Tommy's heart raced as he stood in front of the bustling marketplace, his eyes scanning the small stack of bills in his hand. He had just cashed out the cores from his solo Parasite Dungeon raid, and the result was nothing short of overwhelming. Two thousand dollars. The biggest payout he'd ever received in a single raid—and it was all his.
No one had been there to split the loot. No one had helped him. Just a single adventurer, relying on nothing but grit, desperation, and a little bit of mana.
Tommy looked at the money in his hand, his fingers closing around the bills with a sense of disbelief. It wasn't just the cash; it was the validation. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, but for someone who had spent so long in the shadow of more powerful adventurers, it felt like an impossible achievement.
He pocketed the cash, his heart swelling with a rare sense of accomplishment.
When he reached his small apartment, he threw open the door and collapsed onto the couch, kicking off his boots. His body ached, but there was a new fire inside him. He felt it deep in his bones: this was just the beginning.
Tommy stretched out on the couch, his thoughts already spinning. His mana had recharged quickly—faster than he expected—and he felt the familiar pulse of energy in his veins. He had already pushed his body to the limit, but now there was something else to focus on. He had money, and for the first time in a long time, he had *options.*
He grabbed his tablet from the coffee table and opened a website where adventurers connected, chatted, and exchanged tips. It was a forum of sorts, one of the few places where adventurers of all ranks came together to discuss strategy, gear, and techniques. Tommy had spent many nights scrolling through it in the past, absorbing whatever he could find about the world of dungeons and magic.
As his eyes scanned the various posts, one caught his attention: 'Free Skill Guide: Mana Blast.' His heart skipped a beat. This was it—the one thing he had been hoping for. He had been struggling with his mana, trying to understand it, control it, and use it to his advantage. A skill guide was exactly what he needed.
He clicked the link eagerly, scrolling through the description. The skill was simple enough to understand: 'Mana Blast—focus your mana outward into a ball of energy and shoot it to cause damage. The stronger the blast, the more mana required.'
It sounded easy enough. Focusing mana outward, he thought. 'That's the trick. Just concentrate it and fire.'
He couldn't afford to wait. Tommy grabbed his jacket and hurried outside to his backyard, eager to put the theory into practice. The small yard was a mess of overgrown grass and weeds, bordered by a wooden fence that had seen better days.
Tommy stood in the middle of the yard, took a deep breath, and tried to center his focus. He could feel the mana inside him, swirling, alive with energy. He knew he could do it—he had to.
His hands began to tremble as he extended them out in front of him, just as the guide described. The first few attempts were failures—nothing happened. He felt a dull pressure in his chest, like a balloon waiting to pop, but no matter how hard he concentrated, he couldn't produce the blast.
"Why isn't it working?" Tommy's mind raced. He could feel the mana, could almost taste it on the edge of his senses. But he couldn't control it.
He remembered what he had done in the Parasite Dungeon, how the mana had surged inside him in his moment of desperation, how he had used it to push his body beyond its limits. But that had been instinct—he hadn't been thinking about controlling it. It was pure, wild desperation that had made it work.
He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "Focus. Focus."
This wasn't desperation. This was control.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and imagined the mana inside him—not as a chaotic force, but as a contained ball of power. He focused on that feeling of power, like a wellspring waiting to be tapped. He could feel the mana gathering, swirling inside him. This time, he was more careful, more deliberate.
Slowly, a tiny spark of energy formed between his palms. It wasn't much—just a faint glimmer. But it was a start.
Tommy exhaled sharply, feeling the pressure build. He pushed harder, focusing every ounce of energy into the ball. His hands burned with the effort, and for a moment, he thought he might collapse under the strain. But then—
A blast of light shot from his palms, sending a shockwave through the yard.
*Success!*
The blast struck the fence, exploding on impact with such force that the wood splintered and splintered apart. The shockwave knocked Tommy off his feet, sending him sprawling to the ground. His heart raced, and his ears rang from the sudden explosion.
"That was..." Tommy's thoughts scrambled as he scrambled to his feet. His hands were shaking, his heart hammering in his chest.
The damage was more than he had anticipated. The blast had completely destroyed a large section of his fence—he could see the jagged remnants of wood scattered across the yard. His gaze shifted back to his hands, wide-eyed. "That wasn't normal."
He had expected it to be like the weak, half-formed blasts he'd seen others use—something small, controlled, maybe a little impressive. But this… this was three times as powerful as a regular adventurer's Mana Blast. He could barely comprehend it.
His heart skipped a beat. "Why?"
Tommy quickly wiped the sweat from his brow, his mind racing. He couldn't explain it. Was it his body? Was it the mana inside him? Or was it something else entirely? Maybe the Rank C potion he had taken earlier had boosted his control over the mana somehow. Or maybe the surge of power had unlocked something deeper within him.
"It doesn't matter," Tommy thought, shaking his head. "I've got it. I've figured it out."
Excited but cautious, Tommy decided to continue practicing. He stood up again, taking a few minutes to catch his breath before attempting the Mana Blast again. This time, he focused even harder, drawing more mana into his body. He could feel his energy levels fluctuating, and the strain of the effort was already beginning to show. But he refused to stop.
Over the next hour, Tommy fired five more blasts, each one a little weaker than the last. He was pushing his limits, testing the boundaries of his newfound power. After the fifth shot, a sudden fatigue hit him like a hammer. His body was exhausted, his muscles sore from the effort.
"That's it. I'm done for now."
Tommy staggered back inside, feeling his mana already beginning to recharge. But as he sat down to rest, he realized that something had shifted. His limit had increased, and he felt more capable than ever. The ability to fire off five Mana Blasts before collapsing had been a revelation, but there was still more he could do.
He quickly checked his stock of supplies. He had enough money to buy more potions.
Tommy made his way to the Adventurer's Marketplace, where he purchased two Rank E Mana Potions. These potions were weaker than the Rank C one, but they would still help him extend his endurance. He could feel his excitement bubbling up as he walked home.
When he returned to his apartment, he uncorked the first potion and drank it, feeling the familiar surge of mana rush into him. It wasn't as powerful as the Rank C potion, but it would do.
He rested for a few minutes, then repeated the process with the second potion.
His mana pool expanded. His body, while still fatigued, felt more alive, more capable. Tommy felt the difference almost immediately. He could sense the energy coursing through him, and his muscles no longer felt as heavy.
Excited by the progress, he headed back outside, eager to test his new limits. This time, he managed to fire off seven Mana Blasts before the fatigue became too much for him to handle. It wasn't as much as he wanted, but it was a huge improvement from earlier.
His face split into a grin as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He had done it. He had figured out how to control his mana.
Tommy stood there, looking at the remains of his destroyed fence, feeling a surge of joy.
But the excitement didn't last long. He had achieved something incredible, yes, but there was still so much more to be done. He was improving, but he wasn't where he needed to be—not yet.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Tommy registered for a dungeon that was just a little more difficult than the Parasite Dungeon. A challenge was exactly what he needed.
This time, he wasn't going in as the underdog. This time, he was going in with a plan.
And maybe, just maybe, this time he wouldn't be forgotten.