Garion stepped closer, arms folded, eyes sharp.

"Raviel. You ready?"

Raviel exhaled hard, fists clenched, sweat already forming on his brow. "Yeah… I'm ready."

Garion nodded once. "Good. Don't hesitate."

He placed his hand over Raviel's lower abdomen. A faint glow sparked beneath Garion's palm.

"Alright. I'm crushing it now."

Raviel's eyes widened. "Wait..."

CRACK!

A violent surge of mana burst inside Raviel's core.

His whole body jerked, veins bulging, breath choking as sharp pain stabbed through him.

"A-AGH!"

Raviel stumbled to one knee.

Garion instantly barked, voice firm and loud:

"FOCUS!"

Raviel gritted his teeth so hard they almost cracked.

Garion continued, "Use that mana! Don't let it scatter! Guide it!"

Raviel trembled, hands shaking uncontrollably.

"I-I'm trying!"

Garion stepped closer, his tone calmer but still strict.

"Remember what you read. Cells. Energy routes. Absorption points. Use your instinct and your knowledge. Pick ONE cell. Force everything into it."

Raviel shut his eyes tight, breath ragged.

He dug through everything Garion taught him and forced himself to visualize it.

A single tiny cell.

One point in the darkness inside his body.

He grabbed hold of it with his mind.

"…Found it…"

Garion nodded. "Good. Now push all the leaking mana into that cell. Don't be gentle. Overload it."

Raviel swallowed and pulled the raging mana together with sheer will.

His whole body shook as he forced it inward.

The cell he targeted began to glow faintly in his mind's eye.

He could feel it. The cell was turning into a hungry beast.

"Garion… it's… it's sucking everything in!"

"LET IT!" Garion shouted. "That's how the first heart cell forms!"

Raviel gritted his teeth again, sweat pouring down his face.

His muscles spasmed as more mana surged out of the shattered core, wild and violent.

The lone cell drank it greedily.

Raviel gasped. "It's… transforming…"

Garion nodded with a small grin. "Good. Keep feeding it. Don't stop."

Raviel pushed more mana, face twisted in both pain and determination. His breath turned harsh and uneven, but he kept going.

The cell's pull grew even stronger, becoming a tiny black hole.

Raviel trembled. "I-I think it's changing shape!"

Garion crouched beside him, eyes sharp. "That's the start of your first perfect cell. Keep the mana flow steady. Don't lose control."

Raviel gritted his teeth, pushing everything he had into the transforming cell, sweat dripping onto the ground.

"Damn… this hurts… but… I won't stop…"

Garion smirked.

"Good. That's what I want to hear."

Raviel kept pushing, the cell glowing brighter in his mind's vision as it devoured more mana, and then...

The cell shifted, solidified, and evolved.

Garion grinned. "There it is. Your first perfected mana-core cell."

Raviel opened his eyes slowly, wiping the sweat dripping down his chin. His breath was shaky, but a faint smile pulled at his lips.

"…I'm weak as hell right now," he muttered, chest rising and falling fast. "But… I can feel it. This is… different."

Garion leaned in, curious. "Oh? Then explain it to me. I never had a mana core, so I want to know what changed."

Raviel took a deep breath, pressing a hand on his chest as if trying to feel the new system working from the inside.

"It's… strange," he said.

"Before this, my mana core produced mana like… air. It spread through the pathways first, then into the blood."

Garion raised an eyebrow. "So your mana took a trip before actually becoming 'usable.'"

"Exactly." Raviel nodded, wiping more sweat from his forehead.

"But now? This mana-core cell… It's different. The mana it creates goes straight to the blood. No detours."

Aveline leaned closer. "Direct transmission?"

Raviel nodded again. "Yes. It's like… it merges with the body itself instead of just flowing around it."

Garion let out a low whistle. "Ooh… that explains it. Two generals, different orders."

Raviel frowned. "What?"

Garion poked his chest lightly.

"I mean, they fight differently. One works with blood mana, and one works with air mana. If you tried to keep both… they'd clash."

Raviel lowered his head, thinking carefully.

"…Yeah. I can see that now. If both tried to command the mana… chaos."

Garion nodded. "Exactly."

Raviel then sighed and shook his head.

"But what I don't get… how the hell did I make my first perfect mana-core cell this fast? This feels like cheating."

Garion laughed lightly and tapped Raviel's shoulder. "You forgot something."

Raviel blinked. "What?"

"You were already halfway down the body path," Garion said.

"Your cells were already used to handling mana. All they needed was a ton of mana and a push."

Aveline crossed her arms. "So the mana from his destroyed core… sped up the process?"

Garion pointed at her.

"Bingo. His mana core's mana was already used to nourishing the blood, not the pathways. So when he forced it into one cell, that cell knew what to do."

Raviel slowly smirked, pride growing in his voice.

"I see… So I wasn't fast. I was prepared."

Garion smirked back. "Exactly. Your body was already halfway changed. I just helped you kick the door down."

Raviel let out a long breath, shoulders finally relaxing.

"…Alright. So this is the start of the real path."

Garion grinned.

"Oh yeah. And it only gets crazier from here."

Raviel snorted softly, rubbing the cold sweat off his jaw.

"Of course it does. Why did I expect anything else…?"

Garion laughed, then turned toward Aveline.

"And now you."

Aveline stiffened. "Me?"

Garion nodded. "You. Your turn."

She frowned, crossing her arms over her training top.

"But… I haven't even stepped into a body path yet. I'm still a pure mana cultivator."

Garion stepped closer, tapping her forehead lightly with one finger.

"That's why we're starting simple. I'm not telling you to break anything yet."

Aveline blinked. "Yet?"

Garion ignored her horror and continued casually.

"With Raviel, his cells already had half the instincts of a body cultivator. That's why he transformed so fast. But you? We need to give your cells their first 'lesson.'"

Aveline's eyes narrowed. "Lesson…?"

Garion nodded.

"Yeah. First, we change one of your cells into a Mana Pool Cell. Basic introduction. Your first step into a hybrid path."

Raviel looked over, still panting lightly.

"So she's not destroying anything?"

"Nope." Garion shrugged.

"Just guiding a cell so her body learns the concept. Think of it as… teaching a kid how to walk before asking them to sprint."

Aveline exhaled slowly, adjusting her stance. "Alright… I can do that."

Garion smirked. "Good. That's the spirit."

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