Maximus knew he couldn't hope to harvest resources from this deadly biome—not when it seemed determined to snuff out his life at every turn. He'd taken Jyle's words to heart long before setting foot in this cursed place, and now those words echoed sharply in his mind.
'It is impossible to survive in this world without a single mana core.'
In that moment, Jyle's warning proved painfully true. The reality was clear: lacking a mana core meant facing absolute death in this strange new world. Maximus pressed onward with deliberate care, each step falling as softly as he could manage. He dared not make even the slightest sound, knowing that powerful beasts lurked in the shadows all around him. One wrong move, one word spoken too loudly or too soon, and any number of them would descend to destroy him without hesitation.
Every step felt like that of a dead man walking. Every movement left him feeling grimy and unsettled. Before him stretched a forest of desiccated trees and brittle undergrowth, and turning back simply wasn't an option. It wasn't that he wanted to forge ahead—rather, an impenetrable barrier cut off all passage to the outside world. This terrifying domain was powerful enough to warp space and shape its own twisted version of reality.
'Whoever created this place must have been a truly terrible being.' he murmured to himself.
As his exploration continued, he stumbled upon a massive, battered mansion rising from the wasteland. It towered above him, easily twice the size of any mansion he might have found back on Earth. He could only imagine the disappointment of whoever had brought it here, only to leave it abandoned to decay and ruin.
Spiders skittered across its weathered walls as he drew near, while rats scurried in its foundations and airborne diseases clung to every draft. With no other way to protect himself, Maximus tore a strip from his jacket and used his small dagger to punch holes through both sides. From his spare pocket, he pulled out a thin but sturdy length of rope, threading it carefully through each hole and tying the ends fast. The result was a makeshift face mask—crude, but necessary. He knew better than to touch the ground, stones, or trees here; everything in the biome was tainted with infection, and keeping himself shielded was his only safe choice.
With the mask in place, he felt a small measure of relief and security. Still, he couldn't shake the gnawing sense that danger was already closing in as he stepped through the mansion's broken front door.
The interior was constructed from dark basaltic rock, and diseased particles swirled through the air in every room he entered. Those who possessed mana cores could call upon a temporary disease immunity that lasted for ten minutes, though only trained warriors and mages had mastered the skill. Weaker-willed humans and lesser species had no such luxury; they would have to grow strong through sheer perseverance if they ever hoped to wield even a fraction of that protective power.
This new world was unforgivingly cruel, yet Maximus was resolved to survive despite the fact that his chest held no trace of a mana core at all.
He moved through the mansion with quiet precision, his eyes scanning every broken portrait and shattered window as he went. Doors hung from their hinges or lay splintered across the floors, and the roof sagged overhead as if ready to cave in at any moment. He had no idea how he would manage to survive inside this crumbling monstrosity, but he pushed forward regardless.
Then, without warning, the building lurched with a violent shake. Maximus leaped back just in time as the ceiling directly above his previous position came crashing down, sending clouds of dust and debris billowing across the floor. He'd narrowly escaped being crushed where he stood.
Maximus knew this mansion held vast stores of supplies and treasures that could help him endure the deadly biome outside. If he could survive long enough to gather what he needed, the risk would be more than worth it.
His plan was intricate, but he was certain it would pay off if he executed it carefully. He would make his way up the stairs and search each room one by one, taking extreme care to avoid even the smallest cut or scrape on his hands and skin. His mother had taught him this lesson years ago: bacteria and lethal viruses could seep into even the tiniest wound, slowly draining life away unless he was vigilant and sought help quickly.
He moved from floor to floor, checking every corridor and corner with painstaking caution. After what felt like hours of searching, he spotted something unusual in one of the rooms—a faint silver light glinting from a section of wall that was completely clear of moss, grime, and dust. It looked as though it had been meticulously preserved, untouched by the decay that consumed everything else in the mansion.
Curiosity and hope surging through him, Maximus reached out to touch the blade he now saw embedded in the stone. The moment his fingers made contact, a jolt shot through his arm—sharp and searing, like grasping a live electrical wire with bare hands. Even as he recoiled from the shock, his eyes lit up with a spark of pure possibility. He recognized what this weapon could mean for his survival, and in that instant, he began to form a plan so bold, so seemingly impossible, that even the world's higher beings would likely pause to watch how it unfolded.
'This is perfect.'
he whispered, a slow smile spreading across his face.