Saylar felt a tremendous energy surge from within him, spreading throughout the room, then beyond the walls of the house, extending to the street, to the entire city, engulfing the whole world.
The colors around him changed, becoming more vibrant and deeper. He heard sounds he hadn't noticed before: the rustling of distant leaves, the faint buzzing of nocturnal insects, his mother's heartbeat in the next room. He felt as if his senses had been heightened, as if he was seeing the world anew.
Saylar looked at his hands, then at the magic pen that glowed with a faint blue light. He felt a strange sensation, a mixture of awe, euphoria, and responsibility. He had changed the world, but how? And what were the consequences?
"Oh my God, what have I done?" Saylar thought in astonishment.
"Is this real? Did I just add mana to the world?"
He felt a mixture of fear and excitement. He realized that he had opened a door to a new world, a world full of mystery and the unknown.
A system interface appeared in Saylar's mind, flashing brightly.
> "Congratulations! You have added mana to the world. You have achieved the [ Pioneer of a New Era ] achievement.
> Achievement reward: 500 Creativity Points.
> Note: The number of Creativity Points has been reduced due to your use of the beginner's bonus."
>
Saylar felt overjoyed.
"500 Creativity Points! This is amazing!" Saylar thought excitedly.
"I can use these points to greatly improve my abilities."
He noticed that the system interface was still available. He decided to explore it further.
"Let's see what I can do with it," Saylar said to himself.
Saylar focused on the system interface and navigated through the options. He found a section titled "Status" which displayed a list of his current abilities:
* Name: Saylar Madstar
* Age: 16 years
* System Titles: Pen User
* World Titles: None
* Creativity Points: 500
* Stats:
* Strength: 12
* Speed: 10
* Flexibility: 8
* Physique: 11
* Recovery: 9
* Intelligence: 13 (Each point = 10 IQ points)
* Wisdom: 10
* Charisma: 12
* Luck: ???
Note: Normal adult human stats equal 10.
"Hmm, interesting," Saylar thought.
"These seem to be numbers that represent my physical and mental abilities. But what does Luck '???' mean?"
He noticed a "+" button next to each stat. He felt curious and decided to try pressing the "+" button next to "Intelligence".
"Let's see what happens," Saylar said to himself.
He pressed the button and felt a strange sensation in his head, as if his mind was expanding and becoming clearer. His thoughts became more focused and organized.
"Wow! I feel like I can understand everything now," Saylar thought in amazement.
"This pen seems to be more powerful than I thought."
Intelligence Test: Saylar picked up his math book and started solving problems that he had previously found difficult.
"Let's see if this is real," Saylar challenged himself.
He was surprised by how easily and quickly he could solve them. He felt confident and satisfied with himself.
"This is amazing! I can solve these problems effortlessly," Saylar said to himself in awe.
Saylar looked at the system interface and noticed that his Intelligence stat was now 19.5.
"19.5! That means my intelligence increased by 6.5 points," Saylar thought.
"And since each point costs 1 Creativity Point, raising my intelligence to the maximum cost me 65 points. I have 435 points left."
He also noticed that there was a limit to how much he could increase his stats at the first level.
"It seems there's a limit to how much I can raise my stats at each level," Saylar thought.
"Perhaps this limit is 50% of the stat's original value."
"Now, it's time for Strength," Saylar said excitedly.
*"I've always wanted to be stronger." *
Saylar decided to increase his Strength stat to the maximum. He felt a surge of energy flowing through his muscles. He felt stronger than ever before.
"This is incredible! I feel like I can lift incredibly heavy objects," Saylar thought in astonishment.
Strength Test: Saylar grabbed his heavy wooden desk and lifted it effortlessly with one hand, as if it were a feather.
"Wow! That's easier than I thought," Saylar said to himself in admiration.
He tried to bend a small piece of metal and succeeded in bending it with his bare hands.
"Oh my God! This is immense power!" Saylar thought with joy.
He felt an incredible surge of muscular strength he had never dreamed of before. He remembered that each point in Strength was equal to 15 kilograms, and he realized that he could now lift 270 kilograms.
"Strength increased from 12 to 18, which is 6 points," Saylar thought.
"That cost me 60 Creativity Points. I have 375 points left."
"Speed is important too," Saylar thought.
"But I'll postpone testing it for later. I want to focus on my other abilities for now."
Saylar focused on the system interface and increased his Speed stat to the maximum.
"Each point in Speed represents 7 kilometers per hour," Saylar recalled.
"That means I can now run at 105 kilometers per hour! That's amazing!"
Saylar continued to raise the rest of his stats in the same way: Flexibility, Physique, Recovery, and Wisdom. He felt the changes each increase brought to his body and mind. He became more flexible, more resilient, had increased stamina, a faster recovery rate, and became wiser.
After modifying the stats:
* Strength: 18 (can lift 270 kg)
* Speed: 15 (can run at 105 km/h)
* Flexibility: 12
* Physique: 16.5
* Recovery: 13.5
* Intelligence: 19.5
* Wisdom: 15
* Charisma: 12
* Luck: ???
Creativity Points remaining: 135 points
"Can I add new stats?" Saylar wondered curiously.
"I want to control this mana that surrounds me."
He focused on the system interface and tried to find a way to add a new stat. After several attempts, he discovered an option that allowed him to add new stats.
"Great! I'll add a 'Mana Control' stat," Saylar decided excitedly.
When Saylar confirmed his request, a new message appeared:
> "Congratulations! You have added the 'Mana Control' stat to your Status.
> Cost: 100 Creativity Points.
> Note: Each point of Wisdom and Intelligence increases your Mana Control by 0.2 points."
>
"This is awesome!" Saylar thought happily.
"I've become able to control mana. But how do I do that?"
Saylar looked at his updated Status:
* Name: Saylar Madstar
* Age: 16 years
* System Titles: Pen User
* World Titles: None
* Creativity Points: 35
* Stats:
* Strength: 18 (can lift 270 kg)
* Speed: 15 (can run at 105 km/h)
* Flexibility: 12
* Physique: 16.5
* Recovery: 13.5
* Intelligence: 19.5 (Each point = 10 IQ points)
* Wisdom: 15
* Charisma: 12
* Luck: ???
* Mana Control: 9.9
He tried to grasp all these changes that had happened to him. He felt like a new person, stronger, faster, more intelligent.
"But what about mana?" Saylar wondered to himself.
"How can I control it?"
He closed his eyes and focused on sensing the mana around him. He felt it flowing in the air, in the walls, in everything. He tried to pull it towards him, and was surprised by how easily he could control it. He could move it around the room at will, forming swirls and patterns in the air. He felt a great deal of excitement and amazement.
"This is incredible! I can control mana with ease," Saylar thought in astonishment.
"But what do I do with it now?"
Saylar tried to find a way to utilize the mana, but he realized he didn't know much about it. He remembered some games he used to play where mages used mana to cast spells.
"Can I do that too?" Saylar wondered.
"Can I cast a fire spell or an ice spell?"
Saylar tried to imitate the movements of mages in games, but nothing happened. He felt a little frustrated.
"It seems I need more information," Saylar decided.
Saylar turned on his laptop and started searching the internet for mana, its uses, and ways to develop it. He read articles, forums, and watched videos. He noticed that many people on social media were claiming that they felt something was different about the world today, but they didn't know what it was. Some conspiracy theorists were drawing strange conclusions about experiments and other things, but there didn't seem to be much of a reaction.
"It seems people are starting to notice the effect of mana," Saylar thought.
"But no one knows what's really going on."
Saylar decided to focus on his research, and he continued searching until seven in the morning without any results. He felt exhausted and frustrated. Suddenly, he heard his mother calling him to wake up and come down for breakfast.
"I think I'll postpone the research until later," Saylar thought.
"I have to get ready for school."
(To be continued)