Chapter 50: Chapter 50: E Rank Rhian groaned. His body felt like he had been hit by a truck, then woke up instantly, then run over by another. Then another. Then another.
Everything ached in a way that blurred the line between pain and numbness. It was like his body couldn’t decide whether to scream or shut down.
He couldn’t open his eyes. They felt too heavy to lift, stuck closed like something was weighing them down.
So he was left in darkness, unable to tell what was around him. There was no sound, no air moving, nothing familiar to grab onto.
He tried moving. His arms wouldn’t lift. His legs didn’t respond. His fingers barely twitched. Breathing was possible, but even that came with effort.
He felt stuck in his own body, as if he was wrapped in invisible chains that held him down.
His thoughts started pulling things together. Slowly. The last thing he remembered was the platform, the pile of cores, and the desperation.
He’d eaten them all. Every F-Rank in his bag. Even took the ones from Nia’s. It still wasn’t enough.
Then he remembered the last one.
The E-Rank.
’I ate it,’ he thought. ’That was stupid.’
Every instructor warned against doing something like that. Even if you could survive the energy shock, the rejection would destroy your core. That alone was enough to kill someone.
’I should be dead.’
Another thought came right after.
’Wait... am I dead?’
He tried to speak, but his lips didn’t move. Nothing came out. His own voice stayed trapped inside his skull, echoing back like a memory. And still, nothing around him changed.
He stayed down, breathing slow. His body was still sore, and he wasn’t ready to move yet. It felt like they’d been in this portal forever.
The instructors said these trials wouldn’t last more than a couple of days, but so much had happened that he couldn’t keep track of time anymore.
Between the monsters, the fall, the separation, and nearly dying... it felt like it had been longer.
His thoughts drifted to the others, Ash, Aras, Iris. He wondered if they were still looking for him or if they’d been recalled by now.
Then it clicked.
’Nia... where’s Nia?’
His breath caught in his throat.
’Shit.’
He tried to sit up but only managed to twitch. She had been with him. He remembered pulling her out, laying her down...
She was unconscious when he last saw her, barely breathing. He didn’t even know if she was still alive.
He pushed again. His fingers twitched. Then his arm moved. It wasn’t much, but he could feel again.
The numbness was fading. Sensation was creeping back into his limbs, slow, steady, but enough.
Soon he could move. His legs were slow, but they answered. His arms dragged against the floor, pushing his weight little by little.
𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞 The surface beneath him was damp and uneven, some parts soft like moss, others slick like stone.
He reached the nearest wall and leaned against it. His knees shook as he stood, bones still aching.
He raised his hand to his face and paused. His eyes were open, but everything was dark.
He touched his eyelids and felt something strange. A layer, thin, flexible, almost like film, coated his eyes.
’What the hell is this?’
He pressed against it. His fingers sank through the layer. A bit of light entered. He scratched at it more aggressively, pulling the film back in uneven patches.
It came off like wet skin, not painful, but strange. He kept going until the barrier was gone.
When his eyes opened again, the change was immediate.
The cave wasn’t bright, but he saw everything. The cracks in the walls, the wet veins running through the stone, even the shifting water far beyond the ledge, clearer than anything before. His vision had changed completely.
He blinked a few times and paused as something brushed his cheek. He grabbed it. A strand of hair. He looked closer.
It was dark green.
He pulled more of it into view. His hair was longer, and streaks of green were clearly visible among the black. He frowned, holding the strands like they were foreign.
None of this felt normal anymore.
Rhian looked toward the edge of the platform, where Nia lay motionless. He rushed forward, but his foot caught on the uneven stone.
He hit the ground hard, rolled, and scrambled up again, ignoring the sting in his knees.
He reached her side, his breathing uneven, hands already moving across her skin.
She was so cold that when he touched her, his fingers went stiff. He leaned closer, pressing his fingers against her neck.
The pulse was still there, weak, slow, and exactly as it had been before.
Frustration built up in his chest. He clenched his jaw and looked down at her pale face.
The memory of what happened surfaced again. He was alive. Somehow, despite everything from the core, he was still alive.
If he was alive after that... maybe he had ranked up.
He felt very different, clearly stronger and faster, as for whether he got what he wanted, he didn’t know.
The only way to confirm anything was to check his system. Maybe he’d gained something that could help.
’Hopefully a healing ability.’
He closed his eyes, praying hard for that healing ability. He didn’t know if gods existed, but right now, he really hoped they did. Just this once, he needed some luck.
He opened his status and stared at the screen in front of him. His mouth opened and closed slowly, his brain still catching up.
[Name: Rhian Locke Age: 18 Divine Core: E Rank (3.89%) Bloodline: Ragnarok] He had ranked up.
His face twitched, then shifted. Despite the situation, a small smile crept onto his face.
It looked weird and very creepy, especially considering the was he was holding Nia
For a second, he forgot where he was and what happened or was doing. He turned slightly toward Nia’s unconscious body and muttered under his breath.
"I’m finally as strong as you."