Sitting inside a three-meter-wide pool of liquefied cosmic energy, Azrael carefully took out the Nether Wind Substance.
He had chosen to embed the substance inside the cosmic energy gathering room, where the pool of liquefied cosmic energy was located because the energy here could aid him during the embedding process and greatly accelerate it.
Holding the small, skull-like substance in his hand, Azrael took a deep breath before swallowing it.
Although it looked like a skull, the substance was not bone but a solidified mass of energy. As such, he felt nothing strange when it slid down his throat.
The moment the substance entered his body, Azrael's beautiful purple-colored source core began to rotate.
As the core spun, the skull within his stomach dissolved into a mass of energy that immediately rushed toward the core.
The instant his source core absorbed the first strand of energy from the substance, Azrael felt a piercing pain surge from deep within it.
Purple gusts of wind burst out around him on their own, swirling wildly through the chamber and rippling across the pool of cosmic energy.
Azrael could feel his wind powers strengthening as his core absorbed the substance's energy. However, because the Nether Wind Substance pushed the core beyond its natural limit in order to enhance it, the process was agonizing.
The pain was so intense that even Azrael, who prided himself on his composure couldn't help but frown. It was even worse than the pain he had endured when he lost his arm during the Eonrift Trial.
The embedding process of any substance was inherently dangerous. That was why most people would ask a stronger protector to guard them during the attempt. If one could not endure the pain and lost control halfway through, their source core could be irreparably damaged.
But Azrael didn't ask anyone to look after him as he was sure he could handle it.
Alongside the substance's energy, the cosmic energy from the pool also poured into Azrael's core, supporting the embedding and at the same time pushing him toward Level 13.
His source core had become extremely active because of substance's energy and the rate at which it absorbed cosmic energy was nearly ten times faster than normal.
In just five minutes, Azrael's core reached the peak of Level 12 and then shattered its bottleneck, breaking through to Level 13.
By this point, more than half of the substance's energy had already been consumed, and the strength of Azrael's wind powers had increased by over 1.4 times.
The piercing pain continued to intensify as the embedding progressed.
But Azrael didn't stop the embedding process and continued while gritting his teeth.
Another five minutes later, when his source core was midway through Level 13, it finally absorbed the last traces of the Nether Wind Substance's energy.
(You have successfully embedded the Nether Wind Substance.)
Azrael exhaled lightly, closing his eyes as the searing pain gradually faded from his core.
A few minutes later, once everything returned to normal, he opened his eyes and raised his hand.
With a thought, a sharp wind blade formed in the air before him.
He had only used ten points of cosmic energy to create it, yet, he could feel its destructive power was already far greater than the wind blades he had previously formed using twenty points of energy.
"It's really magical…" He murmured, marveling at the improvement. Closing his eyes again, he probed his source core and discovered a faint devouring force emanating from it, hungering for his cosmic and spiritual energy.
After a brief hesitation, Azrael willingly allowed it to consume a portion of both.
To his relief, the Nether Wind Substance's devouring speed wasn't particularly fast. He could easily sustain it for long periods before feeling drained.
"Well, at least there won't be any problems with its advancement to higher levels," He commented with satisfaction before rising to his feet.
Leaving the cosmic energy gathering room, Azrael made his way to the training grounds where the combat dummies stood.
He set one of the dummies to Level 26—the entry point of an Epic-level warrior.
Once it was activated, he stepped back, his expression hardening with focus.
With a wave of his hand, nearly half of his cosmic energy vanished in an instant and before him, a wind spear materialized, spinning like a drill, shrieking with sharp noises as it twisted the very air around it.
"Go," He commanded in a low voice and the spear shot forward, ripping through the air before slamming into the dummy in the blink of an eye.
A thunderous explosion echoed across the training grounds as the dummy was pierced straight through and flung back nearly a hundred meters.
When it finally crashed into the ground, a deep red glow spread across its body, indicating a fatal strike.
"So my wind attacks can now pose a serious threat to even Epic-level warriors if they are unprepared and caught off guard," Azrael muttered, gazing at the dummy.
Of course, he knew no true Epic-level warrior would simply stand still and allow themselves to be hit. They would dodge, block, or retaliate.
But if he launched a sneak attack from behind while his target was unaware, even without using the Fallen Star or his intent, he could genuinely endanger them.
"Now that my wind power has grown stronger, I just need to focus on raising my level further, mastering the Skyrift Essentia Art, perfecting my Meditation Technique, and honing several key skills…" His eyes gleamed with determination.
"Once I've done all that, my power system will finally be initially complete, and I can shift my focus to earning academic credits to re-enter the Eonrift."
Taking a deep breath, Azrael called up his status window.
---) Name: Azrael Thorne
---) Level: 13 (Class Warrior)
---) Traits: Infinite Comprehension (Eternal Grade), Cold Blooded (White Grade — Evolvable)
---) Soul Armament: Fallen Star (Unawakened)
---) Attribute: Astral
---) Rune: Rune of Spirit
---) Substance: Nether Wind
---) Title: ??? [Locked]
---) Strength: 51.3 → 53.9
---) Agility: 46.5 → 49.1
---) Stamina: 53.3 → 56.1
---) Cosmic Energy: 217 → 219
---) Skill: Cosmic Energy Breathing Method (Mid Level)
---) Class Skills: Absolute Decree, Balance Severed
---) Task Points: 6045
The small increase in his stat points from leveling up to 13 made him satisfied.
He was still reviewing his status window when his student ID card suddenly buzzed.
Azrael retrieved it, expecting it to be a message from Ronald about the upcoming class schedule.
However, when he checked the sender, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise because the message wasn't from Ronald, but from Mira.