The forest stretched out endlessly, its towering trees reaching up toward the sky. These were giants, their thick trunks easily three times the height of what I was used to, with dark bark that looked almost like stone. Their branches intertwined high above, creating a canopy so dense that only fragments of sunlight pierced through, casting an eerie, greenish glow across the ground below.

Beneath the trees, the underbrush was alive. Strange plants with twisting vines and large, fanged flowers sprouted from the earth, rustling as small, insect-like creatures darted between them. Further in, the deeper parts of the forest were crawling with creatures far more dangerous. Roars and distant howls echoed through the trees, sounds from beasts that lurked just beyond the shadows—creatures too monstrous to be mistaken for anything from the human world.

The ground itself felt almost alive, covered in thick roots and patches of dark moss. Strange footprints—huge, clawed impressions—littered the path leading deeper into the forest, evidence of the monsters that roamed these parts. It was a world where the rules of nature had been turned upside down. Here, predators were larger, faster, and more cunning.

Among these ancient beasts, hidden somewhere in the forest, was a cave. The entrance was unremarkable at first glance, a simple jagged opening in the side of a moss-covered cliff. But inside, the cave was vast and silent, the air still and thick with the earthy scent of damp stone.

In the quiet of the cave, Alex's mind sank deeper into the flow of mana within his body. His breathing became almost imperceptible, each inhale drawing energy from the world around him, while each exhale released tension from his battered form. Slowly, he began to feel the familiar pulse of his mana core deep within his chest, its gentle rhythm like the beating of a second heart.

With every breath, he directed his mana inward, guiding it along invisible pathways through his body. The mana was still weak, a faint glow of cyan that flickered like a dying ember in the mana core. Alex focused, willing the energy to gather and flow with more purpose. As he did, he felt the power respond, traveling through his veins like a gentle current before reaching his mana core.

The Cyan color in the core itself glowed softly, a delicate mix of blue and green, like the colors of a distant sea meeting the sky. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat, and with each pulse, the mana slowly entered the core, feeding it. The process was slow, but steady. He could feel the warmth growing in his chest, the energy becoming more concentrated, more potent.

Time seemed to slip away as Alex continued his meditation, the outside world fading into the background. He felt the aches and pains in his body ebbing away, replaced by the calming surge of mana. Little by little, his strength was returning.

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As the mana flowed into his core, he became more attuned to its rhythm. It was like the beating of a drum, steady and reassuring. Finally, after what felt like hours, Alex’s mana core reached a stable state, glowing more brightly now, more full. His mind began to surface from the depths of his meditation.

Slowly, Alex opened his eyes.

The dim light of the cave greeted him. His muscles felt sore but revitalized, and his breathing returned to normal. Though he was still missing his right hand, the sharp pain had dulled.

This meditation technique was something I had picked up from the anime I used to watch back in my world. At first, it was frustrating and exhausting, pulling mana particles toward me like trying to gather mist with my bare hands. But with patience, I eventually got the hang of it. Bit by bit, I learned how to draw the mana in and let it flow through me, refueling my core.

A week had passed since then, since the battle with the Wolf King. I had eaten a quarter of its massive body, which was enough to keep me going. The meat wasn’t exactly gourmet, but it was survival, and that was all that mattered. After the meal, I used a simple wind magic spell called Cleanse to wash away all the blood from the ground, including the Wolf King’s. It was a basic spell, but incredibly useful—Cleanse could clean anything, leaving no trace behind.

Dragging the rest of the wolf’s meat wasn’t as easy. I tried using a wind magic spell called Float to move the heavy carcass, but the effort drained my mana completely in just one use, and it only managed to float for a minute before crashing back down to the ground. I spent the better part of a day trying to move it piece by piece, my mana constantly running out and forcing me to rest and replenish.

Eventually, I found this cave—my temporary shelter. Once I was inside, I used Wind Blades to carve the Wolf King’s meat into more manageable pieces. Then, I used Float again to transport it all into the cave, but even that took several attempts. Moving such a large amount of food wasn’t something I could handle in one go. Each trip drained me, but in the end, I had enough meat stored inside to last a while.

Now, as I sat in my meditative state, I could feel the difference. My control over mana had grown stronger. The mana core was also expanded a bit, even though I could not see the difference, I could feel it slightly.

Maybe this really was the right way to increase my mana limit—and, at the same time, practice controlling it. The slow, steady meditation, drawing in mana from the world around me, felt like it was paying off. Each time I tapped into my core, the energy felt a little more abundant, my control over it a bit sharper.

The reason I could create wind magic so easily still puzzled me, though. It was like, the moment I first made contact with the element of wind, something clicked inside me. In those brief seconds, inspiration flowed endlessly. Ideas for new spells, techniques, ways to manipulate the wind—they all rushed into my mind, clear and vivid. But as quickly as the inspiration came, it vanished. It only lasted about 30 seconds before everything went silent again.

I couldn’t explain why it happened or why it stopped, but in that short window, it felt like I had unlocked a part of myself I never knew existed. And while the rush of inspiration was gone, the feeling it left behind—the sense that wind magic was something I was meant to wield—remained strong.

If I keep increasing my mana core maybe I will tap those inspirations again.