Alt returned his attention to the waterfall problem – while his newfound ability was most welcome, in that he could probably even conjure a barrier to protect himself from the merciless cold, it did nothing to solve the mana-consumption issue, especially considering that pure mana spells appeared to be more energy-intensive than their elemental counterparts.

The teen boy wondered if he should continue bringing mana from the outside world straight into the nucleus, skipping the accumulation step in one of the elemental channels or if he should do things the traditional way. That method hurt like hell from the very beginning, even if it allowed him to start the purification faster.

What if I can continuously bring outside mana into the nucleus for purification, even while I am using a spell? A thought struck him. In theory, if his energy input equaled the output, he should be able to run the spell forever. It was clearly impractical to do so if he had first to store the outside mana into an established elemental channel, before bringing it into the nucleus, as there would be several breaks in the power supply. But if he managed to get an uninterrupted power-up cycle going, then maybe...

Alt hurried to test out the new hypothesis, forgetting to bite the towel, but bearing through the pain anyways. He had significantly improved his absorption during the candle exercise, so sucking mana in while conjuring a spell didn't seem farfetched. His plan had another upside: as he would be constantly using up the pure mana, his nucleus would remain half-empty, without causing extra strain on top of the pain that each mana particle penetrating it caused.

As soon as his pure mana vein was up to a third of the capacity, he attempted to radiate heat from a finger, while at the same time continuing the purification process and bringing outside mana in. Having to multi-task like that, on top of the added pain kept him limited to the most basic of spell forms, so much that he didn't give the flame an independent structure, as that would require additional effort to control it.

Alt used the little remaining brainpower he had left to observe the entire process. He had succeeded in creating a cycle, in that water energy was constantly flowing into his nucleus from the outside, and then being used to fuel the primitive fire spell.

It's working! He gave himself a mental high-five. The teen had celebrated too early however, as he quickly realized that he was expending energy much more quickly than he was able to refill it, even for such a puny result.

Taking a break, Alt analyzed the findings.

I am very far away from being able to sustainably replace the mana I am spending, but this is still very promising. While he wasn’t sure if he ever would be able to use this trick to infinitely cast potent spells, something basic like what he was looking for may be possible. He decided it was worth betting on the skill further. Also, it should come in handy to leverage existing energies that he dominated. He imagined himself casting an endless ki blast while surrounded by campfires he was leeching mana from.

Having set on a course of action, Alt felt more at ease with himself, with the pressure of finding a solution being lifted from his shoulders. His only remaining worry was whether he could increase the efficiency of his absorption and purification combo sufficiently before move-in day to keep himself warm under the waterfall for an entire hour, and how he would find sustenance in the meanwhile.

Alt dove headfirst into practice, and time passed, with slow but steady progress. His first evening in the mountains had arrived, and his stomach was urging him for nourishment. The teen boy was putting it off for as long as possible, since he was not inclined to hunt, and even less to skin a dead animal to cook it. Before it got too dark, he was forced to move, or else he risked spending the entire night hungry, as it would be too dangerous to venture away from the waterfall without any light.

His spider sense was already tingling, as he found more and more creatures emerge from their slumber as the day got colder, with many choosing to take a sip from the water pool that was his base. He hadn't seen any predators yet, but that did nothing to reassure him, since in this world even herbivorous creatures appeared to wield fearsome abilities.

Alt found cover behind some rocks, afraid to interrupt a group of goat-like creatures with some mean-looking horns that were emitting sparks from their extremities.

I really don't want to be on the receiving end of that.

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Still, his curiosity got the best of him, and he observed this and other miraculous displays from otherwise mundane animals intently.

Alt's hunger intensified as he noticed a raccoon-like creature feasting on some berries, which in his current condition appeared to be the most appetizing thing in the entire world. The teen boy thought about challenging the raccoon for the spoils, but the sight of the sharp canine teeth made him second-guess himself.

Who knows what the hell it can do? His previous encounters with the local fauna had taught him to be careful.

Altair found himself thanking the heavens for his momentary passivity, as a weasel-like creature emerged from a burrow, moving so fast that it was hard to see with the naked eye in the direction of the bush, only to fall to the ground lifelessly after the raccoon unleashed a lightning bolt that caught the small mammal while it was leaping in the air, unable to change its trajectory.

Oh my God, how do people even survive in this world? This is just awful...

Alt turned around, and while on his toes, in order to stay as inconspicuous as possible retreated to the relative safety of the water pool. He was on full alert, afraid of any unexpected noise signifying an ambush. The reduced visibility made things even more challenging, and his chances of finding provisions were being diminished every minute. In his precarious position, he wondered if it would possible to just make his own food, inspired by the witch's previous demonstrations.

This time Alt really had no clue regarding how to even approach creation magic but assumed that since the healing attempt had been a relative success, perhaps he could just follow the same method while relying on visualization to produce something edible. He concentrated on the accumulated pure mana, which he rejoiced to see had grown passively from the channel it was stored in, although at a snail's pace that was dwarfed by his elemental channels. Looking at his palm, he directed the translucent mana and attempted to give it the shape of loaf of bread, while imagining his favorite dough that his mother would sometimes bake for him during childhood. To his elation, he saw the contour of the loaf appearing, and began salivating in anticipation. No matter how much he tried however, the bread would just not turn solid, instead remaining a holographic projection. He poked it various times with his other hand, every time passing through without any resistance.

Dammit, why can't I give it substance?

Before he could come to any conclusions, his pure mana reserve run out and his stomach again admonished him.

Argh, seems like I have to take a risk, or I will starve.

Altair crawled back to a spot from which he could see behind cover the fattening raccoon devouring another berry branch. He conjured ten small fire balls atop of each of his fingers and debated about the best strategy to follow. While the self-satisfied munching of the creature irked him to no end in his current famished condition, he suspected that attacking it head-on would be foolish. If they got into a confrontation, even if he managed to drive it away, chances where he would not escape unscathed, and he didn't want to push his luck with his amateur healing skills just yet.

Should I just try to scare it away? Altair thought about missing on purpose, or hitting the bush itself, but the risk of creating an uncontrolled fire was too big. Finally, he tried to remember what he knew about these animals, who he previously had only seen on TV on some nature documentary as a kid. Apparently, they were very curious and playful as long as they were not threatened. Altair decided to test this out, quenching nine of the flames and keeping a single one going, which he projected in the raccoon's direction on a curve ball trajectory, careful not to give away his own position and to keep it at a slow and steady pace so the animal with the striped tail didn't feel danger. As the sphere was at about the eye level of the raccoon just a couple of feet away, the creature had finally noticed it, but wasn't inclined to give up the berries just yet. Alt then started to send the sphere in zigzags, while varying the speed, as if he was playing with a cat. The raccoon was clearly intrigued, and soon began chasing after it like a child after a shiny new toy. Altair guided the sphere away from the area as far as possible, and as it was about to escape his range, he dissipated the flame so that nobody got hurt.

He had no time to congratulate himself, afraid that another creature would show up to contest the prize. Alt sprinted towards the bush, ripping several untouched branches and dragging them back to his hideout by the water. After washing them, he started eating them to his heart's content.

So, this is what my life has become, Altair mused, wondering what his parents would think if they knew what he was having for dinner. At least the berries were truly delicious, which he didn't know if to attribute to his near-starvation or the lack of industrial pollution in this world.

I guess I will survive another day. Alt patted his inflated belly, his satisfaction at the unexpected haul overriding the bitterness from the witch having left him to die in the middle of nowhere.

Alt found shelter in a cave hidden behind the waterfall, which he inspected the very last inch of to ensure there would not be a magical spider or bat attacking him while he was asleep. It had gotten chilly outside, and the proximity of the freezing water should have made things worse, but to his pleasant surprise, the rocky bottom at the cave was quite warm, with steam coming out under some muddy portions. He figured this was a result of volcanic activity, which presented dangers of its own, but that with his exhaustion he decided to ignore and just crash.