Myria says "I feel exhausted and sore all over!"

"Anything else?"

Myria says "Not at the moment, no."

"Alright, go get cleaned up, eat something, and get some sleep. We will see how you feel tomorrow."

Yui says "Ash, how do you feel?"

"I'm fine. Why?"

Yui says "Because Kitara and the other guards are waiting outside. They all want to volunteer."

"Myria, is this your doing?"

Myria says "Yes, I wanted to make sure you didn't give up, even if something went wrong with me."

"Yui, how long did this all take?"

Yui says "A little over four hours."

"Now that I know what to do I can probably cut that in half. Make sure they know this will cost them some lifespan. If they are still willing I will do one more before lunch. Oh, make sure they keep their clothes on!"

Yui says "Understood."

"Speaking of clothes, Myria, get dressed."

Myria says "Can you help me?"

"No! Have the sprites help you!"

Myria says "Not even with my cute underwear?"

With a growl I get up and leave the room, all I can hear behind me is Myria's laughter. She has won this round, no doubt about it, but I was expecting payback for my comment. I am just surprised she was able to wait this long to get back at me.

When I walk out the door Kitara and the other guards are still there, waiting. When I ask them, they verify that Yui told them and they are all still willing to undergo the experiment. I tell them Kitara will be next and then I will see about doing more after lunch.

Before they leave I ask two of them to wait and help Myria back to her room. When the door finally opens, Myria looks like she is barely able to stand. She doesn't even protest the help, which tells me she really feels exhausted.

Once Myria is safely on her way, Kitara and I enter the room to repeat the experiment. Kitara does crack a joke about stripping, which tells me she knew what Myria was planning. However, I just ignore it and tell her to lie down, since the ritual is still running the mana is ready.

This time I gather the life force first and then wrap the mana threads around it. The life force integrates with the core as I build it, making the process much easier. Although, I notice that I use a lot less mana this time in building the core.

*DING*

Congratulations! Skill Mana Manipulation has progressed to level 5!

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Mana Manipulation

Level: 5

SP Cost: 20/5 minutes

The ability to manipulate mana easily.

The core stabilizes quickly so I move straight on to creating the conduits and channels. The practice has definitely helped, it goes even faster than it did with Myria. When everything is finished, less than two hours have passed and Kitara looks much better than Myria did.

Yui says "That was much faster and seems to have gone smoother as well."

"Yeah it did! Kitara how do you feel?"

Kitara says "Pretty good, a little tired is all."

Core says "Why is it so different this time?"

"I gathered the life force first and then built the core around it. It is easier to do and seems less harsh on the subject. However, I think the core this time is weaker for some reason."

Yui says "Why do you think it is weaker?"

Kitara says "Does this mean I am weaker than Myria?"

"Yes, Kitara, I think so. Yui, I am not sure why, but this core absorbed a lot less mana."

Core says "So this method is safer but the resulting core is weaker?"

"It seems that way, but with only two examples it is hard to tell. It could be any number of things."

Yui says "We will have to see how the experiment goes with the other beastmen. For right now, the others are waiting for you to join them for lunch."

So after making sure Kitara is okay I head down to join the others for lunch. As soon as I walk in, Sarah tells me that Myria is sleeping comfortably. With that worry put aside I sit down and enjoy lunch with everyone.

Sarah says "If it is alright with you I would like to go back to the inn and check on things."

"Sure, the inn should be safe enough. Just don't leave it without guards."

Sarah says "Alright!"

Kechara says "Sis and I will help Windy with the kids, so don't worry about anything, dad."

"Thank you!"

After we all finish eating, the kids head for the playroom and I head back up to the experiment room. The beastmen are still there waiting and I just let them choose who will be next. It seems they have already decided because one of the beastmen immediately steps forward.

He doesn't say anything as he follows me into the room and lies down on the table. When I ask if he is ready his only response is a nod, so I begin the process for the third time. I am sticking to the method I used on Kitara because I want to avoid any deaths if I can.

Even if the method is the reason that Kitara turned out weaker than Myria I am sticking with it. The procedure goes just as smoothly this time as it did with Kitara, maybe even a little faster. Using the mana used as the basis of strength this core turned out stronger than Kitara but weaker than Myria.

Since the method was exactly the same this leads me to believe that there is another factor. My best guess is that it is based on the subject's compatibility with the mana core. Some people have higher natural compatibility, thus they end up with stronger cores.

Yui says "That went well! Time elapsed is a little over an hour and a half."

Core says "Ash, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, ask away!"

Core says "I understand the process for the mana core, but what are these conduits and channels you are making?"

"Well, a mana core stores mana and when it is used up it will slowly absorb ambient mana to refill. The conduits help to speed up this process. The channels allow mana to flow throughout the body and the body uses the mana as an energy source. This allows the body to heal faster and make improvements."

Core says "Improvements?"

"Basically it is like a minor enhancement spell that is always active. Improved strength, speed, and toughness."

Core says "That's amazing! The elves never knew about that!"

"Isn't it common to all mana beasts?"

Core says "No!"

Yui says "I have never heard of it either. The mages certainly would have used it if they had known about it! Where did you learn this?!"

"Um, I figured it out by experimenting on myself."

Core says "I am starting to understand what Myria meant about you and experimenting."

Yui says "So, this will work on anyone who has a core?"

"Yeah, it should."

Yui says "Do you think you could give a human a core with this method?"

"Possibly, although the odds would be lower."

Core says "I wonder what the odds would have been for my people."

"From what I know they are physically more durable than humans so probably higher."

Core says "Can't you tell from my body?"