The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

(Raye's POV)

S L A S H—!!

I cut open the stomachs of the Chromaworm and the Verdant Maul too. And after that…

Fwish—

'Got them.'

I successfully retrieved the two other cores.

-How are you going to absorb them…?

Zephyrus asked, his tone laced with curiosity.

"I'm going to swallow them whole."

And I responded without a hint of hesitation.

-WHAT?!

-MEEP?!

Zephyrus and Pyro both shrieked in disbelief, their heads whipping toward me violently.

-Are you serious?!

Zephyrus shouted.

And immediately—

"No I'm not lol."

I said it flatly, not even bothering to look at them.

-…

-…

They fell completely silent after that. I could still feel their glares though—yeah, they're definitely annoyed.

'These two are too gullible. Of course I can't swallow the cores. Each one is the size of my palm.'

I thought to myself.

The actual method of absorbing the cores—

"I just have to meditate while holding one with both hands. And after channeling mana into it, I search for the leftover essence inside the core... then slowly draw it into my own mana core—my heart."

I explained with a casual shrug.

-Oh...

-Meep...

Zephyrus and Pyro finally responded, a little quieter now—but at least they understood.

And with that cleared up—

"I'm going to start now. Absorbing even one of these can take days. Please protect me."

I said firmly, glancing at them both.

-What…?!

-Meep?!

They were clearly caught off guard by the fact that it would take that long.

"Haha, sorry for not mentioning that sooner."

I chuckled as I sprinted toward the tent.

Tap— tap— tap—

-Hey, wait...!

-Meep!

Zephyrus and Pyro tried to stop me with words, still perched on my shoulders.

Tap—

But as soon as I stepped inside the tent—

Thud—

I dropped immediately into a sitting lotus position.

"You can eat the bodies of the Chromaworm and the Verdant Maul. Just be careful when roasting the vines from the evil trent—they're poisonous."

I told them. They were now floating in front of my face, midair.

-...

-...

Both of them stared at me in disbelief.

"I'll get stronger. You two will too. Don't slack off."

I mumbled, smiling.

Zephyrus frowned—

-We wouldn't, idiot.

He replied flatly.

"Is that so?"

I asked with a small smile.

-Meep!

Then Pyro responded as well, a determined expression shining in his eyes.

Looking at them both—

"Mhm."

I nodded in satisfaction.

"...I'm sorry for always making you two guard me."

I whispered, not really expecting a response.

-Don't be... We're all partners here.

-Meep!

They both replied instantly, and just like that—

They made me smile again.

Fwish—

Watching the two of them…

"Take care, both of you."

I said softly.

-Don't worry about us. Worry about yourself.

-Meep! Meep! Meep!

Zephyrus and Pyro replied. Pyro was saying he'd guard me no matter what.

My smile widened.

-By the way, which core are you going to absorb first?

Zephyrus then suddenly asked with genuine curiosity.

-Meep...?

Pyro tilted his head, wondering the same.

"Oh…"

I murmured, then waved my hand casually—

"I'm planning to absorb them all at once."

I declared. And hearing that—

-HUH?!

-Meep?

Zephyrus was stunned. Pyro just looked adorably confused.

"Haha…"

I just let out a quiet laugh, amused by their reactions.

*****

After explaining to the two that I would try to absorb all three cores at once—

Zephyrus reluctantly gave his approval. He warned me it was dangerous, insisting I be careful and stop the moment something felt wrong.

I just nodded and told him, "Okay."

Pyro, on the other hand, immediately supported me—mainly because he didn't know how risky it was. I simply thanked him and wished both of them the best with their own training.

And after giving a short farewell to the two—

"..."

I closed my eyes.

Zephyrus and Pyro left the tent, but I can sense their concerned gazes.

The three cores were neatly arranged on my lap, my hands resting gently on all of them.

'Time to begin.'

And the moment that thought passed through my mind—

SWOOOSH—!!

I began circulating my mana.

A surge of power shot up from within me, and I directed it toward my hands—toward the three glowing cores resting on my lap.

Each one of them buzzed with a wild, unstable energy.

And the moment my mana made contact—

Crackle—!

All three cores responded at once!

The glow intensified, and I felt it.

Pressure.

Like my arms were dipped in lava!

"Hrk—!"

My muscles twitched. My fingers curled on instinct. It felt like my veins were being filled with molten metal instead of mana!

'Shit… this is worse than I thought...!'

Three cores. At the same time.

It was madness, I know.

My body screamed at me to stop. My mana pathways burned, and it felt like something inside me was on the verge of snapping.

But still—

"GURGH...!"

I clenched my jaw.

I didn't stop.

I couldn't.

This was the only way I could get stronger fast enough.

If I couldn't handle this... then what the hell was I even doing?!

F W O O S H—!!

The energy from the cores wasn't syncing cleanly—it was messy, violent. They were different beasts entirely, and my body didn't know how to handle it all at once.

My core started reacting too, trying to absorb the torrent of mana.

It was expanding slightly, pulsing irregularly, like a heart struggling to keep rhythm.

"Kh...!"

I started shaking.

My whole body started aching, especially my head!

But I kept going.

"Fu...uu..h..."

I slowed my breathing, focused all my thoughts on just controlling the flow—restricting how much I took in. I couldn't absorb everything all at once. I had to do it in waves.

'Little by little... I just have to... Endure...'

I thought to myself.

...

...

...

Time passed.

I didn't know how long.

But it felt like hours.

"GRAAA...!!"

Sweat rolled down my forehead and stung my eyes. My arms were numb. My core ached from the inside like it was being crushed and stretched at the same time.

Zephyrus and Pyro were probably panicking around me seeing me like this.

But I won't stop.

I couldn't afford to.

Not everyone can afford to fail and let go of opportunities.

Because some of us can only get them one time.

And if I pulled this off...

If I endured...

I'd come out the other side much stronger!

And so—

'Fuck this shit...!'

"GURGH...!!!"

S W O O S H—!!

Gritting my teeth, I continued forcing the wild torrent of energy into submission.

Again and again.

Each second a struggle.

Each breath a fight.

I wasn't done.

Far from it.

But this...

This was just the beginning.