Eliron woke up as early as 1AM the next day, took a cold shower, after which he walked into the dining room.

He had acquired the spirit shard yesterday, but since it was already morning by the time he came back, and the castle guards were on high alert, he decided to postpone absorbing it until today.

The last thing he wanted to do was make a scene when everyone was already suspicious...

He yawned as he walked past the dining and into the kitchen that was a part of the annex.

When he first arrived, he wondered why there was even a kitchen, especially when the castle maids brought them food three times a day and would answer to their every request.

But today, he found himself appreciating the fact that it was there.

He placed a pan on the magi-tec heater, then summoned his infinity pouch. One by one, he pulled out his ingredients and placed them on the table.

Pre-melted tallow, a sizable potion of meat, spices he bought in the city and salt.

Grudgingly he took a bowl of water and washed the meat, sliced it up then rubbed the spices into it, after which he got the stove started.

The technology used in the castle was rather unique, so much so that Eliron doubted it was being used anywhere outside it.

It was made with rune tech, a stove that did not use charcoal or wood, but instead used the mana in the air for cooking.

A few minutes later, the invigorating aroma of dried meat waffled into the air. Eliron took his fried meat as well as a cup of tea and left the kitchen, settling into his seat.

’This is going to be a long day...’ he thought as he bit into the meat. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

First, he had to absorb the entirety of the Spirit shard and hopefully gain both affinities from it...

He had also been slacking off on his training, so he would go a few rounds with the sword demon in his inner world.

"And there is still that other thing..."

Click!

Tsukiko suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaping atop his table. Love on the other hand was nowhere in sight.

"Assimilated already?"

The fox nodded as she walked up to his plate, picking up a piece of meat.

She was not much different than she had been before, at least physically. The crescent moon shape was still on her head, her eyes were the same colour...

But there were two obvious changes. The first was her mana pool. Although she was still trying to hide it, Eliron could tell it had grown a lot more vast.

And her tail... "Did you grow another tail?"

Tsukiko nodded again without saying a word.

"So who is in charge now?" Eliron grabbed a piece of meat, eating it and washing it down with some tea. "Is it Tsukiko or Love?"

Tsukiko stared at him like he had asked a dumb question, which he probably had, but Eliron wanted to be one hundred percent sure his hunch was true.

"Fruhhhhh..."

"So back to not talking?"

Tsukiko ignored him and was about to steal another strip of meat when Eliron pulled away the plate.

He picked up a strip and handed it to her. "What about a bribe then, hmmm?" He waved the well cooked meat in front of her face.

Tsukiko gave him a condescending stare then laid down, tucking her head into her fury coat.

Eliron doubled it. "What about two? You won’t find this anywhere you know?"

Her ears twitched.

"Three?"

Before he could even fully raise it, Tsukiko snatched it out of his hands and stuffed it all into her mouth, swallowing it without chewing.

"Heh? You’re going to choke if you keep eating like this..." he sighed. "So, about my question..."

Tsukiko laid down again, but this time she actually spoke. "We are the same, so we are basically one person."

Oh? It was just like he expected, they had simply returned to how they were meant to be from the start.

She paused briefly before adding. "Still assimilating. Tired..."

"Alright, I won’t bother you any longer."

Eliron suddenly heard a rush of footsteps as someone burst into the dining room.

When he turned around to see who it was, just as he had expected, Yennefer was breathing over his neck, her eyes locked on the plate.

"You are having a midnight snack without me??" She pouted. "That is not fair!"

Did the smell of cooking food really rouse her from sleep? What sort of nose did she even have?

Eliron frowned. "It’s not a midnight snack, it’s breakfast..."

Swish!

Yen grabbed the plate and sat next to him, not bothering to ask if he was done.

"Breakfash?" She asked while chewing. "Were are you going this early?" She patted Tsukiko with her free hand, the kitsune letting out a low, pleased pur-like sound.

Eliron grabbed her cheeks and tugged it. "Ask before you steal my breakfast. Even Tukiko has better manners."

"Furrr..." Tsukiko let out a disgruntled sound.

He stretched and grabbed his sword from the table. "I have a lot of things I need to do. I’ll probably be back really late..."

"Alright, get something for me on your way back!"

He nodded, patting her head before he walked towards the door. Tsukiko jumped down from the table and climbed to his head as he exited the room, closing the door with a soft click.

<•••>

Eliron left the grand capital of Donia for a dark forest miles away from the city. He needed a quiet place where it was basically impossible to be walked into, a place where he could focus all his attention on the absorption.

This was because what he was about to do was unlike anything he had ever done...

The last time he had anything to do with a spirit shard, it was the mana core they were lucky to find after slaying the Magister Mammoth.

He had assisted Artie in absorbing the spirit shard and somehow gained an affinity from the fragments that were left.

But the spirit shard back then was nothing compared to what was currently sitting in front of him.

Although there was no official ranking for monsters, a Dryad, especially the one this shard was taken from, was calamity grade, meaning it could wipe out an entire kingdom.

A spirit shard like this was not just difficult to absorb, it was equally dangerous. The beast’s will would fight back, and if he was not careful, he would be consumed by it.

And that was just if he was going through the normal route, which of course he was not going to do...

Normally with a shard like this, you would only absorb about thirty percent of its mana, while the rest would be lost to the environment.

But with the help of mana breathing, a whole buttload of luck, and precise control of his mana flow... Eliron was planning to absorb ninety percent of the energy.

’My core isn’t going to burst right?’ He joked internally as he picked up the shard, knowing fully well, that it was indeed a real possibility.

[So that little thing is supposed to make you stronger?] The sword demon asked, eying the fragment.

Eliron nodded. "Very much so..." he glanced at the demon then smirked. "We’ll see just how much stronger I get when I’m done, up for a spar?"

Satoru snorted, then smiled deviously. [If you want another ass whooping, then I’ll be happy to oblige.]

"We will see..."

Eliron closed his eyes and felt every single mana vein pulsing through his body. He maintained the flow, calming it as well as his mind.

Then he began to channel his mana into the shard. This part alone was grueling, he had to saturate the shard with mana, so that his mana would be compatible with it...

If not, it would be like transfusing the wrong blood type into a patient. His innate mana would react to it, and his core would implode on itself.

The shard hovered in the air in front of him, then steamy, greyish-blue mana floated from his hands, engulfing the entirety of the shard.

The shard began to glow softly as more mana poured into it. After about thirty minutes, Eliron’s gaze faltered.

’What the hell?’ The crystal was like a void, no matter how much mana he used, it just swallowed it whole.

With each ounce of mana he dumped into it, he got weaker, and with each passing second his mana reserves dwindled.

[Mana Breathing]

Eliron decided to augment his mana with the mana in the air around him, and yet, it took thirty more minutes before the crystal began to show signs of saturation.

By then, there was already a small pool of sweat underneath him. Then a few seconds later—

Crack!

A hairline crack split apart the shard like glass, and Eliron smirked. It was finally time.

[SSS-Rank Skill, Luck]

The crack spread through the shard, and then it ruptured, a flood of mana gushing out of its bountiful innards.

Turbulent waves of mana rushed into Eliron faster than his brain could process. At first, it felt like he had been slapped by a giant, and a few seconds later it was as though his chest was being crushed by a mountain!

"Keh—!"

In the first minute alone, Eliron coughed out blood, feeling his insides twist without remorse.

His eyes bang to glow a pale blue light, his mana veins expanded, pushing against his muscles and aching with a sharp, burning pain.

"Tch!" Eliron clenched his jaw tight, resisting the urge to scream.

He was attempting to do something that had never been done before, and in the process he had grossly underestimated how it would feel.

His brain felt like it would shut off from the pain, his body was so hot that the sweat evaporated off his skin, his mana core was expanding faster than was natural, and worst of all, his mana veins were seconds away from bursting.

’I have to find another route!’

His core was fine for now, he could handle the pain for a little longer. But his mana veins, they were at their limit.

’Think Eliron, think!’

How else could he channel the mana? Was there no other thing that could be done apart from giving up on 90%?

That was when it hit him, mana was like a wave, a current if you would...

He could not use his veins or arteries because it would kill him on the spot, they were not also fast enough to move the mana.

But there was something else...

’This is madness.’ Eliron chuckled internally. But now he had become too curious to not try.

He forcibly opened his eyes and glanced at Tsukiko who was watching him with a worried expression in her eyes.

"If anything happens to me." Eliron smiled. His mana veins were glowing through his skin, and every breath he drew looked like a struggle.

"...After ten minutes, get Yen."

"Wait! What are you trying to—"

Right before her eyes, Eliron snatched the spirit shard from the air, and then he swallowed it.

Even the sword demon who had been sitting nonchalant by the side got up, his eyes wide.

"What the hell—"

TZZZZZZZ!

A shockwave cut through the area, followed by a wave of electricity that filled the air with sparks. And then Eliron fell sideways, his body bouncing on the grass.

?!

Panicked, Tsukiko rushed towards him and placed her paw on his neck.

Tshhhhh—!

She immediately removed her paw, watching her fur as it burned off. But there was something even more concerning...

Her eyes widened as she stared at him.

His heart... it had stopped beating.

..

A/N

How do you think Eliron plans to channel the mana? :)