A chilly sweat formed on Leo's brow as he woke up.
"Oh my god, nightmares!" It wasn't unusual to sometimes experience nightmares once monsters had entered the planet. Since his first mission should have been simpler for new recruits, it had a lasting effect on him. All they had to do was take out zombies in that particular region.
The arrival of an evolved zombie, much less one of second rank, took them by surprise nonetheless, since the quantity of zombies outnumbered the information supplied. Had they been aware of it, they would have requested to have an enhancer accompany them.
Even though the scouts were plainly at fault, their captain's ties to higher echelon meant that they were held accountable for the mission's failure rather than the scouts. Leo realized then that individuals in positions of authority found no use for his life as a soldier. They could have replaced him.
Leo sighed and wiped away his perspiration when he noticed that Willie and Adam were still asleep. He then forced a little grin to escape his menacing thoughts. "I believe it's time to figure out how to turn my regression to my advantage." Well, it may be a fun little experiment.
Leo was revitalized and rested after his little nap. He sat on the ground, folding his legs and going into a meditative posture.
What he was trying to do required nothing extraordinary from him. Well, maybe only peace of mind.
Increasing spirit points was not the sole way to get mana. Although it was by far the simplest way to build his mana pool, he might still use a less efficient but more productive strategy to do it. It simply took more patience and dedication from him.
Leo took a long breath and attempted to clear his thoughts, leaving it utterly blank. To attain mental blankness, he concentrated his attention on his body. He saw how air entered his lungs via the nose and exited via his mouth.
He gradually improved his ability to hear his heartbeat. Every pulse was vividly audible in his thoughts. At the same moment, his heartbeat began to slow.
Actually, it was strange to feel everything happening in his body: how air entered his lungs, how his heartbeat started slowing down, and how the blood flowed through his vessels.
After half an hour in this state, Leo was unable to concentrate on anything else ...he had entered a strange trance. His pulse rate was so sluggish that he might be mistaken for a sleeping person. Of course, if not for his unusual sleeping position.
Leo became semi-conscious, sensing that his thoughts had drifted away from his body. That's when he sensed them. Blue spheres of light encircled his body, similar to those of fireflies. Or were they not blue? He had serious doubts about the concept of color in mental perception.
Nonetheless, he focused on one of them, wrapping his mind around the nearest globe of light. Touching it with his consciousness, he felt as if he didn't exist in front of the sphere of light, which had a huge power. And that strength was putting pressure on his psyche. It seemed like it was opposing his will.
He gradually overcame its fruitless resistance and drew the sphere of light closer to himself. The secret was to be patient and not pull it too quickly; otherwise, the sphere of light would try to break free from his grip.
When he finally absorbed his first particle of mana, a system notification appeared before his eyes.
[You have unlocked a new skill, Meditation LVL-1].
[Regression is reacting towards your new skill.]
[Meditation LVL-1 upgraded into Meditation LVL-3]
The rapid succession of system messages astounded Leo. He never imagined that his descent would yet have more shocks for him.
'Can it transfer my experience from my previous life to my current one to help me improve my skills?' Leo believed it was a decent concept because his meditation had advanced to the level of his former existence. He was certain of it since he had deteriorated very quickly.
In his previous existence, survivors discovered that they could draw mana from their environment, but most individuals continued to add attribute points to their spirit stats since increasing mana in such a manner was too difficult.
Leo understood that spirit metrics were more about soul strength than mana. Strengthening the soul results in an increase in mana.
Leo had trained rigorously in his previous life, picking up numerous tactics to strengthen himself, so he was able to master meditation, however, it took a long time to acquire.
Meditation as a talent was not primarily about mana absorption. Even without this talent, humans might attempt to absorb mana from their environment. However, only a handful were able to do this. People must have a strong affinity for mana in order to absorb it from their environment. However, the majority of humans lacked any sort of mana affinity. It also included Leo.
However, even without a mana affinity, Leo was able to absorb it from his surroundings. It was all due to the meditation skill or the notion of entering a semi-conscious state, that underpins the talent.
While everyone experiences semi-consciousness on a regular basis, few actually understand the condition he was referring to. Nonetheless, having dreams was part of being semi-conscious. Because of this condition, individuals have vivid dreams that are difficult to recall while awake.
Leo was able to replicate a dream-like condition by decreasing his pulse rate and emptying his mind. As less blood flowed to his brain, he was able to enter a semi-conscious condition in which he could imagine spreading his thoughts beyond his body. As a result, he was able to gain from such a situation. Entering a semi-conscious condition, he was able to extend and refine his senses, allowing him to feel mana around him despite his lack of mana affinity.
Although it appeared simple at first glance, Leo spent a long time understanding the sensation of emptying his thoughts, not to mention lowering his heartbeat. It was difficult to study when you did not comprehend what was expected of you. So Leo wasted months learning meditation.
'If I can transfer my former talents, then...' Still ecstatic with his findings, he decided to abandon his meditative state and attempt another talent from his previous life.
He timed his breathing to urge his heart to pump blood more quickly via the blood vessels. It was the polar opposite of when he sought to slow down his heartbeat to attain a meditative state.
As his heart pounded quicker than usual, his body began to heat up. Leo felt more energetic and less lethargic than usual. However, at the last second, he felt a great ache in his heart, as if it had been punctured by a knife or was about to burst.
Leo convulsed on the floor, gasping for oxygen and clutching his heart. Leo clenched his teeth, trying to withstand the discomfort. It felt like his entire body was being ripped as his heart was about to explode.
Fortunately, after several minutes, the discomfort gradually subsided, and he was able to stand up shortly after.
'It appears that I should wait till I have adequate stamina.' Leo moaned uncomfortably as he reflected on that issue. He was prepared for the blowback from the start. People with a stronger physique and more stamina are often better able to learn the talent they desire.
He thought that his regression would reduce the criteria for learning the talent, allowing him to master it more easily. He appeared overconfident in his abilities. However, it was beneficial to understand the limitations of his regression. Its potential to transfer his experience to his next existence was sufficient for him.
Leo realizes that he is unable to meet the fundamental prerequisites for mastering the skill. Making conclusions in his head, Leo started planning on how to use his innate ability. Then, realizing he had unmet skill requirements, Leo chose to meditate until his companions woke up.
Noticing a quicker entry into a meditative state, Leo attributed it to his growing familiarity with the process. Simultaneously, he absorbed blue particles of light in just eight and a half minutes, faster than the usual ten. The time had gone down to eight and a half minutes.
As he was immersed in his meditation, time flew by. At some point, Willie and Adam woke up from their slumber.
The first thing they noticed after waking up was Leo, who sat cross-legged. It was difficult to miss the sight of a person seated on the floor in a monk-like pose, drawing attention.
"Leo, what are you doing?" Upon witnessing Leo's meditation, Willie couldn't contain his astonishment and exclaimed in surprise. Both he and Adam were surprised to see Leo waking up earlier than them, not to say, meditating next to the wall.
Upon noticing their movements, Leo had already left his meditative state.
"I just think that there should be a way to increase mana without adding points into the spirit. That's when I recalled web novels about cultivation and mages. I think there's no harm in trying, so I'm trying to absorb mana from the surroundings." Leo tried to explain himself.
Willie seemed to be in a daze, understanding what Leo meant, while Adam looked like he got a general gist of what he wanted to say.
"Are you talking about those stories you read on rare occasions? Though I'm not into it, should I also try it?" Adam was the first one to propose it. However, he didn't know much about it since he had never read web novels in his life.
When Adam proposed to join him, Willie chipped in since, compared to Adam, he was more knowledgeable in that aspect. Moreover, both of them had nothing to do in any way.
"Adam, if you want it, you can try absorbing mana. However, keep your expectations realistic. I haven't made significant progress on it either. It's more challenging than you think. As for you, Willie, I want you to work on your Innate ability." Leo didn't have high hopes that Adam would achieve that, but it was better than doing nothing.
As for Willie, their survival depended on his life pulse. The faster he learns how to control the range of his Innate abilities, the more chances they will have to survive.
"But I already tried it before. I have no idea how to do it." Willie tried to retract his words, but Leo was unwavering.
"Don't be too hasty. Initially, try to direct your life pulse in one direction. It is your ability, and only you know how to use it. My assistance may be limited in this regard." Leo was sincere here. Even though he knew that it was possible to control an innate ability, he never had one in his past life. Hence, the help he could provide was limited.
Occasionally sharing his insights with them, Leo wanted to plan their next step. However, his immediate priority was to check how much mana he had gathered.
'Status'
[Leonard Wright]
[Level: 3]
[Class: None]
[Survival coins: 12]
[Mana: 5/5]
[Strength: 16]
[Agility: 10]
[Stamina: 9]
[Intelligence: 11]
[Spirit: 0]
[Attribute points: 0]
[Innate ability: regression]
[Skills: Meditation (LVL 3), Elementary Cooking (LVL 2), Mathematics (LVL 7), Gaming (LVL 8)]
Leo reflected on his mana increase by 5 points in 5 hours, a task that would have normally taken a full day without regression's assistance. Leo acknowledged that as his mana pool grows, the difficulty of increasing it further in the future also escalates, posing a significant challenge.'
As Leo thought, his regression was amazing. Not only had it sent him back in time, but it was also able to transfer his experience from his past to this life.
People couldn't just level up their skills, even if they had enough understanding of them. Skill leveling depended on two main factors.
The first factor was understanding the skill needed to move it to the next level. For example, a person can't have a higher level of math if they don't have knowledge corresponding to the next level.
The second factor depended on how often it was used. The more often you use it, the more adept you will become at it and the faster it will level up. Despite Leo's extensive knowledge of his skills, the reset of his skill usage record posed a significant challenge as he embarked on relearning and mastering them in his current life. That's where his regression comes into play. Regression helps Leo reset his skill usage record to its original state.