Chương 12: Mana Channels

CH 12 - Mana Channels The cross-legged posture that Grey preferred was depicted clearly in his Starlight Body Tempering Manual. The position sat him in an upward posture, and was said to provide excellent Qi and Mana flow to the body. Two days had passed since Kenny disappeared. Jim and Grey moved through the city together, getting closer to the outskirts. Today, Grey committed to body modification plans he came up with.

Grey took a deep breath, examining the supplies he had neatly set out for himself: water, magically imbued food, health potions, and most importantly, his Elf Anatomy (E) textbook. I'm gonna get my money's worth today from those scammy elves…

"Here we go!" Grey said, opening his can of Space Sardines (E). The smell wasn't far off from regular sardines. According to Monster Anatomy (F), this species flies through space and are commonly canned for containing high mana content. Grey slurped down two small fish and felt them hit his gut. Immediately, the mana inside dispersed and dissolved into his stomach. It wasn't long before he felt his bloodstream spike in mana concentration.

The buildup began putting pressure on his body; it wasn't used to the buildup of mana and it was pressuring him to escape somewhere. Grey focused on (Shapeshifting); closing his eyes to redirect energy in his body. The design he had committed to memory came from his elf anatomy textbook. It detailed where and how an elf's body moves pure mana through channels located right beside arteries.

The burning sensation that accompanied shapeshifting was present as always, but something about the complex biological patterns that make up mana channels burned like fire as Grey transformed himself. Sweat dripped down Grey's face, and time passed as he meditated. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but his sardines were long finished and his candlelight was gone. Grey's eyes opened slowly, carefully lowering his guard as he completed his metamorphosis.

[New Ability (Passive)- Elven Mana Channels (E)] [An Elven Deity watches carefully] A system message interrupted Grey's feelings of success. He moved the smile from his lips as he read the notification. I wonder how often the deities are watching us… Grey was excited to finally have real mana channels. He had assumed magic meant fireballs and lightning, but the more he thought about it, the more he suspected his path would look different. His body was his instrument.

Grey kept his composure outwardly, but smiled inside. Body modification IS my magic. I just need to learn how far it goes. Grey thought about it. If he wasn't drunk when the integration hit, maybe his wish would have been to use magic. He had always loved stories of swords and sorcery. [You have been invited to Prometheus' City] [Accept (Y/N)] Time to head back to the city… Perfect timing. — The familiar scene of Prometheus City quickly unfolded around Grey as he accepted the system prompt.

Jim spawned next to him, covered in sweat.

"Middle of training?" Grey asked. Jim nodded.

"Yup."

"Me too." Grey said. He held a hand in front of his face. (Sense Mana) showed the mana slowly flowing through his new mana channels. He was excited to go tell Ryzen of his success.

"I'm going to the boxing sect, let's meet up later." Jim said, waving a hand farewell. Grey wanted to tell Jim about the notification he got, telling him a deity was watching him earlier, but couldn't get it out before Jim ran off.

"Oooooh. What do we have here!?" Ryzen asked, scurrying close to his shop desk to get a closer look. Grey fought back a smile as the wizard examined him thoroughly.

"You have mana channels now!" This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Yes," Grey said, allowing a smile to appear. All his life he had dreamed of casting spells.

"Mmmhm… Well done. Seems you copied an Elven Anatomy textbook. Once you get access to higher-quality anatomy textbooks, you should be able to upgrade your mana circuits even more." Room for improvement… I like it.

"How can I improve it later on?" Grey asked.

"Many ways. There are different racial tiers of elves. Ancient and High Elves have more complex magical anatomies. However, they keep that information to themselves." Grey's head bobbed, listening carefully.

"I can tell you now that the school of magic you possess talent for is Alteration. All shapeshifters use it. Your kind does not hurl spells across a battlefield. You reshape. Blood, bone, shadow, and flesh. Anything you can claim as part of yourself becomes a spell in your hands. You are a biomancer."

"Here," Ryzen brought up a small cup from under the desk. He held a hand over it and muttered something mysterious. From his palm, drops of water fell into the cup with a satisfying splash. Once the cup was full, Ryzen gently placed a special leaf in its center.

"Now wrap your hands around the cup and infuse your mana into the leaf. We'll see what your elemental affinities are. Grey wrapped his hands around the cup and closed his eyes. He could subtly sense the mana flowing through his new elven mana circuits. Carefully, he pushed it through the channels and out through his skin. The mana moved easier than he thought it would. Through the cup, and the water. As if the magic was attracted to the magic leaf sitting still at the center of the pool, it flowed directly to it.

Grey let himself peek through his eyelids and saw the water within the cup turning a deep crimson color. The sudden shift was startling, but as Grey added more mana, the cup continued to be affected. The leaf dissolved to the bottom of the now cup of blood; and from it, a single bone surfaced. As Grey finished injecting mana, he looked back into the cup, but found it too dark to see anything, as if covered in a veil of darkness.

"Three elemental affinities… Well.. I'll be…" Ryzen muttered, scratching his chin.

"Is that… good?" Grey asked.

"One affinity is normal; two makes you a prodigy; three makes you a genius. You're probably the only one on Earth with three affinities right now. Just about any magic school in the multiverse would kill to enroll you. Whatever settlement here on Earth you end up at, build a magic school. I'll come be your teacher." Grey was puzzled. What he had just been told made little sense, but he felt like that was fine. The news that his magical talent was high wasn't too much of a shock.

The system favored those with fervent desires or wishes, and a part of him always wanted to use magic.

"What's a Settlement?" Grey asked.

"If a person activates a Settlement Orb, they can create a city and receive help from the system. As soon as the multiverse opens up, build a branch of Heka's School of Magic."

"One of these?" Grey said, revealing the Settlement Orb he had received for defeating the giant anaconda. Ryzen stared for a moment before flapping a hand at him.

"Put that away. Where you are right now… You don't want anyone to know you have that." Grey winced, hurrying the orb back into his inventory.

"That Settlement Orb can be used to set up a base. It will be a place for you and your friends to settle down without too much harassment from beasts. They avoid settlements. You can also buy things from the system and get different upgrades as you level up. Think of it as early access to the rest of the multiverse before it opens to other universes in ten years."

"Integrating the 75th universe has started, but it won't be for ten years that other universes can directly interact with Earth. Through that Settlement Orb, you can access shops and other features that the integrated system supplies. Find somewhere defensible with abundant resources to set up a home." Ryzen turned around and looked at his bookshelf. He took his time, running his wrinkled finger across the spine of each book, carefully selecting two.

Basic Shadow Magic (E) and The Little Blood Mage (E) lay on Ryzen's desk. The first looked like a spellbook, but the second was almost like a children's storybook.

"What's up with the blood mage book?" Grey asked.

"It's a book for young vampires. They learn as soon as they can talk, since they are born with an incredible blood manipulation affinity. Every technique in there is just a shape you teach your blood to hold. Same with the shadow book. Study them, and your manipulation abilities will do the rest. Sorry, I do not have any bone-attributed spellbooks; those are rare."

"No problem." Grey said. He stacked the books together and asked, "How much?"

"Oh, so you actually brought money this time?" A sly grin tugged at Ryzen's cheeks. Grey's cheeks flushed red.

"Yeah.. I've got enough."

"Aah!" Ryzen said, leaving the desk and running back over to the bookshelf. From the top, he grabbed a dusty book. It looked older than anything he had in the shop.

"This ol' thing has been taking up space around here for too long, just take it." Grey brushed the dust off the cover, revealing the title, "Magical Body Cultivation?" Grey read aloud.

"Some old kook living in a mountain cave wrote this. He cultivated Qi and Mana, not unlike you. Focused on strengthening the body with both energy forms. He succeeded, but never achieved his life's goal of combining the two." Grey looked at his new study material with high hopes. He felt good about the progress he had made. If he didn't want to feel like prey in this new apocalyptic world, he would have to become a predator. Grey's urge to become strong was muted before Kenny's stabbing.

Sure, he was worried about dying, but seeing something like that happen in front of him was a reality check. If he didn't become strong, it wasn't just himself in danger. The people around him and the people I care about could die. The world ended. If I don't get strong, people will die. Grey didn't let his grief of losing Kenny hinder him, but fuel his motivation for excellence. Something inside him lit up, a spark that would cascade into a wildfire of passion. His mind flicked to his family in Florida.

Their separation loomed over him like a threat. Ryzen continued his monologue for quite some time, also recommending that Grey try adopting mana lungs among other transformations. I want to get used to mana before I do any crazy upgrades.

"Build a branch of Heka's Academy in your settlement. I'll come be your professor." Ryzen reminded Grey as he left the shop, waving a hand goodbye. What a nut… Grey thought to himself. But at least he's honest. He was helpful, though. The way I experiment on myself… I guess I'm not much different from him.