Reon reached into his iory arieved a green stone.

  An Intermediate Grade Mana Stone.

  Equivalent to 10,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

  As soon as he pced it on the ground—

  FWOOSH!

  Gone.

  Just like that.

  Reon's jaw dropped.

  "What the actual hell!?"

  That wasn't just any Spirit Stone.

  It was a Mana Stone—an Intermediate-Grade o that.

  Something he had po use to form his Ma and strubsp;a Magic Circle around it—once he had pleted the formation of his Core Void Eye.

  He gritted his teeth.

  The system had rewarded him with an Introduagic Book just days ago. He had been eager to take his first steps into magic.

  Yet now? Everything had vanished in an instant.

  "F-Fuck! Are you shitting me!?"

  All those pns—gone.

  A cruel joke.

  An overwhelming urge to cry cwed at his chest.

  But then—

  A sudden shift.

  Something inside him calmed.

  It wasn't his mind—it was his stitution.

  More precisely, the mysterious Void Eye taking full shape within his abdomen.

  Its hunger had finally been sated.

  His frustration faded, repced by an eerie tranquility.

  Reon took a deep breath and closed his eyes, enteriation once more.

  .

  .

  Two days ter.

  His Core Void Eye was fully formed.

  Reon exhaled slowly, his body brimming with newfound power.

  "Hah... finally. It's done."

  He had emerged from this ordeal unscathed, without a single misstep.

  But still—

  A sigh escaped his lips.

  The price had been steep.

  An Intermediate Mana Stone, lost forever.

  Its value? A staggering 100,000 Gold s.

  Even though he had gained something valuable iurn, the bitter taste of loss still lingered.

  But there was n baow.

  With the Void Eye plete, his cultivation would advance more effitly than ever before.

  Yet, a nagging question surfaced in his mind.

  "If I've eled my Initial Core into the Void Eye… then how do I advan my cultivation?"

  His brows furrowed.

  That thought g him relentlessly.

  And then—another question arose.

  "If there's no Initial Core… how will I ever form my Golden Core?"

  Before he could spiral deeper into his worries—

  A voice echoed from within.

  "Master, there's no problem with that. You do everything. Because… everything s inside your stitution."

  Reon's breath hitched.

  "...Huh?"

  His mind reeled. "You … hear my thoughts?"

  "Of course. I am bound to you."

  Reon's eyes narrowed. "So you're like the system too?"

  The voice hesitated for a moment.

  "System? What is that?"

  Then—

  "...Is that what Master meant by 'The Absolute Solution' before—**g*e*"

  The words blurred.

  Reon's pulse quied.

  "Wait—what? What did you just say?! Why did it suddenly cut off?"

  The voice responded softly.

  "I ot say any more. The Heavenly Dao prohibits it."

  "...What?"

  An uling chill crept down Reon's spine.

  Before he could question further, the voice tinued.

  "To answer Master's earlier question—No, the system is not like me. Nor is it like your panios."

  "The system may be bound to your soul, but it only faintly sense your emotions—mere echoes of your thoughts."

  "But I… I am different."

  "I am a part of you. Your Emotions. Your Will. Your Very Existence."

  "I am like your heart, your mind—an inseparable fragment of your soul itself."

  Reon's breath grew shallow.

  "OHH! That means… you're someone very important to me?"

  The voice wavered, almost… embarrassed.

  "Yes. Like Master's soulmate... or perhaps, even more precious."

  "...Soulmate, you say."

  Reon murmured, a plicated feeling rising in his chest.

  "Well… after living a life as dull as a rock, having a soulmate doesn't sound so bad."

  A heavy silence followed.

  A silence so deep, it felt almost… sad.

  Unbeknownst to Reon, the entity within him thought to itself—

  "More than anyone else iire universe, I alone uand how truly lonely you were, Master."

  "But this time… for sure… everything will be different."

  [Ding!]

  A new voice rang out—

  Light. Pyful. Mog.

  [YIHOO! sti-~! How are you? Have you finally awakened?]

  [Hehe! But you're just a cute little child right now! Pfft!]

  Reon blinked.

  "...The system?"

  The voice from his stitution scoffed.

  "Hah! So… that bitch is your system administrator?"

  [Hehe! Yes! I'm in charge of Master's well-being! Now, sti-, tell me—how muaster loooove me?]

  Reon's mi bnk.

  "...Wait, wait, wait—hold on! You two… know each other?"

  He was utterly lost.

  "And what do you mean by loving a damn system? It's just a mae—an AI!""

  The system pouted.

  ["That's rude, Master! I am NOT just some mae-like system! I'm a spirit—the Spirit of this System!]

  [And My voily sounds like this because I'm ag as your system guide right now! And just like sti-, I still 't materialize in my true form!"]

  "...Oh." Reon paused. "I see. I'm… sorry?"

  Wait—no! But still, I've never even seen your true form.

  So how could I possibly love you?

  Suddenly—

  The stitution snorted.

  "Hmph. Of course, we're… very... good... friends. After all."

  Reon's eyes twitched.

  Why did she sound so relut to say that?

  Then, curiosity sparked within him.

  How could the Spirit of the stitution possibly know the Spirit of the System?

  Before he could ask, the system giggled.

  [Master, don't worry! You'll get all the answers soon enough~!]

  Reon sighed.

  "Fine. I shouldn't get distracted by unanswered questions. I have more important things to focus on."

  He turned his attention back to the voice within him.

  "So, when you said 'inside my stitution'... did you mean that strange pce I ulled into?"

  "Teically, yes. But there are many other factors too."

  Reon frowned.

  "Wait a sed—if you're really the spirit of my stitution, then…"

  His eyes narrowed.

  "Why did your voice sound so terrifying before? Like an abyss eaking, something beyond human prehension. But now… you sound like a cute little girl."

  A beat of silence.

  Then—

  "C-C-C-C-CUTE?!"

  The voice stammered violently.

  "M-Master thinks I'm… cute? Master, do you perhaps… prefer little girls?!"

  Reon nearly choked.

  "T-That's not what I meant! I'm asking how you ged your voice!"

  The stitution cleared its throat.

  "Ahem! Well, the previous voice was only a fra of my sciousness—when I was at my peak. Now that I've only just awakened… I'm essentially in my childhood state."

  Then, in a sly tone—

  "Though, if Master wants… once I materialize, I wouldn't mind... doing things in a child's form~"

  "S-SHUT UP!" Reon's face burned. "How a child have such a lewd mind?!"

  The stitution simply giggled.

  Deep within, she mused to herself.

  "Child? I am anything but a child.

  I have spent millions of years by your side… and every memory remains with me.

  But I ot let Master know that… not yet."

  Then—

  KNOCK.

  KNOCK.

  A knock at the door.

  Reon snapped out of his thoughts.

  Someone was here.