The next day, Lein once again found himself sitting across from Raine — in the same cave, with the same curious expression.
Dark circles had settled under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept all night. The cold shadows of the cave, the faint echo of dripping water, and the scent of ancient stone created a strange sense of peace wrapped in oppressive silence. Lein nervously fidgeted with the hem of his black combat uniform, reminding himself that dreams and worries were a luxury he could no longer afford.
«Though… I haven't had any dreams in a long time.»
— Old man, — he said quietly, breaking the silence, — I've been wondering… What level was that Dragon, approximately?
Raine, as usual, sat cross-legged near the Chimera's skeleton and smirked. His white, loose robe was lightly stained with dust from the stone floor, and his silver hair stirred slightly in the gentle breeze coming from the cave's exit.
— Hard to say for sure, — he replied lazily with a slight grin. — But from what I remember, he was an Ancient² Monster². At least, that was the last confirmed sighting. As for now... I'm not certain.
Lein frowned. Lately, he had begun to grasp these strange classifications, if only slightly. To simplify, an Ancient² Monster² meant the second stage of soul-core evolution and the second rank of Class — in other words, the dragon had two second-level cores.
— Just level two and class two… — Lein murmured in surprise, — but he was that strong? Then… what's your level?
Raine looked a little uncomfortable. He turned his gaze away, as if recalling something bitter, and with a strained smile said:
— I'm a Beyonder¹.
He fell silent. A strange shadow crossed his face. Several long seconds passed before he sighed and continued:
— Technically… any human with a core is considered a Beast. That's the standard. Those without a core… are simply people.
Lein nodded in understanding, but interest flared in his eyes. He knew his questions could irritate the old man, but he couldn't stop himself:
— So how do you level up your core? Why do you, an old geezer like you, only have a level one?
Raine turned his head sharply, and a spark of anger flashed in his eyes.
— I lost that… many years ago. — His voice was laced with bitterness, but he continued, — The reasons no longer matter. — He looked down at his trembling hands. — And unlike some people, I never had a teacher. I was the teacher. I gave the king the strength to become a Beyonder¹. So be careful who you're calling an old geezer.
Lein froze. For the first time, he truly grasped just how heavy Raine's path must have been. No help, no guidance, no one to lead the way — and yet he had reached something others could only dream of.
— So a teacher really is necessary… to awaken a soul-core? — he asked softly.
Raine nodded.
— Yes. Otherwise, you'll drown in your own energy. The soul isn't fire — you can't just light it. You must understand it… and suffer through it. Deep within your soul is a fixed amount of energy you can use to forge a core. Fail once, and there won't be a second chance. Your energy will be drained, and only a god's miracle might save you…
Lein sat motionless, as if trying to digest what he'd heard. After a moment, he gathered himself and asked carefully:
— Do you know how to level up a core?
Raine shook his head sadly.
— I was self-taught. In our world, there are hardly any Beyonders left. Most have died… or turned into monsters.
Lein felt a cold chill creep down his spine, and it wasn't from the cave's air. He wanted to ask why, but Raine's expression made it clear — not now.
— I see… — Lein muttered, trying to change the subject. — Then how do you even know there are eight levels? If even the strongest are Beyonders?
— We know because our ancestors saw them, — Raine said calmly. — In the past, there were those who reached the God stage.
Raine paused, then added in a somber tone:
— But unfortunately, they vanished during the Last War against the monsters.
Lein paled.
— Gods vanished?.. But who… who can kill a god?
Raine clenched his jaw. A dark silence filled the air.
— Unholy Nightmares, — he said through gritted teeth. — The ones that can never be truly destroyed. Their shadows still linger among us. And we… are their echo. It was their doing that brought the world to ruin.
He fell abruptly silent. And Lein sensed the conversation had reached the edge of an abyss.
— Enough. I'm not all-knowing, — Raine waved the question off. — Let's focus on what matters. You wanted to know how to create a soul-core?
Lein nodded silently.
— There are many ways, — Raine began. — But most are difficult, dangerous, and unstable. The surest method is to feel your soul. Reach out to it — not physically, of course, but inwardly. To the place where your true self remains. Open a path to your essence. From its energy, tiny particles will begin to form — ethereal grains. These grains will slowly gather into fragments, and then into a sphere. That sphere is what we call a soul-core. The ether inside it is our power, our will, our essence.
He paused. The faint sound of dripping water echoed off the cave walls.
— Once your core forms, you'll gain an ability. Just one — but incredibly powerful. However, — Raine leaned closer, — if you can't understand it, you won't be able to use it. Which means you'll be nothing more than a vessel without fire. You must find the key that opens the gate to your ability. You must fully understand what your power does — and how it works.
Lein sat in silence, his fists clenched. Everything he thought he knew — about himself, about the world — had changed once again. But for the first time in a long while, there was no anxiety within him, only a clear goal.
He decided to clarify, to make sure he'd understood it all correctly:
— So the process is like this:
I have to find a way into my soul, gather its energy piece by piece. Those crumbs eventually turn into fragments, and then I merge them into a core. After that, I have to awaken the ability sealed within the core. Did I get that right?
Raine thought for a moment and nodded:
— Exactly.
Lein frowned, then asked:
— But… there's another way, isn't there?
Raine gave a grim smirk:
— Of course. You can kill other Beyonders and take their Soul Shards. With each kill, you'll gain a piece of their power — part of their core, you could say. Gradually, you'll build your own that way and eventually become a Beyonder yourself. Once your core is formed, you'll be able to directly absorb monster core shards. The higher their rank, the more valuable the energy. Under normal circumstances, I'd tell you to take the first path — it's far more stable. But as you know, there are no Beyonders left. So you'll have to forge your core the honest way.
He narrowed his eyes at Lein.
— And remember: never absorb a monster's soul shard before you've created your core. The backlash can drive you mad almost instantly.
Raine watched him for a response.
Lein nodded silently, and Raine continued:
— The hero's party will soon need a skilled swordmaster. That's why I've planned your training: during the day, you'll practice swordsmanship. At night, before sleeping, you'll meditate — gather those soul fragments. Only then — sleep. Once you've reached a basic level with the sword, you'll start hunting monsters alongside them. Understood?
Lein nodded again, then hesitated and shook his head:
— I get the sword training part, but… aren't you forgetting something? Don't I need to train my body?
Raine coughed and said, with an oddly evasive look:
— Right. Forgot to mention. You won't need it. Once you start forming your core, your body will begin to grow stronger on its own. Just like monsters — they have cores too. The path of ascension is the path to perfection. No flaws. I've heard that with every core level, your body becomes stronger… and more beautiful. In other words — perfect. All your congenital flaws will vanish by themselves.
— Becoming… perfect? That sounds impossible. As long as you're human, you're imperfect. I read something like that in a book once.
Raine laughed and gave Lein a crooked smile:
— Exactly! That's why becoming a god is considered an impossible feat. Unless, of course, you're ready to part with your human nature. Enough talk. Here — take this.
He handed Lein a simple wooden sword.
Lein took it, examined it, then asked skeptically:
— And what am I supposed to do with this?
Raine shrugged:
— Swing it, obviously. What else? For today, I think two thousand vertical swings and two thousand diagonal ones will do.
— Two thousand each!? That's four thousand total! Wait — if I don't need to train my body, why swing at all!?
— What do you mean "why"? You need to learn how to hold the sword properly, how to lunge, how to stand… That's the foundation. Now get to it. Don't waste time. Oh — and I'm going to take a nap. Head upstairs and train. And try not to make noise. Also, grab a torch — it's dark up there.
Lein, clearly disgruntled, started up the stairs, holding a torch in his left hand and fastening the wooden sword to his belt. When he reached the lake, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water.
He looked at himself for a moment, then let out a long breath.
The irritation and anger faded. What remained was a goal, a will… and a bit of doubt.
«I can really do this… right?»
He raised the sword high above his head and brought it down hard.
— One...
No laziness. No tricks. No shortcuts.
Lein truly intended to complete all four thousand swings — with nothing but willpower, a wooden blade, and a soul that had just begun to awaken.