Vaelith was silent for a while, then it spoke. Its voice rumbled softly, like a tide rolling through Bruce's skull.
[You move quickly, Bruce. To be on the verge of S-Rank this soon… even I did not anticipate it. It makes me curious about your trial and its difficulty.]
The crystal's glow sharpened, its words slow and deliberate.
[Anyways, this is perfect timing. You stand in the very heart of Velmora. There is no better place to forge your Mana Core. Here, the flow of essence is untainted, the density beyond anything found elsewhere. Use it, and your foundation will be unshakable.]
Bruce exhaled through his nose, thoughtful. So that was it: perfect timing, perfect place. His surgeon instincts stirred; this was not just cultivation. This was an operation. A procedure that would determine the strength of his body, his mana, his future.
