The Darlings.

Aaron faced three choices, each with its own merits and challenges. Staying at the Academy offered steady growth but came at a steep personal cost.

He would remain a target of constant torment, branded an assaulter and a fallen heir. The weight of his lineage hung heavy over him as the son of Darven and Elowen, both with potential to reach SSS+ and SSS- ranks, Aaron's S+ potential was considered an embarrassment.

To those at the Academy, he was a waste and a loser, and recent events had only intensified the hatred against him. Stripped of his ties to the Soloarius house, Aaron knew the malice against him would only grow. Staying would mean enduring endless torment, and the book's insights only reinforced his decision: staying wasn't worth it.

 Aaron's case is somewhat peculiar, one can increase the mana capacity and control by following the breathing techniques but Aaron can't do that his body refused to absorb mana from his surroundings.

He needs to be in place with heavy mana or had to take mana potions and absorb them and circulate the mana from it to increase the mana capacity. So the second option was to leave the academy and earn money while training. While Aaron could likely make some money, it wouldn't be enough to cover all his needs.

He had to train, grow stronger, and clear the debts imposed by the Academy before Susan's graduation. These charges, as arbitrary as they seemed, were a weight he couldn't ignore. Regardless, Aaron knew he needed to focus on survival, but the path of earning enough money while also training to grow strong seemed nearly impossible.

Without substantial resources, his chances of surviving the events he knew were coming were slim at best. Strength was non-negotiable.

To survive Aaron had to reach SSS+ at the very least. Yet, his potential was capped at S+, and the path to even that seemed insurmountable.

Still, he couldn't falter. There had to be a way. That left the third option: the Ruin Lands. To most, it was a fool's errand, a death sentence for someone of Aaron's D+ rank. Yet, for him, it was the only path.

The book spoke of powerful figures falling in the next five years. Staying at the Academy had kept Aaron alive in the book, but after he left, his fate was a mystery. That uncertainty gnawed at him. If he stayed passive, he would die like so many others.

The Ruin Lands, a desolate expanse dotted with unclaimed mana caves, represented his only hope. For six months, Aaron scoured the lands. He found only one mana cave which was already monopolized by a human organization.

Undeterred, he ventured deeper, where the dangers multiplied but so did the opportunities. To outsiders, Aaron's survival in the Ruin Lands might seem like sheer luck.

Few understood the resilience and cunning it took to endure. The Ruin Lands weren't forgiving even the strong perished there. Surviving six months wasn't just fortune; it was a testament to his determination.

The deeper he went, the more he relied on his wits and skills. The Ruin Lands tested him in ways the Academy never could. To outsiders, his choice seemed reckless, even suicidal. But Aaron knew that in a world this harsh, survival often required choices that others deemed foolish.

But this foolish choice changed his life, Before entering the ruined lands, he chose to get whatever he needed for survival and Aaron knows no matter how much he stuffed his storage ring with useful things, it wasn't certain that one would survive but what choice does anyone have but to fight for the survival.

Aaron possessed two grade 4 armors and one grade 3 armor, two grade 4 swords, and a handful of mana and healing potions his final inheritance from the Solarius house. To gather funds, he sold his clothes and shoes, which fetched 4,900 gold units.

While ordinary attire cost no more than 25 silver units, his garments, crafted from costly materials and tailored exclusively for the Solarius heir, held immense value.

He also had 2,000 gold units in his account a pocket money reserve that, surprisingly, hadn't been frozen. He wasn't about to question his luck. With the money, Aaron purchased a stealth skill and an offensive skill from the black market, both ranked around D+ and C, respectively.

Though he wanted more skills, he chose to buy a dungeon reader instead, allowing him to enter low-ranking dungeons in the Ruin Lands. The stealth skill, Hide-seek (D+), proved invaluable, and his growing proficiency allowed him to evade threats with ease.

His offensive skill Physical Augmentation (C rank), combined with his unconventional mana control and swordsmanship, became his lifeline. It enabled him to confront monsters ranked higher than himself and emerge alive.

Every encounter honed his abilities, forcing him to adapt and survive against overwhelming odds. 

While everything seemed to go well, Aaron's breakthrough to C- rank in four months left him uneasy. His mana capacity, reliant on potions, had plateaued, and he had no idea how to expand it further.

That's when he took a gamble no C- ranker would dare to take. After slaying a monster, Aaron stared at its mana core. He'd heard tales of rankers absorbing mana from cores, but only those at A rank or higher could attempt it safely.

The process was dangerous, and Aaron had no clear guidance, only an idea. He held the core, channeling his mana into it. At first, nothing happened. Then, a sudden surge hit him, as if the core itself fought back. Pain lanced through his body, and he scrambled to retract his mana, his breath ragged from the effort.

The core's ego flared to life, a chaotic resistance that left Aaron drained and shaken. Whispers about cores possessing an ego, a force that resisted control, had never seemed so real.

To overcome the core's will, he needed more than just mana he needed intent.

Aaron wasn't disappointed. He knew with his mana control and will to survive, it wasn't impossible for him to produce mana intent. Days turned into grueling practice as he focused on shaping his mana with intent, a force born from sheer willpower and focus. His breakthroughs came slowly, but each attempt honed his control.

Finally, the moment came. Aaron faced the core again, his mana laced with intent. The core's resistance flared, but this time, he didn't falter. His intent cut through the ego, bending the core's mana to his will. Sweat dripped from his brow as he absorbed the energy, a newfound clarity settling over him.

By projecting his intent outward, he could manipulate ambient mana and draw it into himself. The thought of what this meant to set his resolve alight. Now, more than ever, he needed to find a mana cave.

***

Aaron reached his hideout, a cave he had discovered after days of searching. It wasn't much, but it offered a semblance of safety amidst the chaos of the Ruin Lands. He moved quickly, dragging a slab of stone to block the entrance before striking a solar flashlight. The pale, flickering light illuminated the space, revealing jagged walls and a rough floor.

Aaron knelt by the dim light, sitting cross-legged with each foot placed on the opposite thigh, cradling the monster core in his hands. The air around him was heavy with latent mana, and he could feel the pulse of energy within the core wild, untamed, and resisting. He wasn't nervous. This wasn't his first time, and each attempt had sharpened his skills, deepened his intent, and honed his control to a razor's edge.

Closing his eyes, Aaron let his breathing slow. His mana flowed outward, a calm but commanding force that wrapped around the core. Slowly, deliberately, he projected his intent, shaping it with precision. The core resisted immediately, its ego flaring to life. A chaotic surge pushed against his mana, but Aaron didn't waver. His intent pressed harder, cutting through the resistance like a blade.

The core's defiance faltered, and then it broke. The wild mana within stilled, bending to his will. Aaron drew it into himself, a warm, vibrant energy flooding his veins. He guided the mana with care, threading it through his pathways and toward his core. But as the energy surged, it wasn't just his capacity that grew it was the core itself, straining under the influx.

A low hum filled the air, rising in pitch as the mana around him seemed to converge. Aaron's body tensed, every muscle taut as the core within him trembled. This was the moment. He focused inward, sensing the intricate web of mana threads that made up his core. With a sharp push of intent, he directed the flow, forcing the threads to unravel and reweave themselves into something stronger, more intricate.

Pain lanced through him sharp, searing, and fleeting followed by a burst of clarity. The trembling stopped, replaced by a steady, powerful rhythm. His core had transformed, its structure now more refined, its strength unmistakable. The shift wasn't just internal; it resonated outward, the air around him vibrating subtly as his rank solidified.

Aaron opened his eyes, exhaling slowly. The monster core in his hands had dulled, its energy completely drained. He set it aside, flexing his fingers as the remnants of warmth faded from his skin. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he muttered to himself,

"I've ranked up."