Just then, another Craft Essence appeared before Bell's eyes.
"Again!?"
This time, the Craft Essence turned into a beam of light and shot straight into Bell's brain. A wave of unprecedented coolness swept through his consciousness. The frantic nerve activity caused by his surging blood and flesh came to a halt. His heightened emotions were rapidly suppressed, giving way to a profound and unusual tranquility. All the surrounding sounds faded away.
That stillness made Bell slowly close his eyes.
"It's so quiet..."
His tense body relaxed. He felt weightless, as if even his soul was drifting free.
'Meditation.' In that moment of silence, one comes to understand the origin of humanity.
The 'Technique' that humans can never escape.
The "Preemption" that seizes the initiative in battle.
The purest impulse in the human soul—"Destruction."
The "Flash" that lights up the sky and the road ahead.
The perfectly timed "Pleasant Chance."
The fruits of growth and "Plentiful Harvest."
"Concentration". Sharpen the mind.
When the path is unclear, a revelation from above brings "Divine Oracle" and the truth.
Clutching weapons and bracing oneself, the road ahead is bound to be filled with "Conflict."
The "Catena" that strings together attacks and techniques in succession.
Withstand damage, "Divided" from all harm by a barrier.
In darkness, "Awakening" opens eyes that see all.
The "Famine" buried deep in the soul constantly reminds one of desire.
Even in betrayal or hardship, never forget "Compassion"—though at times, it may also be the signal of a fall into the abyss.
Endless vitality symbolizes "Prosperity," the yearning for life itself.
The river of death flows without end, its steady current bringing forth the creeping shadow of "Somber."
One by one, the eighteen Craft Essences, each bearing its own symbolic meaning, turned into light and merged into Bell's body.
A torrent of power far beyond what his fragile frame could endure poured into him—endless vitality, extraordinary strength, and enhanced flexibility surged into Bell in an instant.
At almost the same moment, Bell's body was pushed to the brink of collapse under the weight of multiple forces. Yet just then, the life force symbolizing "Prosperity" surged forth, delivering a drop of life to the silence nearly crushed by overwhelming power—pulling his nearly lifeless body back from the edge.
At some point, the river of death had reached Bell's ankles. The power of death climbed upward from there, and in an instant, black markings spread across his entire body. But the "Compassion" from the heavens suppressed that death, once again reviving his fading body.
The soul of "Famine" constantly craved sustenance. The deathly waters of that river made his soul tremble, hunger, and ache—all while slowly being devoured.
Gradually, the black markings were consumed by the soul of "Famine." The dull, lifeless soul began to emit a faint glow. Something once deemed worthless now gave off a small glimmer—just a trace of light born from devouring the river of death.
But that glow was quickly enclosed. A thick barrier formed around the barely glowing soul, completely "Divided" from the outside. No matter what, nothing outside could see the light, nor sense the transforming soul of "Famine" within.
The power of the Craft Essences was simply too overwhelming. Bell's body crumbled multiple times, but thanks to the combined strength of "Compassion" and the vitality of "Prosperity" from the heavens, his broken frame kept regaining life. In the cycle of collapse and rebirth, Bell's body underwent a reconfiguration. His organs grew more resilient, and even his life force began to steadily increase.
Even as he remained immersed in "Meditation," Bell was aware of the changes occurring within him.
And it was precisely because he was aware of them that he didn't dare disrupt the process by breaking from "Meditation"—especially after noticing that the abnormal transformations were actually improving him.
Only after the changes finally settled did Bell pull himself out of his "Meditation."
"!!!!"
A surge of unbearable pain nearly knocked Bell out as soon as he regained control of his body.
Though his willpower kept his mind from slipping away, the agony coursing through every organ, every cell, was so intense that he couldn't even make a sound.
'I knew it… I knew it…'
'Good thing I didn't jump out of meditation earlier, or I'd be dead for sure.'
The physical pain was bad enough, but his soul hurt too.
The curse from the river of death was like a festering plague, rapidly spreading from his ankles. If not for the other Craft Essences pushing back against it, his body would have died completely. On top of that, his soul had devoured part of the river of death—and the pain that followed was like his very soul being torn apart. That river really was inedible. One bite, and he almost killed himself.
Leaning back against the door, Bell gradually felt the pain lessen. But he knew it wasn't truly fading—it just hurt slightly less than before. In truth, his body still ached just as much. Maybe he was simply getting used to it.
Using the door for support, Bell staggered over to the bed. Today, he was completely done for. This kind of pain wasn't going away anytime soon. He'd need to wait until his body stopped screaming before he could do anything. Otherwise, if he went into the Dungeon now, a goblin would probably finish him off instantly.
It hurt. Gods, it hurt so much.
"I've never heard of this... It was just a Craft Essence enhancement, why did it almost kill me?"
Thankfully, he hadn't actually died—because if he had, Bell wouldn't even know where to start crying. Who would've thought that even one- or two-star Craft Essences could be this terrifying? If he'd known how painful it would be when they entered his body, he never would've used them all at once. At the very least, he should've gone one by one.
Carefully, he lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket over himself. Honestly, after that kind of pain, all he wanted was to sleep. Maybe it was the body's way of protecting itself. Bell didn't resist. He let the drowsiness take over and allowed himself to fall into sleep.
Even as he slept, his body continued to twitch slightly.
The pain he'd endured was just that unbearable.