As soon as the water hit his skin, Ver almost fainted. He felt overwhelmed by the strength and power in his muscles. The most interesting was the effect on his mind, even with the power overflow in his body, it was still clear, it was to the point where he has never been more aware of his future plans, and of his surroundings, it was like having a sixth sense, he could see the general shape of the trees and fish, could feel where they were and where they were going.
However, over time, the power started to become too much for his puny body to handle. He felt his body start to balloon from the sheer amount of power invading his body. Ver then recalled the steps in the book. He started to try to guide the mana into his heart to form a Mana Heart. The Mana Heart was the foundation of a mages' power . It was the nexus that would tame wild mana during a mages' cultivation to be able to strengthen their bodies, souls, and minds. It was also what controlled spells when they were being cast.
As he guided the mana, he felt increasingly more uncomfortable. His heart was not absorbing mana at a rate that would allow it to form a Mana Heart before he exploded into bits. After a few more minutes, he looked like a balloon that was ready to pop. The pain had reached a threshold to where he could not control the mana to integrate with his heart anymore... He was going to die soon.
" This can not be the end, I have not even become a mage yet, I'm going to die..."
He refused to accept the situation, yet fate had a cruel surprise for him. He would never see his parents again. He would never gain power or prestige. He would die a nobody, letting go of an opportunity that he never should have gotten in the first place. As he finally was ready to accept his fate, he heard a hearty laugh outside of the water.
"You silly boy, you really think I would let you awaken your mana in this method without insurance? I created an array that will help, get ready, it is quite the rush, ahahahah!"
Ver felt something grab the mana in surroundings with an iron grip, then forcefully slamming it into his heart. His hazy mind instantly cleared, and he started to once again guide the mana within his heart. This time, the mana was as tame as a kitten. It easily became one with his heart. After an hour, mana no longer had to be guided to enter his body. Every breath drew mana to his body, and it was immediately refined into a usable form by his heart.
He swam to the surface of the water, where he saw the face of the old man, except it was not decayed. Instead, he looked like an amiable middle-aged man .
Alfred gave him a smile and said, " Congratulations, young Mage Apprentice, for your breakthrough. As a final gift, I will give you a map to several attributed mana stones. These are rare treasures that will grant your mana an attribute without the years of regular refinement that most Mage Apprentices must endure to gain a single attribute, let alone multiple. Build the Legendary Six Elements Foundation, and truly step onto the path of magic!!!!"
"As for your promise, when you return in the future with true power, it will be revealed, though you might want to turn away when you hear it..."
Alfred gave Ver one final smile before his projection fell apart.
Ver was silent for a minute until the reality of the situation finally dawned on him. He did it. He stepped onto the path of the extraordinary.
"F**k yaaaaaa!!!!!"
He screamed for several minutes straight until his exitement finally wore away, and then fatigue finally set in. It had been a long day. First, he came to this magical land, and he became a legendary mage...
He dragged his tired body back to the cabin, and instantly, he passed into the land of dreams.
...
He woke to the sound of birds, rustling in their nests, and getting ready for the hunt. Bright rays of sun glared on his face, forcing him to wake from his deep sleep.
As he sat up from the small bed, he noticed he did not feel hungry or thirsty. This was of the benefits of stepping onto the extraordinary path. One was not trapped by their mortal coil anymore.
After observing his body, he went back to the table with the books and saw that the note had changed.
" Now that you can wield the power of mana, it is time to truly master it. A mage must master dozens of spells to the truly considered powerful. Spells are constructed of elemental runes. Levels 1 to 3 spells are constructed with Low Level Runes, and mainly consist of pure elemental spells. Spells with levels 4 to 6 are created with Middle Level Runes and can contain up to three elemental effects. Levels 7 to 9 are created with High Level Runes, and can contain as many elements as the caster can utilize. Learning these Runes takes years of practice and dedication, and there are even unique Runes that can boost certain elements. After a mage has mastered a certain tier of Runes, they can combine them into spells. They combine Runes to form Rune Arrays, which then cast the spell the Runes have programmed into the array. Oh, before I forget, above High Level Spells, made of High Level Runes, there are spells known as Legendary Level Spell. However, I will leave that for you to find out..."
After read the letter, Ver was shaking with exitement, until he realized a problem. He did not even have an element. Even if he learns Runes, he could not fuel them. That is when he remembered the map, he took the map out and placed it onto the table to plan.
" The closest on the map is the Earth Attributed Mana Stone, so thag will be the first target."
Ver then took a big breath in, then started on what will turn into a journey that would yield more than he expected...