Without another thought, Theo began forcing out mana threads from all three masses simultaneously.
Blue, yellow, and gray mana threads began popping out one after another.
Instead of guiding them to his core walls as usual, he let them swirl around inside his core.
Within minutes, thousands of threads had gathered.
That’s when Theo began to feel a sharp tingling sensation in his chest.
It was just like the previous two breakthroughs... except ten times worse!
Even so, he gritted his teeth and pushed through with ease.
’This is just the start,’ he thought. ’I need to stimulate the affinities far more!’
The tingling sensation only grew worse and worse as he kept forcing out threads harder and faster.
Suddenly, a sharp spike of pain shot through his entire body.
It was as if a dam had suddenly burst open.
Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of mana threads began spilling inside his core simultaneously.
A pain unlike anything he’d ever felt before ripped through his chest.
The three affinities that had coexisted so peacefully earlier were now constantly colliding with each other.
’Fuckkkk!!!’
Theo bit down on his lips so hard that blood started leaking from them.
Despite the pain, Theo kept forcing out the threads, filling his core to the brim.
Minutes ticked by in agonizing pain.
Finally, a sense of fulfillment and completion radiated from his core.
’Now!’ he thought, his eyes snapping open. ’The resources!’
He quickly picked up the first few resources, ignoring whatever mana shot through his hands.
Without hesitation, he stuffed all of them into his mouth at the same time.
’Go!’ he urged himself, sweat beading down his face.
In an instant, the tens of thousands of mana threads began pushing against his core’s walls, forcing it to expand.
Cracks rapidly started spreading across the core’s surface, sending violent pain through his body.
But he paid the pain no attention.
As the core rapidly expanded, the built-up mana threads rushed into the cracks from the inside, while the mana from the resources rushed into the cracks from the outside.
Both rapidly mended the cracks, allowing the core to continue growing while breaking.
’Go! Go! Go!’ Theo thought, his nails digging into his palms.
He pushed his core’s growth to its absolute limits.
Only when a familiar sense of fulfillment ran through him did he stop.
’Done!’ he thought, smiling with his jaw clenched.
The remaining mana rushed into the gaps, rapidly mending and strengthening the core’s walls.
This was a crucial step, as it was what determined how much more mana one could release compared to others.
Finally, after that too reached its limit, his core shone brightly with a golden color.
’That was part one,’ he thought, clenching his fists. ’Now the special part about the Gold Core sta—’
Before he could finish his thoughts, his core released a violent wave of mana.
Tons of water, lightning, and chaos threads coursed through his body, radiating an immense pressure.
His skin lit up instantly, dots of gray, blue, and yellow shining brightly everywhere.
Sweat appeared on Theo’s face instantly.
For him, it felt like his body was melting away!
’THEY ALL LIED!’ he screamed internally. ’THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PAINLESS!’
The violent wave of mana showed no signs of stopping.
Instead, it only grew stronger.
Blue, yellow, and gray mana threads surged through every inch of his body, pushing themselves through his muscles, bones, organs, and veins.
Theo’s entire body trembled violently.
It felt as though countless invisible hands were tearing him apart before stitching him back together again.
’’AARRGH!!!’’
He couldn’t hold back his voice any longer from the sheer amount of pain.
Yet, that pain slowly started fading as he felt his body changing on a fundamental level.
Gradually, an indescribable warmth replaced the pain.
The countless mana threads continued coursing through his body.
Only now, it felt like his body had grown resistant to and familiar with them.
That wasn’t all, though.
His muscles, bones, organs, and skin had all grown much stronger.
Even his senses had become far, far clearer than before!
Theo slowly opened his eyes.
The three colors that had covered his skin gradually faded away.
He remained seated in the sand for a few moments, taking slow, deep breaths.
’’Damn,’’ he muttered quietly. ’’That was... painful.’’
A soft chuckle left his mouth as a smile spread across his face.
He could feel how much more powerful he’d truly become.
With the amount of mana he now had access to, he could wipe the floor with five or even ten of his previous selves!
’’So this... is the Gold Core stage,’’ he said.
But there was still something missing.
His gaze slowly flickered out in front of him.
Just then, a familiar blue screen popped up in front of him.
[Would You Rather—]
Option A: Walk a predestined path with a guaranteed future as Earth’s strongest hunter.
Option B: Walk an unpredictable path with no guarantees and the chance to grow to become the strongest amongst all planes.
—
Theo’s brows slowly rose.
’What?’ he thought, completely caught off guard.
Reading through both options again, his brows only furrowed further.
Suddenly, a bright red screen popped up in front of him.
[Time Remaining: 00:00:49]
[WARNING: Failure to select an option will result in the system’s immediate disappearance.]
Theo’s pupils contracted for a moment.
’Less than a minute?’
For a split second, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Then, they all vanished.
’’Option B,’’ he said without the slightest hesitation.
The red countdown froze instantly.
[Selection confirmed.]
[You have chosen to reject a predestined future.]
[Granting rewards now...]
Both the blue and red windows shattered into countless pieces.
Theo stared at the system, unsure what to expect.
Before he could think about it, his expression suddenly froze.
Deep inside his core, a tiny, pitch-black mass appeared out of nowhere.
[Congratulations! Host has successfully awakened the SSS-rank Calamity affinity and racial abilities.]
Theo’s eyes widened.
’’What the—’’
Before he could even finish speaking, both of his eyes turned completely black.