In the process of unification, the most crucial stage was liquefying the Snowflower Stone. Since there was no way to implant it into my body in solid metal form, it had to be melted down into a liquid state—only then could the Spell of the Magicore be implanted into my heart.0

“What? How are you even going to melt that?” Yeriel asked.0

“It’s well within my reach,” I replied.0

Yeriel frowned the moment the process began, but I moved without pause. As soon as I channeled my will into the Snowflower Stone, it liquefied and drew itself into a perfect white sphere the size of a baseball. Watching it take shape, Yeriel’s eyes grew as wide as the baseball itself.0

“... Just what comes from making the effort,” I continued, chuckling.0

Ninety-nine percent Comprehension meant we understood each other completely—both ways. That was why the Snowflower Stone, despite its dual nature of frost and flame, was now pushed to its extreme, blazing with concentrated flame.0

“Keep your hands off—it’s searing.”0

“… Yeah, I can see that. But wait—are you really going to put that in your body?” Yeriel replied, her hand halfway there before she flinched and pulled it away.0

I nodded.0

“What—are you trying to get yourself killed?” Yeriel asked, her face tightening.0

“The coating is enough to shield me,” I replied.0

The next stage was pushing the Snowflower Stone to manifest its frost just as intensely as it had shown its flame.0

"To bind flame and frost in perfect counterpoise—each held in check by the other."0

“Oh, I think I get what you mean. So you’re freezing just the surface of this liquid?” Yeriel asked.0

“Indeed.”0

The surface of the Snowflower Stone, in liquid form, froze cold, but that didn’t mean it had changed into a solid because it wasn’t like the simple relationship between water and ice...0