The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Chapter 102 Crimson Orb of Divinity

This ball pulsed and swirled, radiating warmth and power, hovering before him. Aeric blinked, momentarily frozen.

"No way..." He leaned closer, marveling at the swirling mass. "Did I create this? Is this actual physical Divinity?" It was alive with energy, a piece of his Divinity made tangible.

'Wow. I wonder what kind of damage it can cause. Is this like a stun blast crimson ball or like a combustion level stuff?'

He brought his head closer to inspect, but as quickly as it had formed, the ball flickered and vanished.

Aeric collapsed backward onto the mat, panting heavily. Despite his exhaustion, a smile spread across his face. 'I actually did it. Woah. So that was physical Divinity I casted back inside that Dungeon.'

He looked at his open palm. 'How fast am I growing?'

Ding!

[Congratulations,] the system tore into his thoughts.

[Initial Essence Condensation achieved. Regular practice will ensure greater control and efficiency].

Aeric groaned, pushing himself upright. "Great. Since I know what comes next, I'll celebrate later. Let me just—"

[Reminder: Next exercise Sit-ups to strengthen the core after Condensation].

Aeric let out a long sigh, glancing at the mat. "I know I know. Because nothing says 'great achievement' like crunches." Still, he rose, his body aching but his spirits high.

As he began his sit-ups, his thoughts lingered on the glowing crimson ball. For the first time, he was becoming excited about his powers and abilities rather than just his plans to survive in case things went haywire.

With all this talk about the Snake Queen and her Drakes, he would need to be powerful enough as Son of Starlight to join the knights in defense of his Region.

Aeric lay sprawled on the mat, his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath. Sweat dripped from his temple, tracing lines down his jaw before splashing onto the floor. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, his body aching from the sit-ups but his mind already wandering.

With a grunt, he pushed himself up to his feet, wiping his face with the back of his hand. His shirt clung to him uncomfortably, damp with sweat.

[Sit-ups completed]

[Exercise completed. Rewards allocated: 10 XP]

Aeric walked to his bed and sat on the edge, his gaze drifted to the window. The moonlight highlighted his room, and normally, he would be on his way to bed, but his mind was elsewhere — on Celestia.

Her face came to his thoughts, her warm smile from their first meeting when their hands had touched. That memory was now replaced by the sight of her disappointment after school today.

Aeric groaned, leaning forward to cradle his head in his hands. "I really messed up with her."

It was desperately gnawing at him to find a way to fix this, while his leveling up and other objectives also loomed before him, and then the idea struck him like a lightning bolt.

Aeric sat up straight, his eyes wide. "Wait...what if I used the Project Skill to fix this? If I unlock the last tier, I could create a clone or even multiple that cultivates while I spend time with her. That way, I can level up and rebuild her trust at the same time!"

Excited, Aeric summoned the Skill Tree. The glowing branches of his abilities shimmered, and he tapped on [Project].

The system displayed the details for the third tier:

[Fourth Tier: Project Supreme — Create physical copies to perform leveling tasks independently, with the Player reaping the benefits. Cost: 400 Skill Points]

Aeric's excitement dimmed as he checked his Skill Points balance. "How much do I even have right now?" The number glowed faintly:

[43 Skill Points.]

He groaned, rubbing his temple. "That's not even enough for the first tier, let alone the third. And I don't think I can skip the first two tiers..."

The system confirmed his suspicions:

[Tier One cost: 50 Skill Points. Tier Two cost: 200 Skill Points. Tier Three cost: 400 Skill Points. Lower tiers must be unlocked before proceeding.]

He flopped back onto his bed with a loud sigh, staring at the ceiling. "Great. Just great. To get Skill Points, I need XP. And to get XP, I need to complete a whole lot of objectives."

His lips twitched into a grin despite his frustration. "Guess I have no choice than to spam random objectives until I have enough XP."

The system chimed softly:

[New Objective: Rest and recover. Rewards: 5 XP.]

Aeric chuckled, closing his eyes. "Look at you helping me out. Alright, system. I'll take it."

The faint glow of the interface dimmed as Aeric drifted off.