After who knows how long, I finally regained consciousness. Once again remembering what had happened to me. I was brought to this new world, I was a ghost and I had some skills that I could use. That’s all I knew so far.

Looking up, I could already see that it was dark, there being two moons. Yet another sign that I wasn’t back on Earth and instead on another planet or universe entirely.

When I went to sleep, it was around noon so it had been approximately 5 hours. That was a long time, I probably shouldn’t have depleted my Mana reserve so quickly. Next time, I should watch out, it could be dangerous.

By the way! My Mana! Right then I felt full again as if I had eaten a whole buffet. It almost hurt slightly. Did this mean that I didn’t have to eat in this world? Interesting…

Anyways I should probably test out my other skills now. Mana Blast, and then Possession. Best for last.

I floated up a bit into the air, staying on the level of where an average person’s head would be, and looked around myself, looking for a target. Most of the wildlife had already gone to sleep, but some species went out at night. Owls and bats! Just like on earth, the creatures of the night were scavenging for food. I picked one out and concentrated on the Mana around me. I now understood that there was Mana all around me and I could absorb it. This helped me to sense it. To compare it to something on Earth, it was probably similar to dust. Bits here and there that you couldn’t see unless you looked hard.

Using the skill I soon felt the Mana around me gather and concentrate at one point. Collecting as much as I could, with my figure finally starting to tremble, I released it.

Whoooosh

The Mana bullet that I created whistled as it was finally let out. The owl turned its head at the sound disturbance. And just as my creation was about to perform its hit, the owl flapped its wings, making the Mana Blast miss completely.

My blood boiled as I watched the agitated owl. How dare it waste my mana from my reserve like that. I couldn’t just let it leave now, could I? I began forcing my body forward, flying as fast I could in my newly accustomed form. I chased the owl. Weaving through the maze of trees and over rocks for a while until suddenly, it decided to stop flying, settling on a branch instead. I willed my body to stop as well. The owl didn’t seem to detect my presence, pecking at its feathers instead.

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So the owl couldn’t see me?… I truly was invisible. Well no matter, this would most likely benefit me instead.

Focusing on the task ahead, I began concentrating on the Mana that filled my surroundings at one point once more. It was slightly harder than the previous time, most likely because of the first blast taking out a portion of it. This time I wouldn’t let it go for naught. I was going to get my revenge.

I willed the Mana around me to move into a fixed position, where it collected and stayed anchored. Eventually, some color began to show. Blue! It looked so magnificent, and I was mesmerized by its beauty for a few seconds. But I was interrupted by the pain I felt. Gathering Mana was extremely taxing work!

Not having strength left in me to gather any more Mana, I released the flickering blue sphere. This time, it hit!

Boom!

The owl didn’t know what was coming before it was knocked out from the tree it was resting in, falling onto the ground. The impact from my [Mana Blast] caused some loose leaves to fall as the tree swayed lightly.

[Level: 1] → [Level: 2]

[Mana Blast] → [Explosive Mana Blast]

[+Mana Manipulation]

Looking at the new notification, I felt extremely happy. I managed to level up my [Mana Blast] making it into a cooler-sounding version, [Explosive Mana Blast]! I couldn’t wait to try out this version of what I used to defeat the owl. [Mana Blast] by itself seemed to be very strong already, I couldn’t imagine what [Explosive Mana Blast]’s effects would cause. This would most likely mean that I would be even more exhausted than before…

I think I needed to level up. So that the amount of Mana I had and the regeneration rate would be greater and faster. I prayed that this was the case. If not [Explosive Mana Blast] would be a slight problem.

I also received a new skill, [Mana Manipulation]. This unlocked a whole new level of possibilities. Before I had willed the Mana around me into a projectile, now perhaps I could perform other feats.

Back on earth, in video games, Mana was the fundamental stage for any kind of magic. Whether it was fire, water, or ice. So if I could learn how to control Mana to a greater extent, I could potentially be able to control other elements. And Mana didn’t have to be just used for attacking. Defending was also a great use of it. I would have to experiment, but I already had some ideas of what I would be able to do in the future. Maybe, I could make a deflective shield, protecting myself from any dangers that awaited me in this world.

In theory, I would also be able to control Mana, making it enter my body at will. This way I wouldn’t have to rest to recharge my batteries by falling asleep.

[Level 2]

Ah, nice! A new level. This is exactly what I wanted. The next skill I was going to try was Possession, which required me to be higher leveled than those around me to be able to control them. Now I could control level 1 beings. Exciting.

However, I was exhausted from the eventful evening I just had. I presumed that my Mana reserve was mostly vacant once more. I needed rest to refill it. So I moved to a nearby tree, where there were some bushes. This time I didn’t want to be left out in the open where something could easily get me. Even though I was invisible, I still had to watch out. I didn’t want to die for no reason. At least make it noble!

With those thoughts, I made myself comfortable and happily went to sleep. Excitedly awaiting the adventures that lay ahead.