OP Absorption
Chapter 33: Sad Day

Chapter 33: Sad Day

’Ok, this is way more dangerous than whatever I did before, I might even die... well, what the hell, let’s get the show on the roll.’ He thought as he activated his power.

The mana running through the connection was fouler than anything he’d absorbed before. It felt like acid burning through his veins, worse than the zombies.

Pain shot through every inch of his body. It was like being torn apart from the inside, his cells screaming as the toxic energy flooded in. But he kept pulling, determined not to let up.

The zombie remained motionless, watching with empty eyes as Fin slowly killed himself. His veins began to glow green under his skin, his core reaching capacity far too quickly.

"Stop it!" Juliana screamed, tears streaming down her face. "You’ll die! Everyone I care about dies. Please, don’t do this too!"

Fin’s body convulsed as more mana poured in, but he managed to reach out and take her hand. Blood trickled from his nose and ears, yet he smiled through the pain.

"It’s ok," he whispered. "You’re safe now."

His eyes rolled back and he collapsed, body twitching violently as the mana overwhelmed his system. She caught him, cradling his head in her lap. Her tears fell onto his face as she watched the veins in his neck pulse with sickly light.

"No," she said firmly. "I won’t allow it."

She knew she was special.

Her immunity wasn’t just random—she hadn’t been chosen merely to be drained by the dragon. The core inside her had been absorbing and storing mana for three years, purifying it, turning it into something that could heal rather than harm.

That core is very special and rare.

The core was nearly empty now after the dragon’s feeding, but what remained would be enough.

She pressed her forehead against his, her tears mixing with the blood on his face.

"You were so kind to me," she whispered. "Even though I’m just a girl from a dungeon. You don’t even know me, but you still helped. Still cared." She brushed his hair back from his face. "That made me happy."

She kissed his forehead gently, her lips lingering for a moment.

"Here’s a gift," she said, her voice steady despite the tears. "Please, don’t forget me."

Before he could ask what she meant, he felt a new flow of mana—pure, clean, powerful—rushing into him. She was transferring her core’s energy into his body.

"What are you doing? Stop!" he gasped, sensing what was happening.

Her body was already breaking down, cells deteriorating as she channeled her life force into him. But she just smiled the same way he had moments ago.

"It’s ok," she echoed his words. "You’re safe now."

He felt a second core forming beside his own, the clean mana flowing in and neutralizing the toxic energy he absorbed. The pain began to fade as the new core stabilized, creating a balance within him.

A few seconds later, Juliana slumped forward onto his chest. Her eyes were closed, her lips curved in a peaceful smile.

She wasn’t breathing.

He wrapped his arms around her, tears falling freely as he held her lifeless body. The sacrifice she’d made—a girl he barely knew giving her life for his—left him speechless with grief.

In the distance, the dragon’s roar changed from triumphant to confused. The connection between them remained, but now it flowed both ways, the dual cores in his body creating a circuit that the ancient beast couldn’t control.

The zombie guardian tilted its head, observing the unexpected development with what almost seemed like curiosity.

He gently laid Juliana on the ground, arranging her hands over her chest. He stood slowly, his body thrumming with new power—his own corrupted energy now balanced by Juliana’s pure core.

"This ends now," he said, not to the zombie but to himself.

He turned toward the distant battle, feeling the connection to the dragon pulling at him. With one last look at Juliana’s peaceful face, he started running, following the mana string back to its source.

The zombie made no move to stop him, it just stared at him.

’What an interesting human.’ It thought.

Meanwhile, Fin sprinted toward the battlefield, his body surging with power. The connection between him and the dragon pulsed like a taut wire, but instead of being drained, he was pulling.

Drawing the foul energy into himself, where Juliana’s pure core transformed it.

Pain scorched through him with each step, but he pushed on. The dragon’s distant roars grew more frantic as it felt its power being siphoned away.

"Just a little more," he muttered, his vision blurring as his veins glowed bright green.

The cores inside him worked in harmony—one absorbing the toxic mana, the other purifying it. Each step grew easier as his body adapted to the flood of power.

When the battlefield came into view, the scene was grim. Jolly and Sam fought desperately against the partially reformed dragon, its skeleton now draped with patches of muscle and sinew.

Jolly spotted him first, her eyes widening in shock.

"Carver? What the hell happened to you?"

He didn’t slow down. Couldn’t slow down. His body hummed with more power than he thought possible to contain.

"I need your sword."

She hesitated only a moment before handing it over. "What are you—"

He was already moving, the weapon feeling weightless in his hand. The dragon sensed him now, its skull swiveling toward him with what almost looked like fear.

"This is for Juliana," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

He leapt, higher than humanly possible, the sword trailing green light as he soared toward the dragon’s chest. The beast reared back, trying to escape, but Fin pulled harder on the connection, forcing it to stumble forward.

"Now you know how it feels," he growled, channeling every drop of power from both cores into the blade.

The sword plunged into the dragon’s ribcage, right where the mana strings connected. For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then light erupted from the point of impact. A shockwave of combined energy—corrupt and pure, death and life—exploded outward. Fin was flung backward as the dragon’s body disintegrated from within, bone and flesh crumbling like ash in a storm.

Jolly and Sam were knocked off their feet by the blast, rolling across the ground before finding cover behind ruined walls.

When the light faded, all that remained was a smoking crater where the dragon had stood. Fin lay at its edge, his body empty of power, both cores drained completely.

He pushed himself to his knees, then to his feet. His hands trembled as he stared at the destruction he’d caused.

"Is it... over?" Sam called, emerging from his shelter.

Fin nodded silently, his jaw clenched tight against the grief rising in his chest. The victory felt hollow.

Jolly approached carefully, taking back her sword. "What happened out there? How did you do this?"

His eyes burned with unshed tears. "She saved me. She sacrificed herself so I could stop this thing."

"Who did?"

"Juliana." His voice cracked on her name. "She gave me her core. Her life."

Understanding dawned in Jolly’s eyes. She placed a hand on his shoulder, saying nothing because there was nothing to say.

He looked back toward the distant clearing where Juliana’s body lay. The anger wasn’t gone—it simmered beneath his grief, threatening to boil over.

"I could kill them all," he whispered, hands clenching into fists. "Every last zombie in this place."

"Not today," Jolly said firmly. "You’ve done enough. We all have."

He closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion wash over him. The power was gone, but something lingered—a warmth where Juliana’s core had merged with his own. A reminder of her sacrifice.

"Let’s go get her," he said finally. "She deserves a proper burial."

As they walked away from the crater, Fin felt the connection to the dragon fade completely. But another connection remained—one he couldn’t explain, forged in those final moments with a girl who’d given everything to save him.

He wouldn’t forget. Not ever.

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