Chapter 3: My colossal dragon teacher.

[Pressure suppression protocol initiated.]

As the voice of the system could be heard in my head, the pressure that was slowly driving me towards insanity disappeared and only a memory of the discomfort was left.

I was free from it, but I still felt like moving my body would lead to my demise, and if that happens eternal torture will be my fate.

I slowly calm myself down and try to reorganize my ideas.

"Are you mute? Or maybe a being that communicates through telepathy, but you're obviously human, so you're afraid? Hahaha, you don't have to be, unless you fail to uphold my legacy, I won't kill you." The voice once again carried a weight that was simply unbearable, if the system didn't protect me, I would be a goner.

I'm not really thankful since it's the system's fault in the first place, but it surely is good to have it somewhat on my side.

"You said if your world was still around, did the owner of the system destroy your world?" I decide to ask since I want to know more about the Dragon and the owner of the system.

"Foolish, that monster would gain nothing from a small world like mine used to be. I devoured it myself, it was easy since my world was full of weaklings." The dragon just casually admitted eating a whole world.

"When you say world, do you mean a planet or a whole universe?" I ask since I'm curious.

"A universe, what would someone of my magnitude gain from a mere planet. Unless said planet is full of powerful individuals, it would mean little to nothing to devour one." The dragon was way more casual than I expected, but something that shocked me happened.

Colossally huge eyes opened in the middle of nothingness and I could only imagine just how big this Dragon is.

(System how big is this Dragon?) I had to know as I just could picture it in my mind despite it being right in front of me.

[The Dragon is currently approximately 27,000 meters long, 9,000-17,000 meters wide, and 20,000 meters tall.] The system once again threw the information out casually.

(Please say sike...) I couldn't believe something like this exists.

[Please remain calm, this being is currently ten times smaller than in its true form in the real world. In comparison, this is but a miniature version.] The system didn't care about my mental health and kept throwing bombs one after the other.

(.....) I was speechless and didn't know what to say.

Isn't 270,000 meters the distance between two cities?! You're telling me that this dragon is that massive?! I was having a bit of trouble accepting it.

[You shouldn't be so surprised, there are being the size of actual planets out there, besides among the dragon race's divinity, this dragon would still be considered a harmless small lizard.] the system didn't stop and continued in its journey to destroy me psychologically.

(It ate a whole universe and you're saying it's a harmless lizard?! Just what kind of beings walk around the multi-verse?!) I couldn't help but ask.

[It devoured a minor universe, it's not a feat worth mentioning. There are too many beings above that level of power in the multi-verse, not a big deal, do you believe master would have given someone like you who has yet to prove themselves something minimally important. Please understand your standing. Someone like you from a universe of the lowest grade would definitely be impressed by something so minuscule. Some beings in the universe even use planets in lower universes as s*xual tension relief toys, you better get used to the idea of being at the bottom of the universal chain of power.] The system gave its final blow in its attempt to depress me for life, unfortunately for it, I'm already too far gone and immune to such things.

(Fine, I get it... You don't have to say that much.) I was satisfied with the information I managed to get from the system, also I believe that if I insisted it would actually attack me, so enough for now.

"I get it, so you ate a whole universe, but why?" I had to ask even though I already had my hypotheses as to why.

"Nothing much, I did it to earn the Demigod status faster. Usually, it would take a very long time, but due to my ability to devour and make what I devoured my own power, I could skip a few steps. You also inherited my ability and should be able to strengthen yourself by devouring, I suggest you start with this pitiful little planet, they are so underdeveloped it should be a crime." Nullus gave its view on how I should handle things.

"I see, and about your suggestion, I reject it. I'm not going to eat an inhabited planet just to get stronger faster, I wouldn't mind if it was uninhabited but this is not my style, so unless there's a whole planet that wants to kill me, I probably wouldn't do something like that." I responded with my own perspective and seeing how relaxed Nullus is, it didn't seem like a problem.

"Hmph! You are too soft, your end will most likely be death. Anyway, I couldn't care less what happens to you, but be warned, should you sully the Gluttonics name, I myself will make sure to take care of you. You're currently my only successor so don't f*ck up." For the first time since the system started protecting me from the pressure that I feel like its words carry weight and seriousness.

I didn't mind the fact that my surname changed that much since I reincarnated, but now I guess I have to take note of it.

"I will try... But how exactly do I use magic? I'm originally from a non-magic world so I'm not that familiar with the process." I explain since I don't know how it will react to the fact I don't even know how to use magic.

"Oh, I see. I was going to burn you into nothingness were that not the case. Since you don't know anything, I'll personally train you from scratch. You might be very unimpressive right now, but that body that monster gave you has a lot of potential so you're worth wasting some time on." Nullus once again gives me the impression of being too carefree.

I decide to not mind the fact I would have died if I didn't mention I'm from Earth and focus on trying to get more knowledge about magic.

"What exactly is magic? I mean I know it can do crazy things, but does it have a definition? It would be easier for me to understand it if I have some kind of basic understanding of what it's supposed to be." I inquire while having an idea of my own about what magic would be.

From what I've seen by watching anime, reading manga, and novels, magic should be the manipulation of reality through the use of mana, right?

"Well, if I had to define it, I would say magic is the manipulation of natural phenomena and laws of the universe using mana as a medium to make a pre-set event or a new one occur. Yes, I guess that's a pretty good basic definition. There are more ways to define it and different types and sub-types of magic might work differently without even mentioning that some universes have different laws for magic and how it works, regardless that, the definition I gave you should apply to at least 90% of the universes out there." Nullus explained in quite easy to understand way and even surprised me as didn't expect that from someone so carefree.

"Understood, since that's the case, what is mana? And how do I use mana?" I continue my questioning Nullus since it will be helpful to understand how things work.

"That's easy, Mana is the most basic and versatile form of energy being convertible in infinitely many ways, to create any natural phenomena or manipulate a law of the universe. Mana might be in the individual's body from birth or they might be able to fill their bodies with it later. There are two main ways to store mana in one's body also known as mana control physiques, the first being the usage of a mana circuit, which is basically a circulatory system for your mana enabling it to travel all of your body at a very high speed. The second is a mana core, which works like a second heart and the source as well as storage of all your mana, with the mana core instead of the constant circulation of mana, it can simply be drawn out to any and or all parts of the body at any time almost instantly. The world you are currently in has mana cores rather than mana circuits." Nullus went on a longer explanation than I expected.

"Wait, then do I have a mana core too? Also, what's the major difference between using a mana circuit and a core? Also, you haven't told me how to use mana yet." I just keep throwing new questions, as I find this rather interesting.

"Kaory, would you like to allow me to answer the questions first?" Nullus seemed annoyed by my impatience.

"Sorry, I'm just really interested in all of this."

"Anyway, you did ask some good questions tho. To answer the questions from earlier, yes you do have a mana core, but you also have a mana circuit, I assume that monster did so, to improve your adaptability to new worlds. As for the difference between both, it's quite simple. Mana circuit spellcasters are faster but have a lower output because their ability to concentrate a large amount of mana in a single point is limited in comparison, while mana core spellcasters are slower in comparison to mana circuit spellcasters, but their output is much higher since they can easily focus a large amount of mana in a single point." Nullus continued to explain.

"Now, before I get to how to use mana, you should know there are more 3 types of mana control physiques. The third one being the non-personal type, where the user has no way of controlling mana naturally thus they use an item that can do so. The fourth type is a mana body, which consists of a physical body perfectly molded to control, store and conduct mana without the need for a mana circuit or a core, it's the second rarest type and its efficiency is higher than type 1 and 2 in both speed and output, it's even known as the perfect magical body in some places. The fifth type is a mana soul which is basically the same as a mana body but better and for your soul rather than your body, not only does it have the benefits of a mana body at a higher level, it also creates a special connection between the user and mana, granting the user the title of Mana being, a creature that has become one with mana and is able to use it at it's highest known efficiency of 99.9% in all aspects, that considering that mana body is said to have an average of 60% in all aspects and the other types even less." Nullus went on a long explanation about the three other types.

"That's a lot of information, but I got everything. You said that I have type 1 and type 2 correct? Does that mean my efficiency is higher than normal?" I'm taking in all that's being said and taking it as my basic foundation for magic.

"Yes, you'll be able to have I believe about 50% efficiency with this. It's not common to have two types of mana control physiques in one body, the 3rd type is excluded since it just includes everyone who can't use magic on their own. Anyway, I myself have both the 4th and 5th types, unfortunately, my world didn't have anyone with the first or second type otherwise I would have them all." Nullus calmly threw in a small boast while explaining.

"Wait? If you have both the 4th and 5th type, how high is your efficiency? Is it 159,9%?" I ask just to make sure.

"No, after 100% it becomes much harder to increase efficiency, also I call efficiency for short, it's called magic efficiency, and mine is approximately 119,9%" Nullus corrected my assumption.

"Ok, I think I got it. Still, you haven't answered how I use mana?"

"I know, I was getting to that." Nullus said then finally began explaining. "The first step is to be able to feel the mana in your surroundings through mediation, then once you got that down you move on to step 2, which is to separate your mana from the natural mana in the manasphere, cause if you don't you'll waste a lot of energy unnecessarily, step 3 circulate mana through your whole body to help it adapt faster and strengthen your physical body, step 4 realise the mana in your body with a proper mental image and understanding of what you want to do with that mana. For now, that's enough I'll tell you more once you've mastered these 4 steps."

"I got it, but about step 2, what do you mean separate your mana from natural mana, and what's the manasphere?" I once again ask because I have to be certain of these things.

"The manasphere is just a term used to refer to all the mana in the multi-verse that is still untouched and in its purest form, to keep it simple for a human it's basically the mana in the air, even though it exists in all the multi-verse and doesn't need air to exist. Natural mana is what the manasphere is composed of, the purest form of mana. Since it's so pure, when you try to absorb it with your low ability it ends up losing a lot of its purity, and that impure form is what you use for your magic and what resides inside of you since your body wouldn't be able to handle Natural mana anyway and you'd definitely blow up." Nullus once again explained.

"This why you have to separate it from your own mana, what I'm telling you to do is to isolate your body from Natural mana, as it will enter your body naturally in very low quantities that aren't enough to affect your mana reserves but are enough to cause some disturbance to the flow of your mana when you want to cast a spell. So, it's best if you learn how to stop it from coming in the beginning or it will accumulate inside you and cause you trouble later on aside from slowing down your progress by a lot, that's also the reason why a lot of people only manage to master magic to a decent degree at old age." Nullus said something that surprised me, as I've never heard of something like this in any of the anime, manga, or novels but then again this is real and it's bound to be different in at least some parts.

From what I understand, it's basically just how an air conditioner's filter will get full of dust and have to be clean later on, just that mages don't have a way to clean their filter so it's best for them to just stop Natural mana from coming in, the earlier the better.

"That's crazy... I would have lost a lot of time if you didn't tell me... How just how big is the difference between letting Natural mana in and not doing it?" I ask just so I have a basic understanding of it.

"It's called natural mana corrosion or NMC for short, and the higher it is the worse the effects are. Let's say a mage wants to cast a fireball and only needs about 10 mp(mana points) for it and they have 0% natural mana corrosion then if the same mage had 30% natural mana corrosion they would need 3,010 mp for the same fireball spell, but don't worry this is just an example, NMC(natural mana corrosion) doesn't increase that fast, it's actually a painfully slow process and the highest I've ever found was 53% on an 1,892 years old mage, it's estimated that NMC increases on an average of 0.01-0.05% a year depending on how active you are." Nullus once again answered my questions.

"Isn't that extremely low?... But I guess if it would accumulate and become a problem eventually." I say my thoughts on it.

"That example used a weak spell, but each 1% of NMC represents 10 times the original cost to cast the spell. So if a spell costs 60 mp at 0% it will cost 660 at 1% and 18,060 at 30% and so on." Nullus replied making me realize it's much worse than I thought.

"I'll do as you say, thank you very much for your help, this will save me a lot of time and mistakes." I express my gratitude.

"Hmph! Just don't embarrass yourself under the Gluttonics name and we won't have a problem." Nullus said before disappearing.

Before I could notice I was back in my room with its blue walls and wooden floor while laying on my bed. I sit on the bed instead of laying and took a deep breath.

(Gosh, that was terrifying... I don't think it would have gone nearly as well without the system's help. I really need to learn how to use magic and get stronger so I can survive and get my freedom back someday! Well, it's best if I start.) I take in the knowledge I got and start meditating.

I didn't ask about this part cause I've seen or read about it too many times, the meditation consists of me trying to feel the Natural mana around me, and then I can isolate my mana from the high purity, but I'll think about that when I get there.

I breathe in and out, trying my best to focus on exploding my senses and feel the mana in the atmosphere, I slowly start feeling a little tingle, and I go after that feeling step by step not being hurried since I might lose concentration if I do.

Eventually, after hours of meditation, I finally feel something and a soft breeze starts surrounding me as my hair and clothes are lightly swayed by it, it's warm and feels mystical but familiar. It slowly covers all of me and at that moment.

I open my eyes.

A wave of energy disperses to all the corners of my room, while unbeknownst to me my eyes sparkle with life and energy as they glow with bright orange.

Sweat falls down my face as I realize both my bed and clothes are covered in it.

[You have successfully felt the touch of mana, you have taken the first step into the path of magic. Due to your success on the first try, you are now bestowed upon the skill 'Mana sense']

"Finally! I was starting to think I'd be here forever, system, can you tell me what time it is? and how long I've been here." I asked while I got off the bed and felt bad for my now dirty mattress.

[it's about 2 pm and you've been here for about 16 hours.] To my surprise, the system actually answered, I was just asking but not expecting a reply.

"That's a lot of time, happily I'm not tired... Does meditation count as sleeping or is my new body just full of stamina?" I was myself as I'm starting to doubt my current body still counts as human.

I decide to go look at the door I noticed last time hoping it's a bathroom and my hopes were answered as I went ahead and used it.

The bathroom was simple and had a bathtub, a sink with a mirror, a towel, and a toilet.

After my bath was over, I looked at my sweat-drenched clothes and shook my head as I wished for a washing machine, never have I thought I would miss one this much.

I use the towel I found in the bathroom and sit on the corner of the bed which isn't covered in sweat.

"System, do I have an extra pair of clothes?" I ask full of hope.

[No, you do not have any more clothes.] And the system crushed all my hopes mercilessly.

"Is there nothing I can do besides washing them myself? Why must the world be so cruel?" I ask in pain as the despair consumes me and my laziness.

[Or you could just store them in the inventory and let me do the rest.]

"You can wash clothes?!" I ask very surprised.

[I can emulate the function of any device that doesn't have destructive power or might interfere with the world besides you, host and then I can apply such functions to any of your inventory slots.]

"You can what?! No way, does that mean you can microwave my food? Or something like charge a phone?... I can't think of anything impressive right now, but I'm sure I can use this to my advantage." I say so while I go get my sweaty clothes.

"System, what other functions do you have?" I ask since I'm curious.

[Well, I can do many things, but my main functions are:

Status

Inventory

Equipment

Tasks

Gacha-(Locked)

Shop-(Locked)

OVNS(Omniverse virtual network space)-(Locked)

Trade-(Locked)

Legion-(Locked)

Dimensional/World travel-(Locked)

Update-(currently unable)]

"Oh nice, show me my status. And do I have any tasks yet?" I ask while ignoring equipment and inventory since there's probably nothing in them right now aside from my clothes.

[You don't currently have any tasks assigned.]

[Status]

[

Name: Kaory Gluttonics

Gender: Male(?)

Age: 13 years old

Race: Void half-dragon(Humanoid)

Class: Guild mage(Fairy Tail)

Magic: Gluttony Dragon slayer

Mana control physiques: Type-1(mana circuit), Type-2(Mana core), Type-3(Non-personal)

Magic efficiency: 50%(Speed 50%, output 50%)

NMC(natural mana corrosion):0%

Title: None

Rank: E

HP: 25/25 |Ethernano(mp):10

Attack:1.5

Defense:2.5

Intelligence:2.0

Speed:1.5

Skills:

Active:

Passive: Language comprehension, Mana sense

Magic:

Basic spells:

Gluttony Dragon's roar, Gluttony Dragon's claw, Gluttony Dragon's devouring fist, Gluttony Dragon's hunger, Gluttony Dragon's vacuum, Gluttony Dragon's stomach.

Advanced spells: Unknown]

"I really still have a long way to go... I better get back to training" I say after taking in the changes to my status which even though small made me smile slightly.