Eventually, I slowed my pace, the buzz of exertion still thrumming through my limbs. My gaze drifted over Sir Twistopher’s trunk, now a crisscrossed map of cuts and slashes.

Methodically, I began peeling away the extra bark, focusing on the twisted sections that gave the tree its odd, gnarled appearance. Each strip of bark that fell away revealed a smoother, more uniform surface beneath, and there was a strange satisfaction in the act. It was as if I was stripping away layers of frustration and uncertainty, revealing something more refined.

Maybe I should carve a wooden memento.

Above me, the branches of the Mistshade Willow rustled softly in the breeze, their leaves dancing as they caught the light. Or once I finished with the trunk, I would turn my attention to the branches, pruning them to shape Sir Twistopher into something more dignified. The thought was almost comical—grooming a tree as if it were some kind of prized bonsai—but there was a certain appeal to it.

[ Mana: 68 / 130 ]

My mana reserves had finally depleted significantly, and yet, despite all my efforts, I was still fumbling in the dark when it came to truly understanding mana.

I decided to take a different approach—imagining the abyss, I began a slow, deliberate deepening of the void, drawing the mana in more cautiously this time.

As I formed the filter, I compared it to my first crude attempts weeks ago. Back then, it had been a chaotic mess, a haphazard web of mana threads that barely held together. It wobbled and strained under the pressure of absorbing ambient mana, giving me splitting headaches and collapsing more often than not. It was a wonder I hadn’t given up right then and there.

But now, things have changed. I’ve made significant progress, and I feel a sense of accomplishment. The filter is more stable and refined, no longer teetering on the edge of disaster. I can see why others get hooked on leveling up—it’s addictive, seeing tangible improvements.

As the filter started pulling in mana, I noticed something different: the concentration of mana had increased again. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s definitely more potent than before. But there were still no changes in the surroundings, other than the lack of increasing rewards.

It was still fixed at 2X, for the last three hours, even though I felt the mana density has been creeping up over the past hour.

Coming back to the filter, I decided to focus on my next challenge. The ambient nature of the mana and mana density are the only variables that change whenever I tried absorbing it.

For now, I could narrow down my culprits to these two: the attuned ambient mana or the mana density.

Considering the magical nature of this world, it wasn’t much of a leap to assume that both were likely to be the culprits. The real question was, which of them could I control more easily?

While the abyss might help in handling the mana density by adjusting the suction force, there was not much effect in my previous attempt. The major problem lay with the filtering of mana.

During the fight, Spatial Perception had flickered, and the details had lessened, but I could only blame it on the attuned mana. The attuned ambient mana that I absorbed seemed too potent for my Space attuned skills.

The mana swirled within the filter, slowly being purified as it passed through. There was a distinct sensation that the filter was stripping away the outer layer of the mana—perhaps its attunement.

Now that I had a moment to really observe the process, I noticed the little strain it was putting on the filter. Barely there, but I know it would get more pronounced if I increased my suction like in previous practice.

Looking at the forest around me, I tried to imagine what kind of attunement would this forest hold. Darkness, perhaps, or Shadows? Maybe something more insidious, something related to decay and rot—after all, the Mistshade Willow Forest had its fair share of eerie, unsettling qualities.

Could it be that the mana here is tainted with some kind of decay attunement? The thought sent a shiver down my spine, and I nudged a piece of bark with my foot, considering the possibilities. Was I in a world where dark forces held sway? I half-joked to myself, though the thought wasn’t entirely comforting.

After all, the Way of the World was shattered. Instead of thinking more about worldly problems, I refocused on mine.

There had to be a hierarchy in attunements, with one type of mana being stronger, and more dominant, than another. If the attunement of mana was related to the surroundings, maybe I wasn’t deep enough into the forest to encounter the true attunement of mana. Here, near the edge, the attunement might be diluted, weaker, compared to what lay deeper within.

Observing again, I could feel the mana coming out of the filter giving a pure feel. The filter seemed to be shedding a subtle outer layer, leaving behind energy that felt cleaner, and more refined.

While I tried to look back at this outer layer, it was already gone into thin air as there was nothing struck in the filter.

Even when I tried to observe the process more closely, the outer layer dissipated too quickly for me to study it. I attempted to form a net of mana threads around it, hoping to catch and analyze it, but the layer continued to dissolve, slipping through the threads as if it wasn’t even there.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

[ Mana: 70 / 130 ]

Despite my efforts, I couldn’t achieve any results. My mana reserves continued to fill, but I was left with more questions than answers.

Frustrated but determined, I tried multiple approaches to understand this mysterious attunement. Adjusting the flow of mana and even attempted to slow down the absorption process of the filter to catch a glimpse of the dissipating layer. Each attempt seemed futile, the elusive outer layer slipping away before I could learn anything meaningful.

At one point, I experimented with changing the structure of the mana threads in the filter, making them more intricate, hoping to capture the essence of this attunement.

Of course, the filter started unraveling almost as soon as I tried to change its structure. But during this process, I felt something—just a faint trace, like the brush of a shadow against my mind.

The sensation was fleeting, gone almost as soon as it appeared, leaving me with only a vague impression of shadows.

The fleeting experience gave me an idea. If intricacy wasn’t working, maybe brute force would. I decided to abandon caution and go all-in. Instead of slowly deepening the abyss, I increased its depth rapidly in my mind. The effect was immediate—the mana surged through the filter at a much faster rate, and a large amount of the outer layer began to dissipate all at once.

Mana Manipulation Lvl 9 -> 10

The abyss wobbled, and the Mana Filter flickered under the strain as the flow of energy intensified. For a brief moment, I felt a more powerful sensation—a sense of something shadowy, difficult to describe, but shadows were the closest comparison.

As the experience deepened, a realization began to form in my mind—I was getting closer to understanding the nature of attunements.

Watching the interaction between the filter and the attuned mana, it became clear that the outer layer I was stripping away served a specific purpose.

As the mana passed through my filter, this outer layer was separated, unable to find a match within my own attunement.

This layer acted as a defensive barrier, a natural filter designed to protect the mana, ensuring that only those with the right attunement could harness its power.

Just as I began to grasp this feeling, my concentration slipped.

The filter collapsed, and I stopped myself just in time before absorbing any unfiltered mana. The distinct sensation of the shadows started to fade, slipping away as quickly as it had come. In a moment of frustration and curiosity, I decided to throw caution to the wind and absorb a small amount of unfiltered mana to see what would happen.

As soon as I drew in the unfiltered mana, the sense of shadows solidified in my mind, becoming an inky black presence. It was intense, almost overwhelming, but I stopped the absorption before it could go too far. The experience left me shaken, the shadowy feeling lingering at the edge of my consciousness.

I took a moment to gather myself, glancing around at the forest. Hopefully, this experiment wasn’t life-threatening. Feeling that inky black presence within me, I could now understand why different mana attunements were considered so dangerous, even detrimental. The wrong attunement could easily overwhelm, destabilize, or even destroy someone unprepared to handle it.

The Mistshade Willow trees stood tall and silent, their branches swaying gently in the breeze. The sunlight filtered through the canopy in dappled patterns, casting long shadows on the forest floor. The sun was lower in the sky now, its light taking on a warmer, more golden hue as the day edged toward evening.

I glanced at my status, noting the increase in my mana reserves.

[ Mana: 119 / 130 ]

As I processed the experience, I couldn’t help but weigh the risks I had just taken. The feeling of that shadowy presence still loomed in my mind, a stark reminder of the potential dangers of experimenting with unfiltered mana.

I had pushed myself further than I should have, gambling with forces I didn’t fully understand. The risk had been high—too high, perhaps—but I couldn’t deny the strange allure of it, the pull to explore these mysterious energies that had become a part of my life.

Before I could enjoy my success, another message flashed before my eyes and I stopped absorbing mana.

Bonus Finale: Beast Tide

The words sent a jolt through me. My eyes immediately traveled to the edge of darkness and light, scanning the area. But to my relief, I didn’t see anything. Is the beast tide really coming? I wondered, straining my senses for any hint of movement. Yet, all I could feel was the steady increase in mana around me, nothing more.

Maybe the Wendigos won’t venture into the light, I reasoned, trying to calm the unease creeping up on me. They’re creatures of darkness—they shouldn’t like traveling in these conditions. For a moment, I was profoundly thankful that I wasn’t deep inside the dark forest for this part of the quest.

As I stood there, the tension in my body slowly easing, my mind raced with conflicting thoughts about what I should do next. I should probably get the hell out of here, I thought, the rational part of me urging me to take the safe route and run while I still could. The memory of those Wendigos was fresh in my mind, and the thought of facing a full-on beast tide was enough to make anyone bolt.

But then, the recent success I had just experienced gave me pause. I’m so close, I reminded myself, the allure of progress tugging at me. The shadowy presence I had sensed earlier was unlike anything I had encountered before, and the idea of understanding it was tantalizing. There’s no danger that I can see, I reasoned, scanning the surroundings again. The forest was quiet, almost deceptively so, with only the increased mana concentration giving any indication that something was different.

Maybe it would be safe to stay at the edge, I considered, my eyes drifting to where the light met the shadows. The dark forest loomed ominously, but out here, at the border, it didn’t feel as threatening. At most, I could make a break for the plains easily if things go wrong. I reassured myself, thinking of the open fields just a short sprint away. Surely they wouldn’t follow me there?

But there was a risk, and I knew it. What if I’m wrong?

But what if I'm not wrong? Maybe experimenting a little longer is not that dangerous.

I restarted the mana absorption process, cautiously this time, keeping my senses on high alert. I could still feel the increased mana concentration, a thick, palpable energy that seemed to pulse through the air. If anything changes, I’ll run, I promised myself, hoping that this compromise would be enough to keep me safe.

For now, I decided to simply observe the filter and the mana as it filled repeatedly, watching the process with renewed focus. With the increased mana concentration, maybe I could sense the shadowy presence again without taking too much of a risk.

[ Mana: 123 / 130 ]