An Aura Farmer's Guide to Another World
Chapter 63: Mana Reversion

Chapter 63: Mana Reversion

"Shut up!" Grak yelled.

I stepped toward Grak, meeting her halfway in the center of the room. Grak towered over me, jaw tight, teeth grinding like I’d just insulted her ancestors.

"Last time we met, you pissed me off and I never got the chance to settle the score. Now’s perfect." Grak said

Her fist was mid-swing when Shazog’s voice sliced through the room. "Stop, sister."

Shazog swiftly intervened, blocking her sister just before she made contact with my skin.

"Let go of me," Grak pushed her sister away, "I can’t forgive him for what he has done to you."

I stepped in close, locking eyes with her towering form. "Last time, I nearly shoved that thing you were waving where the sun doesn’t shine. Push me again, and it’ll be my fist instead.

Grak let out a low chuckle, clenching her fist. "You’re all bark, no bite. You wouldn’t dare."

"You think so?" I balled my right hand into a fist and lifted it slowly, the gas lanterns bathing it in an orange glow.

"Imaging this thing slowly making its way up your ass, how many inches can your ass handle, or, will it swallow my entire fist."

I raised my fist, slow and steady, showing her the full measure. Grak caught my wrist mid-air and hoisted me until our eyes were level. "Once I beat the hell out of you," she growled, "you’ll learn to respect your elders."

A gentle smile touched my lips. "The Demon King stands above all in the Demon Empire... doesn’t he?" I turned my gaze to Shazog, standing beside her sister.

Shazog placed her hand on Grak’s shoulder. "He’s the demon king," she stated, "the last person you want to anger."

"Hmm."

Grak smirked and raised her fist to her face level. "Let’s see how strong our Demon King really is."

[You have cleared the hidden requirements to activate your unique skill ’AURA’]

[Do you wish to proceed?]

YES ▣☚

NO ☐

At that moment, it felt like five spears pierced my heart, one after another until I was nothing but holes.

A shudder rippled through me. My veins pulsed, then collapsed, blood flow seized before snapping back into place.

Black lightning surged from my heart, racing through every vein. When it reached my skin, it erupted, cracking the ground beneath us.

My heartbeat thundered like a war drum, 100 pulses a second, then 200, then 300. Rattling my ribs like they’d burst apart.

When it hit 400, I clutched my chest. My heart thrashed against my ribs, ready to burst through.

Grak swung at my face, and I caught her fist mid-air. I yanked my other hand upward and dropped to the floor.

Grak struck with her free hand, and I caught it too, locking her fist in my palm.

Grak gritted her teeth, fists trapped in my hands. "Last time, you had a Lota core. So, how is your heart beating at 400ps? When did you ascend to Eta, or are you a false ranker?"

Shazog bit her nails, eyes flicking from Grak to me and back. "Fighting won’t solve anything, let’s settle our differences with a friendly game of rock, paper, scissors."

"Shut up!" Grak snapped, trying to rip her fists free from my grip.

"You think you’re special?" Grak hissed. "You’re not the only one who can manifest Aura."

’Badump-badump!’

Grak’s heartbeat rose, 100, 200, 400ps, matching mine. Green lightning crackled across her skin, drifting into the air like dancing thunderbolts.

My dark lightning clashed with her green, both crackling and pulsing in rhythm with our hearts.

"You could’ve joined the House of Sinners as a Major, one rank above Cupcake. But you hid your strength. Pathetic." Grak said.

"Let me guess, you’re a Major, aren’t you?" I said.

Grak drew back, eyes flicking to my forehead. "Don’t die on me," she murmured.

’Bang!’

Her forehead slammed into mine like steel on steel. I didn’t flinch; my dark aura flickered around me, alive and burning like a living flame.

Red and black blood trickled from our split foreheads, merging as it hit the floor.

"Is that it?" I muttered, eyes locked with Grak’s, our foreheads still pressed together.

"Our strength is equal... How?" she muttered.

Shazog cut in, "With an Eta core, Lana could make him a Major. He might outrank Cupcake."

My veins ruptured from within, skin turning deep purple. In a blink, my body gave out, but Grak caught me before I hit the floor.

"I rested in her arms, my back pressed against the firm strength of her massive orc thighs.

’Cough-cough.’

I started to cough up blood, my heart still pounding at 400 beats per second.

My chest rose and fell on her thighs, my heart thudding like it was trying to break free.

"Damn it! Cancel your skill, you idiot, you’re almost out of mana!" Grak yelled.

I looked up at Grak and her sister, both kneeling beside me. "I can’t... I can’t move. My body’s not listening."

Shazog leaned in, ear pressed to my chest, listening. Then both palms pressed against me. "Is this... a unique skill?" she asked.

At that point, words failed me. I could only nod.

Shazog’s shyness vanished, her face hard as stone. Grak, meanwhile, was trembling, eyes darting in panic.

"You’re showing signs of Mana Reversion. If you don’t stop draining your mana now, you’ll become a monster."

Shazog ripped open my shirt and eased me onto the floor. "Get the first aid kit, it’s in the wardrobe," she snapped at her sister.

Grak returned with a white box marked with a red cross. Shazog flipped it open and carefully pulled out twenty-one slender needles.

She traced a line from my heart to my thumb, eyes closed, listening to the pulse that still tethered me to life.

Abruptly, she slid a needle into my forearm’s center. Pausing, she listened, then drove another into my neck.

She moved in silence, placing needle after needle across my body until all twenty-one were embedded beneath my skin.

"Now listen carefully," she said. "Don’t breathe. Don’t think. Just be still. Completely."

I held my breath and met Shazog’s gaze. Her palms clamped around my cheeks, squeezing my skull like she meant to crack it open.

Her mana surged into me only to be repelled, like striking an unseen wall. With a gasp, Shazog let go of my head.

She restarted, channeling mana through my temples. I tried to be still, but my legs convulsed, kicking wildly and slamming against the floor.

"Steady his legs," Shazog commanded her sister.

Grak gripped my ankles and sat on them, effectively pinning me in place.

Shazog’s grip tightened, forcing mana through my skull. My body convulsed, and my chest slammed upward three times, each like a thunderclap from within.

After ten minutes of effort, my heartbeat settled to 1.6 beats per second. I regained control of my body, but couldn’t stand.

"Watch your mana," Shazog muttered, eyes dark. "Let it drain too far, and it won’t just burn out, it’ll devour your soul and turn you into a monster."

I gave her a slight nod, and she lifted me with ease, laying me gently on her bed. "Rest here tonight," she said. "I’ll let Cupcake know in the morning to come and get you."

Damn it. If Shazog had any idea what Cupcake’s like, she’d have spared me and taken me next door. We literally share a wall; it’s not that hard. Now I’ve got maybe six hours before Cupcake chews through me for daring to sleep in another woman’s bed.