The system notification did not arrive gently.
It did not blink politely in the corner of Jeather's vision.
It struck like a war drum inside his skull.
[SYSTEM MISSION INITIATED]
Objective: Hunt and Seal 20 Bronze-Tier Beasts & 3 Silver-Tier Beasts
Time Limit: 24 Hours
Failure Penalty: Severe Stat Suppression (Temporary)
Reward: ??? – Mystery Egg
Jeather stared at the reward line.
"...That's it?" he muttered. "A mystery egg? What am I supposed to do with that? Make breakfast?"
Astrael's emerald eyes flickered faintly beside him. "The system does not operate on culinary logic."
Velkaria stood upright, armored hands resting lightly on her sword pommel. "My Lord, unknown rewards often carry significant potential."
Jeather sighed.
"Or it's a chicken."
The timer began ticking.
Twenty Bronze. Three Silver. Twenty-four hours.
Outside, the district already felt unstable—distant clashes, rushed footsteps, shouts from patrol units.
Jeather adjusted his gloves.
"Fine. If the world wants speedrunning, we'll speedrun."
Why Jeather Can Use Mana-Empowered Strikes.
As they crossed beyond the protective perimeter, Jeather focused inward.
When Astrael had evolved, something fundamental changed.
It wasn't just power.
It was circulation.
Before Astrael's evolution, Jeather's mana core was faint—thin streams barely sustaining reinforcement. He could enhance durability or speed briefly, but nothing more.
But when Astrael evolved to Bronze-tier, the integration deepened.
The tattoo—no longer just a clover—became a living conduit.
Astrael was a forest-aspected demon.
And demons, unlike common beasts, possessed independent mana cores.
When bonded fully through integration, that core did not sit idle.
It linked.
Intertwined.
Now Jeather's body functioned like a dual-core engine:
His own natural mana core (small but stable).
Astrael's demonic mana core (denser, nature-aligned).
He could not draw recklessly—Astrael was not a battery to drain—but he could synchronize.
When he focused, mana flowed through the tattoo pathways, reinforcing muscles, sharpening impact points.
Not borrowed power.
Shared circulation.
The first time he felt it was during the Dreadclaw Ursar fight.
His strike had cracked bone that should have resisted him.
Afterward, he tested it quietly.
Compressed mana into his fist.
Directed it outward at the moment of impact.
It didn't explode.
It condensed.
That was the key.
Not flashy.
Dense.
Controlled.
Mana-Empowered Strike.
Astrael had simply said, "Your body has adapted."
Jeather's response had been: "So I unlocked DLC?"
Astrael did not know what that meant.
Bronze-tier Ashfang Jackals fell first.
Velkaria moved like silver lightning.
Astrael twisted the terrain.
Jeather stepped in only when necessary, sealing efficiently.
Six Bronze.
Then Stonebacks.
Then Thorn Stalkers.
Then Mossclaw Panthers.
The system counter ticked upward steadily.
Jeather's movements grew sharper with each encounter.
Instead of flailing brute force, he now:
Drew mana inward.
Focused it along forearm channels.
Released it at the instant of impact.
The result?
A strike that felt normal on the outside—
But landed like compressed thunder.
By midday—
Seventeen Bronze sealed.
Jeather wiped sweat from his brow.
"Three more. Then the fun ones."
Astrael glanced toward the distant skyline.
"The district trembles."
Jeather nodded.
"I feel it too."
Back in Ardent District.
A Silver-tier Rampage Hound tore through a barricade near Scholar's Row.
Soldiers struggled to contain it.
On a rooftop, Precious stared in disbelief.
"This is not random…"
Jefferson's voice was colder than usual. "No. It isn't."
At the academy tower balcony stood Headmaster Alaric Viremont, robes fluttering in uneasy wind.
Beside him, Baron Cedric Vaelthorn, ruler of Ardent District, barked orders to runners below.
"Fourth Silver incursion today!" the Baron snapped.
Alaric adjusted his spectacles.
"They are being directed," he said quietly.
"By whom?"
Alaric's gaze drifted downward—toward subterranean sectors few ever accessed.
"…We are being tested."
Final Bronze
The twentieth Bronze—a Horned Crusher—charged recklessly.
Jeather didn't wait for Velkaria.
He stepped forward.
Mana flowed from Astrael's core into his own.
Down his arm.
Into his fist.
He exhaled.
Struck.
The impact cracked the creature's skull sideways.
He blinked.
"…Okay that felt illegal."
Velkaria tilted her head. "Efficient, my Lord."
Seal.
Twenty Bronze complete.
The timer did not slow.
Three Silver remained.
Silver One – Galehorn Stag
Wind pressure split trees.
Velkaria intercepted the charge.
Astrael rooted terrain.
Jeather synchronized mana flow more carefully this time.
Instead of striking wildly, he targeted a pressure node beneath the ribcage where wind mana accumulated.
He drove a mana-empowered strike inward.
The condensed force disrupted internal circulation.
Velkaria ended it instantly.
Seal.
One Silver.
Jeather flexed his hand.
"No recoil."
Astrael responded calmly. "Your body adapts rapidly."
Jeather grinned.
"Good. Because we're not done."
Silver Two – Ravine Reaper
Faster.
Sharper.
More aggressive.
It forced Jeather to rely on reinforcement rather than pure offense.
He redirected mana into his legs this time.
Short bursts.
Micro-accelerations.
Not teleportation—
But enough to shift positioning at critical moments.
Velkaria sustained shallow armor damage.
Astrael restrained.
Jeather baited.
Then at the perfect opening—
Mana condensed into his palm.
Strike.
The Reaper staggered.
Velkaria pierced its skull.
Seal.
Two Silver.
Night approached.
The air felt heavier.
Silver Three – Dreadclaw Ursar
Massive.
Dominant.
Its roar shook canyon walls.
The fight was brutal.
Jeather was thrown once, slamming into rock.
He felt Astrael's mana stabilize him before he hit.
Not protective.
Supportive.
He rose slowly.
"Okay," he muttered. "Let's try full synchronization."
Astrael's presence sharpened.
Mana pathways flared brighter beneath Jeather's skin.
Instead of channeling only through arms—
He circulated through his entire body.
Legs.
Spine.
Shoulders.
Then compressed everything into a single forward thrust.
He moved.
Faster than before.
His fist struck the Ursar's sternum.
The sound wasn't loud.
It was deep.
The kind of impact that travels inward.
The beast staggered.
Velkaria severed its forelimb.
Astrael destabilized footing.
Jeather delivered the finishing strike.
The Ursar collapsed.
Seal.
Three Silver complete.
The system appeared instantly.
[MISSION COMPLETE]
Reward Distributed: Mystery Egg Acquired]
A small object materialized in his palm.
Smooth.
Black surface veined faintly with emerald lines.
Warm.
Alive.
Jeather stared at it.
"…Okay. That's not a chicken."
Astrael's gaze sharpened. "It contains layered mana signatures."
Velkaria knelt slightly. "It does not resemble any common beast ovum."
Jeather turned it in his hand.
No rank displayed.
No information.
Just potential.
He tucked it carefully into his satchel.
"Well," he said, exhaling, "I guess we'll find out what hatches."
Far in the distance—
Ardent District trembled again.
A deeper rumble this time.
Jeather looked toward the city lights.
He had grown stronger.
His mana control sharpened.
His physical capacity increased through Astrael's integration.
He now understood:
Mana-empowered strikes weren't random unlocks.
They were the result of:
A demon-class beast integration.
Dual-core mana synchronization.
Reinforced pathways etched by evolution.
His body was evolving alongside his beasts.
And something—
Something was preparing to strike the district.
Jeather adjusted his grip on the satchel.
Twenty Bronze.
Three Silver.
One Mystery Egg.
And a city trembling under unseen pressure.
He exhaled slowly.
"Guess we're not getting a quiet week, huh."