Zen was buzzing with excitement over his newly risen stats. Who wouldn't be thrilled after receiving such a boon? Sure, he had bled and struggled to get here, but in the end, this felt like a reward handed to him freely.
He grinned at the thought of his next fight. With his mana no longer a limiting factor, he wouldn't run out mid-battle like last time. That had been exhausting—facing the Tempest Wolf, then dragging it to the bandits' camp, only to engage in a grueling battle against the bandits themselves. It had been long, taxing… and now, he could fight without that constant worry gnawing at him.
Now it was time for some testing—time to get a proper grip on the sudden surge in his power. Zen closed his eyes and focused on his shadow stretched beneath him. Slowly, he opened his eyes and willed it to obey, molding it into various shapes, experimenting, getting comfortable with its flow.
Then he decided to push further. He extended his shadow outward, wanting to feel the limits of its reach. It slithered past nearby shops, coiled around buildings, slipped through the town gate, and snaked into the forest beyond. Even farther… until finally, he felt it reach its edge.
About five kilometers.
Zen froze. He could scarcely believe it. The first time he had attempted this, it barely reached a few meters. Now, it stretched five kilometers, stable and solid for nearly a full minute—until his reserves would run dry.
"This… this is unbelievable," he muttered, voice tinged with awe. "With this, I can scout ahead. Sure, I'll nearly empty my reserves, but… it's better than dying."
"I think I need to increase my mana reserves more," Zen muttered, rubbing his chin. The sudden surge felt like a free totem of life—enough to save him in a pinch.
He called out to Red. "Hey, is there any way to boost my mana reserves further?"
Red's tone was immediately teasing. "Oh? Now you're drunk on power, are you? Haven't I already told you? Power without control is useless."
"Yes, I know, I know," Zen replied quickly, waving a hand. "But… any other way? Don't worry—I'll control it. I'll train harder, any way possible, I swear."
Red let out a low hum of amusement. "You really do love pain, don't you?"
Zen grinned. "Not pain… mastery."
"Fine, fine," Red said at last, his voice carrying exaggerated patience. "This benevolent one shall help you with your problem."
Zen's eyebrow twitched. "What, you want to continue the play?"
He sighed and shook his head. "You know I'm serious right now. This kind of thing can keep me alive in a lot of situations."
Red clicked his tongue. "Tch. You humans are unfair."
There was a brief pause—then Red continued, sounding almost offended.
"You get to switch between acting like a deranged young master and a rational survivalist whenever you want," he said. "And I'm stuck watching."
Zen snorted. "You're enjoying it."
"I am not," Red replied immediately… then added, with a dramatic pout, "I simply have no choice but to endure my host's nonsense."
Zen leaned back, staring at his shadow stretching quietly beside him.
"…Still," he said after a moment, calmer now, "tell me. What's the proper way to increase mana reserves?"
"You don't need to worry about it," Red said. "You have the system, right? It will help you. Your foundation won't become unstable, and your core won't be damaged by excessive mana."
Zen blinked, a spark of excitement lighting up his eyes. "Really?"
Red nodded. "It's one of the perks of having the system. I'm mainly here as your guide—there are a few quirks, but nothing unmanageable. "
Zen's grin widened. Who wouldn't want free power?
But his excitement quickly twisted into irritation. "Why didn't you say this earlier?" he demanded, scowling. "If I'd known before, my stats would be so much better by now!"
Red's tone grew firm, almost lecturing, though still calm. "I didn't want your power to become like those young masters drunk on strength—unable to control it, reckless, and shallow. That's why I held back."
"But seeing your determination… I couldn't help but reveal it. Even so, you must collect the cores from monsters yourself. You know the drop rates are low, and as your stage increases, you'll need cores from beasts of higher tier than you. You'll have to work hard for it."
Zen clenched his fists, his grin returning, sharper this time. "Fine. It's not a problem. I'll handle it… somehow."
"Now you understand how great I am, right?" Red said smugly. "You should bow before this magnificent, benevolent, kind, and caring system."
He leaned back, utterly shameless.
"If you don't bow, I might just remove a few quirks."
"Hahahaha—!"
Zen went silent for half a second.
"…How exactly are you kind?" Zen said flatly. "That's not benevolence. That's straight‑up blackmail."
Red waved a hand dismissively. "Details, details. I hold the power now. What can you do, lowly one?"
He grinned wider. "Now bow."
There was a pause.
Then Zen's face suddenly drained of all color.
The smugness vanished. His expression turned gloomy, as if the weight of reality had crashed down on him all at once.
With a dull thud, he dropped to his knees and lowered his head.
"O benevolent one," he said solemnly, voice thick with exaggerated humility, "please forgive this slave for his foolishness."
Red stared.
Then—
"Hahahahaha!"
Laughter echoed shamelessly in Zen's mind.
"Very well, very well," Red said, clearly enjoying himself far too much. "This benevolent system shall forgive you."
Zen clenched his fists.
…One day, he swore, he'd get his revenge.
But for now—
He endured.
It was time, Zen decided, to leave this safe haven of his and start exploring seriously. Power wouldn't gather itself, and opportunities wouldn't wait forever. There were dungeons he hadn't touched yet, strength to accumulate… maybe even subordinates, if things went well.
And riches.
He definitely couldn't forget about those.
So much wealth was waiting out there, just beyond comfort and caution.
Zen's lips curved upward, his voice unconsciously taking on a tone that practically sparkled with imaginary gold coins.
"Who doesn't like riches, right?"
The thought alone was enough to make him eager to move.