped.
He would make the same choice again but that didn’t mean he couldn’t learn from it. The first Tier Three core continued shrinking.
A notification appeared.
[Space-Type Energy Absorbed.]
[Spatial Reserve Recovery Accelerated.]
Several minutes later...
[Spatial Sense Lv2 proficiency increased.]
[Space slash Lv2 proficiency increased. ]
[Spatial Distortion Lv1 proficiency increased.]
[Short-Step Lv2 proficiency increased.]
Silver smiled faintly.
"That’s more like it."
The core eventually cracked. Silver opened his eyes.
His head felt noticeably clearer. He waited nearly twenty minutes before starting the second Tier Three core.
This one took even longer.
The energy flowed more smoothly now that his reserves had begun recovering, and Silver could feel the spatial tattoo greedily absorbing whatever it could.
Another hour passed, then another. Silver alternated between absorption and rest. He finished the second emergency meal, drank almost an entire bottle of water and slept for another short period.
He woke, checked the cavern, and absorbed the final Tier Three core. By the time the last one disintegrated in his hand, more than five hours had passed since he’d begun recovering.
He remained seated for several minutes afterward. He didn’t move or speak, simply breathed. Then he opened his status.His condition still wasn’t good but it was no longer catastrophic.
[Physical Condition: Injured ~ Stable.]
[Mental Capacity: 61%]
[Spatial Reserves: 68%]
[Mobility: Functional.]
Silver stared at the final word. Functional; that was all he needed.
"Good enough."
He stood.
This time, his legs held. Silver slowly stretched. His ribs still hurt, several muscles protested and his left shoulder felt particularly unpleasant whenever he raised the arm too high.
But he could move, fight if necessary and most importantly... he could use his abilities.
Silver looked down at his ruined clothing. He had considered changing into the new set he’d bought, but one glance at the dried blood covering his skin changed his mind.
There was no point putting clean clothes over this mess. He would change when he found water, if he found water. Until then, the torn clothing would have to survive a little longer.
Silver secured his sword properly, then he checked his handgun. The magazine was loaded, and the suppressor attached. He chambered a round.
The additional ammunition went somewhere easily accessible. His remaining supplies were secured.
Silver looked at the cavern.
"Round two."
He activated his skill.
[Spatial Sense Lv2 Activated.]
This time there was no immediate explosion of pain. Silver closed his eyes and the cavern unfolded around him.
Silver immediately avoided focusing too deeply in the direction of the queen. He expanded his awareness far more than thirty meters. The difference compared to his earlier attempt was enormous.
Silver remained perfectly still. Solid rock surrounded most of him. The collapse had sealed multiple routes. He could sense pockets of empty space, but several were tiny fractures rather than passages.
He pushed farther.
His forehead began to ache at that. He slowed.
Don’t force it.
He had enough energy now but that didn’t mean he should immediately waste it. He moved his awareness along the cavern walls but found nothing.
Then...