Beyond The System
Chapter 187: Rest and Recovery

The world shifted back into place, once more, the scorched forest appeared along with the flicker of small flames trailing across patches of blackened grass. Smoke curled upward in thin wisps. The serpent and I blinked at each other, locked in a final moment of tense stillness, before I pulled my hand back and turned toward the others, who still stood at full alert.

“It’s over. Temporary truce,” I said, voice carrying weight.

I felt the heat of a glare burrow into my back, sharp enough to stiffen my spine. “That being said…” I added, slumping as the beast finally turned and slithered back toward the pylon. “We should probably still be cautious.”

As if my words lifted some invisible mass over them, everyone collectively fell. Griffith dropped like a sack of bricks, the sound of his landing a solid—thump. Thea sank to her knees, sitting on her legs. And Elric... he took his time, legs crossed, posture perfect.

I bet he thought he looked so elegant.

He does look quite calm and mature for the situation, Wyrem confirmed in that oh-so-helpful way of his. Anyway, the beast will recover. You should all do the same. It seemed far more interested in your threat than my promises. Use that. And the Dragon Vein. Get everyone together first.

Groaning, I forced myself up, cupping my hands around my mouth. “We can rest later! Get over here first!”

A round of grumbles answered me, but they obeyed, dragging themselves to their feet and shuffling toward me.

“I’m going to use the Voidseed,” I said flatly. “If that thing moves, kill it.”

None of us were about to trust the monster just because it was playing docile for now, but I needed to advance. We all did, and with the others’ help, I’d found a new way to refine my combat ability. Though, like everything else, it would still take a hell of a lot of effort.

Then there was that space.

The place activated when I pushed Beast Force into the connection. 

It resembled what Thea and Elric had described before—the Inner Space, but something about it was different. There was no egg, no central structure. Just the raw, formless presence of the three spirits who’d appeared there with me.

Was it just a manifestation of intent? Or something else entirely? Some deeper system I hadn’t unraveled yet?

“Go ahead, Peter,” Griffith said, motioning for me to step forward. The serpent lay coiled tightly around the Dragon Vein, muscles tense, guarding it like a jewel.

That… was not a welcoming posture.

I cleared my throat, puffed out my chest, and forced my feet to move. These people needed someone to lead. Might as well pretend it was me.

I marched forward, hand outstretched, trembling just enough to betray the calm I was faking. The skin of the serpent brushed against my knuckles, cooler now. It must’ve been an active ability before.

Um… please make some space.

Its eyes shot open, slits centering right on me.

For a moment, I tensed, but then, thankfully, it shifted just slightly, uncoiling enough to allow me through. Motivation for recovery was a powerful thing. And survival? Well, that tended to surpass it by leaps.

I sat down beside the vein, shut my eyes, and began.

The Voidseed didn’t hesitate. It devoured greedily, pulling in more Internal Force than I’d ever pushed through it before. It didn’t slow, but instead, kept drawing until I was nearly dry, my chest pounding and limbs trembling.

But I didn’t resist. I let it feed, until the hunger faded and the hole was full.

Then came the surge.

A dense flood of energy rushed into me, refined and pressurized, flooding through my channels. My Inner Realm sparked to life, shoving itself into overdrive. It had happened before, but I still wasn’t sure if it was some hidden function of the Harmonic Foundation or something else entirely. Still, the pattern was clear: as long as the World Force didn’t stack up so much it popped me, some part of my Inner Realm automatically sped up the foundations automatic functions.

There wasn’t much more I could absorb directly. My energy pool was practically overflowing, so I just stayed still, eyes shut, letting the pain leak away. My body eased bit by bit, soreness trickling out like water from a cracked jug.

And in that quiet, I thought back to the battle. Back to every mistake.

We’d been too scattered. Thea and I had moved more like two soloists than a team. Elric, too. He was way too capable to be stuck in the back flinging knives like some support squad. He needed to be up front, striking where it mattered.

And Griffith kept holding back too, shielding us instead of leading the assault. He was a frontliner, a defender. He should be at the front, but I understood why. I nearly melted after all. He had every reason to play safe.

I could say we just weren’t a balanced squad, but that would just be an excuse.

Wyrem? I called out.

There was no answer from him. Instead, Luna answered, her voice threading gently through my mind. He’s been quiet since you guys disappeared. Don’t think anything’s wrong… just, yeah. No word.

A pause. Then a softer admission. It’s been… kinda nice, actually.

I chuckled to myself. I bet.

Still, my focus shifted back to the beast nearby. I think we might have a real opportunity here, though. This thing… It's stronger than before. Tougher than stone.

Practice partner? Luna guessed.

Exactly.

I started to feel a little more like myself after that brief conversation. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the power in me was still active, humming quietly. And I hadn’t been eaten, which was always a bonus. Plenty of Internal Force had been recovered in the meantime.

With a thought, I directed it all to my Nexus. No more waiting, no more passivity. I chose to start rushing my Spiritual Refinement, and my energy obeyed.

The flow surged, power rushing inward like a flood breaking through a shattered dam. The Nexus drank it all, all energy vanishing instantly. In its place came a fresh torrent of World Force from the outside rushing back in, ready for conversion.

My eyes snapped open.

The others noticed instantly. None of them had looked away from the serpent for even a second. Our “former opponent,” still curling near the Dragon Vein.

Thea and Griffith looked better. Not great, but better. Their skin was still streaked with dried blood and some small wounds. Thea’s leg, thankfully, was no longer filled with branches. I didn’t want to know how that got handled. Her head wound was gone too.

“Was waiting for you to get up,” Elric said casually. “Thea wouldn’t let me treat you without permission.”

I gave my girlfriend a bright grin. "Thank you."

Elric continued, “But it was a good thing. Don’t know how you’re doing it, but…” He stepped forward, lowering himself into a crouch. He reached out, pausing just short of my chest, and looked to me for approval. I nodded.

The moment his hand touched me, I felt my bones shifting, grinding. I endured it with clenched teeth. There was no divine glow, no instant painless recovery like before. Just Elric’s usual method of effective brutality.

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to finish the thought he’d started earlier. “But?”

He leaned back slightly, scratching the back of his head. 

“Your outer wounds were totally gone,” he said. “There was a nasty crack on your head, too. And sure, I’ve healed you without asking before, but usually only when you’re seriously wrecked. That’s why I was going to treat you without asking.”

He paused, frowning just a bit. “But while you were cultivating, it just… healed on its own. Sealed itself up.”

I stretched slowly, working my limbs and joints, rolling my shoulders until the tightness faded.

“Should be the Water Force,” I muttered. “But then why in the world would you need to hurt me again?!”

He shrugged, totally unfazed. “Guess Water Force doesn’t handle bones. Or maybe it does, but just really slowly. And sealing fractures isn’t the same as resetting them anyway. You can't escape me.”

I stared at that calm, unreadable face, trying not to let irritation win. I didn’t trust how casual he was about it, but I let it go.

“Well,” I sighed, shifting my weight and motioning toward the serpent, “you all should rest and recover, too. I’ll keep an eye on this thing.”

It definitely wasn’t recovering as fast as we were. No snake-Elric on its side. Small mercies. For who? Wasn't sure yet.

“At any rate,” I added, “we’ll bounce back quicker. So rest. As much as you can.”

They nodded and sat down, closing their eyes, settling into cultivation without a word.

Right… So now what?

I started running back and forth between two charred stumps, trying to convert whatever World Force remained nearby. Unfortunately, not much of anything substantial came of it. The Voidseed’s effect had already faded, and so had my momentum. Not from fatigue. Just—

The red gaze flicked open, and locked on me.

That stare froze my thoughts mid-step.

Two emotions were possible in that gaze. Only two. The first: Expectation. The second? Hunger.

For my own sanity, I chose to assume the first, shrugging. “I can’t use it constantly, so deal with it.”

The serpent huffed through its nostrils, a sharp exhale that stirred the dust near its snout. Then its eyes closed again, slow and deliberate.

It got the message... right?

Wyrem, I asked, tension creeping in, can you really offer it something that works? A real training method?

The figure coiled lazily inside my soul finally stirred, apparently done with whatever task he’d been up to.

I’ll give it pieces of the same method I use, he replied. Whether or not it’s effective is up to it. But considering the possible lineage… Well, in the end, predators eat stuff anyway. So it should be fine.

‘Should be fine’ was about as comforting as a that hungry gaze, but for now, that was all I had.

I turned my eyes back to the battlefield to distract myself. Same charred ground and hardened magma of the dirt and stone from before. What little greenery had survived was either scorched black or buried under ash. All of it lit under a bright, cloudless noon sky.

My gaze drifted to the Dragon Vein.I thought about going back to it. About touching it, but no. I couldn’t yet. Not until I was absolutely sure that no one was getting added to the menu.

I kept turning, scanning out of habit, and spotted something moving.

“That…” I muttered, blinking, “guess it got a little braver.”

A familiar blob of black-eyed, armored slime inched its way toward us, cautious, but determined. Its body quivered, not from fear exactly, but when it spotted me. I wasn’t sure if it was nervous or excited. Maybe both.

“I wonder what made the blob change its mind,” I added under my breath, watching it come closer.

Its body rippled as it moved, each side of its head scanning independently. Twin eyes swept the field with twitchy, insect-like precision. It sped up, maybe confirming it was me.

What had started as a cautious slink became an eager squish-run, the trembling from before now clearly enthusiasm. It picked up speed fast.

I crouched, hands extended to greet it.

It ignored them. Instead, in one smooth motion, it launched upward, cleared my head entirely, and landed with a soft—plop, directly into Thea’s lap.

There was a beat of silence.

That was… Luna began.

Nope, I cut her off, already knowing where this was going.

A second later, Wyrem added, probably at Luna’s request, She said ‘embarrassing.’

Of course she did.