CHAPTER 3 - FINDING A WAY
It turns out that I don't have the ability to use mana.
Or more precisely I won't be able to use any skill, in my lifetime.
As dad explained it to me, the main reason was that the Magus System within my body was severely damaged after being in coma for two months.
He said that when I was in coma my body would emit insurmountable amount of mana everyday, making every Magus points in my body exhausted to the point that it became so brittle that it won't allow any amount of mana to be stored.
Magus system refers to a path inside the body through which mana flows.
The concept of the system is somewhat similar to the Chinese meridian system used in acupuncture and acupressure on Earth.
My parents consulted help from various experts hoping that they can treat my condition. But to no avail.
Every expert that they consulted only said the same thing.
That I will be crippled for the rest of my life.
The only thing that was still in good condition is the Magus catalyst.
As the name implies, it is a virtual organ located in the brain that allows an individual to use skills.
It is also the heart of every Magus system.
Actually, thinking about my condition, my parents were very concerned about my future.
I too, am concerned about my future.
How would I face this world in the next few days? In the following years?
When dad explained everything to me, I could see the concern in his eyes. Mom too.
As a parent, to see your child being deprived of any capabilities that would help him or her to face the world is very painful.
Because of my condition they decided to give all of their attention to me so that I won't feel inferior.
I won't deny it. After hearing what dad said to me, I felt bad.
To think that I would be reincarnated in this world only to be useless?
Nope, uh-uh.
I won't accept this.
Not a single chance!
Right! There has to be a way around this predicament.
I just need to find a way how to use skills in a different way.
With that goal in my mind, I began searching a cure for this so-called curse.
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A week passed by.
After spending hours of reading books in dad's library, I still couldn't find a way to reverse my condition.
If there was only a hint of some sort, it would help me a lot.
Even so, I found few interesting knowledge.
For example, the mana that can be found in the body is actually a refined form of 'ether' found in the air and the surroundings.
In other words, mana is converted from ether through the Magus catalyst.
The way I see it, it looks like raw petroleum being refined into cleaner petrol by the means of a certain device.
So in a sense the Magus catalyst would be the ether converter.
And the Magus system would be like a refined ether collector.
Surely, my Magus catalyst converts ether everytime.
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The only problem is my mana collector, my Magus system, is damaged beyond repair.
However, even if I could find a substitute mana collector I still can't use any skills.
What makes the Magus system unique is that it allows you to use skills that you intended to use.
For a substitute collector although it isn't impossible, it's way, way too difficult.
If only I could use the converted ether without going it through the collector...
Wait...
In my world, you can use mana by drawing it out from something that contains it.
Of course, this knowledge only exist in pagan beliefs and mostly from games...
Hold on for a minute!
Ether in a sense is mana only not refined.
That's it! If I treat the air and the surroundings as my personal mana collector...
Nah, there's still a problem.
The reason why the people here can use skills was because the collector and the converter were part of the same body.
Basically:
Internal Converter + Internal Collector = Compatible
Internal Converter + External Collector = Incompatible
And the list goes on and on.
So in order to use external mana(ether), I would need an external catalyst.
The problem is that there are no external catalyst in this world.
You can't even use a dead person's Magus catalyst.
When a person dies, the Magus catalyst would disintegrate even if you forced it out from a living person.
There's got to be a way.
Oh, right.
From the games and animes, there are two ways to activate magic.
1. Incantation
2. Magic Arrays
Okay let's substitute magic with skills and in order to use skills we need Incantation to activate it.
So where does Magic Array come in to play within this situation?
Hmm... If it could only act as a bridge...
Oh! That's it!
If I could make the Magic Array act as mediator and at the same time an assist between an internal catalyst and the external mana, then that would make it possible to use skills.
Okay, okay.
Now the problem is what should a Magic Array look like.
Let's try the scientific approach.
If I add the Magus catalyst and ether together, it would only result in an unbalanced equation. So to make it balanced, I would need to add another equation.
If only the Magic array could be programmed...
Programming.
Hah, I knew it.
There's always an answer to every problem.
To confirm my solution, I would first need to do an experiment.