The Mana Crystals in front of him began to change, their color shifting to a milky white. Sora relaxed his control over the crystals, and the now free energy didn’t fall or dissipate—it hovered in place, defying gravity.
'The power feels the same as before... but now there’s a will inside these crystals. This will responds to my mental power,' he grinned, testing the crystals by commanding them with his mind. The energy obeyed effortlessly, and he felt a surge of satisfaction as the last notifications that appeared.
[Your [Mana Evolution] supreme skill has developed a new effect.]
[Effect 5: Autonomous Mana: By absorbing Mental Power, mana gains autonomy, sensing and acting on the user’s intent.]
‘A new effect? This is amazing… I barely unlocked a sub-effect before, even with all my elemental mastery,’ he thought, recognizing that creating a new supreme skill effect was no small feat and certainly not what he’d expected from this experiment.
'This is only the beginning. Let’s see what else it can do. But I’m still not ready to use solid mana to fuel my skills’, he admitted, recognizing his body's limitations. However, he already had a solution in mind.
He raised his hand, and the newly-formed energy began to liquefy on its own before flowing back into his body. It took on a stable form, creating something akin to [Condensed Mana].
Focusing, Sora released the energy again and summoned his strongest power, the [Elemental Nexus].
The process felt familiar, but the result was entirely different. Where he used to see chaotic clusters of [Spatial Element] with overwhelming power, the new form of his [Elemental Nexus] was different.
The [Elemental Nexus] pulsed quietly, its form changing effortlessly with each thought. It vanished into the surroundings, only to reappear moments later, encasing his body like armor or morphing into a shield. Its versatility seemed endless, as if the element itself was reading his mind and responding instantly to his will, granting all his wishes.
‘The possibilities are endless with this. I feel like it can do anything... I’ll test this more later. It’s time to try something else,’ he thought, commanding the element to remain active and protect his body while he turned his focus to the next experiment.
Sora began creating more [Autonomous Mana], combining crystallized mana with mental power until he reached a satisfying amount. He stopped only when he felt the process draining too much of his Mental Power.
Once transformed into a liquid he directed it toward his head. 'Since I started using Mental Power, I’ve felt my brain holding me back. It’s the only part of me I’ve never refined. I had no way of enhancing my brain in the past, but if I want to push further, I need to try with [Autonomous Mana].'
He divided the [Autonomous Mana] into multiple strands, assigning each a specific purpose. Holding his breath, he thought, 'This could fail miserably... but I can’t delay it any longer. I can't leave such an obvious weakness for my opponents to exploit.'
At his command, the mana threads began to move. Because he was in [The Zone], every detail felt vivid and clear. One strand entered the blood vessels in his brain, advancing slowly and carefully as it started the delicate work of refining his brain. He used the gentlest technique he knew to ‘temper’ his brain, nourishing every part while taking care to avoid any damage.
For a moment, he felt a rush of success as the first stage of the forging process worked. But then, an unbearable pain exploded in his head, sharp and unpredictable.
Everything went dark.
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Netsu and Hiyoko sensed a sudden change in their [Soul Link] and immediately gathered in a low-gravity zone near their master’s training area. The intensity of the gravity surrounding Sora made them pause—it was clear entering this zone would be dangerous.
“Big Sister Hiyoko, stay here,” Netsu said, concern evident in his voice. “The gravity’s too intense near Master. I’ll go check on him and come back.”
Hiyoko nodded, recognizing that taking another step forward could mean her end.
Netsu heard her mutter, "I told master to help me undergo my second evolution! I'm still so weak."
Preparing himself, Netsu fortified his body with layers of protection and pushed his fire to its highest intensity. With all his strength, he launched himself forward like a missile, piercing through the dense gravity as he closed the distance to his master.
When he reached Sora’s side, Netsu’s heart pounded with panic. His master was lying motionless on the ground, his body surrounded by a strange energy. As Netsu extended his wings to try and move him to safety, something appeared and shielded his master—a familiar aura.
'Isn’t this… Master’s [Elemental Nexus]? When did it become like this?' Netsu thought, his eyes widening. 'Maybe… he’s just asleep?' He tried reaching Sora through the [Soul Link], hoping for a response.
But as the moments passed, the silence through their bond and the protective energy surrounding Sora made the truth clear—his master was truly unconscious. The [Elemental Nexus] continued to shield him, standing as an unyielding barrier. Under the crushing pressure of the intense gravity, Netsu could only remain at his side, helpless, unsure of what more he could do.
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While Sora lay in a deep, coma-like unconsciousness, his mana worked tirelessly, carefully tempering and refining his brain. Threads of [Autonomous Mana] flowed through his mind with precision, enriching every part of it.
Another cluster of mana moved in tandem, replenishing his energy-depleted cells. This wasn’t healing—no damage had been done—but rather a meticulous process of nurturing, reinforcing every aspect of his brain.
As the mana traveled deeper, it restructured pathways, transforming his mind for peak performance.
The final cluster of mana gathered unexpectedly, condensing into a small, concentrated bead.
This newly formed bead settled deep within his mind, pulsing in sync with each wave of mental energy. With every pulse, energy surged through his brain, creating new connections and reinforcing existing ones. Sora’s brain no longer felt constrained by its original limits; it had transcended its physical boundaries.
As the last wave of mana completed the tempering, the bead sent out a final, powerful surge, sealing the transformation.
Sora’s eyes blinked open as something pulled him back from his 'sleep.' The world around him seemed clearer than ever. He lay still for a moment, taking it all in, feeling as if he were seeing everything through a completely new lens.
Right away, he noticed Netsu nearby, watching over him with worry in his eyes. A twinge of guilt hit Sora—he hadn’t told his familiars what he was attempting, and it was clear they had been deeply concerned. To ease Netsu’s worry, he sent a wave of healing energy and various buffs to the phoenix, who was in a poor state. Netsu’s worry quickly turned to relief, evident in his gaze.
Together, they went to find Hiyoko, who had remained calm, trusting in Sora’s ability to return to life. After spending some time reassuring his familiars, Sora turned to his system panel to check for any changes.
Ignoring the warnings that had appeared when he started his experiments, his eyes moved to the bottom of the notification and widened as he read the final one.
[Supreme Skill Unlocked: Peerless Mind Forging]
[Peerless Mind Forging (Supreme Skill)] A unique Skill created for a madman who reforged his own brain without losing his mind. Description : This Supreme Skill allows the user to endlessly refine his brain. Effect 1: Mind Forge – The user's mind core will use mana to generate mental power. Effect 2: Devouring Will – The user can devour external mental power, permanently increasing its own mental power capacity. Effect 3: Psychic Hold – The user generates a domain of mental power. Effect 4: Astral Body – Allows the user to project their consciousness outside their body. Warning: Supreme Skills cannot be affected by anything lower than Supreme level skills, including Innate skills, Special skills, or Racial Skills.
Reading the skill description, Sora smiled. 'This has been bothering me for a while now… With this, my main weakness should finally be addressed.'
Though he still had tasks ahead of him, he hesitated. 'Should I test this skill first, or stick to my original plan?'
Even though he never planned on stopping after creating [Autonomous Mana] and [Peerless Mind Forging], Sora decided to take some time to understand his new Supreme Skill.
'The skill seems to use my extra mana to passively generate mental power... But what’s this pulsing thing in my brain? It wasn’t there before.' His curiosity piqued, he focused on the system’s description of a 'mind core.'
He observed as regular mana flowed into the core, transforming into mental power. This new energy spread to the edges of his mind, forming what appeared to be a dormant protective shield.
'This is incredible… everything is automated. Just like my passive body forging.' He marveled as the core absorbed mana, converted it, and created a mental barrier around his mind. It was beyond his expectations—a perfect system that fortified his mental defenses without any effort.
Once the mental defense was fully established, Sora noticed the remaining mental power changing direction. 'The excess is nourishing my mind, improving the quality of my mental power with each cycle,' he realized, pleased with this unexpected effect.
Eager to explore further, he activated [Psychic Hold], feeling his mental power extend a few dozen meters beyond his body.
Disappointment hit him as he realized the range was limited by his current mental power capacity. Still, within that range, he experienced an intense level of control over everything around him. It felt similar to [The Zone] state, but with every movement and presence in the area under his control.
'Anyone with weaker mental power would be forced to submit here…' he mused, considering the immense potential of this skill.
Moving on, he activated [Astral Body]. With a small effort, he projected his consciousness outside of his physical form, leaving his body sitting cross-legged. Hovering freely, he found that while he could use skills reliant on mental power. 'I can't access mana in this state.' he thought.
Testing the skill further, he floated above Netsu and Hiyoko, observing them without being noticed. 'This could be fun,' he thought, watching his hand pass harmlessly through them. Curious about the range, he left his body and familiars behind, pushing the limits until he discovered he could travel up to a thousand kilometers. Again, his mental power capacity imposed a restriction.
Satisfied with his tests, he returned to his body, opening his eyes just as the [Elemental Nexus] he had summoned earlier floated beside him. It transformed into a portal. With a calm step, Sora entered, emerging above a vast sea of monsters.
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image-2024-11-02-192827181 [https://i.ibb.co/ZGDZGCj/image-2024-11-02-192827181.png]
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