NOVEL NEXT Chapter 96: Useless
Veer sat on a big boulder in a lotus position, his eyes closed and hands on his lap. His breathing was normal and his heartbeat pounded against his chest as usual.
He exhaled the pent-up air and opened his eyes, 'Phew! This works every time.'
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he looked at Elara's health bar.
[Health Status - Alive (healed)]
'What is she doing?' Veer sighed. 'What am I doing? Why did I get so worked up on this?'
Perhaps, the fear of wheat farms had shaken him. He was afraid that Elara would also end up in a similar situation, which terrified him. But he calmed down as he knew she was also more than capable of surviving this.
'Just come back alive.'
"Boss! Is this good enough?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Veer turned around, only to see Rain's scrawny figure dragging a big dark wolf's body. Painting the ground red, she arrived before him and dropped the tail on the ground.
As he looked at the corpse, Veer noticed only a single cut on its whole body. Only an assassin could do such a good job at preserving bodies.
"It's a Novice Stage Magical Creature," Veer said. "Yeah, this is good for our testing."
"So, how do we do this Devouring thing?" Rain asked, having no clue whatsoever about these things.
Veer hummed and looked at her Aspect's description again. He wanted to be sure he was understanding every word, as the description could mean many things.
[Aspect – Devouring Hunger (S-Rank)] [Description – The Devouring Hunger consumes anything within reach, absorbing its essence and nutrients to increase her strength. Overuse may lead to overwhelming cravings, pushing one into a berserk, destructive state where they lose their humanity.]
'I thought she would need to eat, but I guess there is a range,' Veer thought. "Alright, let's test things out."
He examined the corpse carefully and then dug out its Mana Shard, a small rectangular object. It was like a piece of glass, transparent and fragile. Mana Shards were just broken Mana Core, as they break when someone dies.
After examining it, he threw it to Rain and said, "Try to devour it. Remember, devour, not absorb as we usually do with Mana Shards."
Mana Shards didn't make one strong. They just worked as a backup reserve for Mana Core. So, if one absorbed the Mana Shard while having their Mana Core fully filled, the mana would just disperse into the atmosphere.
The absolute rule of "only Aspects could increase the Mana Rule" never changed. But with Rain, it could work differently, as she needed to devour the Mana Shards instead of absorbing them.
Taking the Mana Shard in her hand, Rain asked, "I know how to absorb them, but devour?"
"Hmm, imagine eating the Mana Shard but by your hands," Veer said, once again noticing how much imagination mattered in this world.
'Imagination, huh. I wonder if I can make some meteor shower just by imagining it, it'd be fun.'
Unfortunately, he neither had enough Mana nor Mana control for that.
Although a little confused, Rain nodded and sat down. She had seen Veer doing this, so she thought it was something usual.
Looking at the Mana Shard, Rain remembered how she had used her everything to snatch food and run in the slums. Her tail, her hands, and even her legs—everything was used to snatch food.
'I wonder if it's the same...' Rain wondered, as she tried to imagine her hand having a mouth of its own. It was a bizarre image, but for someone like her, it was normal.
But it didn't work.
'Then what? How did I eat with hands?' Rain grew confused and tried a few more times, but nothing happened. The only change was in the Mana Shard, which was cracking every second.
After some time, it turned into dust and dispersed in the air, leaving a disappointed Rain behind. However, she didn't give up at that. Without saying anything, she once again dived back into the jungle.
After some time, she returned with another corpse and asked Veer for help. Veer also didn't say anything and simply gave her the Mana Shard to practice.
Sadly, the results were the same.
Not wanting to give up and let Veer down, Rain once again went into the forest. The process just repeated, and no matter how hard Rain tried, nothing changed. They even tried to Devour other things, but nothing happened.
The sun dropped below the horizon, leaving a beautiful orange world behind. Rain lay on the grass, completely exhausted and tired. She looked at her hand and thought, 'Am I this useless?'
Even after having an S-Rank Aspect, she still couldn't use it. She even had the guidance of a good boss, yet she failed. What was she if not useless?
Veer saw her expression and sighed. He rubbed her head, taking her by surprise, and said, "Don't worry about it. The higher-rank Aspects are weird. So, understanding them at first glance can be tough."
"But Boss Elara and Boss Liliana used their Aspects so easily," Rain said.
Veer shook his head and said, "Don't compare yourself with the likes of them. You'll only feel disappointed in yourself. I won't sugarcoat my words since you already saw the world as it is. You are less talented than them, but it really isn't your fault."
"Boss, I heard only Aspect is something we can't change, so it shows the people's talent. I already have an S-Rank Aspect, you know," Rain said, sighing.
"The world is very bizarre, Rain," Veer smiled. "Aspects are very important, fortunately they don't decide your entire future. The reason why we are better than you in this is because we have seen more of the world than you and thus have a better imagination. And you should know how important imagination is."
Rain nodded lightly, though her mood didn't improve in the slightest. She asked, her voice barely a whisper, "Then, does that mean even with an S-Rank Aspect, I'll be useless?"
She would be lying if she said she didn't want to become strong. Who didn't want to? So, knowing that she had an S-Rank Aspect, she was so happy and tried her best.
The results, however, reminded her of her reality. She was a street rat and would remain like that.
'But I don't want that.'