After I finished adjusting my status, I started to stretch, thinking about exercising and practicing. I was itching to use magic, having only heard about it in stories. While stretching, I looked up and noticed that the sun had risen, warming the ground a little. The chill I had felt earlier was fading. I checked my clock—it was 9:49 a.m. more than four hours had passed! I must have been so absorbed in exploring my new powers that I didn't even notice how quickly time was flying.
I started to feel hungry, even though with my celestial body, I technically didn't need to eat or drink. Still, I like to eat delicious food and I was happy I didn't need to eat meat to survive out here in the wild forest. Being a vegetarian, that would've been a tough decision. Now, I was thinking about finding some wild fruits. Since nothing could harm me anymore, I didn't even have to worry about poison.
I remembered that while I was in the sky, I'd seen a lake nearby. I figured I should head there—it was about 1 or 2 kilometres away, near the spot where my punch had landed. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed the dead monster and thought about uploading it to the game shop. I went over to it and saw that insects had already started feasting on its blood and flesh. I uploaded it to the game shop, and as the body was sucked into the screen, all the insects were automatically removed. The monster earned me 100 shop currency, but unfortunately, the cheapest potion available cost 200 currency. I would need to kill more monsters. I couldn't show any sympathy toward monsters that had been affected by abyssal energy.
After that, I picked up my HDMI cable from the ground, went to my computer, plugged it back in, and stored the entire setup in my storage. I also stored my headphones, phone, charger, and even my watch, keeping only watch slot's time flow normally. I decided not to wear it since I didn't want to risk damaging it. I also stored my old clothes and slippers, thinking I'd try to wash the blood out of them later.
Now, I was heading toward the lake. I opened the map to see if I could find anything, but as expected, it didn't show much. I felt a bit disappointed, realizing I couldn't upgrade the map with map points since I hadn't included that in cheat. If I had known, I would've added it for sure. Oh well, I guess I'd just have to level up and deal with it.
While walking, I had an idea: What if I used my level 15 appraisal skill on the map? Maybe it could reveal more details. I tried it, and to my surprise, it worked! The map showed detailed information for an area 1Km around me, down to the exact details of every tree. It even gave me the option to detect insects and bacteria. As I scanned the area, I found some bushes filled with multiple-coloured berries. I hurried over and used appraisal on them. I found out that three of the berries were edible: Strawberries, Mulberries (Shahtoot), and Goji Berries, while two others—Ivy Berries and Pokeweed Berries—were poisonous. I collected all of them and stored them in my inventory. I took the poisonous berries as well since appraisal said they could be used to craft poisonous weapons and were ingredients for several types of potions. I organized the berries into separate slots and stopped the time in those slots to keep them fresh. It was quite useful being able to control the time flow for each slot individually.
After collecting all the berries, I continued walking toward the lake, snacking on the edible ones. They were extremely tasty and juicy. I took a particular liking to the tangy flavour of the Mulberries and decided I'd make a pie or jam out of them later. Curiosity got the best of me, so I also tried tasting the poisonous berries. The pokeweed berries had a mildly sweet taste, but they weren't even close to the others. The ivy berries, on the other hand, were extremely bitter—I spat them out the moment they touched my tongue. If they didn't have any use, I would've just tossed them away.
While walking toward the lake, I noticed a glowing plant. Curious, I used appraisal on it:
Name: Blueleaf Berry
Description: A small, round berry with a distinct blue hue and shiny leaves.
Effects: Restores 50 HP per second for 10 seconds when consumed.
Taste: Sweet-tart
Other Properties: Can be used as an ingredient in low-level health potions.
Rarity: Common
Location: Found near lakes and rivers.
There were 10 berries on the plant, and I collected all of them, placing them in a separate slot labelled "Magical Berries" in my storage. After that, I continued walking, and after a while, I finally reached the lake. I hadn't encountered any monsters on the way, which might have seemed lucky, but considering my luck stat, it didn't really add up.
At the lake, I decided it was time to practice magic. According to the descriptions, all I had to do was imagine the spell, and it would work. I tried imagining water forming in my hand—but nothing happened. Then I switched to wind, trying to create a gust—again, nothing. I went through every element, but still, nothing worked. Frustrated, I kicked a nearby tree—and it broke. I had forgotten how much I'd increased my strength. The tree nearly fell on me, but I dodged it just in time.
After calming down, I remembered there were books on magic energy in the shop inventory. I quickly opened it, retrieved the book titled "Basic Energy Management," and skimmed through it using my photographic memory. This book explained how to control MP and prana energy, and provided instructions for casting basic magic at Magic Skill level 1. It also covered summoning magic, beast taming, support and healing spells, and using prana energy in martial arts. Surprisingly, it even had chants for spells, though the skill descriptions hadn't mentioned anything about chanting. There was no mention of divine or abyssal energy, but I couldn't expect too much from a basic book. Still, this was a treasure for me at the moment.
According to the book, MP is stored in the heart, while prana energy is stored in the stomach. To use magic, you have to imagine the power coming from your heart while chanting the spell. The chant felt a bit childish and embarrassing, but I was eager to try it and there is no one watching me. I attempted the basic water spell Water Wall, which had a chant in Rasvani:
"O Energy, emerge from my heart, flow through my veins, and transform into water—guard me with your strength! Water Wall!"
As I recited the chant, I felt something flow from my heart to my hand, and suddenly, water emerged, forming a wall. I was so excited to see it work. The sensation of magic flowing through me wasn't exactly warm; it felt more like the sudden change when you remove your hand from an ice bucket and dip it in warm water—constantly shifting between cold and hot. It was a unique and refreshing feeling.
After that, I tried a few more spells from the book, including Fireball, Wind Cutter, and Rock Spear. There were 10 spells in total, but none for lightning, ice, or plant magic—likely because they were higher-level spells. The only downside was the embarrassingly long chants. I couldn't imagine using them in public without feeling awkward.
After playing with magic for a while, I started thinking about how I could use level 2 or higher magic. I remembered that there was a skill in support and healing magic that could upgrade non-living objects and enhance their quality. But how do I use it? The book only covered level 1 support and healing magic, with no instructions for higher levels. I figured I might as well try something similar to what I already knew. There was no harm in experimenting, so I placed the book on a rock and imagined the spell in my mind.
I cast it:
"O energy, emerge from my heart, flow through my veins, and transform this object into its ultimate form!"
As I recited the incantation, a strong surge of energy flowed from my hand into the book. Smoke rose from the book, and I could feel a massive amount of energy draining from my body. When the smoke cleared, I was hopeful that I could now access level 2 or 3 magic. But what I saw shocked me—the book had transformed into the Ultimate Energy Management book, glowing with red and blue energy that spilled onto the ground.
Quickly, I grabbed the book and made full use of my photographic memory to read through it. It was on an entirely different level compared to the basic book—it couldn't even be compared. I used Appraisal on the book, and it confirmed that it was now 1000 times more powerful than the basic Energy Management book, remaining that way as long as I continued feeding it magic.
After fully reading the book, I stopped supplying magic to it, and it returned to its normal state. However, all the knowledge remained in my mind. I looked at the Water Wall I had cast earlier, still standing strong. Then I realized why—it was still active because I hadn't cut off the magic supply.
The Ultimate Energy Management book was incredible. It contained detailed information on MP, prana, divine energy, abyssal energy, and even celestial magic. The descriptions for MP and Prana were similar to before, but the method of using them was different. According to the book, when you imagine energy coming from your heart, it becomes MP, and when it comes from your stomach, it's prana.
To cast magic, you simply need to imagine the type of magic you want while allowing energy to flow through your body. The amount of energy you provide determines the power of the spell. The same goes for Prana—when doing physical work or fighting, you need to direct energy from your stomach to the body part you want to strengthen. The more prana you use, the stronger that part becomes. You can even strengthen weapons by imagining Prana Energy flowing out of your body and merging with your weapon.
According to the Ultimate Energy Management book, there are four ways to increase energy reserves. The first is by leveling up and allocating attribute points to energy stats. The second method is by wearing magical outfits that can boost energy levels. The third way is through drinking special potions that permanently increase energy. Finally, the fourth method is by completely depleting a particular type of energy, such as MP. When this happens, the body naturally adapts and increases the total MP capacity by 10%.
It all sounded quite simple.
The book also explained divine energy. Once someone's intelligence reaches 200 points or more, a separate portion of their mind activates and begins storing divine energy. This energy is a more potent and powerful form of both magic power and prana, and using it follows a process similar to magic and prana.
Abyssal energy, on the other hand, is a dark force present in every being. It increases as the body experiences negative emotions, and when used, it enhances those emotions along with the user's other abilities. Only those with Asura blood or monsters can wield it. Abyssal energy is as powerful as divine energy, but it comes with a price—its use amplifies negative emotions.
Finally, the book described celestial magic—the most supreme and powerful magic in existence. Nothing can stop its effects, and even nature bends to its will. However, to cast celestial magic, one needs Pure Ethereal Light Energy, which no longer exists in the cosmos. Thousands of years ago, this energy mysteriously vanished from nature. While pure celestials still have it within their bodies, they no longer use it.
I was pretty shocked to learn about celestial magic and this mysterious energy. It didn't appear in my status, likely because it no longer exists. What could have happened in the past to make such a powerful energy disappear from the cosmos?
Well, regardless, it was time to make use of the knowledge from this book. I began channelling energy from my heart, letting it flow through my body like blood, and focused my thoughts on creating an ice cube in my hand. A crystal-clear ice cube appeared, and with another thought, it transformed into a spiked ice ball the size of a cricket ball. I launched it toward a tree, and it shattered three trees in a line. I realized that anything created by magic needs a constant flow of magic power to maintain its form. For example, if I create a ball of water and then cut off the magic supply, the water loses its shape and falls like normal water. However, if I create an ice ball and cut off the magic, it retains its shape but weakens, becoming fragile like regular ice. Magic is necessary to keep it strong.
I was satisfied with my progress. Now it was time to merge my practice with exercise and gain complete mastery over my magic.