NOVEL NEXT Chap 162: Evolution of the cube.
I watch as a huge mark begins to appear on the floor of my cube, and as the minutes pass the head of a… dragon? Yes, when it is almost complete I can clearly see the head of this powerful being on the ground inside my cube.
Before I can celebrate clearing my first hero's dungeon, a powerful pain bursts inside my cube. I try to clutch my chest with my hands but nothing helps—the pain is coming from deep within me, and it is very intense. I look again and notice small cracks in the columns. Is it too much power for a simple Emerald rank? That is my first thought. This pain feels very similar to what I experienced with Sus.
A small smile escapes me. This mark didn't just nearly collapse my cube—it also gave it the final push to evolve. The columns that had not been completely filled before entering this dungeon are now finished, and my cube has begun to evolve.
"Glia, my cube is wounded and at the same time it's beginning to evolve." My call worries my companion, who was waiting to return to her favorite place to rest once we left. "I don't know if I can endure the pain of breaking my cube. I don't know how an evolution feels, but I imagine it must be painful…" Through sobs I manage to express my worries, falling to my knees from the spasms.
"Don't worry, I'll be here to help you or defend you." Her words make me smile, I feel a little calmer just having her close to me.
"The challenger may leave the dungeon at any time by shouting the word Exit." The omnipresent voice says something I can barely understand through the pain. My vision goes black and I lose control of my body.
"What happened?" I'm lying face down on the floor, not sure how I ended up here. I look around. A forest? Snow-covered mountains? A flood of memories and emotions fills my head. "I'm still inside the dungeon." I let out a sigh of relief. I try to stand up but I can't, my body feels too heavy, every movement almost makes me scream from the pain.
Step by step, with great effort, I finally manage to sit down. My thoughts and memories are still clouded. How did I faint? What happened? Just trying to remember makes my head hurt. I try to use life mana to heal the pain, but then I realize my cube itself hurts.
My cube hurts? My eyes open wide as I remember—I was receiving the hero's mark while my cube was unstable, the columns fractured, and at the same time it entered evolution. I'm afraid to check its state. What if it's broken and I've ruined my life? What if the evolution failed because of the fractures? After several deep breaths I finally find the courage, I close my eyes and look inward.
I feel a bit of fear before checking. What if it's ruined? What if everything failed? A small sigh of relief escapes me as I enter. I see the spheres of my cube, each one corresponding to a skill, and on the other wall I see my Laws, all in order. The mark on the floor shows no damage, the twin swords are in the same place as before, and Glia is deeply asleep in her favorite spot.
Glia? She was outside before I fainted… And why are my mana reserves so low? I had recovered some while waiting, but now it's as dry as a river without rain for many seasons.
"Hey Glia, are you okay?" When I connect with her I feel her exhaustion, her worry, and her sleepiness.
"Yes…" I hear her soft reply. "You finally woke up, I was very worried." Her voice is the voice of someone dead tired and half-asleep.
"I'm glad you're okay. Can you explain what happened?" She nods mentally, and between her fatigue and sleep she slowly explains. Apparently, when I fainted, my cube began to spiral out of control. The columns began to break further as they tried to reinforce themselves. Having overload fractures at the same time as evolution was a bad combination.
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Glia entered my cube and began to manipulate both my mana and hers, turning it into life affinity. She carefully guided the mana to heal some of the fractures without interfering with the evolution—a delicate job, like a surgeon performing open-heart surgery.
She succeeded after a long fight that seems to have lasted almost two days. The reason she was able to succeed is that she has been living inside my body all this time and has slowly adapted to using life mana inside my cube. Instinctively, she knew how to direct the mana, when to act, and in what amounts.
That explains why she looks so tired. Controlling mana so delicately for so many hours is no easy task, it requires immense concentration and willpower. I thank her for her great effort. Without her, things would have been much worse—I don't want to imagine what my cube would look like otherwise.
"Rest all you want, little sister. I'll take care of the rest." I get no reply, she falls back into deep sleep after my words. A smile escapes me as I look at her. "Thank you for always being here, Glia." We've been together for years, and our relationship truly feels like siblings, though sometimes she sees me as a father—I can't blame her for that.
My smile disappears when I look at the columns. They are stronger and sturdier now, but still fractured. She managed to prevent collapse and stop the cracks from spreading, but she couldn't close them. I'll have to heal them slowly like I did back at Amethyst rank. It will take a long time, and I won't be able to use my skills freely for weeks.
I check some of the benefits of the cube's evolution. My mana pool has grown a little; my Imra feels different, heavier; and when I try to control a small grain of mana, I feel a change, though the pain in my body makes it hard to pinpoint. Estimating the growth, I conclude my mana pool has increased by 5–10%. That is a huge boost for anyone. For me, it's extraordinary—almost like a 30% increase for a normal person. A smile spreads across my face at this gain.
I let my mana recharge a little. "Better activate my Thundersnow." With some pain I manage to trigger it. Luckily it's neither a purely active nor purely passive skill, it sits in between. I can turn it on or off as I wish, and it consumes only a small amount of mana. The pain spikes for a second and then fades—technically it doesn't vanish, but my body and mind can bear it.
My mind clears once Thundersnow is active. I test my Imra again and finally notice the difference clearly. My Imra feels heavier, as if it has gained substance, like an extra limb. Before, I could only keep it close to me and it only gained substance when fused with mana. Now it is different.
I can extend it dozens of meters without much difficulty, and I feel like I could make it "tangible" enough to grab objects, restrain someone, and more. I can now form a stronger barrier around myself—no Ruby rank could peek inside me without forcing their way through my Imra.
I test this tangible function by picking up some stones from the ground and I'm amazed. My prison will be much freer now, easier to trap someone. I still can't separate Imra from my body, but that doesn't matter—I like having it always under control.
It's time to train again to recover precise control. Honestly, I'll spend all this time working on my control, since I won't be able to use mana for weeks. Looking at the fractured columns depresses me, but I force a smile. Better to focus on the gains from the dungeon, which are not few. Time to check my state before leaving.
Maki: 12 years old – Advanced Emerald
Skills:
Death's Sharpness (IV) – Lv 9 → Lv 11
Warlike Architecture (IV) – Lv 2 → Lv 5
Deadly Arcane Construction (IV) – Lv 2 → Lv 5
Personal World (IV) – Lv 2 → Lv 4
Thundersnow (IV) – Lv 1 → Lv 3
Electrifying Charged Steps (III) – Lv 12 → Lv 14
Vital Synthesis (III) – Lv 19
Crushing Zone (III) – Lv 7 → Lv 10
Raging Electrifying River (III) – Lv 3 → Lv 4
Laws and Pseudo Laws:
Yin Yang Law: Life and Death.
Celestial Domain Law: Space.
Pseudo Law of Ice.
Pseudo Law of Sharpness.
Pseudo Law of Electricity.
I am amazed at how many levels I gained just from this dungeon. Facing trials designed for me made it all possible. I had to push myself to the limit to meet expectations, and this is the result. Eighteen levels, spread across all my skills.
My vital Synthesis hasn't gained any level, the same thing is happening with my mental skill, which I am forcing to stop until I gain inspiration. Summing up my gains from this hero's dungeon: 18 levels, my mental skill ranked up, twin swords I can use for years, and a hero's mark. This has been a fruitful incursion—it's time to return. I don't want anything strange to happen.
"I want to return!" I shout, so I can leave.