Chapter 23_Chronicler’s Tale

New World Day 8

As a flood of mana threatened to explode my body, I dropped down in front of the workbench and shifted my consciousness to my inner world where my mana dwelled. The sight that greeted me was astonishing. The usual lake of mana was swelling like a balloon. Bulges appeared in area after area, and the entire lake kept expanding in an effort to smooth everything out. If the lake could expand indefinitely then there wouldn’t be any issue, but I saw and felt that there was a terrible problem. I saw cracks forming in the darkness along the edge of the lake. Each time a crack formed I felt a stab of pain. Before today’s experiences the bursts of pain might have incapacitated me. Now I just ground my teeth and pushed through.

The mana lake’s expansion continued at a rapid pace, but every time it expanded more and more cracks appeared around it. I wasn’t sure what would happen if the space broke completely, but I doubted that it would be anything good. I needed to get rid of this mana before I found out first hand what happened when someone’s inner world broke.

I didn’t know how to cast any spells or use any magic yet. So, I did the only thing that I could. I started to create a mana vein! I made the vein as large and elastic as possible in order to use up the maximum amount of mana, and I extended it up as far as possible. I was so busy creating the vein and keeping myself from exploding that I didn’t even pay attention to what part of the body the vein would represent. I just kept extending it up and up and up. Eventually I hit a limit where it wouldn’t extend any further. When it reached that limit, I wanted to start a second vein, but I worried that I didn’t have the time to start a new one so I bent the vein like a U and sent it back down towards my mana lake. More and more mana kept pouring into my mana lake. I wondered if it would ever stop coming. By the time the mana vein was three quarters of the way back to the mana lake, the waves of mana stopped pouring into my mana lake. When it did the lake stopped expanding, and the cracks stopped forming. I breathed out a sigh of immense relief before turning my attention back to my giant mana vein.

I made the mana vein in a U shape out of desperation, but as I studied it I wondered if that wasn’t the correct decision all along. The veins started to collapse once I stopped sending mana through them. If I connected the mana vein back to the mana lake would mana automatically flow through it and sustain it? Perhaps this near disaster would be a lucky break for me! Now that I didn’t have to hurry, I took my time extending the mana vein all the way back to the mana lake. When I connected the mana vein with the mana lake, they both began to quiver and shake. I felt an intense pain spread up my spine and into my head. I was terrified that I had gone horribly horribly wrong, but as the pain pulsed through my spine and head, I noticed something interesting. Something that gave me a bit of hope that things would work out after all. The mana lake and mana vein shook at different intervals, but as time passed their shaking began to sync up until it came to the point that they shook together as one! Once everything was aligned, the shaking and the pulsing pain slowed and came to a complete stop. That was when unbidden window popped up in front of me.

Congratulations! You have successfully learned a 5 star skill! A corresponding title has been awarded! The title will increase in rank along with the rank of the skill. Keep up the hard work!

Title awarded! Basic Mana Wielder (B) *****!

Skill learned! Basic Mana Vein (Passive) (B) *****!

Basic Mana Control (B) * leveled up!

Basic Mana Control (B) * has evolved into Minor Mana Control © *!

The rarity of the skill surprised me. Creating mana veins must not be the normal way of learning magic. The extreme rarity implied that there was an easier way to use mana, but I wasn’t disappointed. I received quite the bonus for taking the hard road. I turned my attention back to my completed vein, and I noticed that the position of the completed mana vein corresponded with my chest and head. That explained the pain I felt when the vein was completed! I really should have experimented with a less critical area of my body first. Best not to dwell on the potential issues that could have arisen. Everything worked out in the end after all.

In order to create the spiritual body I had originally envisioned, I needed to create four more veins. One for each of my remaining limbs. Should I push through and finish the other four veins tonight? I knew that it would be a good idea to wait for those cracks in my inner world to heal before I continued, but on the other hand, I had three more glasses of mana filled water that might go to waste if I didn’t. Decisions. Decisions.

I decided to go for it. I felt I needed to seize the brilliance of the moment before it slipped away from me. I survived the burst of mana once. I knew I could do it again. With the decision made, I started creating the next vein before I could overthink things. I made a conscious decision this time to create a vein that would correspond to my right leg. Since I had created the first vein to be as large and as elastic as possible, I decided to make sure that each vein was of the same quality.

I managed to get only half way down my right leg before my mana lake was bone dry once again. I grabbed a second glass, ignored the burst of pain from my hand, and gulped it down just like the first. It was still disgusting, but it was effective. My mana lake filled back up as mana flooded into it, and I wasted no time in continuing my second mana vein. I extended it all the way down till it reached the limit once more. Only this time I extended it out perpendicularly from the limit for a short distance to represent my foot before I made the U turn and started back to the equivalent of the heel area and then up the other side of the leg. I completed the second just a little bit after I finished absorbing the second glass of mana water. The mana lake and the mana vein began to shake just like when I completed the first mana vein, but this time there were two mana veins that began to shake and quiver alongside my mana lake. The pain from completing the second vein overshadowed even the pain I felt from completing the first. Pain shot through my leg, spine, and head. The only saving grace was that my spine and head didn’t hurt as much this time. After a period of time, the mana veins and mana lake aligned and the shaking and pain abated. I suspected that as I completed each vein that the pain would be worse than the last. The pain was bad enough this time that I worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle much more, but I worried even more that if I hesitated here and now that I might never again build up the courage needed to complete all five of the mana veins. Now or never. Time to conquer my fears and push through the pain. If I made it through this tortuous night then I would be well positioned to survive this new world and reunite with my family.

I seized on that happy thought and started working on the third mana vein. Three quarters of the way down the leg I took the third glass of mana water, and a horrifying thought struck me. Judging by how much mana I received from the second glass, my mana lake would still be overflowing with mana when I finished the third vein. In order to keep myself from exploding, I would need to start working on the fourth mana vein even as the third one went through its alignment. Could I concentrate hard enough to work on a mana vein even while I underwent such a painful process? Too late to worry now. I would have to if I wanted to survive. There was literally no turning back. I had already drank the glass and any hesitation might kill me even before I got to the truly critical moment. When the third vein was almost finished, I braced myself and completed it with one big push. Just as I expected, insane amounts of pain shot through both legs and my entire upper body.

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I tried to ignore the pain and start the fourth vein, but each time I tried I couldn’t concentrate enough to form the appropriate image necessary to create a mana vein. With each failure, I specter of death drew closer and closer. More and more cracks began to appear around my mana lake. The pain from the creation of each crack made it even harder to start the fourth mana vein. I envisioned the grim reaper standing behind me. Its scythe raised and ready to reap my soul. No. No! NO! I wasn’t going to go out like this. Not after finding some real hope. I focused my mind on one thing and one thing only. I let everything else fall away. Only the mana vein remained in my mind. I had done such a thing only once before in my life. It was when I had fought that first pack of forest coyotes. At that time, I hadn’t been in control. It was an unconscious survival instinct then. Now, now I was doing it consciously. I found that encroaching death had a way of focusing your mind. I used that incredible focus to pierce through the wall of pain and started the fourth mana vein before my mana lake could explode.

I almost keeled over from a mixture of relief and exhaustion when the third mana vein finished its alignment and the pain receded. I kept telling myself there was only one big push left over and over again as I worked on the fourth mana vein. A corner of my mind whispered that there were actually two mana veins left to complete, but rest of my retorted and told that little corner to shut the hell up. The pain of completing the fifth mana vein wouldn’t be anything compared to the pain from completing the fourth mana vein combined with the pain from mana lake fit to burst. I was halfway finished with the fourth mana vein when my mana lake dried up again. There was only the slightest of hesitations before I drank the last glass of mana water. I completed the fourth mana vein with one last big push, and reached a new plateau of pain. Each time I encountered some new unfathomable level of pain I thought that I had reached the absolute limit of my tolerance, but each time my mind proved me wrong. I was sure that I wouldn’t have been able to handle it if it all came at once, but since it was coming in stages, my limits grew and grew. I wasn’t sure that was a good thing, but it might prove useful in the days to come. The wall of pain was thicker and stronger this time, but it was no match for the focus brought about by my desire to survive and see my family. Using that same laser focus, I broke through the wall of pain and started on the fifth and final mana vein.

There was one silver lining to the whole affair. I was right about something. The pain from the completion of the last mana vein couldn’t compare to what I felt at the time I completed the fourth mana vein. Finished with all five mana veins, I leaned back against the workbench and let myself drift into unconsciousness as a goofy smile spread across my face.

Basic Mana Wielder (B) ***** has evolved into Minor Mana Wielder © *****!

Skill learned! Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) ***

Skill learned! Pain Control (B) ***

Fool (B) * leveled up!

Risk Taker (B) * leveled up!

Repeated Risk Taker © * leveled up!

Stupid Fool © * leveled up!

Extremely Stubborn Fool © ** leveled up!

Minor Regen (Passive) © * leveled up!

Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up!

Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up!

Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) * leveled up!

Minor Mana Control © * leveled up!

Basic Mana Vein (B) ***** leveled up!

Basic Mana Vein (Passive) (B) ***** has evolved into Minor Mana Vein (Passive) ( C ) *****!

The Stat “Spirit” has been unlocked!

Spirit increased by 3!

Name: Jason Silver

Job Name: N/A

LVL: 4 3%

Job LVL: N/A 0%

Job Points:

N/A

Titles:

Survivor (B) LVL 4 95%

Fool (B) LVL 7 8%

Pack Killer (B) LVL 3 81%

Beast Killer (B) LVL 3 76%

Risk Taker (B) LVL 5 18%

Repeated Risk Taker ( C ) LVL 5 92%

Compassionate Fool ( C ) LVL 1 78%

Curious Fool ( C ) LVL 1 0%

Stupid Fool ( C ) LVL 3 37%

Extremely Stubborn Fool ( C ) LVL 2 97%

Minor Mana Wielder ( C ) LVL N/A

Title Points:

*****

Stats:

HP:

MP:

Mana Regen:

Endurance:

Strength:

Speed:

Spirit

Bonus Points:

38/125

24/38

5 per min (-2)

Status Effects:

Regen, Disease Resist, Parasite Resist, Poison Resist, Bleeding x1, Spiritual Cracks x27

Skills:

Basic Axe Mastery (B) LVL 7 56%

Basic Gun Mastery (B) LVL 4 78%

Basic Disease Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 56%

Basic Parasite Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 6 48%

Basic Poison Resist (Passive) (B) LVL 5 4%

Flexible Mana Lake (Passive) (B) LVL 1 0%

Pain Control (B) LVL 1 0%

*****

***

Chapter 23

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