World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 29: Core Formation

Chapter 29: Core Formation

Nox slumped against the wall, his body screaming from the inside out. The pain was something else, not like the burning from unsealing his mana channels, but a brutal, grinding pressure in his chest, like someone was trying to crush his ribcage into dust.

He was fading, the edges of his vision going dark again. Shooting himself in the leg had been a desperate move to stay awake through the last round of torture, but he couldn’t pull that trigger again.

’No way I’m blasting another hole in myself,’ he thought. ’Got to find another way.’

His hand shook as it hovered over the bloody mess of his thigh. The bullet hole was still fresh, oozing. He gritted his teeth, took a shallow breath, and jammed his finger right into the wound.

The pain was sharp, a white-hot spike that cut through the foggy haze threatening to pull him under. He twisted his finger, hard, and his whole body jerked.

’Fuck, that hurts,’ he thought, his jaw clenched so tight he thought his teeth might crack. It wasn’t a permanent fix, but it was enough to keep him conscious, at least for now. His whole body was trembling, muscles twitching like they were about to give up on him.

The god chat was still there, flickering in his vision like a glitchy TV screen. Lady Nyx was at it again, her words cold and sharp.

[Lady Nyx of the Shadowed Veil] The boy’s body is failing. He’ll die before the core forms. A pity. I expected more resilience.

That comment hit him like a slap, but before he could even process it, another message popped up, this one from Auraelia. Her usual bubbly, cheerleader vibe was gone, replaced by something fierce, almost scary.

The text box glowed brighter, the words carrying a weight that made the whole chat feel like it was holding its breath.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] Silence, Nyx. You will NOT speak of Nox’s death. He is stronger than you could ever comprehend, and I will not tolerate your venom. He will rise, and he will outshine every star in your shadowed veil. Speak ill of him again, and I swear by the Eternal Flame, you will regret it.

Nox blinked, his hazy brain struggling to keep up. ’Whoa, she’s not messing around,’ he thought.

Auraelia’s words weren’t just angry—they were commanding, like she was daring Nyx to open her mouth again. The chat went dead silent. No snarky comebacks, no side comments from the other gods.

A few names even grayed out, like they’d just noped out of the conversation entirely. Auraelia’s promise hung there, heavy and final, and it was like nobody wanted to test her.

He didn’t have time to dwell on it. The pain in his chest was still crushing him, like his heart was being squeezed in a vice. His body was drenched in sweat and blood, the bullet wound in his leg still throbbing where he’d dug into it.

Every muscle felt like it was being torn apart, fiber by fiber. He bit down on his lip, hard, the sharp sting of his teeth sinking in giving him another jolt to stay awake.

’I’m not dying here,’ he thought, his mind clawing at that one stubborn idea. ’I’m going make it. I’m gonna be the strongest damn player this messed-up world’s ever seen.’

The progress bar in his vision was creeping along, way too slow for his liking.

[Mana Core Formation: 73%]

He cursed under his breath, the words coming out in a hoarse, shaky mess. "Shit... come on... hurry the hell up." His voice barely carried, but saying it out loud helped, even if it was just to himself.

He leaned his head back against the wall, trying to focus on anything but the pain. The revolver was still in his other hand, slick with sweat. He gripped it tighter, like it was the only thing anchoring him to reality.

’Why’s this taking so damn long?’ he thought. The unsealing had been bad enough, but this core formation thing was on another level. It wasn’t just pain—it was like his body was being rebuilt from the inside, every nerve screaming in protest.

He wondered, for a split second, if he’d made a huge mistake trying to awaken his mana like this. Maybe he should’ve waited, found a safer way.

’Nah,’ he decided. ’Safe’s for suckers. I need this power now.’

He glanced at the chat again, half-expecting another snide remark from one of the gods, but it was still quiet. Auraelia’s outburst had shut them all up, and he couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of respect for her.

’She’s got some guts,’ he thought. ’Going off on a goddess like that? Damn.’ It was weird, having some divine cheerleader in his corner, but he wasn’t complaining. Not when she was sending him potions and swords and... glitter bombs, for some reason.

His mind wandered, probably because the pain was making him loopy. He thought about the girls. They were probably off checking on their families by now, maybe freaking out about their parents or siblings.

He didn’t get it, that whole family thing. Never had one worth caring about. But seeing them so worked up about it, the way their voices got all soft and worried, it stirred something in him. Not pity, exactly, but... something.

’They’re probably fine,’ he thought. ’They’re tough. Tougher than they look.’

The progress bar ticked up again.

[Mana Core Formation: 89%]

"Almost there," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper. His lip was bleeding now, the metallic taste filling his mouth from where he’d bitten into it.

The pain in his chest was still relentless, but he could feel something shifting, like the pressure was starting to form into something solid.

A core, maybe? He didn’t know how this crap worked, but he wasn’t about to quit now.

He thought back to the fight in the gym, the way he’d taunted that big furry boss into making a dumb move. It had worked, but it had almost cost him his life. ’Worth it,’ he decided. ’Got me levels, skills, and those cores.’

Speaking of cores, that new skill, Core Integration, was sitting in the back of his mind like a loaded gun. Absorbing monster cores sounded risky as hell, but the payoff could be huge. Permanent stat boosts, maybe even new abilities. ’Got go try that soon,’ he thought. ’Once I’m not, y’know, dying.’

The bar hit 95%. His body was shaking harder now, his strength leaking out like water from a cracked bucket. He twisted his finger in the bullet wound again, the sharp pain cutting through the fog. "Fuck!" he hissed, his voice cracking. It was enough to keep him from passing out, but barely. He was running on fumes, his vision swimming.

The chat flickered again, but it was just Auraelia, her tone back to its usual over-the-top cheer, though it felt a little forced.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] You’re SO close, Nox! You’ve got this! Just a little more! I believe in you! 💖✨ Don’t give up, okay? You’re gonna be AMAZING with mana!

He managed a weak mental snort. ’Yeah, sure, amazing. If I don’t croak first.’ Her enthusiasm was almost annoying, but it was also... kinda nice. Like she actually gave a damn whether he lived or died. Weird.

The progress bar finally, finally hit 100%.

[Mana Core Formation: 100%]

The crushing pressure in his chest vanished, like someone had flipped a switch. His body went limp, every ounce of strength just gone. He slid down the wall a bit, his head lolling to the side.

The pain was still there, especially in his leg where he’d shot himself, but the bone-deep agony from the core formation was over. He let out a shaky breath, his whole body slick with sweat and blood.

[Core Formation Complete]

[User is ready to cultivate mana]

He stared at the notification, his brain too fried to fully process it. ’I did it,’ he thought. ’I actually fucking did it.’ He felt... different.

Not stronger, not exactly, but like there was something new inside him, a faint hum in his chest where the core had formed. He didn’t know what to do with it yet, but it was there.

"Alright," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "That’s done. Now what?"

He tried to stand, but his legs weren’t having it. They buckled, and he caught himself on the wall, cursing under his breath. ’Got to give it a minute,’ he thought. ’Body’s been through hell.’ He checked his stats quick, just to see where he stood.

[Player Status]

[Name: Nox]

[Level: 16]

[HP: 120/240]

[MP: 50/50]

The new MP stat caught his eye. ’Mana points, huh? Guess that’s what the core’s for.’ His health was still crap, but the regeneration skill was doing its thing, slowly ticking his HP back up. The bullet wound in his leg was a problem, though. He needed to patch it up before he bled out again.

He reached into his inventory, pulling up the list of gifts he’d accepted from the gods. The Vial of Purified Dew from the Goddess of Gentle Showers seemed like the play. He mentally selected it.

[Using Vial of Purified Dew x1]

[Negative status effect: Bleeding removed]

A faint mist seemed to settle over his leg, and the oozing from the bullet wound stopped. The pain didn’t vanish, but it dulled, enough that he could think straight. ’Better,’ he thought. ’Still hurts like a bitch, though.’

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.