Chương 117: (B2) Chapter 44 - Power in the palm

Swirls of blue mana moved within the core Ethan held, twisting around one another in slow, almost hypnotic patterns. He had spent far too much time staring at the damn thing over the last week. It was one of the main reasons for his lack of sleep since returning to Nexus, and it was also why he had yet to sell any of the materials the group had acquired during their trip.

He wanted to figure out what he was doing with the core before dividing everything up, but things were beginning to drag on longer than they reasonably should. The others—Striker especially—had made it increasingly clear they would quite like their share. It made things easier, having Leah almost instinctively on his side and having her support in him taking his time. It didn't, unfortunately, make the decision itself any simpler.

Ethan rolled the core between his fingers, watching the blue mana shift beneath its surface. Without getting it properly appraised, he could only make educated guesses about what consuming it would actually do, but he was fairly confident its mana would lean toward healing or restoration in some form. Once upon a time, that would have been perfect for him. His old build had been centered around protecting both himself and others. Healing mana would have fit into that build almost seamlessly.

The problem was that Ethan wasn't that person anymore. His path had shifted. His poisonous aura, molten core, and increasingly destructive skills all pointed in the same direction. He had gone from someone built around enduring damage to someone far more suited to dealing an unreasonable amount of it first. Ethan had known from the beginning that he couldn't walk the exact same path he had in his previous life and expect a different result. He had already lived that life once.

He had already seen where it led him, and while there had been plenty worth keeping, there were also mistakes he had no intention of repeating. So he had allowed himself to change. He had taken opportunities he hadn't before and embraced aspects of himself he had once ignored in favor of becoming the perfect shield. Now, when he looked at the core in his hand, it felt strangely symbolic. It represented something familiar. Something useful. Something that would almost certainly make him stronger.

Yet taking its mana into himself still felt dangerously close to stepping backward, and Ethan had absolutely no intention of becoming the man he had once been simply because the path was familiar. After the initial shock of actually getting his hands on a tier-two core, Ethan had decided to sleep on the decision. That had been a week ago, and apparently sleeping on something didn't work particularly well when the decision itself stopped you from sleeping.

The longer he thought about it, the more convinced he became that consuming it wouldn't actually be a bad choice. Complicated, certainly, but not bad. Taking in multiple monster cores came with problems of its own, especially when their aspects weren't naturally compatible, but Ethan knew enough about cultivation to believe he could eventually find some kind of equilibrium. His poisonous aura and molten mana already existed alongside one another without tearing him apart.

Adding a restorative aspect would make things considerably messier, but there were worse problems to have. Even a slight healing property woven into his mana could be incredibly useful. He sighed before tossing the core into the air. It spun several times before dropping back down into his hand. After another second, he let his arm fall onto the bed beside him and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"This sucks." The words summed up the situation rather nicely. He knew he was being stupid. The core was an enormous boon, the kind of reward people could spend years searching for without ever finding, and here Ethan was lying on his bed complaining because he had too many good options. Somewhere out there was undoubtedly a cultivator who would happily strangle him for having this particular problem. Unfortunately, that brought him directly to the other reason he couldn't make a decision.

The core would be useful to nearly everyone he knew. Leah was in roughly the same predicament as him, having already consumed a monster core and adopted its aspect, even if hers hadn't properly manifested yet. Giving her another one before they understood what the first was doing seemed unnecessarily reckless. The others were different. Sarah could use it. Seb could use it. Both were healers, and giving either of them mana naturally inclined toward healing could drastically improve their abilities.

Sarah in particular might benefit enormously from it, while Seb had already proven himself talented enough that Ethan had little doubt he could make good use of whatever the core gave him. The problem with Seb wasn't whether he could use it. Ethan simply wasn't willing to invest something this valuable into the man until he had a better idea of where Seb would ultimately end up. It was pragmatic, perhaps even a little cold, but it was the truth. He wanted Seb to become one of humanity's pillars again.

He wanted the man to grow into the powerhouse Ethan remembered and preferably become even stronger than he had been before. That didn't mean Ethan was willing to hand him every opportunity that came his way. Not when there were people closer to him who could benefit just as much. His knowledge of the future was an advantage, but relying on it too heavily was dangerous. Things had already changed. People who had died were alive. People who had once become powerful might never reach the same heights.

Every alteration Ethan made sent ripples outward, and he couldn't keep treating the people around him as though their futures were already decided. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Which was why, despite all logic telling him it was a gamble, Ethan kept coming back to Mark. He turned the core over in his hand again, his expression tightening slightly. Mark was an unknown.

Giving him a tier-two core was therefore the exact opposite of using Ethan's knowledge intelligently. There was no guarantee Mark would become anything remarkable. He could consume the core, gain its aspect, and plateau before reaching the heights Ethan needed the people around him to reach. Just thinking about wasting something this valuable was enough to leave a small pit in his stomach. And yet, the potential was there. Ethan had seen enough of Mark since his arrival to recognize that much.

The man's abilities already leaned heavily toward becoming a proper frontline tank, and his taunt skill alone could become incredibly valuable if he managed to evolve it into a higher rarity. Add a healing aspect to his mana and suddenly Mark wouldn't just be someone capable of drawing attacks toward himself. He could potentially become someone capable of surviving those attacks without requiring a healer to patch him up when he was done. The front door shutting pulled him from his thoughts.

Ethan's eyes shifted toward the bedroom door as footsteps moved through the apartment, and he immediately recognized them as Leah's. He sat up and dismissed the core into his storage necklace before she could wander in and catch him staring at it again. Seeing his sister had become sporadic since returning to Nexus. Leah had thrown herself straight back into dungeon runs with her team, determined to make up for lost time.

They still hadn't managed to clear the challenge dungeon and were currently taking a short break from attempting it, hoping a few more levels and some improved skills would be enough to finally push them through.

"Ethan! Are you home?" Leah called from somewhere near the entrance. Ethan swung his legs over the side of the bed and walked out of his bedroom.

"What's up?" he asked, noticing the exhaustion in Leah's stance and face. She really had come back and been working overtime. She walked over to one of the two couches in the living room and sat down, letting out a sigh.

"What are your thoughts on the challenge dungeon?" she asked. Ethan frowned slightly. For some reason, their group had become obsessed with passing the damned thing. Ethan had no idea why. He had only gotten decent rewards for the clear. In fact, he would probably sell the upgrade token. It was more or less useless to him. He only had two Common skills to upgrade, and both of them were only a level or two away.

"Why? Do they want to try it again? Didn't you say they only reached the fifteenth challenge?" he asked. In truth, that was pretty good. They were only leveled in the mid-twenties. When they reached level thirty or so, he wouldn't be surprised if they cleared it. Especially with Leah helping them out this time.

"Marcus wants us to give it another go in the coming weeks." Ethan scratched his head.

"Tell him not to worry about the bet if he's so stressed about it."

"Somehow, I think that would make it worse," Leah grumbled. Ethan frowned. In truth, he had forgotten about the small bet he had with Marcus, so he didn't see why the guy was so adamant that he could clear the dungeon. Not that it mattered. Ethan had other plans, and unfortunately, they required Leah's group to attend. Ethan had a promise to keep, after all, and he wanted to stay on the good side of Tomas.

"It doesn't matter anyway," he said.

"With a bit of luck, we'll be heading out again."

"What, you're ready to go after the monolith already?" she asked, already aware of his plans. Ethan nodded.

"Sooner the better. I just need a week or so to get everything ready."

"What changed your mind?" Leah asked in a curious voice.

"Bella," he said with a grimace.

"I need to get things prepared within her three-month trial."

"You know she might not find anything. You could be rushing for no reason."

"I know. But it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, it's all going to come out one way or another. Especially with her rising through the ranks of the guild," Ethan said. After his spar, he and Bella had caught up. She had filled him in on how things were going on her end. It made him infinitely happy that she was the one in there and not him. By the sounds of it, he would have been well over his head.

"I guess you're right. I'll let Marcus know that we'll be heading out soon, so it's better to stick within Nexus."

"Thanks," he said.

"Want to come for a walk? We need to meet the others and go sell some shit. Hopefully, I get enough to fund this expedition." His funds were more or less nonexistent at the moment. But that would all change when he handed off those antlers. He had a good feeling they were going to be worth a pretty penny. Leah scrunched up her face.

"I'll leave it in your capable hands. I need rest. Just do what you think is right." Ethan nodded and turned to leave the apartment. He would need to put his armor on at some point, especially if he wanted to meet Seb and the others. He opened the door but came to a halt. Alex was standing on the other side, his arm raised as though he was about to knock.

"Oh… hey mate," he said a little awkwardly while lowering his hand.