Mika wanted to jump for joy upon hearing the ping from the System that she had completed her quest on time but was unable to due to the pain assaulting her mind as the System forcefully implanted information into her brain.
A few minutes later, the pain subsided, and Mika looked excited, confused, and shocked.
She received information about mana, where to gather it, how to circulate it through her body, and how to create a Mana Circuit.
The information didn't mention much about how she can use mana, but it did inform her that the energy called mana would be essential to her future growth and made her understand that she would be at a major disadvantage if she didn't or couldn't use it.
She knew next to nothing about mana, but with the information the system gave, she understood that it was more complex than just having a new energy source available to her.
Everything in this world possessed mana; the trees, the earth, the clouds, humans, everything. However, the amount of mana in something or someone at its inception mostly depended on luck and talent.
One could increase the quantity and quality by absorbing and refining more of it, but the speed at which one could absorb it and the limit of one's growth are up to their talent.
However, with the information the System just forcefully implanted into her brain, Mika learned how to create her own talent!
The System taught her how she could make full use of the mana inside her to forge her own talent, but if she didn't already have the minimum required mana to create an unparalleled potential, she'd be unable to do so.
Fortunately, she had the necessary mana required to create such a talent, but that didn't mean doing so was easy.
Inside her body was a dantian, a completely useless organ. That is if you don't know what it's capable of.
The dantian was where one's Innate Mana was stored for most humans.
Innate Mana is just a form of mana that is accessible before one forms their Mana Core and is also what determines one's affinity, such as fire, water, wind, earth, and so on.
A Mana Core is, as the name described–it's a place to store, absorb, and refine mana. This is where the Innate Mana inside the dantian comes into play.
To create a Mana core, one has to use their Innate Mana, carve pathways in their body, and absorb the rest into their dantian.
These pathways, otherwise known as Mana Pathways, allow mana to circulate in one's body. If one only has a Mana Core but no Mana Pathways, then using and cultivating that mana is impossible.
However, these Pathways also serve another function; they increase the body's strength, senses, purity, and lifespan and allow spells to be cast. Mika guessed there were more benefits as well, but the System left them out.
There are two types of Mana Pathways, Passive and Active.
Passive Mana Pathways are just like the name implies; they passively circulate mana throughout your body. These pathways are what increase the body's strength and lifespan. They are what mana travels through to reach your Mana Core when one cultivates.
Mika was thoroughly shocked by this information as that covered both the problems she ran into in her previous life: strength and lifespan!
Meanwhile, Active Mana Pathways don't increase the strength of the body. Instead, these pathways allow one to use spells and/or techniques. While the two are created in the same way, their functions are completely different, and thus, one must create a different route for them than for the Passive Mana Pathways.
For example, if she wants to create a fireball, she will need to use her Active Mana Pathways instead of her Passive Mana Pathways.
When all of these are formed, it's called a Mana Circuit.
The knowledge Mika obtained from the System taught her how to utilize her Innate Mana to create her Core and Pathways, along with an advanced understanding of human anatomy.
After processing all this information, Mika decided to check out her new skill and quest.
[Meditation: Helps clear the mind; can increase the efficiency of stamina and mana recovery by 10% when used.]
'Wow! That's pretty good!" Mika exclaimed, "Now, time to check the quest.'
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[Quest]
[Objective: Form a Mana Core and Mana Pathways.]
[Difficulty: Normal]
[Description: Successfully create your Mana Core and Pathways, and your future growth rate will increase exponentially! Failing this quest won't result in a punishment from the System, but your potential to become a god will decrease exponentially.]
[Time Limit: 2 Months]
[Reward: New Title, Affinities Unlocked, and ???]
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I assumed it would be something like that, and I can see why the System gave me the [Meditation] skill. Though, I feel like this Quest will be easier than the one before, considering I have all the necessary information,' Mika thought and organized her mind before she exclaimed, 'Alright! Let's get started!
Mika closed her eyes and immediately activated her new[Meditation] skill. When she did, it felt like a fog had dispersed from her mind as her emotions stabilized, and all unnecessary thoughts, which she didn't even know were there, lifted.
Right now, her mind was like a blank canvas, waiting for new thoughts to pour in.
She felt incredibly calm in this state, and whatever thoughts passed through her brain were clear, with no extra information disturbing them.
However, she didn't revel in this feeling for long as she began replaying all the information about Mana, Mana Cores, and Mana Pathways in her mind.
After imprinting this information, Mika sent her consciousness into her body and began analyzing it. She needed to have a perfect understanding of her body for when she started creating her Mana Pathways and Core.
She studied and memorized her body's skin, tissue, blood vessels, bones, and organs and overlapped those details with the knowledge she got from the System.
Once she felt like she had succeeded, she returned her consciousness to her mind.
Then, she activated her [Mind Space] as this would be the perfect testing ground. She had two months, after all. She didn't need to rush.
Once Mika entered her [Mind Space], she thought about changing her form, and almost instantly, her body shrunk, her skin softened and became almost transparent, and she could not move due to how weak her body was.
Mika felt incredibly weird after changing into this form.
'I took the phrase, "Dead man walking" a bit too literally.'
It felt like her mind was in something that she knew shouldn't be alive right now, yet somehow was.
'I guess it's because I'm not attached to the umbilical cord inside my [Mind Space].'
Although she didn't like this feeling, she knew she had to push through and complete the task at hand.
Mika took a deep breath and cleared her mind of everything except the information about her body and Mana.
She then returned her consciousness to her body and focused on her dantian.
This would be her first attempt at creating her Mana Circuit! Fortunately, she could mess up all she wanted in her [Mind Space], so she didn't have to worry about failure.
She searched around her dantian, looking for Innate Mana. She examined the bottom, top, sides, and middle but saw nothing unusual.
After searching every nook and cranny, she was unable to find this so-called mana, but that didn't discourage her. She wasn't expecting to notice it on her first attempt.
'What am I supposed to be looking for?'
Although the System imparted all that information, she still didn't quite understand as she had never seen or interacted with mana.
She only understood that mana was a magical energy capable of many things. So that's what she looked for.
From this attempt, she deduced that Mana couldn't be seen, touched, heard, smelled, or tasted. At least not in its current form. So, Mika could only rely on her body's intuition to find it, as Innate Mana is supposed to be a part of her.
With that in mind, she stopped trying to look and let her body guide her consciousness instead.
After she arrived at her dantian again, her instincts led her to the center, where she felt a subtle fluctuation. She sent her mind there and started trying to connect with whatever was there.
Her mind didn't know if Mana was there, but her instincts told her there was something, and when she made contact with whatever was there, she felt a weird sensation come over her.
She felt invigorated and enlightened as if a new world had opened up!
She was in total euphoric shock due to this feeling and wanted to experience this longer. Her [Meditation] ability canceled as her mind began to fill with nothing but this wonderful feeling!
'Amazing! I knew Mana would be spectacular, but it seems I severely underestimated it. I now understand why the System placed so much significance on this quest. Mana will be of much significance to my rise in power! I can feel it deep within my soul! ' Mika now understood why the System placed so much importance on this Quest.
However, she could also tell that her understanding of mana wasn't nearly as deep as she thought it was. The System only scratched the surface of what was possible by giving her this information.
There are so many more things to learn that what she knew wasn't even a drop on the ocean.
'It's gonna be a long journey,' Mika thought, but a grin never left her face.
After she came down from that euphoric sensation, she moved on to create her Mana Pathways. Her Passive Mana Pathways would be the longest, passing through her organs, bones, bone marrow, muscles, blood vessels, skin, and everything else. She didn't want to leave a single place untouched!
She will create her Active Mana Pathways in similar areas, but the quantity was less than her Passive ones, as these pathways were concentrated more along her skin, limbs, organs, and head.
These will be the pathways she will send her Mana through when she intends to use a spell or technique.
She activated [Meditation] and focused on the picture she had in her mind earlier. When she was ready, she seized the tiny amount of Mana within her Dantian and began creating her Passive Mana Pathways.
She sent the mana to her skin and worked inwards until she reached her muscles, organs, bones, bone marrow, and blood vessels. After completing her Passive Mana Pathways, she began creating her Active Mana Pathways.
These were a bit complicated since she was unsure which direction to go first: her head or feet.
After giving it some thought, she ultimately decided to go to her head first and make her way down.
It took her a while to complete all her Pathways, but after she finished, she moved on to the last step, creating her Mana Core. This was the least complicated part of the process as she just had to move the leftover mana so that it fully encases her Dantian, forming her Mana Core.
However, although it was the least complicated, it was difficult as she was not used to controlling her mana in such a way.
Mika concentrated on the blob of mana she controlled and used her mind to spread it apart so she could evenly distribute it to access her dantian, which began absorbing her Innate Mana! Mika then felt her dantian shift into a perfect circle and began changing from something useless to perhaps one of her body's most important organs!
After her Mana Core finished forming, Mika felt her Mana Pathways connect to it, and a burst of power exploded out of her body! She floated up in the air as numerous changes took place in her body! Mana surged through her Pathways, but Mika's [Mind Space] level wasn't high enough to simulate what her Pathways were trying to do.
This process lasted several minutes, and she felt like she had ascended to a higher being afterward! Her body felt full of power, her mind felt clearer, and her vitality seemed more vigorous.
Mika closed her eyes and reveled l in this feeling since she didn't know when she might feel something like this again.
After she enjoyed this feeling for a bit, she decided to ask the System to see what it thought.
[I'd rate your mana core and pathways at 30% potential. You couldn't completely grasp the mana in your dantian and didn't create your pathways fast enough. You took so long that you barely had enough mana to form your Mana Core.]
[Your mana pathways also need to be more efficient. You took too many unnecessary paths, which wasted your Innate Mana and made the whole Mana Circuit inefficient.]
[Although you succeeded in creating a Mana Circuit, these are worthless if you want any chance at becoming a goddess!]
The System bluntly replied, then proceeded to tell Mika where she went wrong. Mika was a little depressed as she felt proud of doing something like this, but she didn't know it was so useless in the eyes of the System.
'...Fine.' Mika and then reset her [Mind Space] body.
She meditated on what went wrong and what the system said. After sorting out her thoughts and coming up with a new plan, Mika began to try again, except this time, she had some experience behind her.
This time she could grasp more mana from her Dantian, creating a more efficient and stronger Mana Circuit.
She put to use what the System said with the Mana Pathways and realized how stupid she was before.
For the Passive Mana Pathways, she decided to start with the organs and blood vessels around her dantian and then work her way outward rather than the reverse like she did last time.
She found it much more efficient and even much easier to create.
Next were the Active Mana Pathways. The system didn't give too much advice on this, as it wanted Mika to figure it out for herself, so she decided to start from the feet this time and make her way toward the head.
It took her a bit less time to complete this trial, and Mika asked the System for its advice after she finished.
[I'd give it a 45%. You can still do better in creating your mana core. Your passive mana pathways are decent, but you can still eliminate some unnecessary movements. The main issue is with your active mana pathways, but I want you to figure this out yourself.]
Mika was happy that her grade went up an entire 15% compared to last time but was still depressed to know there was another 55% to go. That's over half of her potential she's not utilizing.
If she put it into cultivation time, out of 10 years of training, she could shave off at least 5.5 years if she perfected her Mana Core and Pathways. That's 5.5 years she could be spending doing something else! Like focusing on her swordsmanship!
She went back to meditating and began noting down areas she went wrong and how she could improve them. After doing that, she exited her [Mind Space] and studied her physical body more to ensure she didn't miss any minor details.
Then went back into her [Mind Space] to try again.
.
.
.
Mika kept doing this until she reached her 10th try.
On this try, she had almost perfected her Passive Mana Pathways, but it wasn't until this try that she finally had an epiphany on what she needed to do for her Active Mana Pathways.
They were inefficient because she created them one by one instead of simultaneously!
But that wasn't only the case for Active Mana Pathways, either. This concerned both!
If she wanted to perfect her Passive Mana Pathways, she'd need to set aside an equal amount of mana for each pathway and create them all at the same time.
In fact, she even speculated that she'd need to do this for both Active and Passive Mana Pathways all at once!
Meaning she either needed to split her mind between doing several tasks at the same time or she needed to have created the pathways so many times that it's just second nature.
Obviously, she hoped she could do the former since the latter would take so much time, but splitting one's mind is incomparably harder than creating Mana Pathways. So she opted for the second option, thus starting her adventure of grinding Mana Pathways until she could do it without thinking.
.
.
.
One hundred attempts later, Mika finally memorized all of the branches for her Mana Pathways needed to take, and she could form them in her sleep.
However, it wasn't over yet! Now it was time for her to do all of them at once!
.
.
.
Another 250 attempts later, Mika could simultaneously create all Active and Passive Mana Pathway branches without thinking. The System said that she had maximized her Innate Mana and made the best Mana Circuit she could possibly make.
Her Mana Core and Pathways couldn't be more perfect. Her Mana Core had a higher quality and quantity of Mana than before, her Pathways were slightly bigger with no wasted movements, and Mana glided through her body like butter.
Although Mika was satisfied with this, she wanted to practice and study her physical body more before actually trying the real thing. She only had one shot and didn't want to mess it up.
Therefore, she went back to grinding more.
.
.
.
Mika practiced, practiced, and practiced some more until there were only 3 days left before she reached the deadline of the Quest.
By this point, she had lost count of how many times she had spent creating her Mana Core and Pathways, but it was hundreds of times; maybe it even reached the thousands.
'It's time to do this for real. I've done this so often that it should be like second nature to me, but I can't become complacent. I only have one shot at this; my growth potential might be stunted if I fail! ,' Mika decided.
[Beware, Host, that when you go through this process with your real body, there will be a few differences from when you did it in your Mind Space. These differences won't alter your creations, so proceed as you normally would.]
'I'll keep that in mind, System.' Mika acknowledged, 'All I can do now is do my best!' She hyped herself up and canceled her [Mind Space], returning her consciousness to her physical body.
Mika took a few deep breaths, cleared her mind, activated [Meditation], and emptied her mind of everything other than the hundreds and thousands of times she formed her Mana Core and Pathways.
After reaching a point of total concentration, she started creating her Mana Circuit.
The System told her there would be something different about this attempt, which came immediately as soon as her mind entered her dantian. There were two different types of energies on top of the mana already there. Although they were all mana, there was something a little different about these two.
One gave off a warm yet fiery feeling, and the other gave off a cold and dark feeling.
Still, she didn't let this get to her, as the System told her to proceed as usual. She concentrated on the clump of mana in the center of her dantian. She then separated that clump into countless minuscule portions while setting aside one big chunk to perfectly elevate her dantian into a Mana Core.
Finally, with a thought, the countless minuscule portions of mana drilled throughout her body, forming both her Passive and Active Mana Pathways. Meanwhile, the large chunk she separated from the rest entered her dantian, changing it into a perfect sphere and creating her Mana Core, but there was a slight twist.
Warm and fiery energy intertwined with the cold and dark energy until the two mixed together and merged with her dantian, upgrading it into a Mana Core.
This process went on for a few minutes before everything connected, and a surge of mana shot through her pathways, purging any filth that might have accumulated in her body. Of course, since she was still a fetus, there weren't any impurities; the only thing Mika was left with was overwhelming power!
Or so it seemed, but that wasn't exactly wrong. For a fetus, she was incredibly overpowered!
Suddenly, Mika heard the System's pings, alerting her that she had completed her Quest!
[Congratulations, Host, for completing the quest and taking your first step toward Godhood!]
[Title Unlocked: Body Of Mana(EX)]
[Elemental Affinities Unlocked!]
[Fire Affinity(EX) Unlocked]
[Darkness Affinity(EX) Unlocked]
[Unique Body Cultivation Power System Unlocked]