Help!! This Girl Is A Yandere!!!-Chapter 27: Leveling Up
"Kuhuhuhu~ Ah~! This feels amazing!" Xavier exclaimed, a wild grin plastered on his face. In his hand, he held a glowing Core roughly the size of a ping pong ball. It shimmered with a soft white hue, emitting a faint, mysterious light that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"I never thought I would actually get one of these from a mere Level Eight Ungraded Monster," he muttered, his voice filled with both surprise and satisfaction. "Then again, since it is from a lowly Ungraded creature, it’s no surprise that it’s so small. Still... better than nothing."
He turned the Core over in his hand, watching the glow flicker slightly in response to his touch.
"This should be enough to push my Tier 0 Level 3 Transcendency up by a few levels at least..."
"RUUOOO!!"A deafening, bestial roar echoed from the distance, shaking the stillness of the forest like a crashing wave.
"...!" Xavier’s brows shot up in alarm.
"Tch. I spent too much time scavenging for a Core." He clenched his jaw.
"Time to scram."
He swiftly mounted his Airboard and kicked off in the direction opposite the roar.
"Kuhuuu~ This is fun! Turbo Mode: On!"
BOOOM!!
The board blasted forward, tearing through the wind as Xavier rocketed into the distance.
From behind a tree, a figure emerged.
"...Never cured. He just hid it—and suppressed it really well," Samuel murmured quietly before leaping forward to follow.
Deep within an uncharted and shadowy region of the Periculous Forest, perched atop the thick, moss-covered branches of a towering tree with bark spanning nearly twenty feet in width, sat a young black-haired teenager cloaked in silence. Beside him hovered a dagger, suspended in mid-air, its blade gleaming faintly as jets of fire gushed steadily from the base of its hilt, flaring like a miniature engine poised for flight.
"Hey, Haley," Xavier called.
[Yes, Master?]
"Can you deploy the Inflibug to survey the area for any signs of monsters?"
[Affirmative.]
"Good. I plan to use the Aether inside this Core to ascend to the next level. I don’t want any interruptions during the process."
[Understood. Deploying Inflibug.]
With a soft mechanical buzz that hummed through the air like a high-tech insect, the Inflibug detached from its resting place and zipped away at high speed, its sleek frame vanishing into the dense foliage. Xavier’s eyes remained locked onto the holographic screen floating in front of him, the glowing interface reflecting in his pupils as he meticulously scanned for any trace of movement or signs of life within a one-kilometer radius, his body tense with focus.
Minutes passed before Haley’s voice rang in his ears.
[Scan complete. No monster presence detected within the marked perimeter.]
"Got it," Xavier nodded. His own eyes confirmed what Haley had said — aside from a few harmless critters, there was nothing of note nearby.
"Alright then... time to get to work."
He leapt down from the tree, landing softly on the forest floor.
After a quick inspection, he nodded.
"This tree should do nicely."
"Haley, can you make a hollow space in the bark? Something big enough for me to sit inside comfortably." Xavier said.
[Yes, I can.] Haley relied.
"Great. But make sure it’s done quietly. I have zero intention of getting swarmed by some bloodthirsty monsters looking for a snack."
[Understood, Master.]
Fsshh
Kaching
Kaching
Within seconds, Haley carved a clean opening into the tree, silently and efficiently. The hole was large enough for Xavier to fit inside with ease.
"Haap!"
With a low grunt of exertion, Xavier bent his knees and firmly gripped the thick, carved-out segment of the massive tree. Muscles flexing beneath his clothes, he hoisted the heavy chunk of dense wood with extreme precision and gently lowered it to the forest floor. The sheer size and weight of the bark section would have been more than enough to shatter the spine or crush the bones of an ordinary human. But Xavier was no ordinary human — he had long transcended the physical limits of normality, his body honed through unknown trials, strengthened by Aether, and tempered by the path of Transcendency.
Thud.
He laid the bark piece down with a soft thump.
"Haley, chop it in half."
[Yes.]
Kaching.
"Nice. You even added a makeshift handle. Good job. Now, listen—if any monsters appear and look aggressive, handle them yourself. But if they are passive or just observing... do not attack unless absolutely necessary. Is that clear?"
[Yes, Master Xavier.]
Xavier took the half without the handle and stashed it under a nearby bush. Then, with the remaining half, he slipped inside the hollow tree and set his bag beside him.
"Now that everything’s done and dusted... it’s time to... transcend."
’Hmm... I think leveling up would be more accurate though. Well doesn’t matter what I call it so long as I can get stronger.’
’According to that, unlike Tier breakthroughs, leveling up only requires sufficient Aether and a resilient mind and body. And I’ve got all three—especially the mental fortitude. Right?’
Rustle Rustle
Vhmmm
Xavier reached into his bag and retrieved the Core. It gave off a low hum, as if sentient... aware of what was about to happen.
Fwoosh
He tossed it gently upward. It floated in mid-air, suspended by its own Aether energy.
Xavier closed his eyes and slowly relaxed his muscles, calming his tense body.
Vrrrm.
The Core began rotating in place, glowing brighter, bathing the hollow chamber in an ethereal white light.
Xavier took deep, slow breaths, inhaling the Aether that poured from the Core.
Ssssss...
The Aether entered through his nose, spreading throughout his body. It flowed through his Aether Veins—also known as Etherlines—reaching every corner of his being. Even the...
Cough~
Excuse me.
...yes, even there. But most of it gathered in one place: the right side of his chest, directly opposite the heart.
There lay a strange, underdeveloped organ — the Ethercore. It resembled only a fragment of a human heart, roughly 30% in structure, with minuscule valves. This was the source of all Aether circulation in the body.
Gradually, more Aether flowed into the Ethercore, and it began to morph — becoming denser, more defined, slowly resembling the human heart in form and function.
Phsshh~
Minutes passed. The Ethercore now resembled 32% of a heart. Its size and robustness had increased significantly. The Etherlines also grew in number and thickness by roughly 3%, allowing for more Aether flow at a faster rate.
Badump Badump
His heartbeat synced with the pulse of Aether.
But the transformation wasn’t limited to just internal organs.
Crack
Crack
Crunch!
Xavier’s bones strengthened and became denser.
"Guuhh...!""Grrr...!"
He stifled a groan. The pain was excruciating — far worse than when he first became a Tier 0 Level 3 Transcendent at the age of thirteen. But he endured, gritting his teeth. He knew that interrupting the process midway could result in permanent internal damage or worse.
Gloop Gloop Gloop
A foul, black liquid oozed from his seven orifices. The stench was a grotesque cocktail of rotten eggs, onions, durians, and feces.
Yet Xavier stayed focused. He could not afford any distractions whatsoever.
The process lasted nearly ten minutes before finally—
Fwoosh
Psss
The Core’s glow dimmed slightly, and its spin slowed.
Then—
PPHOO!!
Sshh
Sshh
Sshh
A faint, radiant light erupted from Xavier as the tree shook from the vibrations of his... breakthrough.
He slowly opened his eyes. His pupils shimmered with a soft, glowing blue.
"Huff... so this is Level 4, huh? Not bad... but not enough."
Without pause, he closed his eyes again and repeated the process.
Moments later:
PPHOO!!
Sshh
Sshh
Sshh
Fwoosh
Psss
The tree shook even more than before as the core lowered further and rotated even more slower. Nonetheless, he successfully entered Level 5 of Tier 0.
Still, he didn’t stop.
Minutes later...
PPHOO!!
Thud!
He broke through once more, reaching Level 6. He opened his glowing eyes and looked at the Core.
It lay on the floor with a soft thud. Its once brilliant glow had completely vanished, now nothing more than a hollow shell — a dead vessel.
Xavier ignored it. He knew once the Aether had been drained, the Core was useless.
Outwardly, his body had changed slightly— his muscles were more defined, his physique leaner and more athletic. His vision had sharpened slightly too.
"Hmm... the amount of Aether I can store has increased nearly fourfold. Not bad at all." He opened and closed his fists, feeling the power surge through him.
Then, he noticed the black sludge beneath him.
"Damn. The impurities I expelled this time are way more than last time." He sighed.
"Thankfully, I coated my nose with Aether beforehand. Otherwise, that stench might have knocked me out cold."
He winced as he examined his sticky, goo-covered skin.
"Urgh... my body feels disgusting. I need a shower. There has to be a river or a lake nearby. I refuse to believe otherwise."
He looked up.
"Well, it shouldn’t be too hard to find one. Not with Haley’s help. Especially not with the Inflibug."
He paused, eyes narrowing with renewed clarity.
"If I want to survive in this shithole..."
