Ren broke the blue wax seal, intrigued by the envelope's formality. Then he extracted a letter written in elegant calligraphy. "Dear Ren, I have spoken with the director about your performance during the expedition. Your support was crucial, and more importantly, you demonstrated an exceptional understanding of beasts that frankly intrigues me. The director has authorized a special support of 100,000 credits for the exchange store. Consider it recognition for a promising student. Perhaps I should start believing in that knowledge of yours and see what it can do with a small push. Whatever you're planning, I hope this helps you achieve it. I'll be absent for a while arranging certain matters. We'll see each other upon my return. Professor Zhao" Ren read the letter twice, processing the implications. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with accelerated rhythm. 'A hundred thousand credits...' His eyes shone while making mental calculations. With that he could buy the materials, his parents' runes, and save his crystals for other needs... Perhaps the mantis core wouldn't have to wait so long. "Jessy," he called while returning to the counter. "I need to make some purchases." "So soon, are you sure about...?" Jessy was still worried, but her expression changed upon seeing the official letter. "Oh..." "I have authorized credits," Ren showed the director's signature. "I need specific materials." Jessy checked the authorization with increasingly widening eyes, then checked the credit book... "A hundred thousand... it's true, what do you need?" "First, 10,000 in discarded Bronze-rank beast parts," Ren began listing. "But only tissues from woody or rocky beasts like the rock crocodile you had a few weeks ago." "Woody ones?" Jessy consulted the catalog. "We have some forest guardian remains and still have some of the crocodile you mentioned. But are you thinking of cultivating a ghoul monkey?" "Don't worry, I know what to use them for... I also need poisonous fungi, the luminescent ones imported from there..." Jessy worried slightly. "Those are 3,000 each. How many?" "Ten," Ren responded without hesitation. "Thirty thousand just in fungi," Jessy made notes. "The woody tissues would be about another ten thousand. Anything else?" "One intelligence rune and 2 vitality ones." Jessy stopped her pen. "Those are... quite common, but..." "Do you have them?" "Yes, but..." Jessy hesitated. "That's another 30,000 credits. And normally they're only used by beasts that can process large amounts of information, the vitality ones aren't good either... A spor..." she stopped, uncomfortable. "A spore wouldn't benefit because it only slightly increases strength, right?" "I didn't mean..." "Doesn't matter," Ren smiled. "I want them anyway." Jessy nodded and began processing the order. "It'll take a while to gather everything. The discarded parts are in the special warehouse and the runes in the vault." While waiting, Ren mentally reviewed his plans. The crystals he'd gotten from the skins would serve other purposes... The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly. Soon, very soon, everyone would understand that a spore could be much more than they imagined. "Here you go," Jessy returned with several sealed containers. "The fungi are in special containers, they're extremely toxic. The tissues are preserved with their original moss. And the runes..." She held a small crystal box. Inside, a translucent stone glowed with a faint bluish radiance. "Be careful with them," she warned while Ren examined it. "They're very sensitive to magical energies and you could ruin them." Ren nodded while carefully storing each component. His knowledge showed him exactly how to use each piece, how to combine the elements to achieve something no one would expect from a simple spore. "Now for your 49,500 crystals... We have two options," Jessy turned to check a small box. "I can't store student credits, the ones from the letter are a special case like some other bonuses and rewards, for storing you must go to the bank section or you can keep them with you... So you can withdraw part of the 30,000 you have left but can't store more here..." "...I can give you forty-nine normal gold crystals, which are quite bulky, or if you want to withdraw 500 more crystals or have something to exchange and complete the 50,000..." her eyes sparkled, "I can give you five dark Bronze crystals. They're worth the same, but the Bronze ones are smaller and easier to transport." Ren considered his options. Normal gold crystals were apple-sized spheres, each worth a thousand basic crystals. Dark Bronze ones, on the other hand, barely reached the size of a walnut, but each was worth ten thousand. Ren gave her the herbs he'd obtained from the Bark Stalker's shell to complete the last 500… He didn't want to withdraw or ruin the nice round number of his 30,000 credits for now. "The 5 dark Bronze ones, please." Jessy nodded while opening a special box. Inside, small crystals shone with a soft dark tone. "Thank you Jessy," he said goodbye while securing the last container. "You've been a great help." "Come back anytime," she smiled. "And... good luck with your cultivation." There was some pity in her voice, but also genuine kindness. Ren couldn't blame her, no one would expect a spore to go very far. 'Soon they'll understand,' he thought while leaving the warehouse. He could finally begin. ♢♢♢♢ The mushrooms in Ren's hair pulsed with anticipation while he spread the Shadow Stalker skins across his bed sheet. Their conductive fibers, perfectly preserved, absorbed light creating a space of deep darkness. Working methodically, Ren hung more skins using sheets as support until forming a sort of dark tent over his work area. The light that filtered through was minimal, but the faint glow of his fungi was sufficient to see. In the center of this improvised space, he placed the processing pot that all students received. It was made of special opaque metal, designed to contain magical reactions. This reaction wasn't as simple as Taro's. The hundred normal Bronze-sized crystals, from the best Ren had mined, aligned perfectly around the pot's edge, each shining with a soft bluish glow. The intelligence rune rested in its own crystal box, emitting occasional flashes. Before processing the crystals in the pot, he had to use most of his mana on that rune. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed more strongly while he concentrated. Slowly, he began directing his mana toward the rune in the covered space, away from contaminating external energies. It was a delicate process, too fast and the rune could fracture, too little and it wouldn't reach the critical point necessary to begin synchronization with his beast. Sweat drops appeared on his forehead while maintaining the constant flow. The rune began glowing more intensely, absorbing mana from his mushrooms. Where energy drops touched the surface, tiny points began forming. 'Like spores,' Ren thought while maintaining concentration. 'Ten days of this and the rune will be ready... It will be reassuring to have it from the beginning.' Explore new worlds at empire When the process with the rune reached a stable equilibrium, Ren turned toward the poisonous fungi. Their special containers were marked with warning seals. With precise movements, he extracted all ten fungi. Their colors were vibrant, almost hypnotic. The mortar he used was very clean. Any contamination could ruin the process. The fungi crushed under his careful strikes, releasing a sweet aroma that made his eyes water. When the paste was ready, Ren channeled a small amount of mana. The reaction was immediate, the mixture beginning to bubble softly, its color becoming more intense. The discarded parts of woody beasts and crocodile parts came in sealed containers. Upon opening them, a penetrating smell flooded the space. The moss covering them was the key. Ren directed his mana toward the small plants, which responded immediately. They began growing, spreading over the discarded tissues, consuming the decomposing matter. The process was fascinating to observe. The moss pulsed with each new extension, converting dead tissue into new life. The mushrooms in Ren's hair pulsed at the same rhythm, as if recognizing a familiar process. When the moss reached its maximum extension, Ren began scraping it carefully. Each strand was precious, charged with the transformed energy of Bronze beasts. The collected moss fell into the poisonous fungi mixture. The bubbling liquid absorbed it eagerly, its color changing to a deeper tone. The processing pot now contained the mixture of fungi and moss that would serve as transformation medium. The preparation was complete. Now would begin the real work: a hundred days of careful cultivation, each crystal absorbing the mixture's power while the rune developed its spores. In the darkness of his improvised tent, surrounded by the soft pulse of mana, Ren smiled. The first step toward true evolution was underway.