Chapter 131: The Purple Hunger and the Crystal Fever
The violet crystal Aki found in the wolf's chest wasn't just energy; it was a concentrated piece of 'System-Remnant'. Back at their small campfire, Aki was turning the crystal over in his hands, watching the way the light danced inside its jagged edges.
"Aki, I'm warning you. Don't put that near your mouth," Rena said, stirring a pot of very real, very non-magical stew. "We don't know how raw mana interacts with a human stomach without the 'Auto-Digestion' filter."
"But Rena, look at it! It looks like a giant grape candy!" Aki complained, his stomach letting out a growl that sounded like a dying engine. "And besides, I have the Admin-Key scar! Maybe my body needs this to recharge!"
Von (Volt) looked up from his sword. "The crystals are the condensed 'Luck' and 'Power' that the system stole from the world. If you eat it, you aren't just eating energy. You're eating the raw data of a thousand deleted items."
The Bite of Regret
Aki, being Aki, waited for Von to look away. He took a tiny, experimental lick of the crystal.
"ACK! It tastes like... pennies and electricity!" Aki coughed, but then his eyes went wide. His golden circuitry scars began to glow a deep, royal purple. "Wait... wait a second. I can hear the trees. No, not hear them... I can see their 'Source Code' again!"
[TEMPORARY OVERCLOCK INITIATED: Perception +500%. Warning: Brain-Core temperature rising.]
Aki stood up, his movements becoming a blur of purple light. He didn't just walk; he seemed to 'Teleport' three feet at a time. "I'm fast! I'm so fast! I can see the ants' heartbeats! I can see the wind!"
"He's overdosing on the remnants," Sai said, trying to grab Aki, but the thief flickered out of his reach like a glitching image.
The Crash of the Glitch-King
For five minutes, Aki was a god. He gathered all the firewood in the forest, cleaned the entire camp, and even tried to rewrite the flavor of Rena's stew to 'Strawberry Cheesecake' just by touching the pot.
But then, the purple glow faded instantly.
Aki hit the ground face-first. His skin was pale, and he looked like he had just run a marathon through a desert. "Everything... is moving... so... slow..."
"That's the 'Mana-Crash,' Aki," Von said, kneeling beside him and placing a hand on his back to stabilize his energy. "Your body is a bridge between two worlds. If you force too much energy across it, the bridge will collapse. You can't cheat your way to power anymore."
Aki groaned, his voice barely a whisper. "Fine... no more eating the glowing rocks. But... did I at least finish the stew?"
Rena sighed, handing him a bowl of plain, warm broth. "You turned it into purple sludge, Aki. We're eating the emergency bread tonight.