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Chapter 139: A Challenge
Chapter 139: A Challenge
Kyle and Void finally stood amidst the clearing littered with the remains of hundreds of mana beasts. Void kept panted heavily, his once energetic aura reduced to a soft presence, though his grin never faltered. He stumbled slightly before collapsing onto his side.
"That…" Void exhaled deeply, "... Was incredible. I don't think I've had this much fun in my life."
Kyle chuckled, wiping sweat and dirt off his brow with the back of his hand. "You look like you enjoyed it a little too much."
"Who wouldn't? Those beasts were so pathetic."
"Don't get too comfortable. We've got more to deal with."
Void groaned dramatically, rolling onto his back. "Yeah, them big ones. But before we go back into the madness, what about all the tasty mana cores we got? We've earned a feast."
Kyle smirked. "You're not wrong. It's time to gobble up some cores!"
Void leaped back to his feet with renewed energy at the mention of mana cores. He opened his system pet space and, with a flick of his claws, summoned a growing pile of glowing, colorful orbs.
They shimmered in the fading sunlight, radiating power. Kyle mirrored the action, summoning his own collection from his inventory. The cores from the 411 beasts he had just slain, plus the ten from earlier, made a massive mound of 421 mana cores.
Kyle eyed the mountain before him and decided to check his status before starting. A quick glance confirmed how many EXP he had—none. Just as he reached out to pick up his first core, Void's voice interrupted him.
"Hold on, hold on!" Void said with a wicked grin. "Let's make this more fun."
"What are you scheming?"
Void puffed up his chest proudly. "A challenge! Let's see who can finish their cores first."
Kyle snorted and was about to accept Void's challenge. "Void, I know you're fast, but I'm not sure even you can—"
"Winner takes the loser's leftover cores!" Void added triumphantly and his grin grew even wider.
Kyle froze mid-reach. "What? No way! That's the most evil challenge I've ever heard. You're a greedy little dragon, aren't you?"
"Fine, fine. No stakes, then. Just a friendly challenge. Or are you still too scared?"
Kyle narrowed his eyes at the taunt but eventually smiled. "You're on. Let's see what you've got."
Void's grin widened. "That's the spirit! Ready? Three… two…"
Kyle quickly braced himself, eyeing the glowing pile of mana cores before him. 'I've got this. He's fast, but I can keep up. I won't lose this easily.'
"…One!"
As Void shouted the final number, Kyle moved with inhuman speed, using both hands to grab cores and consume them one after the other as quick as possible.
[EXP +20]
[EXP +20]
...
In just five seconds, he had already downed ten cores. Kyle grinned at his speed, feeling a surge of energy. "Not bad for a human, right?"
But before he could pick up his eleventh core, a loud burp echoed beside him, stopping him in his tracks and sending shivers through his spine. He turned to see Void sitting casually atop an empty spot where his pile of cores had been just moments ago.
Kyle blinked and his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. "How… when… WHAT?"
Void smirked smugly. "All gone. Digested. Want me to help with yours?"
Kyle's eyes widened, and he instinctively shielded his pile with both arms. "Get away, you monster! Those are mine!"
Void laughed with a mixture of amusement and mockery. "Monster? You thought I was human before?"
Kyle nearly felt a tear form in his eyes from the frustration he felt but shook it off. "No distractions this time," he muttered, focusing on his pile. As he consumed one core after another, the system notifications continued rolling in.
---
[EXP +20]
[EXP +20]
[EXP +20]
...
Void, having finished his feast, sprawled out on the ground, "You're so slow," he teased, yawning widely. "I'm gonna take a quick nap while you finish up."
Kyle glared at him but didn't bother responding, channeling all his energy into consuming the remaining cores. The notifications kept pouring in as he made steady progress through the pile.
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[EXP +20]
[EXP +20]
...
Eventually, Kyle finished the last core and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. He turned to find Void waking up, stretching his limbs lazily.
"Done already?" Void asked, smirking.
Kyle shot him a wry smile. "You slept through half of it. What kind of partner abandons me like that?"
Void shrugged, utterly unapologetic. "You were too slow. I had time for a nap."
Kyle sighed and shaked his head but decided to say nothing.
"So, what's next? The remaining beasts? Another challenge?" Void asked.
Kyle didn't reply to Void's question immediately and decided to take a look at his stats. He knew that the cores he had consumed wouldn't be enough for a level up, but he should be close nevertheless.
"Status!"
———————
Beginner Mage: Lv 6
EXP: 8631/12000*
HP: 160
Energy: 196
MP: -
Agility: 91
Strength: 95
Vitality: 80
Stamina: 98
Intelligence: 81
SP: 0
[Elements]
[Skills]
[Lightning Bolt(Lv 3)]*
[Lightning Dash(Lv 3)]*
[Inspect(Lv 2)]
[Gobbler(Lv 2)]
[Undying]
——————
Kyle grinned after observing his improvements. 'About 4000 EXP more to go, that's 200 Tier-1 mana cores,' Kyle calculated, admiring how fast he was 'cultivating'. He was sure that his friends would be left behind in the dust by the time he was back.
His EXP wasn't the only improvement Kyle had noticed though. 'I finally leveled these skills,' Kyle thought with a grin. He knew their levels could increase when got more proficient with them and that was why this fight was very helpful.
'I can't wait to test out their new power after leveling up,' Kyle inwardly thought with a grin before returning his attention on Void.
'Pet Status!'
| Void |
| Race: Omni Drakkon |
| Level: 7 |
| EXP: 45700/64000 |*
| HP: 320 |
| Energy: 620 |
| MP: 550 |
| Agility: 88 |
| Strength: 87 |
| Vitality: 160 |
| Stamina: 310 |
| Intelligence: 550 |
[Skills: Lightning Breath (Lv 3), Lightning Dash (Lv 3), Invisible (Lv 4), Phase (Lv 3)]*
*Read Author's Note!*