Michael didn’t know exactly how much mana the average Mage possessed at Level 2, but his Wisdom Stat should be only a bit higher than theirs. He had also discovered that using the Skills he had been given in new ways was possible and would likely result in several benefits down the line. As such, he needed to train, but he didn’t have enough mana to be capable of both ensuring his safety and training his Skills.

Once his mastery over his Skills reached a tipping point, he might be granted something new. Now that he had steeled his conviction, he needed power, but didn’t have the means to even pursue it. He frowned in distaste. At least, now that he had found a place where he was apparently safe, there was something he wanted to test. He abandoned his caution and used the mana he was saving up for an emergency, reasoning that he would die if an enemy reached him in such tight quarters no matter how much mana he had. He could only hope that he was well-hidden. He started with the most important thing that he had noticed.

I need to find a way to use both Mana Sphere and Mana Shield at the same time.

He was unable to use both Skills at the same time, even though it was likely possible. It was something he had noticed in the battle against the lion. The inability to attack and defend at the same time drastically lowered the value of his defensive Skill against continuous blows. It was imperative for him to find a way around this. So long as he managed to do that, he could easily defeat more enemies. Determined to make it work, Michael closed his eyes and focused on the mana within him. He waved his wand in a circular motion and chanted the Skill’s name.

“Mana Sphere.”

A hand-sized white ball of light appeared at the tip of the wand. While keeping it there, he started moving his mana to cast his other Skill. The moment that the Shield formed over his skin, the ball of light disappeared. He finally realized what the problem was. The mana within moved in two different ways in order to cast the different Skills, as was to be expected. Since he only had a single body and had barely started studying his mana pathways, it was much more difficult to trace both paths simultaneously. It was similar to writing different words with both hands at the same time while painting with his feet. At first, he struggled, making barely any progress.

After some time, Michael felt like he could at least switch between Skills faster than before. With a sigh, he continued. It was time to tackle the second thing on his mind.

“Mana Sphere.”

Less than two seconds after he started casting the Skill, the small, blue sphere appeared at the tip of his wand. Michael immediately felt the urge to shoot it toward a target but contained it. This wasn’t his true desire, but instead the Skill’s natural course. It was as if someone were whispering in his ear, telling him how to use the Skill and the correct way to use it. But, the “right way” wasn’t the only way. His using the Skill as a knife was proof of that.

How can I improve this Skill further?

Technically, the new way he had developed could be used in close quarters, but he shouldn’t ever need to do so to begin with. He was a Mage, not a Warrior. Even though he had acquired the Mana Shield Skill, he wasn’t completely sure of its ability to protect him in close combat.

At least it withstood the lion’s mauling.

Still, he considered it a last resort, at least for the moment. He thought it would be better for him to stay at range.

In the end, the best way to increase his Stats would be to Level up. He didn’t know how much Intelligence affected his Skills – apart from the fact that it should empower them – but so far, Wisdom only determined the size of his mana pool. Both Stats would need to get much higher to make a meaningful difference, however.

What if I could pour more mana into a Skill instead of just following its base amount?

His Mana Sphere Skill had a set “mana cost,” just like it would in a videogame. However, this was real life. There was no need to blindly follow the System’s conventions. He was certain that if he managed to use more mana, the Skill’s power would rise accordingly. He tried forcing his tired mind to focus on empowering the Mana Sphere at the tip of the wand.

The Mana Sphere had already consumed the necessary mana and formed itself. The Skill’s casting was “done,” and it was ready to be used. In spite of that, Michael tried, for the first time, putting more mana into it. At first, he flat-out failed. He only knew how to use the Skill because of the knowledge the System had poured into his head; it was almost an automatic process. It meant that he didn’t know how to truly utilize the Skill. As such, he had no idea how to feed more mana to the Mana Sphere.

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He refused to be discouraged after this first setback. He waved his wand, dispersing the sphere. Turning his full attention to the mana inside of him, he cast the Skill once more. This time, he felt a slight movement. Being certain that his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him, he dispersed the Mana Sphere and cast it again. His mana was starting to hit low levels, but he could still keep going just for a bit. He repeated this process another two times. With each use, he became more and more attuned to his mana’s movement.

At first, he felt almost nothing, even though he possessed the Mana Path Skill. Despite that, he kept trying. A bit of wonder had filled his chest before he noticed it. He had never considered himself to be dedicated or smart, but so long as it was about mana, he felt that he could put in the effort. The energy was unlike anything he’d ever come in contact with.

I can do this.

After some time, he could clearly pinpoint his mana’s pathing as it left his body and entered the wand, then condensed into a sphere. It was quite strange. His mana seemed to be spread out throughout his body, which caused part of it to arrive at its destination before the rest. This was what seemed to cause the two-second casting time, apart from his low level of skill, of course, since he needed the entirety of the allotted mana to use the Skill.

Hmm… Maybe I can speed up the flow of the mana that’s farther away?

It seemed more than just a little difficult. Michael was momentarily stumped. Either way, so long as he sped up the whole flow, including that of the closest mana, the casting time should be reduced. That seemed to be more achievable. He decided he would have two major goals when training. The first would be to increase his Skill’s power, while the other would be to speed up its usage. The Mana Path Skill already helped with both things, but his own proficiency was clearly even more important.

However, for now, this was all he could do. His mana had hit rock bottom once more. Two System notifications appeared in front of his eyes.

[Your proficiency with the Mana Sphere (F) Skill has risen.]

[Your proficiency with the Mana Path (F) Skill has risen.]

Michael smiled, fatigue clear in his face. His shoulders slumped and his breathing was slow. He felt his eyelids getting heavy. It wasn’t easy to handle his mana being emptied out twice on the same day. It was as if he had kept running on a track for an hour after reaching his limit.

I should get some sleep.

He would have more time tomorrow. It was also the day he planned to go deeper underground. Food and water were naturally an issue, but at the very least he had already found a small river above. The water would also likely attract other animals he could kill and eat. He wasn’t any good at cooking but knew where to look for resources if he didn’t find anything underground. If the trees were indicative of anything though, he should find what he was looking for as he went lower. He just didn’t know how deep he would have to go.

Michael lay on the cold, hard ground and let himself relax. He fell asleep almost immediately after his head touched the ground. As he sunk deeply into unconsciousness, his guard was lowered completely. He had a strange dream. It wasn’t anything outlandish or fantastic but instead consisted of nothing more than moments from the times he had hung out with his friends, dates with different women, times he had laughed and talked with his mother. Ordinary events that were now so far away. They were precious memories that he had only learned to appreciate after his life was turned upside down with the System’s descent. Even the more mundane ones, such as the times he had enjoyed playing a videogame or doing some sports, still made him feel a pang of sadness.

He woke up in the same dark space between rocks, feeling lonelier than ever before. Michael reaffirmed his goal, stood up, and left through the gap he had entered from, taking note of the fact that his mana had been completely refilled. He tried not to let the sadness affect him too much, even though it was only natural that it would. He continued on his journey downward, focusing his mind as he walked. He couldn’t fall apart right now. He needed to keep moving.

Michael followed the tunnel, using a Mana Sphere for lighting. So far, he had yet to meet any enemies or even another living being. The beasts above ground seemed to have avoided this path. Despite that, he didn’t allow himself to relax. These moments of apparent calm were also the most dangerous ones. He was surrounded on all sides by stone and earth, which also meant that an enemy could attack him from any direction, so long as it could find its way through the ground. He didn’t dare think that there wasn’t a being in the Tutorial Zone capable of doing so. He had become a Mage, for God’s sake. The common sense from Earth didn’t apply here. His eyes darted around and his ears tried to pick up any sounds other than his own footsteps.

This high level of attention was how he felt it. A slight vibration traveled from his boots throughout his entire body. It wasn’t very notable and could easily be dismissed as something minor, such as him stepping on the ground too hard, but Michael didn’t allow himself to be easily fooled. He made the split-second decision to dismiss the Mana Sphere lighting up his surroundings and use up as much mana as he could on another Skill.

“Mana Shield!”

A layer of mana formed above his skin, encasing his entire body. He used his experience with the Mana Sphere Skill to channel more mana into the Shield, not caring about the cost.

He heard the sound of earth parting to his left.