Beautiful glow of light was gently grazing the lands as the stars shone in the sky. It was a peaceful and serene night with the odd growls and howls spread out in the verdant but sparse forest.

I was sitting in a decrepit cabin with clenched fists and an enormous grin that just made you want to punch my face for being too happy.

I couldn’t help it. I had finally succeeded in creating a fire ball! A fucking FIRE BALL! No story with magic had ever neglected this iconic skill. This beautiful, masterpiece of greatness that is an ever present part of the basics of magic itself!

It took me a moment to calm down as I kept trying to get confirmation from Phoenix that it saw my fireball.

“Okay there little one, congratulations, you just did what other species babies can do before they even learn to walk.” Phoenix mocked as it wasn’t at all impressed considering I created a crystal core already.

“Che. Can’t you just let me enjoy this for once!? Unlike you, some people have to struggle and put in effort to manipulate energy.” I didn’t let it affect my mood as I was already in heaven.

“Fine. Fine. Good job . Happy?” it relented as it remembered what I did to “achieve” this.

“Hehe, thank you my dear Phoenix but could you tell me why it was black? I thought the fire would look like yours.” I asked still confused about the odd difference.

“Your crystal core was probably a mutation from what I can guess. Maybe the core we absorbed earlier and you compressing one so soon caused the change.”

It made sense but we both weren’t so sure. I was just happy I could use the skill but then I was a little worried about what kind of water I would get as I wouldn’t want to be drinking black water as well.

I decided to give it a go and willed a new stream of energy towards my palm while I concentrated on the image of water being attracted to my palm from its surroundings. Surprised yet again, I didn’t feel any sort of strain on my crystal core which made me extremely pleased as usually even moving a bit of it was a lengthy process while recovering the lost energy was just as bad.

The energy on my palm started attracting the moisture in the air towards my palm as if sheep was being herded by my energy. Slowly little water particles started accumulating in the center of my palm but another weird thing happened. The palm size water ball was completely transparent. It was so crystal clear in fact, it was invisible and if it weren’t for me noticing the edges and feeling my energy being a part of it, I was sure even I wouldn’t see it.

“Phoenix look, is this still water?”

Seemingly just as shocked, Phoenix gasped a little.

“T-That’s p-p-pure water! How can you actually gather pure water!?” Tone in a slight disbelief.

‘Pure water?’ I thought. I wasn’t sure what that meant but I didn’t have to wait long before I got an explanation.

“ Jupiter! Your energy can actually gather 100% pure water without any waste materials in the air! Do you know what this means!?”

Still confused but my ego popping its head out at the sound of Phoenix being impressed, I ask with a small grin forming “ No, what is it?”

“Gathering something of this purity can only mean your energy has evolved into a high grade, no supreme grade conductor!” Phoenix exclaimed in excitement.

What that meant was I wasn’t as useless as a certain profanity expert believed I was.

Core energy user’s had differing energy within their bodies depending on a myriad of factors like natural affinity, genes, planet, species, hell even the food you ate growing up affected it to some degree. The core energy you gather can manipulate your environment to a certain degree and the degree of that effect hence why they called it conductor grades. They were divided into 5 grades being weak, low, medium, high, and supreme. The higher the grade, the better and purer the energy you gather from the environment to manipulate and vice versa.

I happened to have managed to land myself in the top tier of core energy user’s in terms of quality. We weren’t sure as to why exactly since I have next to no affinity, or a good body but we guessed the previous crystal core absorbed plus my shenanigans led me to develop supreme conductor core energy.

“Not so useless now eh?” I smugly said to the slime.

“Hmpf! You may have supreme core energy but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still useless. Did you even think about how hard it will be for you to even grow that crystal now that it’s already formed with that tiny amount of natural core energy?” God slime retorted as if my title of “useless” what the heaven’s willed themselves.

‘Well, that didn’t end so well.’

Still, it couldn’t be that bad as I still felt I had quite a large pool of core energy as even with the experiments with water and fire, I had a constant supply and it didn’t feel like it would run out for some reason. In fact, it already felt like it was getting full again which left me quite pleased as it seemed the time taken to get back lost energy was lessened to a large degree.

I was just about to ask more about how to control earth elements when I heard a scream. Huh? Goblizards getting wrecked out there or something?

Curiosity gets the better of me as this scream was rather desperate so I ask Phoenix to stay vigilant grabbing my dagger and spiked bat before heading out. I didn’t really have a bag yet and wasn’t too sure if spatial laws could be manipulated for some drool worthy magic bags or better, them spatial rings that get hijacked left and right in every cultivation novel. (Which on a side note, I feel bad for the creators, they must be on some spatial ring sweat shop or something considering the sheer number of those rings plus theft)

Distracting thoughts aside I slowly pulled my door open and snuck out behind my cluster of trees. They provided the best hiding spot especially at night which is why I was so casual about watching.

My vision at night was a lot better than back on Earth which didn’t come off as too much of a shock as I am sure Phoenix had a helping hand in fixing my “blind as a bat” status that I had. I could see roughly 40 meters ahead clearly and further back with some focus and the night sky gave off enough light so that it wasn’t too hard to notice anything new.

I crept towards the scream that hadn’t really stopped aside from being intermittent.

“Phoenix, what the hell is that?” I asked suspicious at what I was seeing in the distance.

“Seems to be someone running away from a pack of what you called foxhorns?”

A tentacle jutting out of my forehead to get a higher vantage point, totally a normal thing. Get over it Jupiter. I mocked myself as this was still hard to get used to.

I stared closely at what seems to be a shadow like humanoid running with a limp left leg while constantly turning back from a pack of four foxhorns. I noticed behind that group that there seems to be three extra foxhorns mauling something. From the sight of it, I could only imagine that being this persons comrade.

Strangely, I didn’t feel too disgusted but then again, I don’t see anything but them mauling something and knowing it ain’t human seems to alleviate any “shock” symptoms. I felt strangely evil for behaving this way but changed my attention and considered my options about the humanoid running.

Phoenix didn’t say anything but I could sense that it was just acting like this was a show. Not too surprised as I had a feeling god slime didn’t care for much else besides evolving.

“Shit!!#$” I cursed out loud.

The, whatever it was, was running straight for our cabin… great. I didn’t even know if I wanted to help but now I got to deal with this shit. I was pissed. I didn’t even like helping my own goddamn species and now I got an alien one running to me bringing me what can only be described as a pack of bloodthirsty unicorn mini-me’s.

“Phoenix, should we help?” I asked unsure whether to fight or get the hell out of here as I wasn’t sure if I could club all four foxes, leaning especially towards running as I never even got to club one of those foxes.

“Jupiter, help the thing out. We needed a local anyways!” A wiggle and what felt like anticipation came after those words but I could again, can’t explain why, picture a wicked grin.

‘Great! Alien person, check, four mutant foxes, check, kidnap crazy god slime, check, what can only be my impending doom, probably a check too!’ Cursing silently, I settle myself to stand near the door way to the cabin. The place didn’t really have much protection but a narrow path should help kill those things. Now how do I get the thing to come inside?

‘Well, might as well just play the role of creepy guy waving at door.’

The figure running/limp jogging, started nearing the trees surrounding the cabin and I managed to catch its attention as it noticed me under the moonlight waving my arm furiously at the open door with a dagger in one hand and a spiked bat in the other. I didn’t really know how I was going to beat these things but I had somewhat of a plan in my head.

‘Just a couple of foxes… I won’t die right?’ Still quite unsure of myself. The figure ran into the cabin as I move into its door way and wait. The foxhorns didn’t take long to arrive they were only about 20 meters behind the person. They slowed down as they saw the cabin and me standing at the door with a big bat and dagger.

I hold the spiked bat with both hands while palming the dagger near with my right hand while its blade leans against the handle.

Wanton destruction is what I would like to call what happened next but we all know that would have never been the case.