Reon reached into his inventory and retrieved a green stone.
An Intermediate Grade Mana Stone.
Equivalent to 10,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
As soon as he placed it on the ground—
FWOOSH!
Gone.
Just like that.
Reon's jaw dropped.
"What the actual hell!?"
That wasn't just any Spirit Stone.
It was a Mana Stone—an Intermediate-Grade one at that.
Something he had planned to use to form his Mana Heart and construct a Magic Circle around it—once he had completed the formation of his Core Void Eye.
He gritted his teeth.
The system had rewarded him with an Introductory Magic Book just days ago. He had been eager to take his first steps into magic.
Yet now? Everything had vanished in an instant.
"F-Fuck! Are you shitting me!?"
All those plans—gone.
A cruel joke.
An overwhelming urge to cry clawed at his chest.
But then—
A sudden shift.
Something inside him calmed.
It wasn't his mind—it was his constitution.
More precisely, the mysterious Void Eye taking full shape within his abdomen.
Its hunger had finally been sated.
His frustration faded, replaced by an eerie tranquility.
Reon took a deep breath and closed his eyes, entering meditation once more.
.
.
Two days later.
His Core Void Eye was fully formed.
Reon exhaled slowly, his body brimming with newfound power.
"Hah... finally. It's done."
He had emerged from this ordeal unscathed, without a single misstep.
But still—
A sigh escaped his lips.
The price had been steep.
An Intermediate Mana Stone, lost forever.
Its value? A staggering 100,000 Gold Coins.
Even though he had gained something valuable in return, the bitter taste of loss still lingered.
But there was no turning back now.
With the Void Eye complete, his cultivation would advance more efficiently than ever before.
Yet, a nagging question surfaced in his mind.
"If I've channeled my Initial Core into the Void Eye... then how do I advance in my cultivation?"
His brows furrowed.
That thought gnawed at him relentlessly.
And then—another question arose.
"If there's no Initial Core... how will I ever form my Golden Core?"
Before he could spiral deeper into his worries—
A voice echoed from within.
"Master, there's no problem with that. You can do everything. Because... everything now exists inside your constitution."
Reon's breath hitched.
"...Huh?"
His mind reeled. "You can... hear my thoughts?"
"Of course. I am bound to you."
Reon's eyes narrowed. "So you're like the system too?"
The voice hesitated for a moment.
"System? What is that?"
Then—
"...Is that what Master meant by 'The Absolute Solution' before—**g*e*"
The words blurred.
Reon's pulse quickened.
"Wait—what? What did you just say?! Why did it suddenly cut off?"
The voice responded softly.
"I cannot say any more. The Heavenly Dao prohibits it."
"...What?"
An unsettling chill crept down Reon's spine.
Before he could question further, the voice continued.
"To answer Master's earlier question—No, the system is not like me. Nor is it like your companion beasts."
"The system may be bound to your soul, but it can only faintly sense your emotions—mere echoes of your thoughts."
"But I... I am different."
"I am a part of you. Your Emotions. Your Will. Your Very Existence."
"I am like your heart, your mind—an inseparable fragment of your soul itself."
Reon's breath grew shallow.
"OHH! That means... you're someone very important to me?"
The voice wavered, almost... embarrassed.
"Yes. Like Master's soulmate... or perhaps, even more precious."
"...Soulmate, you say."
Reon murmured, a complicated feeling rising in his chest.
"Well... after living a life as dull as a rock, having a soulmate doesn't sound so bad."
A heavy silence followed.
A silence so deep, it felt almost... sad.
Unbeknownst to Reon, the entity within him thought to itself—
"More than anyone else in the entire universe, I alone understand how truly lonely you were, Master."
"But this time... for sure... everything will be different."
[Ding!]
A new voice rang out—
Light. Playful. Mocking.
[YIHOO! Consti-chan~! How are you? Have you finally awakened?]
[Hehe! But you're just a cute little child right now! Pfft!]
Reon blinked.
"...The system?"
The voice from his constitution scoffed.
"Hah! So... that bitch is your system administrator?"
[Hehe! Yes! I'm in charge of Master's well-being! Now, Consti-chan, tell me—how much does Master loooove me?]
Reon's mind went blank.
"...Wait, wait, wait—hold on! You two... know each other?"
He was utterly lost.
"And what do you mean by loving a damn system? It's just a machine—an AI!""
The system pouted.
["That's rude, Master! I am NOT just some machine-like system! I'm a spirit—the Spirit of this System!]
[And My voice only sounds like this because I'm acting as your system guide right now! And just like Consti-chan, I still can't materialize in my true form!"]
"...Oh." Reon paused. "I see. I'm... sorry?"
Wait—no! But still, I've never even seen your true form.
So how could I possibly love you?
Suddenly—
The Constitution snorted.
"Hmph. Of course, we're... very... good... friends. After all."
Reon's eyes twitched.
Why did she sound so reluctant to say that?
Then, curiosity sparked within him.
How could the Spirit of the Constitution possibly know the Spirit of the System?
Before he could ask, the system giggled.
[Master, don't worry! You'll get all the answers soon enough~!]
Reon sighed.
"Fine. I shouldn't get distracted by unanswered questions. I have more important things to focus on."
He turned his attention back to the voice within him.
"So, when you said 'inside my constitution'... did you mean that strange place I was pulled into?"
"Technically, yes. But there are many other factors too."
Reon frowned.
"Wait a second—if you're really the spirit of my constitution, then..."
His eyes narrowed.
"Why did your voice sound so terrifying before? Like an abyss was speaking, something beyond human comprehension. But now... you sound like a cute little girl."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"C-C-C-C-CUTE?!"
The voice stammered violently.
"M-Master thinks I'm... cute? Master, do you perhaps... prefer little girls?!"
Reon nearly choked.
"T-That's not what I meant! I'm asking how you changed your voice!"
The Constitution cleared its throat.
"Ahem! Well, the previous voice was only a fraction of my consciousness—when I was at my peak. Now that I've only just awakened... I'm essentially in my childhood state."
Then, in a sly tone—
"Though, if Master wants... once I can materialize, I wouldn't mind... doing things in a child's form~"
"S-SHUT UP!" Reon's face burned. "How can a child have such a lewd mind?!"
The Constitution simply giggled.
Deep within, she mused to herself.
"Child? I am anything but a child.
I have spent millions of years by your side... and every memory remains with me.
But I cannot let Master know that... not yet."
Then—
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
A knock at the door.
Reon snapped out of his thoughts.
Someone was here.