NOVEL NEXT Chapter 107: Testing
Leon woke up quite early and freshened up before going downstairs. As always, his mother was already awake and preparing breakfast for them since they would be leaving soon.
It was still dark outside, yet this woman was already working for them. She was even making snacks for Leon so he could eat them at the Academy.
He could only shake his head at her, since he knew she was just as stubborn as he was and wouldn't back down on things like this.
He hugged her from behind and put his chin on her shoulder, "Good morning. What are you making?"
Evelyn didn't reply right away since she was focused on making the food. She moved around the kitchen while Leon still clung to her like a koala.
Only when she was done with everything, after she washed her hands and ruffled his hair, did he finally let her go. He immediately tried to take a bite of a chocolate biscuit, but a single sharp glare from Evelyn made him pull his hand back instantly.
"They're for me anyways," Leon grumbled to himself.
'Yes, but you can't eat them now,' Evelyn said. 'Also, did you pack everything?'
"There wasn't much to pack anyways." Leon shrugged. "But I did forget something."
'What?' Evelyn asked, even though she already had a clue he would say something nonsensical again.
"You!" Leon grinned, and his reply earned him a tight slap on the arm. He rubbed it dramatically as if it seriously hurt and added, "I was just thinking of letting you meet Silver."
'I don't want to see her in that state. My poor heart can't handle it,' Evelyn rolled her eyes at him. 'Also, you just want to have a personal cook there.'
Both of them burst into laughter at that and continued talking about a few more things, which mostly included Evelyn reminding Leon to be careful about countless matters and not to forget about others.
'Average mom experience.'
By then, Amber also came downstairs, and together they enjoyed the delicious breakfast, which filled all of them with energy and enthusiasm to face the rest of the day.
Amber did notice how the two of them were worried about each other being lonely just a day before, and now they were perfectly fine with the thought of departure.
Seriously, she couldn't understand their bizarre relationship.
As they were getting ready to leave, Leon approached Amber, who was putting her stuff into the car she had brought into the city.
"Hey, I've been thinking about something and wanted to confirm it," Leon said. "Just like how normal healing actually boosts our natural regeneration rate and also provides nutrition in the form of energy for the process, does it work similarly with the soul?"
Amber paused and looked up, "Are you asking for your mother?"
He nodded.
"It is similar, except there is no corruption in the body to restrict the regeneration process," Amber explained. "But the soul is different. It can heal itself naturally, but only if it can fully focus on healing."
"But it has to constantly focus on suppressing the corruption, so it can't heal," Leon muttered. "Then… what if we give it a lot of energy?"
"Theoretically, it would work," Amber nodded in agreement. "But there are some major problems. First, the energy needs to be extremely pure, since even a minor portion of corruption can disturb the balance and stir it further. And we have no source of such purity aside from the Natural Essence. Even Soul Shards aren't completely free of corruption."
Leon didn't say anything, since he had already come to a similar conclusion himself.
"Second, the consumption is huge. It's far more than what one can even absorb with higher-rank manuals. And the fact that your mother is Tier 6 makes the consumption even greater. It's already a miracle that she's still alive."
She paused, thought for a moment, and then continued.
"Her soul is damaged, so technically the energy she can absorb isn't enough to heal that damage. But because of my master, the consumption lessened. If I had to compare it, then it's like stitching a water bag. The water will still leak, but because of the stitches, the rate at which it leaks will be much lower. That's the same thing happening with your mother. Most of the essence she absorbs from the atmosphere gets used just to keep those stitches in their proper state."
"And that's why she never fought," Leon said in realization. "If she had, her energy consumption would've been much higher, and there's a high chance the stitches would've grown weaker."
"Exactly! That's the reason why soul damage is so feared," Amber nodded and said. "Aside from a few rare things that can help, there really is no cure for it, so I'll keep an eye out for those things. Why are you asking this? Did you cook up something else?"
"You can say that in a way, but I'll need to check something first," Leon said before he dragged her back inside again and turned toward Amber, saying, "I wanted to talk to her. Alone."
Amber understood his meaning and snapped her fingers, forming an invisible barrier around them. Everyone who had been hidden around their house for security also vanished upon receiving the signal.
She left to give them some time alone, even though she was curious about what Leon was planning.
Evelyn watched everything patiently before asking, 'Since when did you begin to turn emotional over short goodbyes?'
"Don't think too highly of yourself, old lady," Leon rolled his eyes and made her sit down on the sofa before asking, "Do you trust me?"
Evelyn nodded without even a moment of hesitation.
"Good, then I need you to do something," Leon said before he took out a glowing red sphere.
The Energy Orb.
It was from the mini-boss Crimson Rabbit he had killed. It was a Level 11 Energy Orb, something that would definitely be useful for him, but he wanted to test his theory first.
He was already excited just thinking about it.
As Evelyn gave a strange glance at the red orb, Leon explained, "I need you to absorb it just the way you absorb Soul Shards."
Although she was confused, Evelyn wasn't someone who would deny her son's request. She took the Energy Orb from him and began to absorb it.
Leon watched her closely with bated breath.
This would prove if his theory was correct.