And now it was just simply racing through his body, yet Sam didn’t feel any discomfort.
The mana was part of his body, and his body was part of his mana, almost bursting at the seams, driven further and further by an unseen force.
He couldn’t help but smile at that.
The game’s solution to mana control was novel and interesting enough that he sometimes forgot that in real life he didn’t have the ability to devastate a small hamlet with a tornado of wind blades.
The feeling the game developers managed to create between the players and the mana with the revolutionary solutions was one of the main reasons why the game became so popular with the populace.
Once someone experienced the sheer exhilaration of actually controlling mana with their own mind, going back to the old games where they had to endlessly yell out attack names or make infinitely complex arm movements to use skills was just not going to happen.
Which led him to one of the most paradoxical pieces of information he inherited from his alternate self.
The process he was going through – the first ‘evolution’ – was one of the most mysterious processes in the game yet at the same time one of the most documented. There were a million-and-one people who researched the process, trying to create the most powerful or useful result to empower their guild (or sell to the highest bidder) but even when seemingly everything was the same, the results were always different in some way.
There was not one ‘good’ way to do it. It was personal for everybody, at least when they took it seriously. Sam had to grin at that.
While the people’s opinion about the game was changing and a lot of people were looking at the game and what it contained differently, there were still a lot of old beliefs – inherited from other games – that were held as conventional wisdom.
Like reaching Level 100 being an important milestone. Probably why the developers set it to 101!
The process, no doubt inspired by countless other media, was very simple in theory.
So far, they only took in mana and used it. Now it was time to form their own mana core and everything that came with that.
It sounded mystical, but the process was mostly like a cutscene with the player, mostly able to interact with it at a superficial level.
Of course, the developers didn’t tell that to the players. They could naturally learn it from different NPCs but it needed some level of familiarity, as well as a little bit of luck in asking the right question. For some reason, no NPC volunteered the information freely.
Aside from some specific scenarios, it wasn’t really possible to fuck up the process, as long as the person going through it was undisturbed.
Which made the Temple of Anor a perfect place to do it.
His name was no doubt already circulating through the net and as soon as his new status appeared on the top ten list, there were countless people dispatched to end him and to hinder him.
While people already knew about the believers, not every location was known to the populace at large. Thus, even if somebody wanted to hunt him down, it would take a while before they pinpointed his location through the wards that hid the believers of a god who took privacy very seriously, and he would be long gone.
Sometimes, he just felt that while other players were playing tag, he was playing 4D chess…
Also helped that the priestesses calling this abbey their home were indebted to him and would more than likely protect him if somebody managed to find him.
He refocused on the mana and watched as it flooded his body, suffusing every cell, then as the amount seemed to reach a critical mass, he felt a small pull somewhere above his navel and the mana began to stream there, slowly but surely.
Sam took a deep, fortifying breath, then slowly with all the care in the world, reached out to his mana, and began channeling shadow, wind, and clean-attributed mana into the gradually growing whirlpool in his body. Not enough to overwhelm the thing being created, but enough to make sure the mana would be part of it. Then, just to be sure, he also added a little fire, earth, lightning, and water-flavored mana just to keep the elemental wheel in harmony. He even felt Lucky’s mana entering the whirlpool.
Then, for a few minutes, he just watched as the whirlpool kept growing and growing, turning from a slowly moving one to one that swirled around with the speed of a racing car.
Quite frankly, it was an amazing feeling. He really wanted to experience it again…
Then the suction force of the whirlpool sped up and Sam watched carefully as the mana in his body began to be concentrated into one singular spherical location. Once again, he reached out, and slowly but surely began to focus his attention on the mass of mana, trying to help shape it into the perfect sphere.
The automated process would do it, but ‘helping’ with it increased the effectiveness. How it increased varied from person to person, but he was hopeful.
Using the skills he managed to gather during his many hours of manipulating mana without using incantations, arm movements or system assist functions, he surrounded the mass of mana with his ‘will’ and applied as much pressure as he could manage.
Oddly, it felt like trying to form a perfect snowball with bare hands before the heat of the body melted the snow and then the cold of the environment refroze it into one solid block that was impossible to manipulate without breaking the entire thing.
Weird feeling, but not wholly unfamiliar…
Sam kept up the pressure with his ‘will’ as before his mental eyes, the ball of mana took shape inside his body.
After several minutes of this, the whirlpool vanished, and the ball was there in all its glory. But before Sam could celebrate, he had to prepare himself for the last phase.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
The ball of mana – or rather core – let out a pulse of mana that raced through his body, through the same channels that he used to cycle his mana. However, this time there was some pain as his body was changed by the pulse.
Then another and another pulse, each stronger than the last one.
He just gritted his teeth and endured, knowing that the more pulses there were, the better the change was. There was no consensus about what the best number was, but he hoped for something significant.
Another two pulses quickly followed each other, locking up his limbs, preventing him from moving.
One more and Sam felt clearly that the next one would be last, based on how much mana was being gathered in his core.
‘Seven works…’ he mused as he mentally prepared for the last pulse.
The mana was released with a silent explosion, rushing through his body in a very familiar cycle, and ended with the mana returning to the core, completing the cycle, having spent all its energy.
His body relaxed, though oddly exhausted, Sam watched as his mana, without his input, simply cycled through his body, starting from and ending at his perfectly spherical core.
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Lucky as the loyal wolf lay on the ground in front of him, keeping an eye on him while gnawing on a bone. He even had a small bowl of water.
Then the feeling of his body hit him, and he looked down. Once again, the procedure expelled all impurities in his body, coating him with sweat and all manner of disgusting things he didn’t really want to think about.
Purely out of instinct, he cast the Clean spell and was almost taken aback by how easily it came to him. But the result was that he was clean again and Lucky threw the bone away, launched himself at him, and began to lick his face.
“Hahaha! Thanks, Lucky! I’m fine, I’m fine…” he responded with a smile and hugged the giant fluffy plush-replacement.
After a few minutes, he had enough – temporarily – of Lucky’s luscious fur and he turned his attention to the notification screens.
[Your mana has overflowed and managed to form a core!]
[Thanks to your actions during the core formation, you managed to form a Perfect Core!]
[The process has cleansed your body!]
[Thanks to this, your Cleansed Body, Pure Body, and Mana Tempered Body have fused and were upgraded!]
[You gained the skill, Mana Infused Body!]
[Mana Infused Body: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Mana has been permanently infused into your body, cleansing and purifying it. Your aura has been also transformed, granting you a charming and mysterious countenance. Further increases your control over your body, mana, and the two together. The amount of mana your core holds affects your body, and the state of your body affects your stamina.
Gives a flat increase of +10 to STR, AGI, END, and +1 to LUCK.
Any incoming skill or spell that would negatively affect your body is decreased by 0,50% per skill level.
For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 4 Base Health Gains.
For every skill level, it increases Health Regeneration by 0,3.
For every 250 Health Points, it grants you +1 Stamina Regeneration.]
[Thanks to your superb control skills and the process of forming a Mana Core, your Mana Manipulation skill has been upgraded!]
[You gained the skill, Perfect Mana Core!]
[Perfect Mana Core: Level 0 (0%) (Passive) Mana and you are one. Decreases the cost of mana skills by 40%, and increases the mana regenerated beyond what you have experienced so far. Grants you 0,1% magic resistance per skill level.
Your capabilities to hold mana have been enhanced. Increases mana capacity by a flat 20 per player level.
The longer you channel, the more the cost of the spell decreases. For every 13 seconds of channeling, the cost is reduced by 3% for each skill level.
Your Mana Regeneration is increased the more mana you are missing. Gain 0,5 Mana Regeneration for each skill level per missing mana percentage.
Increases your Mana Regeneration beyond what most beings are capable of. Gain flat +250 Mana Regeneration.
(+(2+WIS/MAG) Mana Regeneration per skill level) [A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +3,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
Sam had to blink at that, then do some quick math. His health gained some rather giant increase. He couldn’t wait for the next fight just to see the look on their faces.
[Your experience granted you an enlightenment. Your Mana Unraveling, Spell Matrix, and Mana Construct skills have been fused.]
[You gain the skill, Mana Architecture!]
[Mana Architecture: Level 21/100 (41%) (Passive) You mastered the manipulation, creation, and destruction of mana constructs, granting you an encompassing awareness of any mana construct. You can build, analyze, and destroy. Complexity is no barrier for you. Layers upon layers you can build.
Decreases the mana cost of your creations (and destruction) by 0,5% per skill level and increases their effectiveness and power by 1,5% for each skill level.]
[Your body went through a qualitative change. Enhancing it is not enough. Mana Body Enhancement is upgraded into Mana Body Infusion!]
[Mana Body Infusion: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) Infuses the body with mana-enhancing physical attributes by 3% for each skill level (STR, AGI, DEX, END).
Also, increases physical resistance by 1% for each skill level. Furthermore, your body is already accustomed to mana running through it, thus the physical attributes are each enhanced by 1% per player level.
Thanks to your Perfect Mana Core, your loss when using this skill is negligible and there is a 100% chance you gain 25% of the mana you used to enhance your body back. Additionally, there is a 25% chance to gain 50% of the mana back and a 3% chance that you gain 100% Of the mana back.]
Sam read through the main changes and couldn’t help but feel satisfied. A very big increase in his power and endurance, as well as some more utility. Getting a Perfect Mana Core was a dream, but he was glad he stuck with his plan because the skill was awesome. In the other timeline, there were rumors about the skill but nobody came forward to share the details but everybody agreed that it would be amazing.
[Thanks to your quick thinking and infusing your Mana Core with the basic elements, your Earth, Wind, and Lightning Resistance has been consumed and you gain the Basic Elemental Resistance!]
[Basic Elemental Resistance: Level 21/100 (7%) (Passive) Thanks to your quick thinking and excellent skills, you gained resistance to the basic elements: fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]
[Thanks to your transformation, you gained Physical and Magical Resistance!]
[Physical and Magical Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) The mana emanating from your mana core has enhanced the defenses of your body. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]
A pretty good gain, but then he turned his attention to the last set of notifications.
[Congratulations! You managed to perform an almost picture-perfect Ritual of Ascension!]
[Your instincts seem to be in sync with the world!]
[You gain the title, Natural!]
[Natural: It’s either this or you are cheating. Gives you resistance to cheating allegations. For now.]
Pretty on the nose, but Sam knew he had everything covered – or at least hoped so – with regards to the ritual, as he had read some hints in the Nowhere library about it, even though there were no concrete descriptions just some vague hints.
He couldn’t even imagine what the developers were thinking right now… Or what the world was thinking about as he clearly won the Race to the Top event.
‘I feel like lunch…’
Owed bonus chapters: One (1)
Titles:
[Apprentice: You are an apprentice learning under a master. Increased experience point gain in the key skill of the apprenticeship.]
Magical Items:
[Ring of Minor Health Regeneration: A small ring, made from subpar materials, with a low-quality magical gem. As long as the gem holds mana, it aids with health regeneration. Can hold 100 Mana Points, and regenerates 10 Health Points for every point of mana consumed. Current Mana: 100/100.]
[High-quality Troll Leather Armor: Created by a journeyman crafter employed by your own company. They worked extra hard to make sure to return your goodwill. Excellent quality, given the materials and the crafter. Enchanted to decrease the sound it makes during movement, as well as has increased durability. Thanks to the substance it was impregnated with the troll leather it lacks its customary weakness to fire.]
*Not actually bottomless.]
Quests:
Active quests:
[Just walk in there!]
[Prove yourself!]
[Peaceful land, peaceful mind]
Finished quests:
[Monster Parade!]
[Topping the tree!]
[Reap what you sow!]
[Seaside opportunity]
[Another seaside opportunity]
[The booty of mystery!]
[Demonic demonstration!]
[The Test of the Survivor!]
[To the city you go!]
[Eternal Vigilance!]
[Returning Champion]
[Volatile Valley]
[Ride forward to be not killed in nasty ways!]
[Location, location, location!]
Skills:
Mana Skills:
[Mana Body: Level 7/100 (21%) (Passive) Your mana permeates your body, enhancing and improving it. The better your control of your mana is, and the more mana you have, the bigger the effect is. For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 1 Base Health gain. For every skill level, it increases the Health Regeneration by 0,1.]
[Mana Shield: Level 99 (99%) Using mana, you can form a simple shell around yourself, which decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested. For every unit of Mana invested in the spell, the shield will protect you from 9,9 (physical) damage.]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +2,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +3,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
Neutral Mage skills:
[Mana Unraveling: Level 14/25 (19%) (Active) You can spot even the smallest imperfection in the weave of the mana. If your control is better than the one who weaved the spell, then you can attack those imperfections and unravel the spell or magic in front of you.]
[Spell Matrix: Level 40/100 (4%) (Passive) You mastered layering spells as very few have before. You can layer ( or connect any other way) together as many spells as you can. The cost of this action is increased by 5% (cumulative) for every two layers or spells.]
[Solid Spell Foundation: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your foundation is solid and unshakable. The stability of layered spells is increased.]
[Mana Construct: Level 84/100 (22%) (Active/Passive) You can create mana constructs over your weapons. These constructs cannot be separated from your weapon. You have total control over their shape and size. For every level in the skill, the mana cost is decreased by 1% and the damage inflicted by the skill is increased by 1%]
[Simplicity: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) The simpler your creations, the less mana it costs.]
[Infusion: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Infusing different mana types into your mana constructs becomes easier.]
[Complexity: Level 1/5 (11%) (Passive) The complexity of your creations doesn’t detract from it. Usually, mana cost would rise when the complexity of your creation increases. For every level of this skill this increase in mana cost becomes less and less.]
Elemental Mage Skills:
Wind Mage skills:
[Wind Blade III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a blade of wind. The cutting power and speed of the blade are increased. You have greater control over its movement after creation. Allows you to slightly control its path after launching the wind blade.]
[Wind Blade Storm: Level 6/10 (7%) (Active) A spell that unleashes a storm of wind blades around you. The damage of the released Wind Blades depends on the Wind Blade spell and your mastery over it.]
[Wind Bullet III: Level 9/10 (99%) A spell that allows you to launch a bullet made of concentrated wind. You have excellent control over the projectile’s speed, size, and path.]
[Wind Explosion: Level 3/10 (21%) A spell that allows you to create a singular bullet of wind mana, and then fire it, which will, upon impact, detonate. The strength of the detonation depends on the amount of wind mana channeled into the bullet and your mastery over the Wind Bullet spell!]
[Wind Movement: 39/100 (19%) (Active) You can use your mastery over wind to move in any direction you wish. Your movement speed is increased significantly. This speed boost is increased by 1% for each skill level.]
[Wind Edge III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) A spell that allows you to enhance the edge of any bladed weapon you wield with the wind. Thanks to the spell, the speed of your strikes will greatly increase. The power and reach of the blade will be greatly increased further.]
[Wind Affinity: Level 61/100 (17%) (Passive) You have a good affinity for the wind. Beings born of the wind will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Wind-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
- Wind Flurry
- Wind Bullet Barrage
- Healing Wind
- Wind Jump
- Wind Drill
- Wind Blade I-III
- Wind Blade Storm
- Wind Bullet I-III
- Wind Explosion
- Wind Movement
- Wind Edge I-III!
Utility skills:
Companion skills:
Shadow skills:
(Shadow Cloak triggers this benefit.)]
[Shadow Affinity: Level 30/100 (14%) (Passive) You have a good affinity with the shadows. Beings born of the shadows will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Shadow-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
Physical skills:
[Basic Armor Mastery: Level 91/100 (6%) (Passive) You learned the basics of wearing armor. Decreases the Stamina consumption slightly while wearing any kind of armor.]
[Clean Armor: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your mana got used to a certain spell, so the waste mana radiating from you will, over time, permeate and clean your armor.]
[Resistant Armor: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Thanks to your practice, you can fully utilize everything that your armor provides, granting you increased resistance against the environment. Grants 2% increased environmental resistance per skill level. Environmental resistance protects against environmental effects only.]
[Durable Armor: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You learned how to roll with the punches. This includes knowing when your armor can take a hit and when it can’t. Increased durability for any armor you wear from incoming damage from non-environmental sources.]
[Epic Breathing Technique: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) You breathe, and the world breathes with you. You move along your own rhythm. Decreases stamina consumption even more during any activity and further increases stamina regeneration when not in a fight. Gain +2 Stamina Regeneration for every skill level.]
[Tranquil Heart: Level 11/100 (54%) (Passive) Your heart beats to the same rhythm as your body. It’s efficient and harmonious. You have an even easier time resisting mind-altering effects and a portion of of those effects are reflected back to the source. The portion is 1% per skill level. You also radiate an aura of tranquility that confers the resistance portion of the skill to your allies near you.]
[Flow: Level 77/100 (9%) (Passive) Thanks to being a natural sensor, you can read the flow of the mana. Increases your stability and the bonuses any movement or martial art skill provides by 1% per level in the skill.]
[Focused Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) When focusing on any enemy beyond what is normal, your ability to read their flow becomes clearer and more precise.]
[Controlled Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your read of the flow is more controlled, allowing you to see the flow much better. Increases the flow visibility by 20% for every skill level.]
[Immersed Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you start reading the flow a counter starts. After every ten seconds, the effect of the Flow skill increases by 1% for each skill level. Maximum 600 seconds.]
Parry: Level 24/100 (13%) (Passive) Decreases the stamina consumption of defensive weapon movements. It allows you to more efficiently and accurately parry incoming attacks. Decreases the damage of the blocked attack by 0,5% for each skill level at the moment of blocking.]
[Cleansed Body: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your body has been cleansed of impurities, giving you a more charming aura. NPCs and players will treat you slightly differently depending on their tastes. Gives a flat increase of +3 to STR, AGI, END. You can upgrade this skill by further cleansing your body.]
Resistance skills:
General skills:
[Dwarven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dwarven language.]
[Elven Language: Level 7/10 (8%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Elven language.]
[Dark Elven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dark Elven language.]
[Sarkan Language: Level 3/10 (42%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Sarkan language.]
Crafting skills:
Pet skills:
[Strong Jaw: Level Max (Passive) The jaw of the wolf is strengthened.]
[Lucky Aura: Level Max (Passive) Those who are in the same party as the wolf receive a buff to their luck. It depends on their luck how big the increase is.]