Chapter 13: Battle of the Wills

Insig lightly touches the mana crystal and inserts his life magic into it. Insig imagined a river flowing back into the ocean.

Insig integrates his energy with the life energy in the mana crystal and absorbs them back into his mana heart slowly. He saw the faint image of a tulip wilting, with its petals falling one by one.

As the life energy increases, his dark energy increases too. Insig feels his mana heart becoming lively from absorbing the energy.

Insig closes his eyes as he enjoys the feeling of power flowing through him. The feeling was like a pair of delicate hands softly massaging your stiffy. It makes you estatic and yearning for more.

This was another cultivation method of strengthening the mana core called 'Kayin'. It was invented by a diabolical organization called Kayin. They were rather famous for mass killing and extraction of mana crystals. They were rather difficult to uproot as they got stronger in no time.

The user of this method would absorb the energy of a magic crystal of the same element as the user.

This method was highly beneficial as it would also strengthen your foundation as this method also absorbs the magic crystal's foundation.

However there is a drawback. A magic crystal extracted from an organism has its corresponding will and spirit embedded in it. The will and spirit would then infiltrate your body and fight your soul if you use this method.

This was also the reason why the 'Kayin' organization was uprooted. Their leader's soul weakened and he was ambushed by another organization.

This is why Insig chose a magic crystal that was extracted from a plant. As plants relatively tend to have weaker wills and spirits. Insig also bought this from the [Beast Master Facility] for 100 contribution points.

This cultivation method was released and spread. Causing many people to use them as a last resort if they can't advance any longer.

*Crack!*

A sound echoed inside the room as Insig escapes from wonderland. Insig looks at the broken pieces of the mana crystal.

They looked rather dull and gray as they disintegrated into dust and scattered in the wind.

Insig 'looks' inside his body expectantly. There, he saw a mana heart pulsating with life as it radiated a healing aura. There were pathways of energy connecting the mana heart to other parts of his body.

Insig senses a closer connection to his mana heart. He saw that from the size of an adult's fist, it grew to the size of a Large bowl.

But the most noticeable feature was from the pathways spreading the energy of the mana heart. The pathways were expanding like the roots of a tree, burrowing deeper inside.

In the past, they were only connected to his bones. But now, they were like blood vessels, spreading energy in other parts of his body.

'It's a success! My mana heart has grown to level 5!'

Insig was rather elated as he was one step closer into the skies. He may still be far but every step matters. Seiki smiled brightly and rolled around the bed for 3 minutes.

He then took a deep breath as he calmed himself down.

'Damn! My habits of rolling around when excited has never changed. You should grow up, Insig! You're already an adult!'

Insig's ears reddened slightly as he was embarrassed as he remembered acting like a kid. Insig took a deep breath and put the thoughts out of his head.

He lied comfortably in bed as he prepared himself.

*Hours later*

Insig closed his eyes as he slightly felt sleepy. When he opened them, he saw a beautiful tulip 10 meters from him. The bright sun combined with the cloud-like mists surrounding it felt like it was planted in the heavens above.

It was radiating a bright aura that made the surrounding organisms feel comfortable. It has a dreamy allure that makes you sleepy.

Insig found himself slowly walking towards it uncontrollably. He couldn't take his eyes off it as he was mesmerized by its beauty.

He can see the veins on its lovely pink petals, like it was a plump tender lips, making him want to kiss it.

When the wind blows, he can slightly smell the sweet floral scent. It wasn't the kind of scent that was too sweet to the point of repulsive. Instead, it was the right amount of sweetness that leaves you craving for more.

'No! Stop! It's dangerous!'

His instinct was desperately sending warning signals. Insig got a bad feeling but it was suppressed by the ecstasy he was experiencing. It was like a religious person knowing that sex before marriage was bad but they can't help but lust over it.

Insig steps closer and closer and he felt like the tulip was welcoming him. He saw it blooming in the bright sun, just like how the moon brightly rises above the clouds, surrounded by the stars. Its brightness makes your eyes involuntarily look at it, like it was the only shiny thing in the world of darkness.

Insig stepped closer and as he was about to make contact with it. A sound crashed his train of thought.

*Sizzle*

He hears a faint sound of something sizzling and he can't help but look at where the sound came from.

He saw a part of the lush grass in the ground was turning black because of burning from an acid dropped to it.

Insig looked at the source of the drop of acid and saw a repulsive full-bloomed red tulip made of meat and muscles inches away from his face.

In the middle of the tulip were spikes of sharp teeth surrounding it. There was a forked tongue swirling around, bathed in acid. It was emitting a disgusting rotten stench that made you puke even if you ate nothing.

'Wha— What the fuck is this?'

*Thud*

Insig was shocked as he stumbled with his ass on the ground. He felt a slight pain behind but that was not inside his mind right now. Insig felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He was sweating bullets as he felt death was just an inch away from his face.

He felt a chill in his spine as he felt like the tulip's mouth moved like it smiled at him mockingly.

He can almost hear it thinking:

'What a pity.'

'RUN!!'

*Rumble* *Crack*

Insig felt the ground shaking as barbed vines rose around him. Insig's mind hadn't calmed down yet but his subconscious reaction was to run.

He tried to stand up as he pushed himself off the ground but the surrounding vines bind his limbs.

He felt pain as blood flowed from the thorns around the vines scratching his skin. But all Insig thought was to remove the bindings from his arms.

He pulled one of his hands towards his chest but the vines pulled it back. He felt like his hands were chained to an immovable wall.

"DAMN IT! LET ME GO!"

Insig kept screaming as he desperately tried to escape. His legs were bound too, as they carried him towards the tulip. He felt like he was an offering to a king as his limbs were spread wide-open.

The vines moved him closer to the tulip and he couldn't help but get scared.

"NO!!!! NO!! STOP!!!"

Insig screamed his heart out as a scared expression showed on his face. There was a glistening tear at the edge of his eyes.

But all of that was to no avail as his legs entered the tulip's mouth. There was a rotten stench coming from it that creeps you out, like it feels like if the smell touches you, it will linger for months.

Insig saw the Tulip biting him at lightning speed.

*Crunch*

"AAAAARGHH!!!!!"

Insig felt the sharp teeth piercing, scratching, and shaving away his leg's skin. He felt some of them reach his bones and pierce it. He felt a deep pain in his marrow as the acid entered his skin, blood, flesh, and bones. He felt like every part of his skin was burning inside out.

As Insig was despairing from the wound. His mana heart moved automatically to protect him and to push away the energy invading deep within. It flowed down to his wounds like water and resisted the acid.

This only made it more painful to Insig as it was like dying and living at the same time. The pain also mysteriously didn't lessen in the slightest.

But it was this pain that woke up Insig. He felt the mana heart inside him pulsating with life. He woke up from his dazed, confused and scared self as determination flowed through him.

"DAMN YOU!!"

With bloodshot eyes and a fierce expression, Insig flailed his arms around and scratched and pulled the tulip's petals. He pulled so hard that his waist was slightly breaking. The sound of flesh pulling apart resounded as his lower body was about to pull out from the upper body.

But because of this, Insig was able to pull one of the petals. The Tulip screeched with a hoarse sound, like the scream of a ghost.

The mouth of the tulip opened up as a subconscious reaction from the pain. The pain was just like your eyeballs getting gouged out so the Tulip can't help but stop all actions and wail in pain.

Insig took this opportunity to get out. He used his hands to push his body out of the tulips mouth. He can't control his lower body slightly but he can feel every pain from getting your legs dragged in acid-drenched sharp teeth.

Insig clenched his teeth so hard that it was slightly creaking. He endured the pain and escaped from the mouth by crawling. Insig manipulated his life energy to move towards his legs but they can only slightly heal them.

His blood drenched body and fierce expression made him look like an Asura that escaped from hell.

Insig breathed in deeply and calmed down. His eyes flashed with intelligent light as his face turned stoic, but you can see deep anger in his eyes. It was like a flame that burns and spreads to everything it touches.

Insig used his death energy to reinforce his body like how the Grim Reaper did. He covered his legs in the black fog that helped him stand. But he was still breathing heavily and his legs were shaking.

Feeling a dangerous aura, the Tulip woke up from its pain and looked at its prey. The prey was now surrounded by a miasma that made him feel danger signs. But the Tulip still chose to fight as it was its only choice.

*Swish*

The air split as the Tulip used one of its vines and swiped it towards Insig. Insig jumped and dodged it. But behind him rose bundles of vines. They moved towards him as they tried to bind him.

Insig manipulated his death energy towards his hands. He formed sinister claws made out of death energy that was so black like it was swallowing all the light around it.

He swiped his claws towards the approaching vines and they cut into pieces just like in fruit ninja.

The vines tried to heal themselves but to no avail because of the lingering death aura.

He jumped around the battlefield as he dodged and attacked the approaching vines.

*Rumble*

Insig suddenly felt seismic waves in the ground. He looked at the source of vibration and saw a thick vine rising towards the sky. Above it was the disgusting Tulip opening its mouth.

The vine moved towards him with the mouth of the Tulip open. It was just like a giant green snake.

Seeing this, Insig smirked and conjured a spear. What was perplexing though was that it was radiating with life instead of death aura. He formed a stance and aimed at the Tulip's mouth.

"It's time to end this you b*tch!"