Two days had passed since my swordsmanship lecture. The few days had been a whirlwind. Now, with some calm, I was waiting to get permission to check out a new skill book. There was not much in my plans, except for money.

It was a problem that I would have to face sooner or later, but as I did in my previous life, I pushed this worry to the darker corners of my mind, focusing instead on the magic he was learning. There is still a month before it gets serious…

This morning, like the previous day, I had drained all my mana reserves practicing swordsmanship, leaving me both physically depleted, ravenously hungry, and mentally drained. Lunch provided a much-needed break, after which I plunged into mana training, depleting my stockpile of contribution points to fuel my intensive practice.

The current goal was to master Mana Filter to help me absorb ambient mana. It would significantly boost my sword training, providing an easy way to recover mana on the spot. It had taken 107 points and countless hours in the concentration room to perfect it, but it was worth every point.

Now, my eyes were set on the following prize: a coveted skill book and a lecture on skills for mages. With only 483 points left, I had to choose wisely.

The total left was only 483, and I thought it was time to learn about the skills lecture when Lucian's message buzzed through my armband: the Vice Chancellor had found a skill book for me.

That surprised me— I hadn't expected much assistance from the old dragon. Perhaps he realized my disinterest in his Obsidian Tryouts and sought to sweeten the deal. His motives remained obscure, but with four others like him at the academy, I temporarily aligned with his faction.

Dismissing a fleeting thought to send my resume to the others for better perks, I refocused. The idea of dealing with unknown eccentricities was less appealing than the devil I knew.

Refocusing, I turned my attention back to the mana training. Yesterday I successfully absorbed ninety percent of pure mana from the room, unlocking a new functionality in the process.

The crystal in the concentration room glowed, showing the filter required for ambient mana.

The new feature allowed the device to mix ambient mana with the pure mana from the crystal, creating a mixture with ten percent ambient mana that would not overwhelm my Mana Filter during absorbing mana.

[ Mana: 65 / 130 ]

After releasing the mana, I was free to test my filter against the mana. According to the crystal, the concentration of ambient mana was a tenth of the total. There was an option to increase the percentage but I was playing it safe.

As I closed my eyes to begin training, I imagined the abyss within myself, a deep, dark well with no end. Controlling the pull, I could feel its strength, as it began to stir the mana surrounding me. After taking a moment, the filter slowly took shape, the mana threads weaving together to form a complex pattern.

Unlike before, there was a sense of strength in the filter, and I was sure I could easily absorb the mana.

With the filter now imagined, I positioned it just above the abyss. The suction from below started to absorb the mana, filtering it as it passed.

As I deepened the abyss, the mana started to enter the filter. Initially, the filter wobbled under the strain, causing a slight increase in mental pressure. I concentrated, smoothing out the fluctuations until the flow of mana into my body stabilized.

That was not much different from earlier, and I was unsure if I was absorbing ambient mixed mana or pure mana after going through the filter. Maybe I could ask Lena to absorb ambient mana to check its effect on the body.

Deepening my connection, I focused intently on maintaining the filter’s position above the abyss, ensuring no mana escaped unfiltered from the edges. Time seemed to stretch on as I remained in this state.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I opened my eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath as I realized the mana in the room had been depleted.

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[ Mana: 121 / 130 ]

However, what caught his attention was the sound of the distinct ding going off inside his head, and he felt something inside him. Focusing on it, a notification popped into his head.

ding

Would you like to learn the skill [ Mana Manipulation ]?

I was utterly taken aback. What was this? Nothing I had experienced in the world so far suggested something like this. Other than the first two skills already on the screen, there was not much knowledge. Nevertheless, after pausing for a moment, I mentally confirmed the alert. It was clear that my understanding of skills needed deepening; I would have to prioritize the lecture on skills.

ding

Congratulations, skill [ Mana Manipulation ] acquired.

I didn’t feel much different, so I decided to probe the mysterious interface with my mind. Similar to the previous time, I only had to give a mental push to check my interface.

Name: Nova

Titles: Traveler, Heroic

Class: —

Level: 0

Status:

Stamina: 58 / 80

Health: 91 / 100

Mana: 1 / 130

Note: 100 is the usual standard for level 0.

Stats:

Strength: 6

Vitality: 5

Dexterity: 9

Constitution: 6

Spirit: 7

Mind: 5

General Skills:

Myriad Languages of the World ( Legendary ) Lvl 1

Identify ( Unique ) Lvl 6

Mana Manipulation Lvl 0

There was not much change in my status after I first checked. Other than the boosted levels I gained from identifying Vice Chancellor Aiden, Mana Manipulation was added to his General skills, but there was no category specifically for it.

Still not feeling any immediate effects of the skill, I decided to practice creating the filter again. The mana converted into threads began to intertwine and weave, following the pattern I envisioned to form the fil—

ding

Congratulations! You have used the skill [ Mana Manipulation ] for the first time.

Mana Manipulation Lvl 0 -> Lvl 1

—filter, and it snapped into place in my mind. The sudden screen flashed before me, catching me off guard.

Now, I could sense the skill actively working. The difference was substantial. It wasn’t as overt as with [Myriad Languages of the World], where I could feel the mana stirring in my throat. This was more subtle, akin to [Identity]; rather than providing explicit information about Levels, this skill seemed to be offering assistance, guiding and enhancing my ability to manipulate the mana threads more efficiently and intuitively.

I could feel the skill subtly activating, aiding my efforts in manipulating the mana. It reminded me of the difference between playing a video game with aim assist turned on versus off. The assist was slight, and I still needed to do the majority of the work, but it handled some of the finer adjustments, making the process smoother.

[ Mana Manipulation Lvl 1 -> 2 ]

It was an amazing skill. And I was giddy to learn my first self earned skill.

Even the act of releasing mana became smoother; the mana formed threads of light quickly and expelled from my body as the crystal transformed it into pure mana.

[ Mana: 65 / 130 ]

I imagined the abyss within my body again and noticed no assistance in creating it. The part of my mind used to maintain the image was as taxed as before. Deciding to put that concern aside for now, I focused on forming the filter with the mana threads. Like before, it snapped into place quite rapidly, yet the mental strain remained unchanged.

I shrugged off the persistent effort required and concentrated on absorbing the mana as I deepened the abyss in my mind, enhancing the suction force.

This time, I could feel the pull of mana from the surroundings more in-depth. My perception of it increased as it began to pass through the filter, illustrating the subtle yet effective support provided by the new skill. The experience, enriched by this newfound ability, brought a deeper understanding of the intricate dance between my will and the ambient mana.

Earlier, I had only experienced the sensation of weakening and filtering mana. Still, now it felt as though a layer had been removed, allowing me to perceive the mana's activity more directly. I observed that some parts of the mana were passing through the filter with only a slight pause. The main change, however, was that a small percentage of the mana would slow down. It didn’t take long for me to recognize this as the ambient mana.

I focused my mind on this slowed mana, and it almost seemed as though the mana was shedding an outer layer as it passed through the filter. This shed layer dissipated quickly and was soon nowhere to be found. After a moment of contemplation, I realized that this might be the attunement within the ambient mana.

This realization pointed to a deeper layer of interaction with mana than I had previously understood. The skill was not just assisting in the manipulation of mana; it was refining my perception. It opened more areas for me to explore.

[ Mana Manipulation Lvl 2 -> 3 ]

Maybe it was my previous accumulation, or maybe it was due to my new understanding. Regardless, it still felt nice seeing numbers go up.