‘Beginner Barrier Theory’

‘By Senior Artificer Alec Zar’

Lev looked at the book he was about to read. It was simple with a dark grey cover and light brown pages. Like most things on Monarch, the book was very durable. Lev couldn't tear off the last empty page even if he wanted to.

Getting comfortable in his bed, Lev started reading. Time slowly passed as he remained absorbed in the contents of the book. It was short, barely possessing thirty pages. The content itself was brief and concise, not helping the overall length.

The first page was a short reminder about how attributes worked. Something that wasn't properly explored by most young ones.

Strength primarily increased physical strength with the added effect of increased body toughness, much less noticeable than the increased strength.

Dexterity increased fine control and coordination. It did not improve reaction time, something Lev thought it did, and only helped channel all the body strength to move faster with precision.

Constitution was the weird one. It increased the body's ability to handle increased physical strength, improved the ability to channel mana, and overall made the body tougher. Somehow, it did more than every other attribute despite sounding simple.

Intelligence increased mana potency to an almost negligible degree, slightly improved control over mana, and increased the range of manipulation of mana.

Wisdom was the best attribute in Lev's opinion. It simply increased mana pool capacity and regeneration. That was all. Mages recovered an entire pool in 12 hours, give or take, and increasing Wisdom did not change that.

Perception was the single most crucial attribute. It slowed down perception of time minutely, letting everyone notice and decipher things faster to improve their reaction time, and improved all senses.

In theory, that was all it did but in practice, it improved body control to further increase the effectiveness of Strength and Dexterity, and let mages control their mana even more efficiently to improve the effectiveness of Intelligence and getting more worth out of each point of Wisdom.

Lev pondered on the new knowledge, noting all the tidbits he wasn't aware of before moving on. The attributes were still a mystery in how The System made them function, so Lev accepted the knowledge with room for change in the future.

True to its name, the book described the basics of barriers with a simplicity that anyone could understand. It covered the formation and manipulation of barriers at a novice level, allowing Lev to grasp the basics easily.

The book primarily focused on two things—the formation and use of barriers. The uses of barriers were pretty much everything that Lev already knew, such as blocking or deflecting attacks, protection artifacts, and warding off monsters.

Hints to higher forms of manipulation were present, but the topic was left mostly untouched. The formation of barriers, on the other hand, was a completely new field for Lev.

The formation of a barrier was straightforward yet extremely customizable. Normally, whenever a barrier mage formed a barrier, they used their mana to interact with ambient mana in the atmosphere while also making use of elemental mana types to introduce different properties into the barrier.

The elemental mana normally came from skills, it could also be taken from the environment or created by specialized mana converters. While elemental barriers had their own unique advantages, such as water barriers being supremely effective at stopping fire-based attacks or earthen barriers being able to absorb massive amounts of damage or alter the terrain to the fighters’ favor, these were not the ones Lev had his sight on.

The type of barriers that Lev aimed for were Arcane Barriers. These barriers were made entirely out of the mage's pure mana and usually obtained elemental properties through uncanny methods, generally dictated by class skills.

****

"I think your ideas have merit," Alec remarked, approving. "They will benefit from your Intelligence and class skills greatly if done right."

"That's what I was thinking of, as well," Lev agreed. "Do you think I should aim for a class with one of them as a part of it?"

"Yes, the disks. They will benefit more."

Lev told him that he understood, and then waited for his mentor to begin.

"Are you ready to form your first barrier?" Alec questioned with a twinkle in his eye.

Lev gave him an unamused glance for treating him like a child, which Alec just brushed off with a chuckle. Besides, Lev probably wasn't able to suppress his excitement completely.

My first application of Mana Manipulation. I am as excited as the situation demands, which happens to be my first time using magic.

He stopped himself from squirming in his chair, patiently waiting for Alec to start.

"Focus on my palm," was all he was told.

The crafter raised his right arm, palm facing upwards. Slowly, mana coalesced in the outline of a hexagon just above his hand. Once all the corners were connected by lines of Alec's mana, the rest of the hexagon started filling up. Within seconds, Lev could see a floating hexagon formed of vaporous mana waiting to be solidified with the mage's intent.

"This is as far as pure mana goes. The next few steps require you to both solidify it and add different mana types or enchantments. For arcane barriers however, you will just solidify them for now. Enchantments will come later when your barriers either achieve permanence or long dissipation time. Remember, only use your own mana as ambient mana weakens arcane barriers."

Lev nodded to show he was following. The book went into detail about all barrier classes starting with temporary formation, and slowly evolving into permanent or rechargeable barriers.

"The next part is both simple and complex. Simplicity comes from the fact that it's straightforward. You just will the mana to solidify and it forms a barrier. Complexity originates from sheer freedom afforded by simplicity. You can do literally anything you want, form anything you desire, and customize it however you wish. Only your imagination will limit you.

"Let's consider this example." The hexagonal barrier vanished, replaced by a small sphere. "This little thing right here could easily sell for a couple of silver. Can you guess why?" Alec asked expectantly.

Lev marveled at the price instead. The currency of Monarch followed a coin system. Copper, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. The value of each was a hundred of the previous coin. Regular food and provisions usually cost bronze, which is why Lev was so surprised that the little construct could sell for silver coins.

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"It's enchanted?" Lev guessed. Nothing stood out to his naked eyes.

"Watch," Alec replied with a smile, pride obvious on his face.

As Lev watched, the sphere slowly opened up. Illusionary fireworks went off in front of him before a flower slowly rose from its center. The stem was made of pure silver, with beautiful inlaid golden patterns. Petals grew from the top end of the stem, bright silver with veins of gold streaking through them. In seconds, Lev was looking at a beautiful decoration that was indeed worth the silver.

Reminds me of all the neon stuff.

The sphere itself had transformed into a transparent plate atop which the flower stood. Lev replayed the experience in his mind, still reeling from what he had just observed.

"You made that in seconds?" Lev asked. His voice dripping with admiration.

"Yep, did it all in front of you."

Lev's expression slowly morphed. "How rich are you?"

Alec just laughed at the unexpected question. "Very."

Lev took a deep breath to get money out of his mind. What he had just seen went above and beyond his expectations.

"Is it rude to ask someone's rank or level?" Lev asked, his curiosity burning bright.

"Levels, yes. Rank should be obvious where it matters. I am a Master crafter." Alec replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, that makes more sense. Can't imagine doing something like this before the second evolution."

Alec was shaking his head before Lev even finished the sentence. "That's a horrible way to go about it. You can definitely manage something like this late into the first evolution if you work hard enough. Difficult, but definitely possible."

Lev slowly nodded. If the experienced man said it was possible, then it probably was. After that wonderful display, he was now very eager to start working.

"What do I start with?" Lev asked.

"Gather mana in some shape," Alec suggested, and Lev did just that.

From his daily practice, Lev's Mana Manipulation was currently at Level 4, while his Intelligence and Wisdom were at 9 and 7 respectively. The growth was pretty absurd by most standards but Lev couldn't care less about that. He was having the time of his life.

Nearly a minute passed before Lev managed to create the outline of a small, flat disk. It was smaller than his palm but it was enough. Alec who had been patiently observing him nodded.

"Good enough. Focus on filling it up with mana now."

Several more seconds passed before the outline was filled with gaseous mana that would dissipate the moment Lev's focus wavered. Alec didn't say anything even when he was done, so he focused on maintaining the shape.

It was a valuable experience for him, learning how to influence the mana with minimal effort. For something this simple he only needed a small push to keep the disk from going out of shape, instead of the violent shoving he had begun with.

Nearly 10 minutes passed while Lev tinkered with the nascent barrier. He tried to pull it out of shape and put it back together, let his control slowly waver, and create holes in the shape to learn how the mana reacted. It was surprisingly malleable, both for alterations and rigidity.

"The last part for today is solidification. This step demands practice like no other. Try it first, then I'll explain more." Alec's voice stopped his testing and he willed the mana to become solid.

Lev watched with mouth slightly agape as his mana slowly froze like a lake slowly turning to ice. It took nearly 5 seconds for the process to complete.

He willed the barrier to move to the right, and it slowly floated over to obey. Several times he made it move left and right, up and down before it came to rest on his palm again.

Alec, who was quietly observing Lev mess around, casually flicked the small barrier. Naturally, it shattered into countless pieces.

"Why…" Lev lamented, looking like a kicked puppy.

"Oh, come on. That's the first of the countless barriers you will form. Besides, it wasn't even a proper arcane barrier."

Lev sighed, acquiescing to the point. Indeed, the barrier was so brittle because he had only used ambient mana. This time, he focused on the mana in his body.

Sensing his will, the mana turned into a small stream and moved through his right arm. Interestingly enough, that stream could originate from anywhere in his torso. If he wished so, he could make it originate from just above his legs to send mana down faster. Since he needed it in his hands, the stream formed just below his shoulder.

His pure mana slowly gathered above his palm, requiring great care to not mix with the ambient mana. Alec motioned for Lev to continue, so he went through the same procedure to first create a round outline. Next, he filled it up with mana before solidifying it.

While the barrier formed of ambient mana was transparent, this one had a light blue sheen to it. With just one glance, Lev could tell this one was much, much better.

"Congratulations. That was your first time forming an arcane barrier. Also the first proper use of your mana if I'm not mistaken."

"Mhm," Lev replied, distracted by the beautiful construct in his hand. Just from such a basic application, he knew the amount of potential hidden in barriers was staggering.

"Why was it so much faster?" Lev questioned.

"Because it is your mana. It originated from your soul and maintained a connection to it. Barrier formation will only get faster and faster when using your own mana. It is also why arcane barriers are so costly."

The entire formation had taken only 7 seconds, slightly less than half of what he needed for the ambient mana barrier.

****

"This is so good," Lev almost moaned when the meat just melted in his mouth. "What is this even?"

"Just roasted chicken," His mentor replied with obvious amusement. "The real magic comes from the level 150 cook. Food prepared by a cook of that level will always be fantastic."

"So you can not only afford such meals easily but also keep them frozen in time in that absurd ring of yours?" Lev asked.

"Yep." Came the cheerful reply. Lev stabbed the chicken with more force than necessary, muttering about how this world didn't make sense.

Alec just laughed at his childish antics before something hit Lev's forehead. Something metallic clattered on the table beside his meal.

"Really? We met for the first time not that long ago, and you're giving me this? We're barely acquaintances by most standards." Lev deadpanned. As enticing as the storage ring was, he was not going to accept charity.

"Does it feel that way?" Alec asked with a twinkle in his eye.

His mentor wasn't exactly wrong. Lev had revealed his past and reincarnation, unloaded his frustrations on the first person who listened, trained under his watch, received his first skill, met his super strong friends, and now he was eating breakfast in his home like usual.

"Point taken. Still, aren't these super expensive?"

"I have dozens." came the infuriatingly simple reply. Lev took a deep breath before picking up the simple-looking black ring.

"It's forged out of pure mythril by the way," Alec remarked, causing Lev to drop the ring in shock. Mythril was the expensive metal. He glared at his mentor who seemed to be having the time of his life.

"How do I use this?" Lev picked up the ring again. He didn't even want to imagine how expensive this thing was.

"Just send a trickle of your mana inside."

Lev focused inside, concentrating on the mana pool he could feel for as long as he could remember in this life. It took little willpower to mobilize a small stream of mana that traveled up his right arm and into the ring.

He wasn't sure what to expect when a large empty room was suddenly visible in his mind. It was far larger than Lev expected, more like a small warehouse than anything.

"Just like that?" Lev asked in wonder.

"Mhm. Look at your hand." Confused, Lev looked down and almost panicked at the sight. It took a few seconds for him to realize why he could only feel the ring but couldn't see it.

"It's invisible!" His jaw dropped at the incredible extra function of the ring.

"This will solve the issue of theft later on, regardless of how unrealistic your fear is. Just don't use it in front of others before you can defend it, I guess."

For the next half an hour, Lev experimented with the ring. With a thought, anything he touched just vanished, his mind suddenly aware of the new contents stored inside the ring.

For the last experiment, he thought about storing his shirt. Neither he nor his mentor cared about him being half-naked. Focusing on the shirt now inside the ring, he thought about summoning it back on his body like he was just wearing it.

He failed.

It just plopped down on the wooden floor in front of him. Not at all deterred, he stored it again before trying again. It took nearly a hundred tries before he succeeded. He had to think about the direction of the shirt's arms and sleeves, and also how wide they needed to be to fit his arms perfectly.

Thinking about the large space, however, brought his mind back to a glaring issue. The glittering issue, stored in a corner of the ring.

"Why are you not talking about them?" Lev asked, now slightly annoyed at the continued silence.

"Talking about what?" Alec said with an 'innocent' smile.

"The gold coins in the ring. Gold! There are a hundred of them!"

"What's the big deal about them? You've never gone shopping before, have you?"

Lev opened and closed his mouth several times, not sure what to even say. His mentor spoke first.

"It feels like a lot of money because it is, but it also isn't. You can comfortably live off them for decades. Do you want to do that?" Lev shook his head. "Precisely. Then it is not much. You can equip yourself easily before the first threshold with this, but most equipment after that will cost several to dozens of gold coins. You will be out of money before you even know it."

"I have never even held a silver," Lev muttered weakly. He didn't shy away when Alec ruffled his hair.

"Better get used to it then. If I'm going to teach you, then I'm going to spare no expense doing so."

Lev's shame and embarrassment over accepting them lasted all of a few seconds. He was tempered by being an orphan twice, so it didn't feel like accepting charity any longer.

"Still, I would have preferred equipment over them," Lev quipped with a cheeky grin.