Liam sat on the bed in his inn. He was reading the book Alicia gave him to help take his mind off things from the day before.
Running into Jude and then finding out someone was asking questions about him didn’t sit well with him. He had his worries about their agenda but hated it even more that he couldn’t figure out what it was they wanted.
His other worries stemmed from his personal level growth. Because it was leveling a lot slower than his group and he couldn’t figure out why and that really bugged him.
He found out during the night that people got new class skills and abilities from their personal levels growing. Because his personal levels were growing slow, he was missing out on new skills and abilities, and he felt he was falling behind on being helpful to his team.
Liam did get some enjoyment though last night. He was able to get out of buying so many expensive drinks for Ariyana due to Octavius being slow to react when it came to Ariyana’s drinking toast game.
Octavius, of course, was not happy about it. He was a good sport on playing along, probably thanks to Olivia.
Liam did notice Olivia and Ariyana getting along well. Ariyana got interested in her when she told her about the Field of Illusions. After Olivia explained the pros and cons of it, Ariyana decided to pick it up and try it out.
Liam closed the book he was reading and leaned back against the wall in his room. A chime sound echoed in his mind.
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“Congratulations! Knowledge Theory Mana Control has reached level 9! Progression to level 10: 51%.”
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At first Liam couldn’t understand why there was a need to have a book called Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Mana Control and one for Beginner’s Magic. Why separate them and make things complicated?
After reading both he understood why. Magic was, indeed, a complicated thing.
The Beginner’s Magic book Elara suggested he and his team look into was a Knowledge Theory all about why there was different Fields of Magic and why you only got a couple starting magics instead of a long list to choose from. It also talked about why one needed to know their affinity when starting off before exploring the other types.
Knowing one’s magical affinity helped them know what magic they should get first and use easier rather than getting a random one where it is harder for them to grasp. After they get better with the magic, they have been deemed best suited for, they can explore with other types and try to find synergy with them.
The Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Mana Control was a Knowledge Theory all about learning how to control the mana inside you. By learning how to control the mana inside you, you could make the spell you are using stronger or weaker, depending on what the situation called for.
That’s what Mana Channeling was all about. It was kind of like a boosting effect if you wanted to make the spell stronger. Or a dampening effect if you wanted to lessen the power of the spell. However, to be able to boost or dampen the magic through this skill you needed to practice and understand Mana Control. Just like any skill you gain through Knowledge Theories, the higher your understanding, the easier it is to control.
Fia did mention something similar to this when I first tried my Light and Burn spell. Liam smirked as he remembered her teasing him about how small his flame was.
Mana Channeling wasn’t limited to just Magical abilities. It was also useful for crafting. Many higher crafts required Mana Channeling. A couple of things that were listed were Alchemy, Enchanting, and Rune Crafting.
After reading the section of Mana Control for crafting he could understand why it was needed. For Enchanting and Rune Crafting you needed to pour mana into the item you were crafting in order for the effects to be placed.
As for Alchemy the process was kind of the same except you needed to channel mana into an object before placing it into a vial to start the extraction process.
It might seem easy to do, but it wasn’t. If you don’t know how to control the mana properly you could end up with the object you were channeling your mana into breaking. Or worse, they could explode and cause some damage. Without proper control you were basically a child holding a loaded gun.
He looked at his internal clock and noted it was 4:30 a.m.
I’ve got some time to test out some of the theories I read. Liam thought. The book said the first step in understanding Mana Control was getting a feel for mana around me. A frown formed. How the hell am I supposed to do that?
He thought back to when he cast his spells. He then realized he wasn’t focused on magic itself when he chanted. He was only focused on chanting the right words and the enemy he was trying to use it on. Not once did he actually pay attention to the spell itself.
He went over all the spells he had to see if there was one he could do that wouldn’t do harm to the inn. After looking over the list he decided on Light and Burn.
He placed his right hand out in front of him palm up. He focused on his hand as he started to chant, “Come forth heat of flames and burn the pyre I set before you. Become the tool that will help in my endeavor. Light and Burn.”
A small flame suddenly came to life, hovering above his hand.
Liam frowned as he stared at it.
While he chanted the spell, he didn’t see anything. Nothing gathering, no signs of mana swirling. Nothing.
Why didn’t I see anything? Liam thought as he shook his hand to put the flame out. To be fair I wasn’t sure what to look for in the first place. Hm, see…maybe I need something to help me see mana better?
An idea came to mind.
Liam pulled out his goggles and placed them over his eyes.
“Let’s try this again,” Liam muttered to himself as he started the chant once more. “Come forth heat of flames and burn the pyre I set before you. Become the tool that will help in my endeavor. Light and Burn.”
Once more a flame flickered to life and hovered over his palm.
Again, he didn’t see anything of note. However, he did feel something. It was faint, but he felt where the flame was going to appear.
Still not good enough. Liam thought as he closed his hand and snuffed the fire out.
He then noticed the smoke of the fire wash over his hand and…seep into it. As the smoke entered his hand he was reminded of when he planted the Seed of the Arcana.
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He remembered feeling a warm sensation that washed over him as the feeling entered his body. This triggered another memory. The time he opened his Fields of Studies.
He remembered seeing motes of color entering his body and making their way to his seed.
Were those motes of color mana? Liam thought.
He felt that he was on the right track.
It was the same when I took my magical examination. How was I able to see the mana then?
Clarity dawned on him as he remembered the orbs during his examination and Field of Study opening.
I was able to see them because of the magic tools. He frowned at the idea. If those magic tools were the reason, then do I need them to be able to channel mana as well?
Liam shook his head as a gut feeling told him that shouldn’t be the case.
No, that would limit me if that’s the case. There should be a way to sense the mana around me.
He looked around the room trying to get some inspiration. After scouring the room his eyes landed on something. It was his Calming the Storm book.
An idea formed as he stared at it. His intuition told him he was on the right track. The idea he had was a long shot. It would require him to multitask his mind, but he felt it was a good challenge to push himself.
He got into his favorite Zen position and chanted in his mind as he closed his eyes.
Calm the Storm.
His mind slowly started to quiet down.
Calm the Storm.
His mind became tranquil.
This was when things would get complicated. He usually just sat there not moving, until an epiphany of sorts started to happen. However, this time he needed to move his body while trying to keep this trance going.
As he moved his right arm, the tranquilness he had gained disappeared causing his mind to stir once more. His trance quickly disappeared along with it.
Damn it! Liam thought as he opened his eyes. This is tougher than I thought.
Liam began to think it over. He thought about the steps he took and what he thought went wrong. It felt like him trying to move any part of his body while in a trance-like state was too much for him to handle. He couldn’t understand why though.
“Maybe it’s because I don’t have a better understanding of Zen that I can’t do it that way?” Liam muttered to himself. “Maybe…”
A new idea came to mind.
“Maybe that can work,” he whispered as he placed his right hand out again and chanted, “Come forth heat of flames and burn the pyre I set before you. Become the tool that will help in my endeavor. Light and Burn!”
He once more summoned the small flame upon his palm. Holding it and taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and thought to himself, Calm the Storm.
He felt his mind start to calm as he fell into a trance-like state again. However, this time he felt something else.
He couldn’t see anything except for the darkness his closed eyes gave him. So instead of focusing on sight, he focused on feel.
He felt a warm sensation. It was a faint and small feeling, but it was there. He felt it on his hand.
He continued to focus on that sensation. As he felt it, an unknown texture Liam had never known to exist started to form.
The texture felt like an ethereal layer coating his hand. It didn’t touch his skin, but he was still able to feel it there.
That ethereal layer then started to spread down his arm. It started coating him. Over his shoulders, head, stomach, legs, and feet.
Once when it completely covered him, a light red glow lightly lit up over the palm of his hand within the darkness of his vision.
Is that the mana of the flame? Liam thought as he continued to inspect it.
As he continued to inspect it, he noticed underneath the red light was a thin violet line, the size of a hair strand.
What is that?
That thin line was connected to a ghastly violet smoke that wafted around, following the outline of something.
Is that Arcane Mana? Am I seeing Arcane Mana and am I…engulfed in it?
He looked back at the thin line, that what he now referred to as Arcane mana, connected to the flame’s mana. He didn’t know why the line was so thin and why the two were connected.
The more he stared at it the more he felt like he could…influence it.
Following his gut, he continued to stare at it. He wasn’t too sure what he could do so he tried forcing his will on it to widen the thin line. After what felt like a couple of minutes the thin line still remained the same.
Not wanting to give up he tried once more, but mentally pushed as hard as he could. This sudden force expanded the thin line into the size of a straw.
With more room to jump into, the Arcane Mana rushed into the flame’s mana. This caused the flame’s mana on Liam’s hand to suddenly explode in growth.
Liam’s eyes widened as he felt heat nick his skin. When he looked in front of him, he saw that the small flame he had summoned earlier was now burning bigger and hotter than before. It was almost the same size as Avery’s Fireball spell.
That wasn’t the only thing he saw though. Around the Fireball was a ghastly red light that Liam saw when his eyes were closed. He then looked at his hand and body and saw the same smoky violet color coating himself.
A smile grew on his face as the realization of what he did came to light in the form of notification messages and sounds of a chime echoing. He put the fire on his palm out as he pulled up the messages.
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“Congratulations! Knowledge Theory Mana Control has reached level 10! Progression to level 11: 0%! You have gained the ability Mana Channeling!”
“Congratulations! Mana Channeling has reached level 1! Progression to level 2: 100%.”
“Congratulations! Mana Channeling has reached level 2! Progression to level 3: 9%.”
“Congratulations! Mind Attribute Intelligence Sub-stat Perception has reached level 17! Progression to level 18: 19%!”
“Congratulations! For having Knowledge Theory in Mana Control at level 10 and your Perception Sub-stat at level 15 or higher you have gained the ability Mana Sight!”
“Congratulations! Mana Sight has reached level 1! Progression to level 2: 95%.”
“Congratulations! Knowledge Theory Calming the Storm has reached level 15! Progression to level 16: 24%!”
“Congratulations! Mind Attribute Intelligence sub-stat Knowledge has reached level 15! Progression to level 16: 24%.”
“Congratulations! Mind Attribute Intelligence sub-stat Mental Absorption has reached level 10! Progression to level 11: 0%. +5% to retaining and memorizing skills, theories, and more.”
“Congratulations! Mind Attribute Wisdom sub-stat Magic Practicality has reached level 12! Progression to level 13: 100%.”
“Congratulations! Mind Attribute Wisdom sub-stat Magic Practicality has reached level 13! Progression to level 14: 5%.”
“Congratulations! Spirit Attribute Will sub-stat Zen has reached level 13! Progression to level 14: 15%.”
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Liam stared at the notifications with wide eyes.
“Holy…,” Liam started to say as he exited out of them.
He then clicked on Mana sight to see what it was about.
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“Mana Sight. Spell Type - Instant. Description – Having an understanding of mana and a certain level of perception you are able to see the color of mana on items as well as spells being formed. Can identify the type of mana being used.”
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“That’s a nifty thing to get,” Liam muttered as he closed the screen. “I have a feeling it will be useful sooner or later.”
Wait. Liam suddenly thought. Why did I get this? I can understand why I got Mana Channeling, but Mana Sight? That wasn’t anywhere in the Knowledge Theory book I read.
Liam reread the description. He then remembered in his notification it said he got the skill because he had his Knowledge Theory in Mana Control at level ten and had his Perception level higher than fifteen. Did this mean that there were ways to get skills and abilities through hidden prerequisites?
The idea was a game changer. He then wondered what else he could get just by having his stats and knowledge at certain levels. The possibilities of gaining new things this way was unfathomable.
An excited grin grew on Liam’s face as he understood one thing. He didn’t need to worry about leveling his personal level to gain new things. In fact, his personal level growth was of no consequence to him now. If he focused on leveling his sub-stats and gaining new Knowledge Theories, then he could grow with the others without worry.
A lukewarm liquid ran down the side of his face. The sweat drop brought Liam out of his thoughts. He then looked at his arms and noticed he was dripping with sweat.
Huh? When did I start sweating? Liam thought. If I didn’t even notice that I was sweating, then how long was I working on this?
Liam’s eyes widened as he saw the time.
6:15 a.m.
Almost two hours!? It didn’t feel like it was almost two hours. It felt like it was at least fifteen minutes.
Liam let out a sigh as he stretched his legs and arms. As he got up out of the bed he muttered, “Since I’ve already worked up a sweat, might as well start my day off with the usual.”