Eliron could have chosen to help Ash absorb the core, but he decided to implant it instead for a few reasons.
The first was that unlike Eliron who had a core adapted to both swordsmanship and magic, Ash was more of a swordsman than a mage.
Mana was still important to swordsmen, but unlike mages who were heavily reliant on it, swordsmen generally had smaller cores specialised for body enhancement skills and sword skills— and as a result, less mana.
Although he was a decent fighter, Ash currently knew no skills, and for a swordsman, skills were arguably more important than mana quantity.
Absorbing the mana core would not have been a bad move since his mana was low, even for a swordsman.
But it would be a waste, considering the skill encased within the stone.
[Rage]
It was a B Rank body enhancement skill, one that Ash would greatly benefit from having.
"Are you ready?"
Ash took in a long breath, then his face hardened. "I am."
There was another problem when it came to implanting spirit shards, and that was the 'Monster's will.'
Mana was said to be idle emissions from the soul, which means the mana core was a collection of soul elements.
Because of this, the spirit shard often had a 'will' which was basically strong emotional elements left by the monster.
If you were not able to tame those emotions, then there was a chance the person receiving the core would be corrupted by them.
The only way to stop the individual from becoming possessed by those emotions, is to crush their mana core.
Although losing a mana core was more detrimental to mages, swordsmen weren't exactly immune to it.
Ash would have to start all over, building back a core that took him more than a century to develop.
Seeing that there was no hesitation in Ash's eyes, Eliron nodded approvingly. "Let us begin."
Implanting a spirit shard was a very simple process.
All you had to do was get a feel of the person's core, then shove the shard right into the center. The core would do the rest after that.
Experienced mages and swordsmen could even perform the process themselves.
The only issue with implanting a core, was that it took a huge amount of mana to perform, and after fighting the mammoth, Eliron was extremely low.
"Yen, can you share some of your mana with me?"
Yennefer nodded and moved to his back. "Sure, but you owe me one."
She placed her hand on his back, and a golden energy emerged from her finger tips, creating a connection between both their cores.
Eliron could feel her divine man flooding his core, electric tingles spreading all over his body.
He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes taking a light golden glow.
'This is something else…'
It was times like this that reminded Eliron that Yennefer was no ordinary beign.
Her mana, if it could even be called mana, was fundamentally different from what he was used to.
At first it was difficult to control the mana turbulently clashing against his own inside his core, but Yennefer did something he was unsure of, and the mana settled, surrendering to his control.
"Thanks…" He muttered before focusing back on the task at hand.
He charged up the spirit shard with mana, the crystal glowing like blazing embers.
The glass exterior peeled off, crumbling to the floor, and then the real core— the energy glowing fiercely inside it, levitated in the air.
Eliron felt the outline of Ash's core, and then he shoved the shard right into it.
At first, nothing happened.
"Did it work?" Ash asked, staring at his hand.
He could feel that something had taken root in his core, but outwardly, nothing had happened—
"Huh?"
Silver Mana began to emanate from his skin, curling in the air like steam. Initially, it was just in little trickles, but suddenly, it flared uncontrollably.
Ash couldn't help but scream as hot pain surged through his chest, quickly rising to his feet.
It felt like his heart was burning from the inside out.
His muscles were alternating between sharp contractions and relaxation, and his mind was foggy, his vision blurring as he stumbled back.
Vwhoosh!
The mana around him became even more turbulent, creating a shockwave as wind whipped past them, forcefully blowing the leaves and rocks away from him.
Eliron and Artie raised their hands to shield their faces, his hair billowing in the wind, while Yennefer hid behind Eliron.
Ash's silver hair began to glow an ethereal silver light, each strand levitating in the air, and his eyes shone like the moon.
He gritted his teeth, feeling raw primal power surge through him. But with that power came a maddening rage, and a voice that screamed out for destruction.
Ash clasped his hands around his head, gritting his teeth till the point he could taste blood.
Kill!
Shatter!
Break!
A voice screamed in his head, a maddening fury encompassing him.
When Ash raised his gaze, he could no longer see those in front of him, all he saw were foggy apparitions in the vast expanse of darkness.
The apparitions were smiling, twisted horns and sharp teeth in full display.
Ash screamed out in rage and lunged.
The ground below him shattered from the force of his launch, the air rushing past him as he closed the distance between them in a heart beat.
He pulled his arm back, the silver mana swirling around him maliciously as he was about to deliver a devastating punch.
But in the last moments, when his fist was mere inches from the apparations.
Ash froze.
WHOOOSH!
A gust of wind blew past Eliron, the force from the blow creating a booming sound from just its contact with the wind.
Eliron smiled as he stared at the fist. "Good job Ash…"
Ash staggered back and fell to his knees. The violent mana around him subsided, his hair returned to normal, and the glow in his eyes vanished.
He returned Eliron's smile, just before he fell to the side, unconscious.
"Will he be alright?" Yennefer asked, hurrying to check his condition.
Eliron nodded. "It's a side effect of the implant, he should be alright by morning."
Yennefer applied some healing magic to him, before returning to her position behind Eliron.
"Alright, Artie, you're up next."
She moved closer to him and sat leg crossed.
"So what do you want to do? Do you want an implantation? Or would you prefer to absorb it?"
When it came to Ash, the answer was very clear, but Artie's case was a little more complicated.
The skills the mammoth had used were mage-like skills, so she could benefit from gaining them.
Plus, unlike the goblin shard, this one was superior since it came from a more powerful beast. There was likely more than one skill in the stone, and possibly, an S-Ranked skill.
Absorbing it would grant her those skills, but since she did not have the lighting affinity, at least to Eliron's understanding…
She would have to spend a lot of time gathering mana to develop that affinity.
But if she were to absorb it, she could potentially gain a few lower tier skills, and there was a chance she would develop the lighting affinity.
And that was not where the benefits ended.
Absorbing a mana core did not only increase your mana capacity. Your durability and mana quality are also buffed with each core you absorb.
Eliron folded his arms across his chest and explained his thinking to her.
Then he waited. 'What is she going to choose?'
After some moments of thought, Artie finally sighed and said…
..
..
A/N
Hope you enjoyed the mass release.
Happy new year! :]