Chapter 4: Power and Madness – Two Sides of the Same Coin. Can You Pay This Price?

  I settled onto a charred black boulder as the rivers of molten rock began flowing once more, filling the landscape with scorching heat. It was strange—neither the unbearable heat nor the lack of oxygen affected me. Just a short while ago, I could never have imagined such a fate.

  Now, a question arose: Are these changes good or bad? It was hard to predict. My understanding of my current state was still in its infancy.

  Thirty minutes later, something unusual stirred in my chest. A wave of pleasurable warmth spread through my body. How could I describe it? It was euphoric—comparable to the rush of hard drugs, perhaps?

  Like a monk reaching enlightenment, I closed my eyes and instinctively tried to inhale—only to be struck by the brutal reality: I had no mouth, no lungs. What a cosmic joke.

  Hours passed, and I remained motionless. I felt no hunger, no thirst, not even the need for sleep. Then, finally, I hit a wall.

  What just happened?

  Had I reached the current limit of my core’s capacity? Should I push forward or surrender?

  No. Now that I was one step closer to the truth, I couldn’t give up.

  With renewed determination, I pressed against the invisible barrier. It felt like being crushed under the weight of a mountain.

  After an hour of grueling effort, I finally broke through. A surge of lightness followed—so intoxicating, so addictive—that I wondered if this was what drug addicts chased.

  Stolen story; please report.

  I opened my eyes and stood, gazing once more at the starry night sky. Three eyes staring at the cosmos… Who would’ve thought?

  Suddenly, Primer’s entire body began glowing with a sacred golden light, radiating warmth. In the oppressive darkness, he shone like a beacon—until, at last, consciousness faded, and darkness reclaimed him.

  Hours passed. Then days. Then weeks.

  When Primer finally awoke, disoriented, he had no idea how long he had slept—only that it couldn’t have been brief.

  There was only one way to check.

  "Status!"

  Darkness swallowed his vision, and then—he was back on the still, golden water. No turbulence, no shattered sky.

  With both anticipation and unease, he looked down. Just as expected, crimson words materialized:

  Name: Primer

  Age: 1

  Core Level: 2

  Mana Capacity: 11/100

  I… I leveled up?! So ,this was progression. Another step toward understanding the system.

  Does this mean all I have to do is sit around and gather energy? Simple, yes—but agonizingly tedious, especially when breaking through the barrier.

  Wait… I’m one year old? Did I sleep for a whole year after evolving?! Why? I don’t feel any different…

  Frustrated by the lack of answers, he exited the mental space. At least entering and exiting "Status" was instantaneous.

  Minutes later, he noticed a subtle but crucial change. So this is what evolution does—it increases production efficiency!

  According to the system, Mana was energy, and by the laws of physics, energy was neither created nor destroyed—only transformed. Thus, to generate Mana, he relied on external energy sources—like the radiation from the sun.

  After leveling up, not only did his Mana capacity increase, but so did his ability to convert energy. The rate of accumulation improved.

  But there’s a catch.

  With each core upgrade, his Mana capacity multiplied tenfold. That meant longer intervals between evolutions.

  An acceptable trade-off, he thought. After all, time was the one thing he had in near-infinite supply.

  Yet, he never imagined that accepting this seemingly simple condition would render the very concept of time… meaningless.