"What the hell?" Victor muttered in a dumbfounded voice as he slowly opened his eyes. His mind still felt hazy, and fragments of memory drifted through his consciousness like broken shards of glass. He recalled the unbearable pain, the destruction of his mana circuits, and the terrifying force that had nearly consumed him entirely. A bitter smile gradually appeared on his face as realization dawned upon him.

"No wonder," he whispered quietly.

Before he could think any further, another familiar sound echoed inside his mind. The mechanical voice of the system rang clearly within his consciousness.

[Ding! You have gained 500 million points.]

[Ding! This is an unprecedented result. As a reward your points have been multiplied by 10.]

[Ding! You have gained 5 billion points.]

Victor blinked several times after hearing the announcements. The sheer number sounded enormous, yet he lacked any proper understanding of the value behind those points. Since he had no frame of reference, he could not determine whether the amount was ordinary or something truly monstrous. If he had known that even sages usually earned no more than five to ten million points during major achievements, he probably would have burst into laughter on the spot. Ordinary awakeners from the lower ranks often struggled to gather even a few thousand points.

Victor rubbed his forehead slowly while processing the information. Despite the absurd amount he had obtained, his attention quickly shifted toward a far more pressing issue.

"What can I even buy with these points?" he asked inwardly.

[Ding! You may access the shop list by muttering the words "System Shop." However, the system suggests prioritizing another matter first.]

Victor frowned slightly as the system continued speaking.

[Ding! Your mana circuit has been completely destroyed. Natural regeneration is impossible. The system suggests constructing a new mana circuit.]

The words instantly shattered the remaining calm inside Victor’s mind. The nurse had previously informed him that his mana circuits were ruined, but he had not fully grasped the severity of the situation at the time. Now that the system had confirmed it so directly, genuine horror spread through his chest.

A mana circuit was the foundation of every awakener. Without it, even possessing limitless mana would become meaningless because there would be no way to channel or control that power. An awakener without mana circuits was no different from an ordinary cripple.

Victor clenched his fists tightly.

"How much would it cost to rebuild one?" he asked with a tense expression.

[Ding!

Normal Mana Circuit: 10 million points.

Advanced Mana Circuit: 50 million points.

Ultimate Mana Circuit: 500 million points.

Mana Circuit capable of using your unknown element while allowing spells three realms above your current level: 5 billion points.]

Victor stared blankly at the final option for several seconds. The corners of his mouth twitched violently as he resisted the urge to curse the system aloud. It was obvious what the system was trying to do. It was dangling an irresistible treasure directly before him while fully aware that he would never ignore such an opportunity.

The first three options already sounded absurdly powerful, yet the final choice completely surpassed them all. A mana circuit capable of handling his mysterious element and supporting spells three realms beyond his current level was something that bordered on insanity.

Victor narrowed his eyes.

"What does this stupid system think of me?" he muttered coldly. "Does it really believe I will fall for such an obvious trap?"

He remained silent for several moments while staring at the options floating before him. Then he inhaled deeply and gritted his teeth.

"Build the five billion point one."

The moment the words left his mouth, Victor silently cursed himself. He had fallen for the bait exactly as the system expected. However, there was simply no way he could reject such an opportunity after seeing it presented directly before him.

[Ding! This process will be extremely painful. Please endure.]

The next instant, agony exploded throughout Victor’s body like a violent storm.

Boom!

It felt as though every muscle inside his body was being ripped apart strand by strand. His bones trembled violently while his nerves burned with unbearable heat. At the same time, his skin felt as though invisible hands were tearing it away from his flesh piece by piece.

"AHHHHHHH!"

Victor screamed like a madman. His body convulsed violently inside the medical pod while blood vessels bulged across his skin. The horrifying screams echoed throughout the entire medical chamber.

Bam!

The door burst open instantly as five terrifying figures rushed into the room without hesitation. Diana entered first with an ice cold expression on her face, followed closely by Elyndros, Lyria, Arthur, and Merlin. The sheer pressure released from their presence caused the surrounding doctors to freeze in fear.

Diana immediately looked toward Victor’s violently shaking body. His agonized screams pierced directly into her chest, causing a pain to spread through her heart.

"What is happening here?" she demanded furiously.

Without waiting for an answer, Diana grabbed the nearby nurse by the throat and lifted her into the air effortlessly. The nurse’s face instantly turned pale from terror as she struggled to breathe.

Diana’s eyes radiated killing intent.

"Did your organization do something to him?" she asked coldly.

"I... I do not know anything..." the nurse choked out desperately. "Please... believe me..."

Diana stared directly into the nurse’s terrified eyes while examining every reaction carefully. After several moments, she confirmed that the woman truly knew nothing.

She released the nurse immediately.

"Then call every available doctor right now," Diana ordered.

The nurse stumbled backward before rushing out of the room at full speed like someone fleeing from death itself.

Victor continued screaming without pause while his body trembled violently inside the pod. Veins bulged across his arms while sweat poured endlessly from his skin. Even Arthur and Elyndros frowned heavily after witnessing the horrifying scene.

Diana slowly raised her hand toward the pod with a dangerous expression.

"I am breaking this pod open," she declared.

Before she could attack, the head doctor hurriedly stepped forward in panic.

"Lady Diana, please wait," he said nervously after checking the pod’s readings once more. "I swear upon my life that the healing pod is functioning perfectly. There is absolutely no malfunction. His Highness appears to be suffering pain connected to his mana circuits."

The doctor swallowed nervously before continuing.

"It seems... they are being rebuilt."

The entire room instantly fell silent.

Merlin’s expression darkened immediately.

"Rebuilding mana circuits?" he roared furiously. "Do you think we are fools? His mana circuits were completely evaporated. There is no spell, treasure, or medicine in this world capable of restoring them."

The doctor nearly collapsed from fear under Merlin’s terrifying pressure. Even he did not understand how such a thing could possibly happen.

Suddenly, Lyria narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Could he be rebuilding them through the system using points?" she asked quietly.

The moment those words were spoken, everyone froze.

No one had ever heard of such a possibility before. However, considering the mysterious nature of the system, it was not entirely impossible either.

Diana immediately called out toward the system herself.

"System, can mana circuits truly be rebuilt using points?"

[Ding!

Normal Mana Circuit: 10 million points.

Advanced Mana Circuit: 50 million points.

Ultimate Mana Circuit: 500 million points.]

Diana’s pupils contracted slightly after seeing the response. It was real. Such a thing was actually possible through the system, although the price was completely monstrous.

"Then what grade are our mana circuits?" Diana asked immediately afterward.

[Ding! As the wielder of the Primordial Dao Physique, your mana circuit is classified as Ultimate Grade. However, the overwhelming majority of individuals across Ethereum possess only Normal Grade mana circuits.]

The room fell silent once again.

Even the sages felt shaken after hearing the answer.