Alaric was back inside the Tutorial Rift - The Mana Grove to be exact. Yesterday’s training session had been so productive, he decided to jump right into it to complete the final objective in the first stage of the system-managed zone.
He dismissed the challenge notifications and marched forward through the Wither-bloom garden. After some time, the forest opened up into a clearing where the trees towered, their branches forming a natural dome overhead.
Alaric surveyed the area and spotted an ancient stone altar in the center of the clearing. The stone altar bore intricate grooves etched onto its surface.
Four stone pillars encircled the altar, faint runes etched into their surfaces.
As he advanced, he received the notification he had been anticipating from the system.
Objective 3 - Solve the Mana Rune puzzle by connecting all the nodes without breaking the flow of mana. Reward: Learn the skill [Mana Control] (Common).
Alaric leaned forward to examine the runic patterns etched in the stone altar. He identified five nodes of mana sockets connected by a series of straight lines.
As he traced the lines with his eyes, he observed that some of the lines failed to connect to any of the nodes. It resembled an ancient circuit diagram.
Interesting. Alaric noticed a palm-shaped indentation on the surface of the stone altar and pressed his hand against it. The moment his palm contacted the surface of the stone altar, he sensed a pull on the mana inside his body.
It surged through his hands as if the stone altar acted as a magnet. Alaric restrained the force of the pull with his conscious control.
He smirked. This is a clever way to teach the kids how it feels to emit mana outside the body.
To normal kids, this would feel like the opposite of absorbing mana. To Alaric, it felt a bother. However, the initial momentum of the pull on his mana subsided as it established contact with the stone altar.
Alaric had already analyzed the puzzle to figure out the optimum path to connect all five mana socket nodes.
With deliberate effort, he gradually released more mana from his body and guided it through the straight line connected to the first node of the mana socket. These mana sockets seemed designed to retain some of the mana.
As an experiment, Alaric attempted to infuse too much mana, but it spilled over the straight lines. He heard a mental beep that he instinctively recognized as an error sound.
He appreciated the system's guidance designed for the kids, though it left him slightly unsettled.
Why was the system investing so many resources in training the cultivators? For what purpose and benefit? What was the catch?
He mentally shook his head. This is not the time to dissect the purpose of the system. I need to concentrate.
Alaric ceased funneling mana into the runic lines and observed the mana retrace the path he had covered so far. So, if I stop funneling mana, it will retrace and waste my time.
His experiments concluded. Alaric pressed on by pouring more mana.
The moment Alaric’s mana reached the first mana node, it illuminated in an azure glow. Alaric sensed his mana lock into the mana node and suddenly, he felt the strain on his willpower diminish.
He halted the flow of mana and realized he no longer needed to concentrate to prevent the mana from flowing back through the runic lines.
However, this moment of reprieve lasted only for 30 seconds. The system didn’t grant any more time to relax.
Alaric gradually advanced through the circuit, pouring more mana and solving the puzzles within 15 minutes. By the end of the test, his forehead glistened with beads of sweat.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill [Mana Control] (Common).
[Mana Control lvl 1]
He examined the skill description.
Mana Control - This skill allows you to control and direct the mana inside your body. Each level-up boosts efficiency and prevents wastage. At higher levels, it enables finer control, allowing you to direct mana into specific body parts.
It was a pretty standard description of the skill. The Mana Rune Puzzle was not too difficult to complete, but it did require sustained focus. He was eager to tackle the challenge stages of the puzzle.
Would you like to train your skill [Mana Control lvl 1] or proceed to the next region?
Alaric decided to train the skill. In fact, he had challenged himself to level up all the foundational skills to the maximum level within a week.
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Challenge 3 - Solved the Curved Mana Rune Puzzle within 20 minutes.
Suddenly, Alaric noticed the mana rune lines shift from their positions and slowly morph into more intricate patterns. The mana node sockets were now linked by curved lines that formed spiral patterns. Alaric simply smiled. He loved a challenge.
This time, he discovered it was harder to guide the flow of his mana into the puzzle piece due to the curvature of the lines. It became much easier to spill his mana outside the curved lines if he didn’t focus and regulate his mana precisely.
When he reached his first mana socket node, he encountered the first surprise. The mana socket nodes didn’t lock his mana into place this time.
Thus, he had no time to pause or rest. Not that he could afford to do so with a time limit. But the lack of rest added an element of mental strain to the task.
The second surprise he encountered was that the mana socket nodes were now overloaded and fused like a light bulb — resetting the puzzle — if he tried to store too much mana into them.
That was a clever trick by the system. Storing more mana in the sockets made it easier to direct the flow of mana further along the path. But the system didn’t permit too much leeway.
Unprepared for the second surprise, he failed to complete the challenge on his first attempt. However, he was not discouraged in the slightest. These surprises made the challenges more engaging.
Ding! Your skill [Mana Control] has leveled up. [Mana Control lvl 1 -> Mana Control lvl 2]
Ding! Your skill [Mana Control] has leveled up. [Mana Control lvl 2 -> Mana Control lvl 3]
Alaric resolved to continue his training for all three foundational mana skills.
***
A few days later
Alaric readjusted his senses as he emerged from his Cultivation Sanctuary.
Meditating on his chakras inside his Cultivation Sanctuary felt like pure bliss. The same applied to mana cycling since the mana in the pocket dimension was richer compared to the ambient mana.
However, until he maximized the foundational mana skills - mana sensing, mana absorption, and mana control - he refrained from forming his mana core and advancing to Tier 1.
Instead, he aimed to finish leveling up these three mana skills and acquire the basic mana manipulation ability first. The reason was straightforward. It would enable him to wield mana with far greater precision than a simple skill could provide.
The aroma of delicious food - his breakfast - pulled him out of his reverie. Lately, the maids and even Elara refrained from disturbing him while he meditated in his room. He furrowed his brows at the thought.
Wait…when I’m meditating in my room, I’m actually in my Cultivation Sanctuary!
He scratched his head. Does that mean they do try to communicate with me but give up and leave my breakfast on the table when I don’t respond? He quietly chuckled. He didn’t mind either way as long as it didn’t cause him any trouble.
His stomach growled. Oops! Time to eat first. Alaric dove into his food - a mix of vegetable stew, some toast, fruit slices, and spiced tea.
Eating his fill, he headed towards the knight’s training area to meet his friends. Since all of his friends were older than him, they had already cleared the Mana Grove Zone of the Tutorial Rift and upgraded the 3 foundational mana skills into the basic mana manipulation ability.
Rowan ventured deeper into the Tutorial Rift to acquire a few more mana skills but he paused exploring the tutorial rift to focus on completing the other objectives of advancing through Tier 1.
Thus, only Alaric was currently delving into the Tutorial Rift. However, he started entering it in the company of his friends.
It was enjoyable to emerge from the rift and discuss his progress and frustrations for the day. Not to mention, Alaric didn’t feel like he was training in isolation that way. Everybody was happy.
Alaric had been delving into the Tutorial Rift daily for the past few days. He enjoyed participating in the challenges a lot. In fact, he had already completed all the basic challenges several times and managed to level up all three foundational mana skills to level 7.
He scanned his updated status screen
Name - Alaric De Vermond.
Age - 12
Stats:
Strength - 20
Agility - 20
Vitality - 16
Mind - 23
Soul - 29
Skills:
* Mana Sense lvl 7
* Mana Absorption lvl 7
* Mana Control lvl 7
Titles:
* Ally of the System (Signature)
* Progenitor of Chakra Cultivation (Unique)
Chakra Cultivation Progression:
* Muladhara (Root Chakra): Purified (Partially Awakened)
* Swadhisthana (Sacral Chakra): Purified (Dormant)
* Manipura (Solar Plexus Chakra): Purified (Dormant)
* Anahata (Heart Chakra): Purified (Dormant)
* Visuddha (Throat Chakra): Purified (Dormant)
* Ajna (Third Eye Chakra): Purified (Dormant)
* Sahasrara (Crown Chakra): Purified (Dormant)
Unused Experience Points: 0
System Rewards Granted:
* Cultivation Sanctuary
The more he advanced the skills, the harder they became to level up. Mana control proved the most difficult to improve since the mana rift puzzles grew significantly more intricate.
Yet, his progression remained much faster than any typical 12-year-old. He didn’t really have any benchmarks, but he trusted his friends.
Today, he decided to attempt the advanced challenges of The Mana Grove. Hopefully, completing these challenges will help him level up his foundational skills to the max.
As he arrived at the knight training grounds, he spotted Rowan sparring with Gareth. More precisely, Rowan was short of beating the crap out of him.
When Gareth spotted Alaric, he immediately blurted, “Alaric, save me. Your friend is a devil!” He darted behind Alaric’s back as Rowan attempted to land a punch on him.
“If I go easy on you now, how will you handle a real threat?” Rowan said with utter seriousness. “Stop hiding behind him and step forward,” he flexed his fist, “Otherwise, I’ll start honing my combat skills on you.”
Gareth simply pulled a face and bolted when Rowan lunged to grab him. Alaric couldn’t suppress a laugh at their antics. After a while, he noticed George entering the ring with a cheerful demeanor.
However, as George approached, Alaric saw Therin and his group of friends closing in on him. What are they planning? Alaric distrusted their group. Therin was currently the strongest kid on the estate, and it had inflated his ego excessively. He was a few steps away from becoming a real bully.
When George tried to sidestep their group, Therin, and his friends obstructed his path. They began speaking, which quickly bloomed into an argument. Rowan and Gareth caught sight of the commotion and moved toward the scene.
Alaric smacked his forehead. This is why I hate teenagers. He marched toward the area with a stern expression. They are always itching for a fight.