World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 42: Corrupted

Chapter 42: Corrupted

The fight was over, but inside Nox’s unconscious mind, the system was still at war with itself. A series of notifications scrolled past, seen by no one, a quiet, relentless loop of failure.

[Error Neutralization Attempt: 98. FAILED.]

[Error Neutralization Attempt: 99. FAILED.]

[Error Neutralization Attempt: 100. FAILED.]

[Maximum attempts reached. Halting neutralization protocols.]

[Anomalous Power Signature detected: Corrupted Mana.]

[Integrating signature into user’s system.]

[...Integration complete.]

[New Skill Tree established: Corrupted.]

[New Skills acquired: Unseen Blade (Active) - Lvl 1, Shadow Mend (Passive)]

While the system rewrote its own rules to accommodate him, Nox remained motionless on the ground. Serian knelt beside him, her hand hovering over the dark scar on his chest. It had closed completely, the flesh knitted together in a way that looked unnatural and deeply unsettling. The angry red of a fresh wound had been replaced by a network of thin, black lines.

She touched it lightly with her fingertips. It was cold to the touch, a profound and unnerving chill that had no place on living flesh.

’This is not normal healing,’ she thought, her mind racing. She had seen battlefield injuries, magical restorations, and the slow mending of time. This was none of those. ’This is a violation. As if his hatred itself has become a tool to crudely stitch his body together.’

She checked his breathing. It was shallow, but steady. He was alive, but deeply unconscious. They couldn’t stay here out in the open. The mercenary was gone, but for how long? And who knew what else was lurking in the ruins of the city.

The gods, who had been silent during the system’s internal struggle, began to speak again.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] It stopped... The system called his mana... corrupted. What does that mean? He’s going to be okay, right? Please, someone tell me he’s going to be okay. 🥺

[Mars, God of Tactical Warfare] The system did not simply stop. It capitulated. The user’s will imposed a new variable that the system was forced to accept and integrate. A weapon forged from desperation and rage. The tactical advantage of such an ability is incalculable.

[Lady Veritas] Advantage? It is a perversion. He has carved out a piece of his own soul and given it monstrous form. He did not earn this power; he tore it from the fabric of the world. This is a dark path he walks.

[Baron Von Cynic] So the boy broke the toy by playing with it too hard. And now the toy is broken and ugly. How droll. What’s the prize for throwing the biggest tantrum, I wonder?

As they debated, a final, comprehensive notification settled in Nox’s vision, a quiet testament to the violent transformation he had just undergone.

[Player Status]

[Name: Nox]

[Level: 18]

[Title: Anomaly Slayer, Dungeon Conqueror, Mercenary Hunter]

[HP: 110/260]

[MP: 5/55]

[Strength: 47]

[Agility: 47]

[Stamina: 25]

[Endurance: 42]

[Perception: 35]

[Luck: 22]

[Unallocated Stat Points: 30]

[Divine Coins: 100]

[Gods Watching You: 51]

[Skills:]

[Regeneration (Passive) - Lvl 1]

[Indomitable Will (Passive)]

[Weapon Mastery (Passive) - Lvl 1]

[Appraise (Active) - Lvl 1]

[Soul Link (Passive) - Yeda, Kendra, Vasa]

[Lesser Mana Weaving (Active) - Lvl 1]

[Parkour (Passive) - Lvl 1]

[Core Integration (Passive/Active) - Lvl 1]

[Skill Tree: Corrupted]

- [Unseen Blade (Active) - Lvl 1: Project a blade of pure force from corrupted mana. Cost: 15 MP.]

- [Shadow Mend (Passive) - Lvl 1: Utilize mana to forcefully seal wounds with corrupted energy. Inefficient, but rapid.]

Serian knew she had to make a decision. She was tired, her own energy reserves depleted from the constant pursuit and the brief, intense confrontation. But leaving him here was not an option. He had fought for her, whether out of a sense of duty for his mission or something else, she didn’t know. It didn’t matter. He had stood his ground when he should have run.

’He said he was meeting his allies at the city center,’ she recalled. ’That seems the most logical destination.’ It was a place with more people, likely safer than this desolate street. And his friends might know how to help him.

She straightened up, her resolve firming. Though she was slender, her elven heritage granted her a strength that belied her frame. She carefully slid one arm under Nox’s shoulders and the other under his knees. With a steady grunt of effort, she lifted him from the ground. He was heavier than he looked, a solid weight of muscle and bone.

She adjusted her grip, settling him as securely as she could in her arms, and began to walk.

---

Nox’s eyes opened.

It took him a minute to figure out where he was. Looked like some old, abandoned building, chunks of plaster missing from the walls. He remembered fighting that mercenary, Lola, and then... nothing. He guessed Serian must have dragged him here.

He tried to sit up but realized his head was resting on something. He tilted his head a bit. It was Serian’s lap. She was sitting against a wall, leaning back, and she was asleep. Her breathing was even, but she still looked tired, even in her sleep.

’Huh,’ he thought. ’She carried me here? Must have been a pain.’ He noticed his head was pretty comfortable. ’Her lap is... soft.’ It was a weird thought to have, but it was true. He didn’t move for a minute, just kind of processed that. He wasn’t used to anyone being this close, or this... gentle, he guessed.

After a bit, he carefully lifted his head and sat up, trying not to wake her. He felt stiff and sore, but the pain from Lola’s attacks was gone. Those dark scars were probably still there, though. He felt his chest. Yeah, smooth, but with that weird, cold feeling under the skin.

That’s when he noticed something else. Inside him, where his mana core was, there was a new sensation. He’d gotten used to the feeling of his regular mana after that crazy awakening. This was different. It felt like mana, yeah, but thicker, heavier somehow. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just... really potent.

Just as he was trying to figure out what that meant, a blue screen popped into his vision.

[System Update: Mana Signature Analysis Complete.]

[User Mana Type: Corrupted Mana.]

[Description: Mana that has been forcefully altered by the user’s extreme emotional state and will. This mana is highly volatile and potent, resonating with darker aspects of the user’s power. It enables unique abilities tied to the ’Corrupted’ skill tree but may have unforeseen consequences on the user’s psyche or physical well-being with prolonged or intense use.]

[Current Status: Stabilized within user’s mana core. Fully compatible with existing ’Corrupted’ skills: Unseen Blade, Shadow Mend.]

[Note: Cultivation and control of Corrupted Mana may differ significantly from standard mana practices.]

He read through the notification. ’Corrupted Mana, huh?’ So that’s what that dark, powerful feeling was during the fight with Lola. And that Unseen Blade thing. ’Forcefully altered by extreme emotional state and will.’ He remembered the hatred he’d felt, the desire to just... end her. ’Guess that did it.’

The part about ’unforeseen consequences’ and ’psyche’ didn’t sound great, but the didn’t care. He made a high-level mercenary run. That was a massive win in his book.

’Different from standard mana practices, it says.’ He looked at his hands. He could still feel that thicker energy inside him. He wondered how different it would be. ’Well, one way to find out, I guess.’

Serian was still asleep, looking peaceful for once. He decided to let her rest. He had a lot to think about.