Chương 29: Understanding Mana and Loot

Joe was falling through the sky, reflecting on the mistakes of his life. Where did it all go wrong? He had been plummeting for two minutes now. How high up had he been? He wasn't sure, but judging by how the world below was coming into sharper focus, the answer was very. He could make out trees now, the shapes of Beasts moving across the land, and a river winding to the north. He estimated he would hit the ground in about thirty seconds. At least he had stopped tumbling through the air.

He stabilised his descent by adjusting his body into a flat, arms-out position, just like parachutists did in movies. Then, shifting again, he aligned himself feet-first, bent his knees, and braced for impact. Whamm!! A massive crater formed around the point of impact, the force reverberating through his body. His knees buckled, and he collapsed into the hole, dust and debris swirling around him. Silence. Then, a sigh of relief.

"Thank god for these boots," he mumbled. His Fall-Resistance boots had done their job. His legs were mostly fine, barely a scratch despite the fall. Then, another crash. A second impact thundered nearby. He turned his head to see the body of the giant bird, the one he had killed two minutes ago, slam into the ground. Shaking himself off, he climbed out of his crater and made his way over. The bird hadn't landed far, so he hopped into the smaller crater and looted the body. He paused as he read the notification.

Magical Prosthetic Doll's arm - This is the arm of a magical synth doll. It is incredibly durable and virtually unbreakable. If it is damaged, it has the ability to self-repair with a small injection of mana. He pulled the prosthetic arm from his storage. It was delicate, shaped like an adult female's arm, and suspiciously tailored for someone around five-foot-five in height. He chuckled. Yeah. He was pretty sure now that the system had a weird sense of humour.

As he pulled himself free from the ground, Joe remembered seeing a Global System Message as he fell, so he first pulled up his quest screen. Quest - Kill all 100 Gate bosses to restart Integration into the multiverse. Quest progress - 32/100 Eight kills had been added over the last month. It was progressing fast. Joe himself had only taken down six of them. He was starting to suspect that Boss Beasts protected the newly spawned City Pillars.

The timing of Pillar captures and Boss kills always lined up too perfectly to be a coincidence. He pushed the thought away as he set off north at a run. His unexpected skydiving incident had interrupted his training goal for the day, and he intended to finish it before starting his daily Flourish training. Since suffering his second defeat a month ago, Joe had set up a strict training regimen, his own Enhanced Saitama Routine.

It included: 100-mile run 1 hour of Flourish 1 hour of alchemy 1 hour of Footwork Training Whenever he visited a city or town, he also added a few extra hours to train others, provided he found cooperative people willing to learn basic footwork. His run continued for another hour before he finally stopped to rest, satisfied that he had hit the 100-mile mark for the day. As he sat, he activated a miniature version of flourish, something he could now maintain effortlessly while recovering. Something caught his eye.

A new marker appeared on his mini-map, a small, pulsing yellow circle, barely visible. With no other dots nearby, he remained seated, watching as his mini-map gradually expanded. Using Flourish, he could now extend the grassy area around him to nearly a full mile in every direction. He was truly a man of nature now. Joe got up and walked toward the glowing dot on his mini-map. He spent thirty minutes searching the area but found nothing. Confused, he sat down, staring at the empty ground.

Maybe it wasn't exactly on the dot, but somewhere nearby? Determined, he ventured farther out. Three hours later, he slumped down again, dejected. Whatever he was doing wasn't working. There had to be some trick to it. Maybe it's buried underground? He had no tools, only his claws. With a resigned sigh, he started to dig. An entire day later, frustration gnawed at him. Nothing. Lying on his back, he stared up at the sky. He was missing something, something just out of reach. Raising a hand, he studied it absently.

His eyesight had improved significantly from before the system, thanks to all his levelling. He could even vaguely see the air shifting past his raised hand, tiny blue sparkles of mana drifting over his fingers and across his palm. Mana. Moving mana. He sat up abruptly, activating Mana-Coating. His thoughts had often drifted back to his fight with Drok. At first, the loss had left him reeling, but now he treated it as what it was, a lesson. He had survived. And wasn't there a saying about that?

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That phrase had never made much sense before. If someone got hit by a car, they might survive but be crippled for life, the opposite of getting stronger. But now, with his Nature's Touch passive, he could heal broken bones. He wondered if his healing had a limit. Could he heal back a lost limb? What about an eye or a finger? He hoped he would never have to find out what its limit was. One thing that stood out vividly as he reflected on the fight in his mind.

He had noticed that whenever Drok had dodged his punches or kicks, there was a subtle layer of mana surrounding its body, similar to his own Mana-Coating. But unlike his, Drok's version moved, flowing in sync with its dodges. Every time Joe had been just about to land a hit, it felt like the mana around the Beast pushed his attacks off course, acting like a shifting shield. During the battle, he hadn't been able to focus on this; he had been too busy trying to stay alive.

But now, looking back, he knew he wanted to learn this. Closing his eyes, he focused on the feeling of his Mana-Coating, trying to see the mana in his mind. Nothing. Changing tactics, he concentrated on his arms instead, watching the faint sparkles of mana dancing over his skin. He locked onto one sparkle, focused, and willed it to move. At first, nothing happened. So he kept at it. It took an excruciatingly long time before he noticed something. The sparkle vibrated ever so slightly under his intense gaze.

Encouraged, he smiled and kept going. Minutes passed. Hours passed. Days passed. The tiny sparkle shifted on the third day of intense sitting and staring. A soft ding echoed in the back of his mind. Skill Mana Focus(Passive) Obtained He pulled up the description. Mana Focus(Passive) - Using one of your senses, you have manipulated the mana around you to the point that your ability to see mana and observe it has increased. The air around you is now a domain for you to play in.

Joe smiled and returned his focus to his arm. Now, the sparks of mana appeared much clearer, and he noticed that the mana was already moving, albeit at such a slow pace that he hadn't noticed it before. Closing his eyes, he could feel the mana, every spark surrounding him. It was like he had discovered a whole new sense. If only he had thought of this sooner.

"Where is a damn guide when you need one?" He complained, glancing up at the sky. Stop getting distracted. Focus, you idiot, Joe scolded himself. He took a deep breath, sitting down to focus once more. It was time to move that little sparkle of mana, but his thoughts were interrupted as a pack of Beasts appeared on his mini-map, heading his way. Maybe I should do this in a more secluded place, he thought, unwilling to leave the dot alone. Then, an idea struck him, a skill he had used only once.

After dealing with the Beast pack, Joe returned to the glowing dot on his mini-map. Kneeling, he placed a hand on the ground and activated Nature's Paradise. Just like before, a massive surge of mana flooded his body. This time, he let it spread out in all directions instead of focusing on a single point. He felt everything growing rapidly as his mana slowly drained, grass lengthened, trees towered taller. Nature's Paradise felt similar to his Nature's Flourish, but this method was ten times faster, if not more.

The main difference between the two skills was that flourish promoted growth and helped him create trees filled with energy, pulsing with delicious fruits. Paradise, however, did not create fruit trees, instead it simply created more nature. If more nature could even be used as an accurate description. The nature it created was more profound, more vast. Like the difference between a lake and an ocean.

It was also, he noticed that it was tied more to what he was imagining in his mind rather than what the natural fauna around him looked like. So if he was picturing palm trees or weeping willows, they would start to grow around him. He tried to make sure his mind didn't wander when he used the skill, so he was responsible for inadvertently creating an abomination of a forest. Joe's whole being calmed, feeling a deep connection to his surroundings.

It reminded him of the profound peace he'd felt entering that mysterious cave, though not as intense. As his mana dropped to half, he popped a pill into his mouth to sustain the flow. The skill continued, holding off the mana drain for a few moments longer before resuming its steady decline. That worked, good to know, he thought. He knew he couldn't use another mana pill for about thirty minutes.

It was something he had always felt instinctively, like an internal cooldown period preventing him from taking them too frequently. As his mana drained to around twenty-five per cent, he sensed a large tree beginning to sprout just behind him. This tree would be the heart of the paradise zone, growing far larger than the others. By the time his mana hit one per cent, he halted the skill and slumped to the ground, panting. Letting his mana drain so rapidly was utterly exhausting.

There was no way he could ever use this skill in battle; it left him vulnerable while active and drained afterwards. Still, as he lay there, he knew one thing for certain: no Beasts would disturb him here anymore. It took two more days before Joe experienced his next breakthrough. Moving mana was far more challenging than he had expected. He had managed to make the sparks vibrate, but shifting them was an entirely different challenge.

He observed the mana's natural movement for hours when he decided to give a spark a slight push, just a gentle nudge in the direction it was already flowing. The change was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it moved. He was sure of it. Before, he had been trying to move the whole sparkle at once, like grasping hold of it and dragging it along. But now, he focused on simply nudging it forward, a mental push rather than a pull. He shifted his focus to another spark.

After watching where its natural movement was taking it, he gave it a little push. It definitely moved, nothing drastic, but progress nonetheless. Encouraged, he tried pushing a bit harder, another success. Time to go big. He thought. This time, he focused on a spark, and instead of pushing and releasing, he maintained the push. He watched as the spark moved, flowing along his arm in a steady trajectory. It circled his limb, travelling until it reached the tip of his finger.

It continued moving when he finally let go, maintaining its sped-up flow along his body. Skill Mana-Manipulation(Basic) Obtained. Joe cheered internally. He had done it. He had succeeded. Two days later, Joe sat in the same spot, his body coursing with over a thousand tiny sparks of mana, each flowing at speed along different paths. He had maintained Mana-Coating for two days straight, sustaining himself with mana pills.

He hadn't slept, barely eaten, just pushed mana sparks until they all reached the same speed and continued flowing on their own. By now, he must have looked like something out of a cartoon, a being wrapped in swirling streams of mana. But he was reaching his limit. His mana reserves were still plentiful, but the mental strain was beginning to wear him down. Opening his eyes, he looked at himself one last time. Just as he was about to deactivate Mana-Coating, something flickered at the edge of his vision.

He turned his head, spotting a patch of grass that looked… off. A shimmer appeared, vanished, and then flickered back into existence. What in the world is that? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It looked like a little chest, but why was it phasing in and out of sight? Then, realization struck. It was the mana flowing around him. He could see the chest every time the sped-up mana passed over his eyes.

Whenever there was no mana passing his sight, it vanished from view. Before he could process the discovery, an unexpected notification popped up, causing him to lose focus and deactivate Mana-Coating. Skill Mana-Manipulation(Basic) upgraded to Mana-Manipulation. He had upgraded his skill, nice. He looked back at the spot where the chest had been; it was gone. Can I only see it using mana? Wait… using mana to see? Joe suddenly had a brilliant idea. Closing his eyes, he attempted to focus on the mana within his body.

He popped a mana pill into his mouth and observed as his mana refilled. At the same time, he subtly felt his body filling with mana. So, the mana bar was just a visual representation of how much mana was in my body. He noted. He had assumed that was the case, but seeing it firsthand for the first time gave him a warm sense of understanding. Focusing on the mana circulating inside his head, he tried pushing it.

It was much easier than moving the mana outside his body, and within moments, he had successfully directed a flow of mana into both eyes. Joe opened them. The chest was there. Now fully visible, the small chest sat in the same spot as before, as if it had always been there. He walked over and placed a hand on it. The texture felt solid, just like any chest he had ever touched. With a breath, he lifted the lid. Inside, a book glowed softly in his vision. Item- Skill book of Magical Martial Arts.

This book depicts all the forms of basic magical martial arts. These forms are the foundational steps which can be incorporated into any advanced magical martial arts in the multiverse. Congratulations to you for choosing to embark on your magical journey. Joe smiled and activated the book. A flood of images surged into his mind. In an instant, every form and movement was there, imprinted in his mind. He knew how to perform them all.

Placing the book into his storage, he half-expected it to vanish like a video game consumable item. But it didn't. Pleasantly surprised, he stood up, releasing the mana from his eyes and allowing it to return to its natural flow within his body. Skill Mana-Sight Obtained. Another skill. He was on a roll. He stepped into a stance, which he instinctively recognized as 'At Ready' from his new Magical Martial Arts. From there, he flowed through all the stances and movements he had just learned.

Each transition felt smooth, his hands thrusting forward with a purpose his old punches never carried. His kicks extended with perfect form, his legs stretching in directions that had once been impossible for him. By the time he completed the full routine, he sat back down, satisfied.

"Finally, I can actually fight now," he said, raising a fist into the air. __ Hakeem swung his sword, the impact exploding against the massive bumblebee's body. The force knocked the Beast off balance, sending it spiralling downward. As it crashed into the ground, dirt and rocks flew everywhere, but Vanessa was already waiting. She sidestepped the sliding Beast and raised her rapier, activating her skill, Arching Thrust.

Sprinting alongside the tumbling bumblebee, she stabbed relentlessly, piercing its body over and over. The Beast buzzed in agony, wings flailing, but Vanessa made sure to target them when they came within reach, tearing giant holes through the delicate membranes and preventing the Beast from taking flight. Hakeem rejoined her a moment later, along with a third teammate, Oscar. The three of them attacked in unison, hacking away at the massive insect. Chunks of its body were torn apart, its buzzing growing weaker.

Two minutes later, it lay dead. You have slain Alpha Queen Bee level 68 Ding! Class Dark Knight has reached level 67 - stat points distributed. Hakeem looted the Boss Beast and let out a deep sigh of relief. With this, all Boss Beasts in England were finally dead. Vanessa approached, and they hi-fived in celebration.

"We finally got the slippery bastard," Hakeem said. They had been hunting the boss for far too long. It had fled at every opportunity. Its ability to fly at high speeds had made it a nightmare to track down, but at last, they had cornered it. Their ambush had worked perfectly, grounding it long enough to finish it off.

"No time to rest. We can make it back to Heliopolis by nightfall," Vanessa said.

"What's the rush?" Hakeem asked. Vanessa shot him a look, hands on her hips.

"Hak, you buffoon. It's your sister's birthday tomorrow. Don't tell me you forgot." He had absolutely forgotten.

"Of course not," he lied.

"I just figured we could arrive in the afternoon and still be back in time." Vanessa glared at him, not buying a word of it.

"We're going back now," She said firmly.

"Yeah, I was just going to suggest that," Hakeem muttered, shaking the blood off his sword before sheathing it on his back. They started the journey back towards Heliopolis with a smile and a chuckle. The group reached Heliopolis just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Vanessa headed off to prepare for the next day, leaving Hakeem with some rare time to himself. He made his way home, a house he had purchased from the Pillar shop, located across the lake in the city's centre, directly opposite Kai's.

While Kai's home had a rustic, wooden aesthetic, Hakeem's was designed in a sleek, pre-system, modern, minimalist style. Clean lines, neutral colours, and a lack of unnecessary clutter. Just how he liked it. Even better, he didn't have to lift a finger to keep it spotless. A mana-powered robotic cleaner zipped around, ensuring everything remained pristine. Cleaning was for chumps, after all. Settling at one of his desks, he pulled his latest loot from storage, a long leather jacket.

He turned it over in his hands, nodding in approval. It was nice. The stats were even better. +30 Strength +50 Agility But the real prize was the skill attached to it. [Untouchable] - For five seconds after activation, you will dodge all attacks. Hakeem let out a low whistle. No wonder that damn bee was so hard to catch. A skill like this was ridiculously overpowered. Leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin, he pulled out a book and settled in, enjoying the quiet before tomorrow's festivities.

__ Joe stood in a park in the central district of Plovdiv, deep in the heart of Bulgaria. It was the first time he had been teleported to Europe, the closest he had been to home in six months of travelling. Has it really been that long? He wasn't entirely sure. Time had blurred together. He had simply counted thirty days at a time and counted that as a month. He didn't even know what month it was when they emerged from the Bloodline Gate. February? March? Maybe even May. That meant he had missed his birthday.

Curious, he checked his status. Age: 28 When did that change? He hadn't noticed. Then again, he rarely checked his status in full. There was always too much information, and he wished there were a way to condense it for easier reading. A faint buzz thrummed at the back of his mind. Frowning, he pulled up his full status screen for the first time in a long while.

Status Name: Joseph Caldwell Age: 28 Race: High Human (Grade E - Rank 0) Alignment: High Human (World 43) Class: Farmer (Unique) Level 42, N/A Profession: Nature's Custodian(Legendary) Level 46 Bloodline Light of the Eternal Spark (Grade E) Titles World 43 Progenitor; Skills General Skills; Class Skills; Profession Skills; Bloodline Skills; Stats Strength: 359 (50) Agility: 691 (40) Vitality: 387 (40) Endurance: 387 (40) Wisdom: 821 (40) Intelligence: 821 (40) Luck: 140 Hidden Stat: Dao Knowledge - 666 Free Points: 0 System Credits: 21, 943, 210 His status screen looked far more compact now.

That buzz he had felt. It seemed to be the system streamlining all the excess information, hiding the bloat behind ellipses in a subsection he could mentally click into at will. Normally, seeing his growth would have filled him with pride, swelling his ego. But after his battle with Drok, he knew better. No matter how high his stats were right now, he mustn't let it lead to complacency. He still had a long road ahead before he was strong enough.

A voice suddenly broke through his thoughts, pulling him back to the present. He wasn't alone in the park; he was supposed to be teaching right now.

"I got it, the skill!" a man exclaimed joyfully. Joe snapped back into focus.

"Excellent! Can you come forward and show us how it's improved your steps?" The man stepped up, moving through the basic footwork in front of the group. The others started to mimic him, redoubling their efforts. Now that two people had successfully learned the skill and could demonstrate it, he knew it wouldn't take long before the rest caught on. Within the hour, they'd all have it. Taking the opportunity, he bid the group farewell, telling them he had a meeting to attend.

As he left, the park remained full of eager students refining their steps, the sound of determined movement filling the air. Joe made his way to the small house he had been given temporary use of, courtesy of a friendly group he had helped power level after taking down the local Boss Beast. Three stoic men lived here, and with two free rooms available, he saw no problem staying for a few days. Entering his room, he headed straight to the table.

The Boss Beast he had killed in Bulgaria was number forty out of one hundred and thirty, personally. His storage was overflowing with boss drops he had yet to sort through, most of them storage rings. He had been handing those out freely to the people he helped, particularly those he power-levelled along his travels. But six items remained that he wanted to examine more closely. One by one, he pulled them from storage and laid them out on the table. The first piece he inspected was a shirt-and-waistcoat ensemble.

Debonair waistcoat and shirt. This is for those who want to dress for the occasion. What better way to dazzle your opponent than entering the battle dressed to kill? +40 Agility +40 Intelligence 20% defence from magical attacks. Self-cleaning and self-repair. Not bad. The second item he checked would pair well with the first. Smart Trousers. For the gentleman who knows what he wants, these trousers ensure you are smartly dressed for any occasion, be it an important meeting or a ballroom dance.

+60 Agility +20 Wisdom Dancing touch skill, which lets you pick up any dance moves in the multiverse. Self-cleaning and self-repair. He liked the stats, and the self-cleaning and self-repairing features were a nice touch. But did he really want to walk around in a waistcoat and trousers? He glanced at the mirror across the room. A man with spider-web sunglasses, a fur-lined cloak, fingerless gloves, and hiking boots stared back at him.

"Who am I kidding? Time to go full, weirdo." He put on his new clothes and felt his stats swell instantly. A small tab appeared at the corner of his vision. Curious, he mentally pulled it up. [Pick a Dance] A massive, scrollable list of dances filled his mind. He thought of the Salsa, and the list scrolled to Salsa Dance. With a mental click, the steps flooded his mind. He could now learn any dance in the multiverse. Why was this even a thing? He had no idea. But honestly? He wasn't complaining.

Shaking his head, he turned back to the table and picked up the next item, the third most exciting piece. Magical Branch of the Fur Caved Tree(Craftable or Plantable Item) This branch was something else. Warm to the touch yet harder than any metal he had ever felt. It measured two metres long, just about the perfect size for a quarterstaff. Joe missed having a quarterstaff. The claws he used now had terrific stats, but they still didn't feel natural to him.

His hands instinctively flexed before every battle, seeking a staff that wasn't there. He needed to get one. He had picked up a few along his travels, but they were made of ordinary wood, nothing that could survive even one strike against the Beasts he fought. He hoped a Boss drop would give him one to replace the one he'd destroyed, but so far… no luck. Maybe this branch was the answer. He considered finding someone who could craft him a staff.

Now that he was back in Europe, travelling to England and visiting Heliopolis was an option. Surely, there had to be a skilled craftsman there who could help. It was something he was seriously considering. It would be nice to see his friends again. He figured they knew he was alive; his progress on the quest would have made that clear. He knew for a fact that Hakeem had access to the quest screen.

Shaking the thought aside, he turned back to the table, placed the branch back into his storage, and picked up the next item. Katana of Oroshio Voolasgoo. Oroshio was one of the legendary sword masters whose reign of terror through the Vanaquase Empire is remembered to this very day. This blade has been honed and bathed in the blood of countless enemies. +80 agility. All wounds inflicted by this sword will bleed profusely. Joe examined the katana, turning it over in his hands. It was gorgeous.

The blade gleamed a deep, blood-red, and the edge was sharper than anything he had ever seen. The hilt and guard were jet black and felt incredibly comfortable to hold. But like every sword he had ever picked up, it didn't feel right in his hands. He knew if he tried to wield it, he'd be just as likely to hurt himself as his opponent. This wasn't his weapon. But it was someone's. He just hadn't met them yet. Maybe when he got a chance to visit Japan, he'd find the right person.

Setting the katana aside, he reached for the next item, one just as elegant. Shield of Purity. This shield has been blessed in a church by 100 virgins. It has achieved a pure status, giving the wielder access to two purity-based skills from a list when equipped. +50 Vitality, +50 Endurance. Purity Defier. This skill reduces all damage received by 50% for four minutes. Purity Believer. The skill increases all damage done to your target by 50% for two minutes. Joe raised an eyebrow. Blessed by 100 virgins?

That was oddly specific and weird as hell. Still, the stats were solid, and the skills were ridiculously useful. This would be a game-changer in the right hands. He set it down, wondering who it might suit. The last item to check was a small orb. Spell crystal: Berserker. This is a one-time use spell crystal. Upon use, this will grant the user a Berserker buff, which will last for ten minutes. All stats will increase by 100%, but mental faculties will be impeded, and the user won't be able to tell friend from foe.

Use at your own risk. A one-time-use item. The boost was massive, a full 100% increase across all stats. That sounded insanely powerful. But the drawback? It was a death trap for anyone who wasn't fighting alone. Mental faculties impeded? Did that mean skills would be harder to use? Or impossible? The description was frustratingly vague. Either way, this wasn't something he ever wanted to rely on. Shaking his head, he put it back into storage. Hopefully, he'd never need it.

He spent two more days in Bulgaria, replenishing his supply of pills and ensuring that as many people as possible learned the basic footwork skill. Now, it was time to decide his next move. He could cross Europe on foot, heading back toward England the long way. Or, he could risk using Random Teleportation, though he doubted it would drop him any closer than he already was. After a brief moment of thought, he made his decision. It was time to go home. Joe set off at a run, heading west.