Chapter 12: Enhancement

When Kael and the others were about to leave the central training ground, Elias suddenly pointed toward the floor.

"Wait. What’s that?"

Kael followed his gaze.

At first, all he saw was a thick mass of spiderwebs. It looked almost like a giant spider egg sack, covered in layers of dusty webbing. However, after taking a closer look, Kael realized that something was buried inside it. ℴ

His eyes narrowed and realized it was the same object Quinn had dragged toward him earlier.

Kael crouched down and carefully picked it up. It was big enough to fit in his palm. And it was slightly heavier than he had expected.

"Something solid must be inside."

He gave it a small shake, but whatever was inside did not move. Quinn merely chirped from his shoulder as if urging him to take it with him.

Kael decided not to open it there.

There were already too many strange things happening in the old training field. He did not want to discover another unpleasant surprise in front of everyone.

The instructor eventually ordered the students to leave.

"For the rest of the day, all training is suspended," the instructor announced. "We need to investigate something."

The students immediately began whispering among themselves. Aside from team 37, all of them had not been present when the strange events occurred. They had only heard that the training session had been suddenly canceled.

"What happened?"

"Why are they investigating the training field?"

"Was there an accident?"

"I heard the instructors found something underground."

"Nonsense. If something serious happened, we would have been told."

The rumors spread quickly.

However, nobody outside Kael’s group knew the actual reason.

Kael and the rest of his team members kept their mouths shut.

After returning to his dormitory, Kael closed the door behind him.

He gently placed Quinn on the table before putting the spiderweb-covered object beside him. Quinn immediately hopped closer. Kael looked at the little demonic beast.

"What is this, Quinn?"

"Qiu!"

Quinn raised one of its tiny legs and pointed directly at the spiderweb sack.

Kael stared at it for several seconds.

"So you want me to open it?"

"Qiu!"

Quinn nodded enthusiastically.

Kael sighed.

"Alright. Since you said so."

He pulled out a chair and sat down. Then he placed the strange object in front of him. Kael carefully grabbed the webbing and tried to tear it apart.

It did not budge.

He frowned and pulled harder.

Still nothing.

"This is surprisingly tough."

The spiderweb was much stronger than ordinary webbing. It had a strange elasticity to it, almost as if the threads had been reinforced with some kind of energy.

Kael pulled out a small knife and carefully cut through the outer layer. As the webbing began to separate, he instinctively leaned backward.

"I hope there aren’t any tiny spiders suddenly rushing out after I open this."

He had no desire to deal with a swarm of spiders inside his dormitory. Fortunately, his concern turned out to be unnecessary. The moment the final layer of webbing was removed, Kael froze.

His eyes widened.

Inside the spiderweb sack was a familiar object. A small, translucent crystal with a faint golden glow.

Kael immediately recognized it.

"Core Catalyst."

It was one of the items that could enhance a Hero Core.

However, among all the known core enhancement materials, Core Catalyst was considered the lowest tier. For an ordinary student, obtaining one could still be considered fortunate. For someone from a wealthy family, however, it was barely worth mentioning.

Kael picked up the crystal and examined it carefully. This was the same type of item that could be found inside the secret chamber hidden beneath the valley.

He looked toward Quinn.

"Did you get this for me?"

"Qiu!"

Quinn puffed out its chest proudly.

Kael could not help but laugh.

"Haha! Quinn, you’re the best!"

"Qiu!"

Quinn happily waved its tiny legs.

Kael smiled.

The little creature really was something else.

In his previous memories of the game, Quinn was an extremely rare familiar. Its rarity came from the Thunder Dragon bloodline flowing within its body.

Once that bloodline awakened, Quinn could become an incredibly powerful demonic beast.

It was one of those familiars that players would normally consider themselves extremely lucky to obtain. Yet right now, it was sitting on Kael’s table and proudly presenting him with a Core Catalyst.

Kael looked at the crystal again. His expression gradually became serious. The original Kael had tried countless methods to strengthen his Hero Core.

He had consumed Core Catalysts, he had used intermediate enhancement materials, and he had even tried several high-grade core enhancement items that ordinary students could never afford.

But none of them worked.

Every attempt ended in failure. Eventually, both the Grayford family and the original Kael himself gave up on the idea of strengthening his Hero Core.

At the time, everyone believed that Kael simply possessed a defective Hero Core. But that was not the truth. The problem had never been his Hero Core.

It was his foundation.

A Hero Core was not an isolated organ of power. It was connected to the body. The stronger the enhancement, the greater the burden placed on the body.

If the body could not handle the additional power, the Hero Core would naturally reject the enhancement.

That was exactly what had happened to the original Kael. His Hero Core had been protecting him. It refused to accept additional power because his body could not withstand it. Unfortunately, the original Kael had no way of knowing this. Such information had only become common knowledge much later in the game.

By then, it was already too late for him. The current Kael, however, understood it. And that was why he had spent so much time strengthening his body.

His Four-Two-Six Breathing Technique had improved his breathing and circulation. His daily exercises had gradually strengthened his muscles and bones. Even though his body was still far from powerful, his foundation was already much better than it had been before.

A Core Catalyst was the lowest-grade enhancement material. It should not place too much strain on his current foundation.

Kael looked at the crystal one final time.

"Let’s see if I’m right."

He tightened his grip.

Crack!

The Core Catalyst shattered in his hand. Immediately, a brilliant stream of energy burst from the broken crystal and entered his body.

Kael’s eyes widened. A strange warmth spread through his entire body. It started from his palm before traveling through his arms, shoulders, chest, and abdomen. Then it gathered around his solar plexus.

His Hero Core trembled.

For a brief moment, Kael felt as if something inside him had been awakened. The Hero Core absorbed the energy. Instead of rejecting it, it unites with it.

Kael remained completely still. In the game, the item’s description clearly explained the phenomenon: Warmth indicated success and Cold indicated failure.

Since he could feel the warmth spreading through his body, there was only one possible conclusion.

It worked.

Kael’s expression brightened. He immediately pulled out his status crystal. The crystal was small enough to fit in his palm. Kael injected a tiny amount of Hero Core Energy into it.

The crystal flickered.

A faint blue light emerged from its surface.

Then a familiar display appeared above it.

——

Name: Kael Grayford

Age: 17

Hero Core Rank: F(+1)

Strength: 18

Agility: 17

Endurance: 18

Mana Capacity: 19

Combat Evaluation: Lowest Tier

——

Kael stared at the numbers. Then a satisfied smile slowly appeared on his face.

As expected.

The enhancement had succeeded.

More importantly, the increase was significant. His previous Hero Core had been at the lowest possible level. After the enhancement, every one of his basic attributes had increased dramatically.

Ten points each.

Just one enhancement had given him ten additional points in every stat.

Kael clenched his fist. He could feel the difference. His body felt stronger. His movements felt lighter. Even his breathing felt smoother. It was not an overwhelming transformation, but Kael understood the significance.

This was only the beginning.

If a single low-tier Core Catalyst could produce such a noticeable improvement, what would happen once his foundation became even stronger and he started using higher-grade enhancement materials?

Kael’s eyes sharpened. The answer was something worth looking forward to. However, he quickly calmed himself. There was no reason to become arrogant after a single successful enhancement.

His Combat Evaluation still remained at Lowest Tier. Compared to the talented students of Astral Dominion Academy, he was still weak.

Compared to genuine heroes and villains who had reached higher Hero Core ranks, the difference was even greater. One successful enhancement did not change reality. It merely gave him a better starting point.

Kael put away the status crystal.

"Step by step."

That was how he intended to proceed. There was no shortcut in cultivation. Even in a world that had once existed as a game, strength still had to be earned.

The following morning, Kael woke before dawn as usual. The events of the previous day remained vivid in his memory.

There were too many unanswered questions. For example: Quinn’s appearance and the way it was friendly to him.

But Kael deliberately pushed them toward the back of his mind. There was no point dwelling on questions he could not answer yet.

Strength.

That was his priority.

No matter what secrets the world was hiding, they would only matter if he lived long enough to uncover them.

The weak could chase the truth. But only the strong could survive long enough to discover it.

Kael splashed cold water onto his face before changing into a simple training uniform.

When he stepped outside the dormitory, the academy was still quiet but the sky was gradually brightening.

A faint orange glow appeared along the horizon as the first rays of sunlight began to illuminate the academy buildings.

The distant chirping of birds was the only sound accompanying his footsteps.

Kael soon arrived at the eastern training grounds. The training field was almost completely empty. He walked toward the weapon rack and picked up a wooden practice sword.

It felt familiar in his hands.

Kael took a deep breath. Then he initiated his Four-Two-Six Breathing Technique.

Four seconds to inhale.

Two seconds to hold.

Six seconds to exhale.

His breathing gradually settled into a steady rhythm.

His muscles relaxed. His heartbeat became calmer. And his mind became clear. Then he began.

One swing. Two swings. Ten swings. One hundred.

His movements flowed naturally. Every slash was nearly identical to the previous one. There was no unnecessary movement. No wasted energy. And no attempt to make his swordsmanship look impressive.

He was not practicing flashy techniques. He was building a foundation. A swordsman without a foundation was like a tower built on sand. It might appear impressive for a while, but eventually, the structure would collapse beneath its own weight.

Kael continued swinging.

Five hundred.

One thousand.

His arms gradually became heavier. Sweat soaked through the back of his uniform. But his breathing still remained steady.

He continued.

One thousand five hundred. One thousand eight hundred.

Two thousand.

Only after completing the two-thousandth swing did Kael finally lower his wooden sword. His palms were covered with fresh blisters. His shoulders trembled slightly from exhaustion. And his arms felt as though they were filled with lead.

Yet Kael remained standing.

A smile appeared on his face.

"I lasted longer today."

Yesterday, two thousand swings had nearly pushed him to his limit. Today, despite reaching the same number, he still had enough strength remaining to continue if necessary. That difference might have seemed insignificant to someone else.

To Kael, it was enormous. His body refinement was producing results. And now, his Hero Core enhancement has given him another boost.

Kael looked down at his trembling hands. The road ahead remained long. His current strength was still far from enough.

There were monsters in the wilderness. There were dangerous villains. And there were powerful heroes.

And somewhere beyond all of that was the future he remembered from the game. A tragic future that had not happened yet.

Kael tightened his grip around the wooden sword.

"I need to get stronger."

He turned toward the empty training field. Then, after only a short rest, he raised his sword again. Two thousand swings were no longer enough. Today, he would attempt two thousand five hundred.

His body might complain. His muscles might ache. And his palms might hurt. But Kael had already learned an important lesson.

A strong foundation was not built in a single day. It was built one repetition at a time.