World System's Wrath: Primordial Architect of Taboo Creations

Opening the trunk, Cyrus saw it loaded with ten black duffel bags. He quickly checked each bag to confirm their contents; there was no room for mistakes. After verifying they were all filled with beast cores, he grabbed the handles of three duffel bags in each hand and moved toward his truck.

Cyrus noticed Helen whispering something to her friend, but with his mind occupied by too much, the gossip didn't interest him.

He swiftly walked up to his truck and dropped the bags in the back seat before returning to collect the remaining bags. He paused when he reached Helen.

"Thank you, Miss Helen, and—"

"Esta," the girl replied, her face still frowning.

"Miss Esta." He gave a slight bow before continuing on his way.

He tossed the bags into the back seat, climbed into the driver's seat, and started the car, only to see the girls approaching him.

They stopped at his window, and he rolled it down. 

Helen cautioned sternly, "I don't know what you plan to do with that large amount of beast cores, but you should know the consequences of absorbing too many impure ones. It stunts your potential, and when it comes time for trials, it becomes extremely difficult—almost impossible—to pass it. Most people with hampered potentials either decline the trial, halting their growth, or die trying to pass."

"I'm not stupid," Cyrus replied calmly.

"Hey," Esta's voice cut in, pulling his attention.

Leaning against the truck with her arms crossed tightly, her expression was a disinterested scowl. "Don't die a stupid death. I can't stand people who waste opportunities for short-term gain," she said, her tone sharp, as if Cyrus's presence was a nuisance.

Cyrus eyed her oddly before driving away.

Once he was a distance from them, he overheard Esta's cold voice: "He's stupid, prioritizing short-term gain."

'Why is she so bitter?' Cyrus thought as he drove into the distance, unable to catch Helen's reply.

As he got farther away, his demeanor shifted; the easygoing carefreeness vanished, replaced by sharp focus.

The region was filled with mountains, so it didn't take long for him to reach a cave he planned to use as his 'kitchen.' He parked at a distance and moved the ten bags into the cave.

Entering, he scanned the bags with his Eyes of Void, feeling a sense of relief. He set the rest of the bags in a corner and took one, walking deeper until he found a perfect spot in the shallow cave.

He sat down, placed the bag beside him, and unzipped it. Taking a deep breath, he tied his hair back messily before removing his glasses.

Stretching his open palm, he activated [Nullfire], watching as the black flame sprang to life. The flame felt a bit more intense than the first time, but he didn't have time to ponder why; he was walking on borrowed time from Yuna.

Activating the Eyes of Void, he picked up the first beast core and noticed many black spots dotting its surface, a clear indication of impurities. Without hesitation, he thrust the impure area into the flame, watching intently as the flickering tongues of fire licked at it, swiftly consuming that tainted section. The core sizzled and crackled, releasing faint wisps of smoke. Cyrus quickly turned the core, exposing other impure sections to the flame.

Once he confirmed that all the black spots were gone, he activated [Extract] without deactivating [Nullfire]. Extraction was the only skill that could work without disrupting others.

[+2 Etherion absorbed!]

The long-awaited panel appeared.

'So, I can get more than a single Etherion from a cleansed beast core.'

He moved to the next core. With [Nullfire] burning on his right and [Extract] ready on the left, Cyrus entered a frenzy of beast core absorption, resembling a chef cooking and eating directly from the pot.

Soon, he grew accustomed to the rhythm, and his speed and dexterity at 'cooking' the beast cores increased. Without looking, his hand kept reaching into the bag to grab more cores. 

However, he noticed something—the strength of Nullfire intensified the more he used it to burn away the impurities.

'Is it absorbing some part of the beast cores?' Cyrus wondered.

If he weren't pressed for time, he might have paused to investigate, but he had no choice but to press on.

He soon moved to more bags, and as he suspected, Nullfire grew in intensity and power with each core. By the time he had finished half of the bags, the length of the flame had grown from palm-sized to about half a meter long—a black wildfire burning fiercely in his palm, chasing away any encroaching light, with vibrant purple speckles flickering within. 

Cyrus could now feel slight hotness radiating from the fire, which wasn't noticeable before.

'Would it burn me if it absorbed more beast cores?' he thought warily.

He gazed at the roaring flame with hesitation, but that doubt faded quickly as he toughened his resolve and prepared to keep going. What else could he do? He felt tempted to try it on the watch, but the risk of destroying it was too great. He didn't want to gamble with his life.

Exhaling deeply, Cyrus deactivated Nullfire after a brief struggle and removed his shirt. With his body bare, he resumed the absorption. The ferocious flame now destroyed impurities faster than ever, speeding up his absorption process but also increasing its heat.

Before long, Cyrus was sweating, the massive flame crackling in his palm, towering over him as he sat. He could feel the heat searing his skin. Gritting his teeth, he pushed the tracking watch back to avoid an accident, then continued. Whenever the heat became unbearable, he would switch the palm bearing the flame.

Minutes ticked by.

Suddenly, a pop-up appeared.

[Etherion reserve complete! 1000/1000.]

Cyrus was stunned for a moment before a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but the searing heat quickly brought him back to reality. He swiftly extinguished the flame after a brief internal battle. Blisters covered his hand and wrist that bore the heat.

'That flame will be the end of me.'

But he set that thought aside and happily summoned the Power Module panel.

—

POWER MODULE

[Name]: Cyrus 

[Age]: 20

[Race]: Human

[Rank]: Awakened

[Title]:

[Class]: Artificer 

[Talent]: Peak

[Etherion]: 1000/1000 

[Skill]: [Artisan Scribbler] [Eyes of Void] [Artifice Flame] [Extract] [Chained Lock] [Nullfire]

[Corruption]: 0.2%

[Doomed Fate]: +5

—

His eyes gleamed with thrill at the sight of his complete Etherion reserve,but when he looked down, his expression changed, and the excitement faded. 

'Doomed Fate +5? Damn!'