Chapter 04
Mana inside the body, mana outside the body, mana in its multiple forms or frequencies, consolidated mana or free mana. I keep reading the book and find it quite interesting. The stats that every now and again I get are quite interesting as well, as a matter of fact…Someone entered the library and inturrepted my thoughts. It’s an older woman. When she approaches a little she makes a confused face and stares at me. I then speak first.
-Hey, what can I do for you?
-You are not who I hired to stay here.
-No, I guess I’m not. – I say with a hint of a smile.
-What are you doing here?
-What an attendant of a library should.
-I guessed that, but why are you doing it?
-Because I came here hours ago and talked to the previous attendant and he said I could get the job if I accepted a quest he had. I did and here I’m, doing my job.
-Smart ass, -she says in a light tone – Ok, he was no good at this job anyway, always making confusions and not paying attention. If you can keep up the good work I may keep you.
-I would most appreciate that.
-It’s 2 coppers an hour and any screw ups, I will take your salary and your hide.
-Of course, madam – I reply bowing my head a little.
-And don’t call me madam, it makes me feel old.
-I won’t.
-You seem a reliable young man. I will entrust this Library to you. If anything out of the ordinary happens, speak to the blacksmith two shops down, on the other side of the street and find me on my shop a little further down the street, just ask any one for Justeline’s apothecary.
-It’s nice to meet you Justeline, and yes I understand, you can trust the library on my care and I will do right by her to the best of my ability.
-Ohh, how inconsiderate of me. ME, who is always nagging and lecturing about the lack of proper manners on the younglings. – She clears her throat and continues - Pleased to meet you, my name is Justeline, may I have yours?
-Ohh yes, my name is Nasc.
-Well, Nasc. I will be taking my leave after all I got plenty to do. I will be back an hour after it starts to get dark to close the library, are you ok until there?
-Most certainly.
-Do know that this is normally a full time 13 hours job every day don’t you?
-Yes, and if possible I intend to spend the entirety in here.
-Certainly, certainly. It actually helps me, for the last month or so I had to cover the morning shifts. There is always someone that wants the job but most can’t do it properly. I see that you can, just from this excellent entry and leave sheet here. – She says pointing at the log I was keeping of what the people and books entering and leaving the library and of the people reading inside. She then notices the book I’m copying and continues saying: - OMG, you are copping books just like him. I guess that really was the quest he couldn’t talk about. Though you are a much better scribe than him, there isn’t a single smudge in sight. His work was very sloppy, I sure you are going to be able to do it better and actually complete this quest.
-Sorry can’t say a word a word about it otherwise that are negative status.
-I get it, I used to be an adventure when I was young.
-How interesting. You must have had fun, right?
-Yes, I had amazing times. But it’s not a path for the weak of heart. However that is the past, those days are long gone for me.
-I intend to start in the path of an adventure in about a month.
-Thanks about the warning. Most don’t even bother to say anything just up and leave one day.
-I can see it they doing that. It sounds just like the recent stream of adventures showing up.
-Most on this path talk differently than you about it, they just act as if we’re here for their convenience.
-Most of they, actually most of us, really, think that the inhabitants of a city are here for our convenience. Though, I’m not sure if it’s my place to say more than that. –She makes a face as if she has a clue but do not want to force me to say anything. I than wonder how self-conscientious the AI’s in this game are. Justeline seems to be more than most; perhaps she has a bigger significance in the grand scheme of things within this game. Gonna think about it later. – I probably should stop bothering you; you have your business to take care of.
-Don’t worry, it was my pleasure. I should be going, until later today.
As she goes toward the door other young adventurer enters and comes to my table.
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Continuing to copy the books two pages at a time, I keep thinking about it. While I think about the content I start to try to feel the mana source the writer keeps talking about. There is something very deep down there. It actually is quite interesting the way the developer of this game makes the effect of mana feel in my body. It fells about the same as the worlds I have been to where there actually is such things, in a more traditional manner as mana, Ki, or whatever form the energy takes. I start to increase the feeling I get from it by “closing” in, deep inside me. I start to move around the mana slowly in my body. Yeah, the control phase will need some practice. And it seems that I really will be able to take a different path of the usual mage or whatever other magical race/class.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I think this really could be a good exercise. Move to the right, to the left, go up, go down, spin, elongate, really do a bunch of things with my mana. Getting the felling of moving in my body soon it gets easier and easier. I may not have the same training and mana but this is a mislabeled precursor of a technic that advanced mages use to increase the efficiency of the spells they use. Concentrating my mana on my hand concentrating on my tendons, bones and muscles I find that my hand is slightly stronger.
After moving a couple and then the felling stops. Checking my status table I see my mana run out. I keep it open and wait it to fill 10 mana points and I then I start to move again inside my body it doesn’t come down but when I concentrate on one part of my body and move this part of the body, it runs out very quickly. My mana is low, just the basic 100 plus 3 INT points that increased my mana capacity in 10 each to total 130. Each second concentrating in my hand consumes about 30 of mana. And to fill the bar it takes about 30 min. From what I had researched the recovery depends on the wisdom stat, the higher the stat the better recovery. Keeping wisdom and intelligence stats balanced gives a stead 30 min recovery without items, skills, or other special effects and considering the human race. Others had other times but the human race had 30 min basic recovery time for both mana and health.
While moving inside my mana core I wait it fills up, then I concentrate on my finger the man and exert it. It spends my man much more scarcely. Increasing to two fingers, the mana about doubles the rate it is spent. One finger should allow me some 70 seconds. I double the strength and rate of mana usage increases 50 percent. I double the strength I’m bending my finger and it uses 70 percent more mana and when I double it again it is about 90 percent increase of mana. I repeat the experiment reducing the strength to half of the used in the original experiment and the mana goes down to 80 of the original about. So the mana efficiency seems to be better in higher strength settings. Probably result of lack of finesse and precision on my part on the usage of mana. Not any scientific method of study mana. I’m gonna need more data.
Mostly out of mana I come back to writing after my brief pause. I use the little rest of mana I got on a finger. Using as little strength as I can I continue to write. In no time my mana runs out and I continue writing normally. While I wait my mana to charge I keep moving my mana core in my body, from head to toes. Everywhere and back again. As soon as it is filled again, I spend almost all my mana writing, using a rate as economic as possible and repeat the whole process. Again and again and again. The sun goes do and I stop depleting my entire mana, just spending a little and letting almost fill up. People start to leave ad soon Justeline comes back.
-Time to close. How many hours did stay here?
-Almost 7 hours.
-Ok, here is 16 coppers for having done such a good job.
-Thank you very much. -I say. This much is about 8 barley breads or 1 and a half days of food at the rate I will be going. It should be ok. – I guess I will be seeing you, here first thing in the morning.
-I will be here. If you get here before me just wait in the blacksmith I always go through there first to say good morning.
-Ok, see you.
Justeline thinks, quite an interesting young man that one. Too bad I will only have him here for a month. I wonder if he will got himself killed before he can accomplish anything. I think not, he seems smart that one. Looking into his eyes is weird, it’s like he is old, and he can see into your soul as well. Such intense gaze if you know what you are looking for. Most would just skip his gaze as if he was as ordinary as the next man. But he is no ordinary punk, he knows things. What, I can only guess, but you don’t get eyes like that playing with other kid’s in the playground, you get by going through life, plenty of a hard life.
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I go straight to the dojo with my MP bar full. Getting there, with no hesitance I go to the training dolls and take my sword and the trainer’s sword. I swing a few times until I got my rhythm. And not like my moves are cyclic, they are quite erratic and unpredictable as is proper of a good swords man. What I mean, is that I get to a comfortable exertion pace. Like if I keep at it for the planned 4h30m I will get to my limit just at the end of the training. In a random moment I concentrate the mana in one of my arms and the strike is quite stronger, I would estimate 20 percent. It used up my entire mana reserve in a single burst but it was my entire arm so given what I had seem on my fingers and hand it should be around this much. I keep hitting the mannequin and thinking about my mana. It seems if I change the property or frequency of the mana it would be more effective for a specific use. I tried a little on the library but to avail in this first attempt. I will try again tomorrow. A warning in the corner of my eye an item indicates a new window so I open and in front of me I see:
New Skill: Mana affinity Beginner[Lv.4]You have gained a new skill after successfully controlling your mana within your body.With this skill the control of mana becomes easier and less expenditure occurs.Higher levels will give better benefits
Mana affinity Beginner[Lv.4] improve:Precision increases in 12%Cost of mana improves 12% (normal cost =12% more than the new cost)Power of mana based technics increases by 12%
New Skill: Mana strikeIncreases the strength of any physical attack depending on how much mana and strength is put into it.
I probably didn’t notice before then the icon gave the same little flash because I had momentarily closed my eyes. Still I got hours to go of training to go let’s make good use of it.
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Thank you for reading a little piece of my work. I hope you have enjoyed it. Any suggestions, praises or otherwise, please comment below. As stated in the synopsis I’m not a “English” native, English is my second language and I just started learning it about 3 years ago. Any mistakes please point it out below I would appreciate that.