I found myself once again in the fascinating fantasy world, my hands tightly clenched around my father as five menacing figures approached me threateningly.
[Skill: Accelerated Perception]
I realized that I had to act quickly. I focused on generating a flow of Qi in Aldric's body - my own body. But to my dismay, I discovered that Aldric had very little Qi.
I gathered the small amount I had and sent it towards my enemies to study them.
[Activated Qi Radar]
It turned out that only one of the figures was a real human. Two of them were harmless illusions that didn't directly threaten me. However, the remaining two figures were doubles who still posed a serious threat.
Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly noticed my brother Julian rushing to my aid, panic in his eyes. I instructed him to ignore the figure on the far right - the illusion - and instead focus on the doppelgänger standing next to it. Julian, fully convinced of my abilities after our last battle, trusted me unconditionally and followed my instructions.
At the same time, I spotted a knife that had fallen to the ground during the turbulent events. Instinctively, I grabbed it and hurled it at the last remaining doppelgänger. I suspected that, similar to my own doppelgängers, he lacked independent intellect.
But while I focused all my attention on the enemies, I couldn't block the strike of the real opponent in time. He hit me forcefully in the chest. A sharp pain surged through my body, and my arm was severed and fell to the ground before rolling a short distance away.
[Pain Reduction activated]
[Basic Regeneration activated]
My survival seemed uncertain, and doubts about my decision to return to this world crept in. Should I have brought Mark?
"You little bastard!" my attacker yelled at me, filled with contempt.
In a desperate attempt to protect me, my father threw himself in front of me with his last bit of strength. He was still weakened by the poisoning, but his instinctual protective drive remained unbroken.
[Warning: Accelerated Perception has reached its limit]
I had to hold on a little longer. This young body should be strong enough to endure it.
But then the dark mage uttered a fateful word: "Shadow Projection!" A shadow materialized and rushed towards me.
[AutoDodge activated]
Desperately, I threw myself to the right to avoid the impending shadow. To my horror, the shadow seemed to immediately follow my movements. I felt that this would be my end. Mentally and physically, I was reaching my limit.
[New form of energy discovered]
[Store energy form as Mana]
[Transcribe Qi Radar to Mana Radar.]
I felt it in all its splendor. It resembled Qi, except that Mana would be like gas while Qi was fluid. It permeated the space like tiny particles, and it seemed as if I could draw it from my surroundings. Qi, in its essence, was drawn from within, a manifestation of the inner energy and life force within oneself. Mana, on the other hand, was drawn from outside, a cosmic energy that flowed into the physical world from external sources. To illustrate the similarity, one could compare it to microwave radiation and radio waves - theoretically the same, but on a different wavelength.
Just as Qi was an internal force that could be cultivated and harnessed through practices like meditation and martial arts, Mana was an external force that could be tapped into by connecting with the natural elements and the spiritual realms.
Perfect. I greedily absorbed as much Mana as possible and used it to form a new hand by using my skill "Earth Doppelganger." I drew the required earth from my Dimension Storage.
I stood up:
[Light Heal]
the wound on my chest slowly closed.
"Oh, you've picked a fight with the wrong person," I whispered challengingly.