I could feel it...
Mana actively coursing through my veins...
But just as soon as I touched on that foreign mental state, I lost the accompanying sense of euphoria that came along with it, while my concentration broke the next second.
But I didn't sulk too long about that.
"I did it," that was all that mattered to me, "I felt the passive flow of Mana inside of me!"
I was ecstatic and could almost jump for joy or howl at the moon.
This was an incredible achievement for me. The meditations and mental exercises ultimately paid off after four days.
Though I lost the sensation as soon as I glimpsed it, I wasn't too worried about that. The meditation exercises were already completed internally; all that was left was to be capable of passively sensing my internal flow of Mana without having to enter a total state of concentration.
It should be a new sense to me.
And with this, I was brought a single step closer to learning magic...and toward being a Magic Swordsman.
Cough.
I was immediately tempted to return to meditation until I could easily sense Mana almost passively, but my time was nearly elapsed. Despite how quickly time seemed to have gone by, I had been sitting cross-legged for close to thirty minutes already. In only a matter of time, I'll be having the night watch guards patrol through this area.
I took one last lingering glance at the single page in my hand. The various illustrations drawn on it described the various forms and positions discovered to be suitable for one to learn how to sense their Mana...and control it.
"Soon. Just not now. But soon," I told myself, folding the single page and tucking it away inside my clothes. Then I returned home.
*
*
*
*
Mana Control was the first step in the Cultivation or Refinement stage. One needed to be able to passively sense the flow of Mana internally to control it as desired. Only then could a mage truly cast spells and use magic.
I had made a significant breakthrough the other night, but it took a few days longer before I could move on to the next step of manipulating my Mana.
In the meantime, I returned to my usual sword practice routine with the gang.
It had only been a little over three months since I began learning under both Mr. Ridge and privately with Cliff. Without much surprise, we were still understanding the basics and building up our bodies.
That encompassed a lot of exercise sessions. And I mean a lot.
"No...no more. Please..." Don fell to the ground, his tongue exhaustedly rolled out of his mouth. His creamish-brown hair was soaked and stuck to his face with sweat, glinting under the sunlight.
"C...come on...w-we have...one more lap to complete..." Leon was hunched over, supported by his knees. His golden blonde hair appeared more shimmering as his expression paled. He spoke with lasting intervals of wheezing and panting.
"What the hell...," Kyle groaned, rolling in the dirty ground, then threw me an incredulous glance and accused, "how are you still standing?"
I managed a strained smile as I struggled to calm and restrain my breathing.
"Don't even begin to compare yourselves," Leon scoffed, standing up straight and slicking back his sticky, wet hair from his face. He threw an accusative finger at me and added, "That guy is just built different. Trust me, you'll get depressed."
"Haaa....." Don wheezed and rolled onto his back, staring emptily at the clear sky with his tongue sticking out.
"I'm not... I'm not even gonna try thinking about it," he panted, "it'll all make sense if you just justify it as Reo."
"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" I muttered, unclear how to feel about that revelation, then noticed the other two nodding in silent agreement.
"In any case, we should get going. We don't want my father to find out we're here slacking off," Leon gave a tired sigh and looked ahead helplessly.
Our recent routine consisted of three laps around the entire village, and we all quickly felt the weight of this 'little' exercise. Even I was quickly burning through my immense stamina at an alarming rate. I was only grateful for my mental fortitude and resilient body to have come this far without sprawling against the ground like the others.
The weeks after the Incident, I had already begun training my body, so that also played a part to some extent. But no matter how much I did, three laps around this 'little' village would inevitably get me panting and grasping for air as I was.
"No...wait...ughhh, I wish I were in Lia and Trise's shoes; under the cool shade of a tree...drinking tea and talking about boys...away from all the sweat and struggle...and sweat..." Don began to mutter wistfully, his voice slowly trailing off.
"What makes you think they talk about boys?" Kyle sluggishly turned his head and asked tiredly.
"Hm?" Don reacted similarly then shifted his gaze to look at me before looking back at Kyle.
"...Just a hunch." He tried to shrug, but his shoulders wouldn't move.
'And what was with that suspicious glance?' I thought silently, refusing to voice my thoughts aloud to avoid drawing attention back to the earlier topic about me.
We got back on the last lap, and it wasn't all that surprising to say...
Don passed out from heat stroke before the end...
*
*
*
*
A few more days passed until I finally decided I was ready to move on to the next stage, which was Mana Flow Control.
I raced through the night forest woods in all black, evading the trees and leaping over fallen logs. Silently, internally, I performed the mental exercises and forms as a warm-up.
Tapping into this warm-up, I felt a strange essence running throughout my body—a serene and powerful energy.
'I see. These are the Mana Veins the old book spoke about; the canals transporting Mana directly from the Core across the entire body.'
Mana Veins were like special non-physical organs, different from typical blood veins. These were the tiny and narrow paths through which Mana from the Core could flow to reach any desired path.
'The book stated that Mana could also be used to passively boost one's physical capabilities, but only to a small extent.' However, that was only in a passive state.
I had an inkling that if there were spells or skills to enhance physical abilities, this slight boost from Mana could turn out to be really significant when Mana is actively used to reinforce the body.
(A/N: do not misunderstand, this isn't like using Mana to augment the body and acquiring super physical capabilities. The body, when Mana is engaged, is merely made sturdy enough to withstand the recoils of most spells. So in a sense, Mages have slightly more sturdier bodies than Dormant or regular humans. I plan to make my Mages in this book just that, Mages who cast spells from the back line, not divided into types or categories of Augmenters or Emitters.)
Tonight, I was heading even deeper than my usual location.
After being able to sense my Mana both passively and actively, the next step—manipulating and controlling the Mana—could prove to be disastrous and dangerous for first-timers or beginners.
My dark figure streaked through the forest of trees and eventually reached a stop at a small clearing deep inside the woods. I paused to look around, raising my concentration and awareness. This was a massive risk I was taking, in more ways than one, by venturing so deep into the forest this late at night.
I faced the risk of being ambushed by packs of wild animals or prowling monsters. For this reason, I had my dagger with me. I wasn't fully confident I could kill a monster or two all on my own with just this—maybe a wild animal I could manage—but I was certain I could at least escape and outrun them.
I wasn't the same kid from three months ago in a dark tunnel...
I pulled out my dagger and stabbed it into the ground before me, then sat cross-legged on the scattered leaves and twigs covering the surface.
Mana control and manipulation was a delicate process, with adverse effects if done incorrectly. Mana control involved drawing one's Mana from the Core and manipulating it to suit the mage's desires.
A single slight mistake in this process for a beginner like myself could prove fatal. That's why accurately sensing Mana came first on the list.
For first-timers attempting Mana Control, the slightest fault could result in lasting injuries—like fracturing your Mana Core or damaging your Mana Veins. Other consequences included losing control of your Mana or spell.
Just like I had a few times in the past...
When I thought of that, I'd shudder at how lucky I had been to have somehow survived those times without anything seriously dangerous happening to me.
'I couldn't actively or passively sense Mana, that's why my spells from the other time went haywire and out of my control.'
And here I was about to attempt the same thing again with a small fire spell as practice. It wasn't exactly a spell; I was simply going to manipulate my Mana to conjure fire out of thin air. The book had already explained how to do that, so there was no problem there.
But I couldn't shake the thought and image of a large-scale bushfire that kept popping up in my head...
'No, no, no, no. Don't think about it...how hard could it be? Pretty hard maybe...but worst-case scenario, I'd just explode on the spot.'
Ah, yes. That was also an option for failure's penalty.
***
A/N:
Heyy, guys. Feelin' lively?
Alright, this Author won't take much of your time. I appreciate the support so far, especially with those who have come this far with me. We're only a few chapters left before rounding up the first volume, and following that I will be locking the chapters, so I hope you continue to give my book a chance even then, and at your own will.
But until then, please show your friendly support by voting us some power stones. It has already been a few long months since the power stones meter has gone beyond 6-7, shamelessly and regrettably. Certainly, the view count rises, but it would really help me in more ways than one if I had my work appreciated. Only then can I continue to provide to you all my best and finest contents.
I earnestly love writing, even since I was a little kid. I love books and reading webnovel, so being able to create one like this, believe it or not, is, perhaps embarrassingly, one of the few treasures and accomplishments I can boldly call my own.
I wouldn't want to lose that.
I wouldn't want to stop writing.
Welp, seems I got carried away, and said some really cringe sounding stuff. Again, thank you for the support, and I look forward to a favorable relationship between us.
See you tomorrow. Byeee.
This Neighborhood Author, DBM_Novelist.