Bloody Odyssey

Chapter 60: Origin Core.

Dax sat in the depths of his isolation chamber, legs crossed in a perfect lotus position, back straight and unmoving. His eyes were sealed shut, face calm, almost meditative.

"Origin core," he whispered.

In an instant, the world around him collapsed.

He was pulled into pure, absolute darkness—endless, without boundary or light. Slowly, his perception adjusted to the void. Shapes began to resolve from the black.

Before him loomed a massive transparent crimson orb, vast enough to swallow entire chambers. Inside it floated countless smaller orbs—hundreds, thousands—each one perfectly round, perfectly empty. They drifted in slow, silent orbits, glowing faintly with latent potential.

Suddenly, a notification appeared directly in his awareness.

Converting world ki into Origin.

Dax felt a flicker of genuine surprise. Then came the sensation—all his accumulated energy, every last drop of world ki he had gathered, rushing inward like a collapsing star. It gathered into one single, impossibly dense point at the center of his being.

On the outside, the isolation chamber reacted violently. Walls cracked and crumbled in explosive bursts, only to knit themselves back together in the next breath. The floor buckled, then smoothed. Lights flickered wildly before stabilizing again. The entire space groaned under the insane force radiating from Dax's seated form—raw energy that warped reality around him in visible ripples.

Could this be my own core?

A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face.

"I see now."

He stretched both arms apart slowly, palms upward, savoring the new sensation. The transformation of world ki into Origin felt like fire turning into liquid starlight—warm, endless, alive in a way nothing else had ever been. Power flowed through him, pure and refined, filling every cell with something deeper than mere strength.

"I am fulfilled."

Days went by.

The activities of the Wyvern Squad continued with unrelenting intensity—sparring that shattered reinforced floors, endurance drills under crushing simulated gravity, tactical simulations that ran for hours without pause. Every member pushed harder than before, driven by the quiet certainty that something massive was coming.

At the gates of the black fortress, the goblins had established sprawling camps. Their numbers had doubled since anyone last counted—tents, crude forges, weapon racks, and cooking fires spread outward like a living tide. From the top of the tallest building, a soft protective ray shimmered downward, bathing the squad's territory in pale golden light that kept the night chill away and warded off lesser threats.

Dax walked into the main training room flanked by Mimi and Nadia. Both women were perfectly healed—no scars, no lingering marks, skin smooth and unmarred. Their movements were fluid and confident, as though the brutal injuries from days ago had never existed.

The squad circled Mimi almost immediately.

Hanna stepped forward first, gently raising Mimi's arm and turning it slowly under the bright training lights. Her eyes widened in awe.

"No scars!" She turned to Dax, then stared back at Mimi. "I'm glad that you're okay."

She pulled Mimi into a tight hug.

"Thanks, Hanna," Mimi said softly. She glanced around at the concerned faces surrounding her. "I see I made the team concerned."

"Nahh, we were worried," Anastas said with a casual flick of his arm, though his voice carried more relief than he tried to hide.

"Ohh, is that so?" Ceron entered the training ground with exaggerated flair, metallic wings folding dramatically behind him. "You know, Mimi, it hurt to see you so beaten up."

He hovered closer, projecting a small holographic recording with a theatrical wave.

"I was sad that day," Ceron continued, "then I stumbled across Anastas—"

The video played: Anastas carefully retrieving Mimi's gauntlets from the debris, handling them with surprising gentleness, fingers lingering on the metal almost reverently.

Anastas's face flushed bright red.

"Cough! I was just being a friend."

"Aha! So why were you stroking it?" Ceron teased, zooming in on the moment.

"You little—" Anastas lunged forward, but Zain caught him by the shoulder, holding him back with iron strength.

"Zain, leave him," Ceron laughed. "Let him come at me. I will turn him into barbecue." He blew a playful stream of fire from his metallic arm, the flames flickering harmlessly in the air.

"That's enough, Ceron," Dax said evenly. "Instead of teasing Anastas, why don't you announce the winner of the favor points?"

"Ohh, yes, Master."

Ceron turned toward the door with a flourish.

"March!"

A line of his small minions hovered in arranging themselves swiftly into formation, letters forming in glowing script.

The squad wasn't surprised by the name that appeared.

Ceron hovered as though bouncing in excitement.

"Congratulations, Mimi! You have won 60 favor points!"

Mimi's face lit up with genuine joy, but deep inside, something trembled. She had seen too much in Dax's lab—too many impossible things—to take this lightly.

"Thank you, Captain," she said, bowing deeply.

"Good," Dax replied. "Mimi, you can save your points or use them now. If your choice is the latter, it's best you think carefully on it."

"A list will be given to you once your decision is made," he continued. "It'll explain extensively what you can do with your points."

Then he turned to address the entire squad.

"How are you enjoying the lens?"

Zain spoke first.

"Captain, these things are priceless. Though they do not have a shred of mana, it's like a mythical item—and it's very compatible with my left eye."

Hanna corrected him gently.

"No, Zain. This thing is more like a special eye, not an item."

"You are both correct," Dax confirmed. "It's an item built to work like your eye. As you can see, they cannot be removed—or else you die."

"Pst!" Mimi leaned toward Anastas and hit his arm lightly. "What is he talking about?"

Anastas didn't reply, eyes fixed on Dax.

"Here is yours," Dax said, placing the AI lens carefully in Mimi's palm. "They will show you how to use it."

He addressed the group again.

"This device will serve as communicators for our mission. You all will be able to speak telepathically."

Zain's interest sharpened immediately.

"Captain, I heard you say something about this earlier. What—and where—are we having this mission?"

Dax met his gaze steadily.

"A mission that required this sort of training and equipment is no ordinary one."