Night deepened over Duke Kael's fortress.
The black castle stood silently beneath the endless sky while cold mountain winds drifted through ancient stone corridors carrying the scent of rain, pine, and distant wilderness. Most members of the Southern Exploration Unit had already fallen asleep after long hours of preparation and travel.
Tomorrow—
They would enter the true Southern Wildlands.
And everyone understood what that meant.
Possible death.
Within the guest chambers of the fortress, lantern flames burned quietly while exhausted mercenaries rested beside weapons and packed supplies. Mages reviewed spell formulas until sleep overtook them. Scouts sharpened daggers before finally collapsing into uneasy rest.
Even the guards atop the battlements moved more quietly tonight.
Because beyond the walls—
The mountains waited.
Yet among all those sleeping beneath Duke Kael's fortress—
One room remained awake.
Kel sat alone within darkness.
The chamber assigned to him was large by ordinary standards, yet simple compared to noble luxury. Black stone walls reflected faint moonlight entering through half-open windows while cold wind stirred the curtains softly beside him.
No candles burned.
No lanterns.
Only silver moonlight illuminated the room.
And at its center—
Kel sat cross-legged upon the cold stone floor.
Silent.
Motionless.
His black coat rested neatly nearby while his upper attire remained loosened slightly around the chest to allow mana circulation freely through his body.
The atmosphere around him felt strangely heavy.
Like invisible pressure gathering slowly inside the room.
Sairen's voice echoed softly through the soul-link.
"…You truly chose tonight?"
Far away—
At Scarder Lake—
Silver mist drifted around Sairen while ancient moonlight reflected endlessly across the lake surface.
Kel answered internally.
"Tomorrow we enter the wilderness."
A brief pause followed.
"I need more strength."
And not ordinary strength.
Preparation.
Survival.
Control.
Kel slowly closed his eyes.
Then—
The mana within his body began moving.
Silently.
Beautifully.
Terrifyingly.
Thin currents of silver-blue mana circulated beneath his skin like flowing rivers while faint golden strands intertwined among them through pathways invisible to ordinary humans.
His breathing slowed gradually.
One breath.
Another.
And deep within his body—
The three existing aura cores began resonating.
The First Core.
Located near the Root Chakra.
Stable.
Dense.
Like compressed earth beneath mountains.
The Second Core.
Near the Sacral region.
Violent.
Flowing.
Like burning rivers hidden beneath volcanic stone.
The Third Core.
At the Solar Plexus.
Sharp.
Controlled.
Radiating concentrated power like a miniature sun.
All three cores rotated slowly in perfect synchronization.
And now—
Kel intended to create the fourth.
At the Heart Chakra.
The most dangerous stage so far.
Because unlike previous cores—
The Heart Core directly influenced emotional balance, mana stability, aura harmony, and life force circulation itself.
One mistake here—
Could permanently damage both body and soul.
Yet Kel's expression remained completely calm.
Because he already experienced worse countless times before.
Sairen softly muttered through the soul-link.
"…Madman."
Kel ignored her gently.
Instead—
His mana circulation intensified further.
The Lunar Spiral activated first.
Cold silver mana drifted upward through his internal pathways with smooth flowing precision. It resembled moonlight reflecting across water—gentle on the surface yet endlessly deep beneath.
The mana moved carefully toward his chest.
Toward the Heart Chakra.
Then—
The Solar Spiral activated.
Golden mana surged afterward.
Hotter.
Denser.
Violent like compressed sunlight trapped within flowing currents.
The two opposing energies began rotating simultaneously through Kel's body.
One cold.
One burning.
Moon and Sun.
Lunar and Solar.
And at the center of that terrifying balance—
Kel sat perfectly still.
Outside the chamber windows, dark clouds slowly moved across the night sky while distant thunder echoed faintly beyond the mountains.
Inside—
The pressure intensified rapidly.
Silver and golden mana spiraled around Kel's body visibly now.
Thin currents of energy drifting through the room like flowing ribbons of light.
The stone floor beneath him cracked faintly.
His breathing remained steady.
Yet sweat slowly formed across his skin from the overwhelming strain.
The Fourth Core began condensing.
Mana compressed inward toward the Heart Chakra repeatedly.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Every cycle became heavier.
More painful.
Because creating a new core was not simply gathering energy.
It meant creating an entirely new mana nucleus within the body.
A miniature artificial star.
And the body resisted violently.
Pain spread through Kel's chest sharply.
His heartbeat destabilized briefly before forcefully correcting itself again.
Blood trickled faintly from the corner of his lips.
Yet—
His expression never changed.
Far away—
Sairen silently watched through the soul-link now.
No teasing.
No complaints.
Only focus.
Because even she understood the danger.
The silver and golden spirals around Kel intensified further.
And simultaneously—
Another process had already begun.
His Spiral Circles.
Kel already possessed two completed Spiral Magic Circles.
An abnormal structure impossible for ordinary mages.
Instead of traditional layered circles—
Kel constructed spiral pathways through overlapping Lunar and Solar compression patterns.
More efficient.
More dangerous.
Exponentially harder to stabilize.
And now—
He was forming the Third Spiral Circle simultaneously while condensing the Fourth Aura Core.
Even among geniuses—
Such a thing bordered insanity.
Mana pressure exploded outward briefly.
The chamber windows trembled violently.
Several cracks spread across nearby walls.
Kel's black hair moved wildly beneath the swirling energy while silver and gold spirals rotated around him faster and faster.
Then—
Pain struck.
A violent surge erupted through his chest as the forming Fourth Core destabilized momentarily.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
His heartbeat staggered.
For one dangerous second—
His body nearly collapsed internally.
Sairen's voice echoed sharply.
"Kel!"
But Kel remained calm.
Even then.
Instead—
He forcefully stabilized the Lunar Spiral first.
Then compressed the Solar Spiral inward simultaneously.
Opposing energies collided.
Merged.
Balanced.
And finally—
The Fourth Core condensed completely.
A deep pulse echoed through his body.
Boom.
The room trembled.
A wave of compressed mana burst outward silently like invisible pressure expanding across the chamber.
Then—
Everything calmed.
The Fourth Core stabilized.
At the Heart Chakra—
A beautiful silver-gold core rotated slowly beside the previous three.
Connected.
Harmonized.
Alive.
But Kel did not stop.
Because simultaneously—
The Third Spiral Circle neared completion as well.
Mana pathways twisted beautifully through his body like celestial formations while Lunar and Solar energies rotated around one another endlessly.
One final compression.
Then—
The Third Spiral Circle completed fully.
The moment it stabilized—
The entire room darkened briefly.
Not physically.
Mana itself bent inward momentarily from overwhelming density.
And then—
A familiar translucent blue screen appeared before Kel's eyes.
[System Notification]
Fourth Aura Core Successfully Condensed
Heart Chakra Core Stabilized
Physical Capacity Increased
Aura Synchronization Improved
Mana Stability Increased Significantly
Third Spiral Magic Circle Successfully Formed
Lunar-Solar Spiral Structure Expanded
Magic Output Increased
Mana Efficiency Improved
Current Magic Circle Rank: 5th Circle
New Passive Trait Acquired
『Celestial Heart Resonance』
Your aura and mana circulation now synchronize at higher efficiency under moonlight and sunlight conditions.
Overall Combat Capacity Increased
Silence returned afterward.
Only cold wind moved softly through the chamber once more.
Kel slowly opened his eyes.
And for a brief moment—
Silver-golden light flickered within them before fading completely.
His breathing remained calm despite blood staining portions of his lips.
The pressure inside the room gradually settled.
Sairen finally spoke softly through the soul-link.
"…You really succeeded."
Kel quietly wiped the blood from his mouth.
Then slowly looked toward the distant mountains beyond the window.
Dark.
Ancient.
Waiting.
And beneath the moonlit wilderness—
His calm voice echoed softly within the silent chamber.
"Now…"
A faint pause followed.
"…I'm ready."