Moving on from that, I decided to experiment with what is possible using mana.
First, I cautiously and meticulously began moving one stream of mana at a time. After what felt like months of manipulating the streams, I successfully shaped them into a ball. However, it didn't serve any purpose other than being a mere ball.
Next, I attempted to interact with the mana ball. I tried throwing it, but it moved too sluggishly to achieve anything substantial, so I returned it to its original position.
Then, I experimented with making the ball explode. Initially, I failed because I tried to make the ball explode directly, but it turned out to be more complex than that. I had to individually move each stream of mana to enable the ball to explode.
As I caused the explosion, a brief moment of visibility occurred, allowing me to glimpse the wall of my surroundings.
Suddenly, a blue screen flashed in front of me once again, grabbing my attention.
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Congratulations
You Have Earned A Skill
Mana Vision
To View Skills Say [Skills]
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mana vision? I thought not sure as to what it meant
I open my skills menu to take a look
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Skill
Skill Cost Type
Bloodthirsty Aura (F) I 1 mana I Active
Mana Manipulation (F) I null I Passive
Mana Vision (F) I null I Passive
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I focused my concentration on the skills, and sure enough, the mini blue screen appeared once again.
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Effects
Bloodthirst aura: causes slight fear in beings 6 steps around you
Mana Manipulation: you can move mana slightly better
Mana Vision: You can see using mana 15 steps around you
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After reading that I could see using mana, I decided to give it a try. As I focused my mana, I could make out my surroundings: I was inside a cave with jagged walls. The cave had a circular shape, measuring about five steps in each direction from where I was. Observing myself, I noticed that I was circular and small, about the size of pebbles, but I appeared red in colour.
As I glanced at the ground, or rather, as I realized I had been looking at it all along, I noticed a change in my vision. It seemed that I could see everything within my field of view simultaneously. I spotted a group of black ants nearby, and curiosity got the better of me. I directed a stream of mana towards one of the ants, expecting it to be pierced. However, to my surprise, it exploded upon contact with the mana. The other ants scattered in every direction.
Eager to experiment further, I shot multiple streams of mana simultaneously, causing the remaining ants to meet the same explosive fate. I then scanned the area for any other bugs or creatures, but found none. Instead, there were only sharp and smooth rocks scattered on the ground. I attempted to shoot mana at the rocks, but it had no effect. Instead, a red screen appeared before me.
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Warning
Low Mana
Be Carful not to lose all of your mana
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the screen disappears as I looked away from it, not wanting to waste any more mana I open [menu].
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Menu
Name: Drasker Limnosqun
Gender: Null
Creature Type: Monster
Creature: Dungeon Core
Health: 10 / 10 I Health Regen: 0.1/min
Mana: 1 / 11 I Mana Regen: 0.1/sec
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Intellect: 12 I Wisdom: 12 I Vitality: 5 I Willpower: 10
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I noticed that I currently only had 1 mana, so I decided to wait a couple of minutes until it reached 10. While I was waiting, I realized that it could go up to 11, so I began trying to figure out why. Curious, I opened the [Skills] tab to investigate.
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Skill
Skill Cost Type
Bloodthirsty Aura (F) I 1 mana I Active
Mana Manipulation (D) I null I Passive
Mana Vision (F) I null I Passive
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Noticing that Mana Manipulation had changed from (F) to (D), I decided to take a closer look at its effects.
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Effects
Bloodthirst aura: causes slight fear in beings 6 steps around you
Mana Manipulation: you can move mana better 10% increase in mana
Mana Vision: You can see using mana 15 steps around you
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I noticed that there was a 10% increase to mana, which explained the change in the skill grade. "So that's why," I muttered to myself.
As my mana replenished, I turned my attention to the remains of the exploded ants. Their guts and splattered blood were scattered everywhere, resembling what I assumed to be blood. While inspecting the scene, I noticed a tiny grey mouse entering the cave. It was smaller than most mice, leading me to believe it was a baby or a young one. Curious to see its reaction to the mana in the cave, I observed it closely, but it showed no response. Slowly, I streamed mana towards it, yet there were no noticeable changes. Frustrated by the lack of results, I shot mana directly at the mouse, piercing its heart and causing blood to splatter everywhere. As the mouse perished, I observed a faint glow of light escape its body and flow into my core.
I had expected to feel something during this encounter, but to my surprise, I felt nothing. Perhaps the core had grown slightly, but I couldn't discern any noticeable changes.
A red screen appeared once again.
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You Have slain a baby mouse
Reward: 5 EXP
you can now access Monster tab
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I quickly read the information and realized that EXP existed, and I could access the [Monsters] tab.
To open the monsters tab, I said "Monsters," and a red screen appeared.