A Core That Devours the World
While Evelyn was still trying to understand what was happening to her son, Lucien had already been pulled deep into himself.
The broken shrine around them faded, replaced by a vast, pale inner space. In its center floated his magic core—a pitch-black sphere wrapped in a slow, ominous red glow. It pulsed gently, like the heart of some ancient beast… and then it began to drink.
Mana rushed toward it from every direction, thin blue streams bending unnaturally as if gravity itself had changed.
Lucien frowned inside his own mind.
"It looks more like a black hole than a magic core… Isabella, is this thing even safe?"
There was a brief pause before her voice answered, unusually thoughtful.
"Well… it should be. Your Ancient Prime Alpha Physique is a growing-type body. That means as long as you meet its conditions, it keeps evolving. I don't detect anything harmful… but yeah, it's definitely not normal."
Lucien snorted mentally.
"What did you even turn me into… whatever. As long as it doesn't kill me, it can eat all the mana it wants. If this lets me rank up faster, I won't complain."
Isabella watched just as closely as he did.
Then, without warning, the devouring stopped.
The black-red glow folded back into the core like a tide retreating, and the sphere itself began to expand. Slowly. Deliberately.
What had once been the size of a small fruit swelled to the size of a large shield—nearly thirty centimeters across—before finally going still.
Lucien reached out with his consciousness… but the core didn't react at all.
It felt full. Asleep.
"So now you just nap after eating the entire atmosphere?" he muttered inside his head. "Everything about this stupid system feels like it's mocking me."
He opened his eyes.
Evelyn's face was right there—too close.
Lucien flinched.
"M-mom?! What are you doing?"
She had been leaning over him, eyes sharp with worry. After a moment, she exhaled in relief.
"Darling… was that really your first time absorbing mana?"
Lucien scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Yeah. I mean… it felt weird, but yeah. I guess my core is just… special."
Evelyn shook her head slowly.
"That's not 'special.' That's terrifying."
She sat beside him, voice turning serious.
"Do you know why Mage Kings aren't actually the most feared mages… even though their realm is ranked higher?"
Lucien shook his head.
"No. Why?"
"Because a Mage King borrows power from others. They bind their cores to followers and let those followers gather mana for them. They rule through connection and sacrifice."
Her fingers clenched slightly.
"But a Mage King—what people used to call an Archmage—creates a Nature. A bond between their magic core and the world itself. Their core absorbs mana on its own. Their Nature reflects their knowledge, their will, and their understanding of magic. It becomes their greatest weapon."
Lucien's eyes widened.
"So… they don't need anyone else to give them mana?"
"Exactly. And once you form a Nature, you can never become a Mage Emperor. You choose one path or the other."
She looked at him intently.
"What your core just did… was the first step of a Nature."
Lucien swallowed.
He remembered the way the air had been dragged into him like a storm.
"Then… I need to be careful. I can't let others see that."
Evelyn nodded.
"Good. Now tell me—what was your Nature like when you were absorbing?"
Lucien hesitated.
"It felt… hungry. Like it wanted everything."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Mine was called Silver Judgment—metal and lightning woven together. That's how I reached the top hundred Mage Kings on Helheim Continent… even though I was one of the youngest High-class Demons to ever reach that realm."
Lucien stared.
"So my mom was basically a legend…"
Before he could say more—
Ding.
A clear chime echoed in his mind.
[Divine Harem Ascension System — Core Synchronization Complete][New function unlocked: System Exchange][Balance initialized… 10,000,000 coins]
Lucien blinked.
"Mom… is there any way to tell your realm without special devices?"
Evelyn nodded.
"Yes. The size of your core.Starter Mage grows five centimeters per stage.Adept Mage grows ten per stage.Mage realm uses stars instead."
Lucien did a quick calculation.
"Then… thirty centimeters means I'm already an early-stage Adept Mage."
Evelyn wasn't even surprised.
"With what I just saw? I'd be shocked if you weren't."
She studied him again.
"Now check your mana reserve. Focus on your core—you should see a small blue pond inside it."
Isabella cut in lazily.
"Or you could just open your status like a normal person."
Lucien did.
[MP: 3000 ?]
He tapped the question mark.
[Mana Points = 1 per meter of mana pond]
He froze.
"Three thousand… meters?"
Isabella burst out laughing.
"Wow. A ten-year-old with a mana sea that large? No wonder your core eats like a beast. You're disgusting."
"What does that have to do with being a pervert?!"
"Everything," she said cheerfully. "Your Anti-Energy was already fighting your mana before I fixed your body. All I did was let it coexist. You were abnormal long before I showed up."
Lucien sighed deeply.
"I feel my humanity slipping… even though I'm a demon now."
He told Evelyn the number.
She just pulled him into her arms.
"It only means my darling will be stronger than anyone his age. That's not something to fear."
He stayed there a moment, warmth washing over him… until Isabella snickered.
"So much for 'I'm not a pervert.'"
Lucien ignored her and finally pulled away.
"Give me a minute, Mom. I need to get something for you."
Evelyn smiled and obediently closed her eyes.
Lucien opened the Divine Harem Ascension System again.
New tabs glowed into existence.
[Exchange][Techniques][Artifacts][Knowledge][???]
Some still locked.
The system didn't feel like a shop.
It felt like a treasury waiting to be looted.
And Lucien was finally ready to reach inside.