"JELASKAN APA?!" teriak Liu dari tempatnya. "Cara membuang uangmu ke tempat sampah?!"
"Yang ini butuh satu langkah tambahan," lanjut Ren dengan tenang sambil menelusuri rune yang berbeda pada inti hydra. "Karena aku akan mengubah tipe makhluknya..."
Ia mengeluarkan tentakel Shadow Stalker jantan.
Bagian tubuh yang diawetkan itu tampak sedikit menggeliat di bawah cahaya redup, seolah masih memiliki sisa-sisa kehidupan lamanya.
Min mengerang dari tempat tidurnya. "Oh, bagus. Lebih banyak bagian monster. Apa kau sedang membuat kolase sekarang?"
Ejekan mereka berubah menjadi ketakjuban yang ngeri saat Ren menggunakan tentakel itu untuk menghancurkan tepi inti secara metodis, secara sistematis menghapus "bentuk" yang mendefinisikan spesies aslinya.
Ruangan itu dipenuhi dengungan halus saat ia bekerja, bisikan sihir kuno yang sedang dibatalkan.
Inti itu, yang kini lebih bulat dari sebelumnya, memancarkan denyut cahaya lembut saat Ren mulai menelusuri simbol-simbol runik baru dengan larutannya.
"Tidak..." bisik Taro nyaris tak terdengar, tanda-tanda pada kumbang penggali miliknya meredup karena cemas. "Bukan tiga puluh ribu yang itu..."
Namun, sudah terlambat.
Tiga kristal yang tersisa larut satu demi satu, mana mereka mengalir ke dalam inti yang telah dimodifikasi itu seperti air ke tanah yang kering kerontang.
'Kematian' setiap kristal membuat penontonnya meringis bersamaan.
Keheningan yang menyusul terasa begitu mencekam.
Kedua inti itu, setelah mengonsumsi sumber daya senilai lima puluh ribu kristal, hanya... bersinar sedikit lebih terang.
Penerangan tipis mereka seolah mengejek kekayaan yang baru saja diinvestasikan ke dalamnya.
"Sudah, itu saja." Suara Min terdengar datar karena tidak percaya. "Dia sudah gila."
"Kalau kau ingin lebih banyak cahaya, kau sudah punya jamur bercahaya bodoh itu!" Liu memberi isyarat liar ke arah rambut Ren, telinga kelelawar malamnya muncul karena gelisah.
"Kita tidak butuh lampu tidur lagi!" Taro ikut menimpali, suaranya meninggi karena histeris. "Kita saja hampir tidak bisa tidur dengan yang sudah kau punya!"
Jamur di rambut Ren berdenyut dengan apa yang tampak seperti geli sementara teman-temannya terus meratap.
"Lima puluh ribu kristal!" Min menjambak rambutnya, ular airnya melingkar karena stres. "Aku saja hanya berhasil mendapatkan lima ribu bulan lalu dengan susah payah!"
"Ini pasti mimpi buruk!" saran Taro dengan penuh harap.
"Sudah selesai?" tanya Ren dengan tenang sambil menyimpan inti-inti itu ke dalam 'sarang'.
"BELUM!" jawab mereka serempak, suara mereka berpadu menjadi paduan suara kemarahan.
"Setidaknya patung-patung mengerikan milik Taro itu gratis!" Min menunjukkan dengan putus asa.
"Hei!" protes Taro, harga dirinya terluka. "Patung-patungku itu seni!"
"Itu cuma tumpukan tanah, Taro!" jawab Liu dan Min otomatis.
Jamur di rambut Ren berdenyut stabil saat ia memperhatikan teman-temannya berdebat, cahaya mereka tampak menari dengan tawa diam. Segera mereka akan mengerti bahwa beberapa "pemborosan" jauh lebih berharga daripada investasi apa pun.
Namun untuk saat ini, ia merasa terhibur dengan ratapan dramatis mereka atas "lampu lima puluh ribu kristal" miliknya.
Getaran halus mengguncang ruangan, menyebabkan kristal-kristal di atas meja berdenting sebentar sebelum semuanya kembali tenang. Getarannya begitu kecil hingga mungkin hanya imajinasi, namun meninggalkan perasaan yang tidak nyaman setelahnya.
"Lihat?" Taro menunjuk lantai dengan dramatis. "Dewa naga dari kedalaman marah karena pemborosanmu!"
Tawa Ren terputus saat ia mengeluarkan dua kristal lagi dari tasnya. Teman-temannya segera masuk ke mode panik.
"Jangan lagi!" Min menerjang ke depan, ularnya memanjang untuk melindungi.
"Pikirkan anak-anak!" pinta Liu, meskipun tidak jelas anak-anak mana yang ia maksud.
Kelegaan mereka terlihat jelas saat melihat itu hanyalah kristal ukuran bronze biasa, yang nilainya tidak sampai sepuluh poin. Ketegangan di bahu mereka tampak mereda.
"Oh, sekarang kau pakai yang murah," gumam Taro.
Dengan gerakan presisi, Ren mulai mengatur bahan-bahan yang ia beli dari Jessy.
Ia mensimulasikan dua proses kultivasi yang berbeda: satu menggunakan pola wolverine tingkat Iron, dan satu lagi dari mantis tingkat Iron.
"Saat kalian melihatnya berubah menjadi telur," lanjut Ren santai, seolah sedang membahas cuaca, "jangan beri tahu siapa pun, oke?"
Teman-temannya tertawa terbahak-bahak, suaranya memantul di dinding asrama.
"Oh ya," Min menyeka air mata dari matanya, ularnya bergoyang kegirangan. "Rahasia besarmu tentang mengubah inti menjadi telur itu aman... Tentu saja."
"Dan setelah itu," lanjut Ren, mengabaikan tawa mereka, jamurnya berdenyut stabil, "saat aku mencapai tingkat bronze, aku akan menyerap satu untuk menjadi penjinak tripel."
Keheningan berlangsung tepat tiga detik sebelum teman-temannya membungkuk karena tawa yang meledak kembali.
"Penjinak tripel!" Liu memegangi perutnya. "Kau bahkan belum mencapai tingkat bronze!"
"Dengan spora!" tambah Min di sela-sela napasnya. "Mencapai bronze saja sudah merupakan keajaiban!"
"Sepuluh hari," gumam Ren sementara jamurnya berdenyut berirama. "Dalam sepuluh hari, telur-telur itu akan siap."
"Tepat waktu untuk turnamen persahabatan?" tanya Taro, menunjukkan rasa ingin tahu yang tulus.
"Ya, meskipun aku belum bisa menyerap apa pun," jelas Ren dengan sabar. "Aku baru akan mencapai sekitar 60 hari kultivasi saat itu, aku butuh 100."
"Dan aku akan berada di 75, kita mulai terlambat 25 hari saat itu," tambah Taro, menghitung kemajuannya sendiri.
Min dan Liu masih tertawa....
"Kalian akan lihat," Ren tersenyum saat jamurnya berdenyut. "Aku tahu terlalu dini untuk menyiapkannya, tapi memilikinya siap akan memberiku motivasi untuk tidak melewatkan satu hari pun kultivasi."
"Oh? Jadi kau punya banyak motivasi untuk tidak melewatkan satu hari pun?"
Nada suara Lin yang manis namun menipu dari ambang pintu membuat keempat anak laki-laki itu menegang.
"Itu luar biasa," lanjutnya saat memasuki ruangan, setiap langkahnya sengaja diperlambat. "Karena kau sudah terlambat untuk latihan malammu, dan aku lelah menunggu."
"Guru Lin, aku..." Ren mulai mundur, tetapi tidak ada tempat untuk lari di ruangan kecil itu.
"Tidak, tidak," Lin tersenyum. "Jika kau punya motivasi seperti itu, tentu kau ingin menebus waktu yang hilang."
Sebelum Ren bisa memprotes lebih jauh, Lin mencengkeram kerah bajunya, cengkeramannya lembut namun tak terelakkan.
"Teman-teman, tolong!" panggil Ren saat ia diseret menuju pintu, jamurnya berdenyut panik.
"Maaf," Min dengan hati-hati menghindari kontak mata. "Kami menghargai nyawa kami."
"Pengkhianat!" Suara Ren memudar di lorong, meninggalkan teman-temannya dalam keheningan yang bersalah namun lega.
"Apa menurutmu dia benar-benar bisa membuat telur?" tanya Taro setelah beberapa saat.
"Lebih mungkin Lin yang akan mengubahnya menjadi telur," jawab Liu datar.
Jamur di rambut Ren berdenyut lemah saat ia diseret menuju takdirnya, tetapi senyum kecil tersungging di bibirnya.
Dalam sepuluh hari, teman-temannya harus menelan tawa mereka.
Itu pun jika ia selamat dari latihan Lin.
"EXPLAIN WHAT?!" Liu shouted from his position. "HOW TO THROW YOUR MONEY IN THE TRASH?!"
"This one needs an extra step," Ren continued calmly while tracing a different rune on the hydra core. "Since I'm going to change its beast type..."
He pulled out a male Shadow Stalker tentacle.
The preserved appendage seemed to writhe slightly in the dim light, as if still possessing a fragment of its former life.
Min groaned from his bed. "Oh great. More monster parts. Are you making a collage now?"
Their mockery transformed into horrified fascination as Ren used the tentacle to methodically destroy the core's edges, systematically erasing the "form" that defined its original species.
The room filled with a subtle humming as he worked, the whisper of ancient magic being undone.
The core, now more spherical than before, emitted a soft pulse of light as Ren began tracing new runic symbols with his solution.
"No..." Taro's whisper was barely audible, his digger beetle's markings darkening with distress. "Not the other thirty thousand..."
But it was too late.
The three remaining crystals dissolved one after another, their mana flowing into the modified core like water into parched earth.
Each crystal's 'death' drew a collective wince from his audience.
The silence that followed was deafening.
The two cores, after consuming fifty thousand crystals worth of resources, simply... glowed a bit brighter.
Their subtle illumination seemed to mock the fortune that had just been invested in them.
"That's it." Min's voice was flat with disbelief. "He's lost his mind."
"If you wanted more light, you already have your stupid glowing mushrooms!" Liu gestured wildly at Ren's hair, his night bat's ears manifesting in agitation.
"We don't need more night lights!" Taro joined in, his voice rising with hysteria. "We can barely sleep with the ones you already have!"
The mushrooms in Ren's hair pulsed with what appeared to be amusement while his friends continued their lamentations.
"Fifty thousand crystals!" Min pulled at his hair, his water snake coiling in distress. "I only managed to get five thousand last month with so much effort!"
"This must be a nightmare!" Taro suggested hopefully.
"Are you done?" Ren asked calmly while carefully storing the cores in the 'nests'.
"NO!" they responded in perfect unison, their voices blending into a chorus of outrage.
"At least Taro's horrible sculptures were free!" Min pointed out desperately.
"Hey!" Taro protested, his pride visibly wounded. "My sculptures were art!"
"They were piles of dirt, Taro!" Liu and Min responded automatically.
The mushrooms in Ren's hair pulsed steadily as he watched his friends argue, their light seeming to dance with silent laughter. Soon they would understand that some "wastes" were worth far more than any investment.
But for now, he found entertainment in their dramatic mourning over his "fifty-thousand-crystal lamps."
A subtle tremor shook the room, causing the crystals on the desk to tinkle briefly before everything returned to stillness. The vibration was so slight it might have been imagination, yet it left an unsettling feeling in its wake.
"See?" Taro pointed dramatically at the floor. "The dragon god of the depths is angry at your waste!"
Ren's laughter was cut short as he produced two more crystals from his bag. His friends immediately launched into panic mode.
"No more!" Min lunged forward, his snake extending protectively.
"Think of the children!" Liu pleaded, though which children he meant remained unclear.
Their relief was palpable when they saw they were just common bronze-sized crystals, barely worth ten points each. The tension in their shoulders visibly eased.
"Oh, now you use the cheap ones," Taro muttered.
With precise movements, Ren began organizing the materials he'd purchased from Jessy.
He simulated two different cultivation processes: one using the patterns of the iron-rank wolverine, and another from the iron-rank mantis.
"When you see them turn into eggs," Ren continued casually, as if discussing the weather, "don't tell anyone, okay?"
His friends erupted in laughter, the sound bouncing off the dormitory walls.
"Oh yeah," Min wiped a tear from his eye, his snake swaying with mirth. "Your big secret of turning cores into eggs is safe... Sure thing."
"And after that," Ren continued, ignoring their laughter, his mushrooms pulsing steadily, "when I reach bronze, I'll absorb one to become a double tamer."
The silence lasted exactly three seconds before his friends doubled over with renewed laughter.
"A double tamer!" Liu clutched his stomach. "You haven't even reached bronze rank!"
"With a spore!" Min added between gasps. "Getting to bronze would already be a miracle!"
"Ten days," Ren murmured while his mushrooms pulsed rhythmically. "In ten days, the eggs will be ready."
"Just in time for the friendly tournament?" Taro asked, showing genuine curiosity.
"Yes, though I won't be able to absorb anything yet," Ren explained patiently. "I'll only be at about 60 days of cultivation by then, I need 100."
"And I'll be at 75, we started 25 days late then," Taro added, calculating his own progress.
Min and Liu were still laughing….
"You'll see," Ren smiled as his mushrooms pulsed. "I know it's too early to prepare them, but having them ready will give me the motivation to not miss a single day of cultivation.
"Oh? So you have plenty of motivation not to miss a single day?"
Lin's deceptively sweet tone from the doorway made all four boys stiffen.
"That's wonderful," she continued as she entered the room, each step deliberately slow. "Because you're already late for your night training, and I grew tired of waiting."
"Teacher Lin, I..." Ren began backing away, but there was nowhere to run in the small room.
"No, no," Lin smiled. "If you have such motivation, surely you'll want to make up for lost time."
Before Ren could protest further, Lin grabbed him by the collar, her grip gentle but inexorable.
"Guys, help!" Ren called out as he was dragged toward the door, his mushrooms pulsing frantically.
"Sorry," Min carefully avoided eye contact. "We value our lives."
"Traitors!" Ren's voice faded down the hallway, leaving his friends in guilty but relieved silence. Find your next read at
"Do you think he can really make eggs?" Taro asked after a moment.
"It's more likely Lin will turn him into one," Liu responded dryly.
The mushrooms in Ren's hair pulsed weakly as he was dragged to his fate, but a small smile played on his lips.
In ten days, his friends would have to swallow their laughter.
If he survived Lin's training, that is.
♢♢♢♢
In the Director's office, a different kind of conversation was taking place.
The setting sun painted the grand windows in shades of amber and gold, its dying light illuminating a young woman who stood before Ignatius's desk. Her posture was perfect, her report delivered with military precision.
"His routine hasn't varied since the incident," she explained, her voice crisp and professional. "He begins at dawn with Lin's training, still completely avoiding Professor Wei's class..."
The Director nodded thoughtfully. The bet between Wei and Ren was well known to him through both the professor's complaints and the girl's reports. It would almost certainly result in the boy failing one of his units this semester...
'Why had he made such a foolish wager, unless...?'
"He attends Professor Yang's class, then Zong's," the girl continued, cutting through his musings. "After that, he invariably descends to the mines. And at night..."
"More training with Lin?" Ignatius arched an eyebrow, genuine curiosity coloring his voice.
"Precisely."
"Interesting," the Director leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking softly. "Most students Lin 'adopts' don't last a month. The pace is... intense."
"In fact," the girl added, a hint of intrigue in her tone, "since the prince left him out of the cave, he seems more... animated."
"Animated?"
"As if he's found something that particularly motivates him."
The Director was about to respond when a sharp knock interrupted their conversation. Without waiting for an answer, Prince Julius strode into the office, his presence immediately filling the room.
"Ah, I was beginning to worry," Ignatius straightened in his chair. "How was the investigation?"
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