She said that I should observe my mana core.
So I try to do that. I look into my soul and try to feel the imprinted mana coursing through my core.
Actually, mana doesn't flow into my mana core, it's an imprinted element that travels inside, which then flows into the mana cipher through the mana vein connecting the two together.
I can't sense the imprinted element though, my soul sense isn't good enough, which will, of course, soon change. So I shouldn't be focused on what goes into the mana core; it's what comes out that my great self should be focused on.
The mana core sends out imprinted mana to the outer layer, so it gets reinforced, although, thinking about it now, the function of the core is quite useless. If I can control the mana in my body with my mind, why does the soul need this heart knock-off to move imprinted mana?
Hmm, maybe it's an evolutionary thing? Did this world's human ancestors need this mana core thing to move their mana, and it stuck around through evolution? Wait, how can I move mana through just thought?
That seems quite odd, maybe it's something about the imprinted element? Although now that I observe, the mana that comes out of the core doesn't change speed, it moves with the same velocity through the mana veins.
So that means the soul doesn't use the mana core to pump the imprinted mana through itself. Then what the hell is its use?
Well, I suppose I should just go to the library rather than spend time trying to figure out what's going on with my lavish intelligence alone.
As I read through the Soul Anatomy book, which goes more thoroughly into the functions of the mana organs, I figured out the actual purpose of the mana core.
According to this book, the mana core is mostly nothing like the heart, the only similarities between them are that both organs are responsible for transporting. But the mana core doesn't pump mana like I originally thought.
Apparently, the mana core and the mana veins are basically the same organ, but stupid little humans decided that it would be simpler to just separate them.
The mana core constantly gets updated on what kind of condition the outer layer of the soul is in and sends the mana veins signals on how much mana to send where.
The mana veins, apparently, can transport imprinted mana by themselves somehow; it doesn't say how in the book. Although it is written that it does have something to do with the imprinted element in the mana.
So transporting imprinted mana is more like breathing than circulating blood. Because you can control imprinted mana by yourself, like breathing. This happens when a person subconsciously transmits signals into their mana core, and the mana core interprets those signals into orders for the mana vessels to complete.
As time passes, the brain gets better at transmitting more and more convincing orders to the mana core.
So the teacher told me to observe the mana core to get a better hang of what kind of information I should send the mana core. What did she assume I knew this already? What a stupid teacher.
So I return home and start doing what I am actually supposed to do, and yes, I do sense where I need to improve and change. No thanks to that useless teacher.
Time passes by in this infernal academy, my soul sense improves, and some of the more diligent students in my class move on to the second step.
My social life stayed the same; no one really suspects anything at this point. If there were any blemishes to my masterful acting skills as Ustos, they're probably being counted as a natural change in his personality.
On the annoying side, Keswick is getting more talkative lately; she's probably getting over her trauma and all. I tried my best to not be there for her in her most needed time, but unfortunately, as her only friend, my efforts proved futile in the end.
Ustos has gotten a lot less energetic. He just sits in his chair, all tired. I think it's because of a vitamin D deficiency, so I decided to move him over to a window, which is a bit risky, so I decided the only time he will be exposed to sunlight is when I'm home. There shouldn't be other problems with his health, well aside from maybe his mental state, which I am just not going to bother myself with.
I also bought the spatial ring from that one stall I found when I was with Keswick. I was eager to try it out, but then I learned that the ring needs mana to function—my mana, to be more exact—and I can't release any mana from my soul yet.