9 Tutorial

Daniel was excited to play around with magic and spellcasting, it was the epitome of fantasy to be able to do such a thing. He couldn't help but to focus and listen intently to Ialdir.

"So to start, you need to focus your mana on your palm, it doesn't have to be on your palm but it is simpler and easier it is to do it the closer it is to your body. You must condense your mana towards a specific location while focusing on an image and effect of your spell, the image could be a repeating one or a solid image, everything will have an effect, experimenting will allow you to discover new spells," Ialdir said as he demonstrated making more spheres, "Also, some spells may require a focus, incantations, ingredients, rituals, multiple casters, or even a prayer," Ialdir said.

"Ok," he replied as he began pulling his mana towards his left palm, condensing it felt slow. Since he had to focus on turning his mana into a condensed ball he decided to go with his palm. He kept the image in his mind on the ball as he twisted and warped his mana into the shape. He watched as a sphere began to take shape on his hand. It took him a total of 20 seconds to cast the spell. He was staring dazedly at the orb "The cast time is simply way too slow for me to use in a fight," he thought, his mana manipulation also increased rank. He noticed the notification in the corner.

New Spell Learned: Mana Orb

"Now push the orb away with your mana once you have completed it, focus on an image of you propelling it and it will soar," Ialdir said.

Daniel tried following his instructions, but the orb did not soar. It looked like it bounced off his hand, "What does learning a spell actually do if I have to cast it like this every time," he asked.

"Depends on the spell, but it will give you details on the mana cost and the spells current potential with your skill level, also instructions on how to cast the spell based on past records of how you cast it," Ialdir said.

"Just casting that spell had cost 46 mana for me," he said as he looked at his mana pool.

"You are only a beginner when it comes to mana manipulation, the equivalent of an infant, let's move on, to the next part, adding elements to your spells," Ialdir said.

"How do I do that," he asked.

"Cast the Mana Orb spell but this time focus on adding the earth property to the spell, what do you think of when you imagine creating an orb using that element, it either will or it won't work, because your mana has that element it can affect the surrounding elementless mana," Ialdir said.

"So I just need to create a ball of dirt right, rather than just a ball," he said.

"Basically, you could also try adding rocks, you may get a partial spell cast but unable to complete it due to mana issues, increasing your intelligence is the easiest method for casting more powerful spells," Ialdir said.

Daniel began re-casting Mana Orb, he imagined dirt moving towards him and condensing into a sphere on his palm. Meanwhile, he began to stretch and drag the strange feeling around him he was directing it towards his palm. It was slightly faster than last time, but what was truly different was the brown dirt appearing in the air condensing into an orb on his palm. He felt a sense of achievement as he continued.

Congratulations you Learned a New Spell: Dirt Orb

Following the notification, he immediately tried to propel the dirtball, he kept picturing it flying straight and far as he pushed mana against it. He couldn't help but express shock on his face, as the ball of dirt took off flying from his hand smashing and breaking apart ten feet from where he was standing. "That was pretty cool, but I am curious how exactly do I utilize Life Magic," he asked.

"Life mana is one of the more trickery elements, there isn't much I can teach you for it, But I will help you understand the concept, it requires strong pictures in your mind. You have to create a scene and keep repeating that scene, like a seed growing into a flower," Ialdir said he swiped his hand and cleared a small patch of grass revealing only dirt. "It will require a lot more mana to create and grow a plant without the assistance of Earth or Water element, Earth is already provided around you though," Ialdir said

"So I gotta picture and create the cycle of growth for a plant to cast the spell," he asked.

"Exactly for that type of spell, try creating new grass it is a simpler plant," Ialdir said.

Daniel walked over to the dirt, placing his palm on the dirt while kneeling he began to think of the steps. He wasn't sure if a seed was just gonna magically appear, but he knew he needed it to grow and to start with its roots and to sprout. Once he formed the scene in his head he kept repeating it over and over before actually moving his mana. Once he felt comfortable and focused he began trying to put his mana into the dirt, trying to shape it into a tiny seed, there was no stopping he had to keep repeating the cycle in his head.

Small green sprouts began surfacing from the dirt, he didn't expect multiple plants. He could see his mana draining but, it was actually removing less mana then mana orb. The sprouts began growing into mature grass, however, it wasn't until he completed the image did it stop draining his mana, it turned out to consume actually more mana then mana orb, it cost him 89 mana, he was just glad he regenerated enough mana at the moment to cast these spells.

"How long does it last," He asked while standing back up.

Congratulations New Spell Learned: Grow ~ Grass ~

"It is a permanent effect spell, it varies based on the caster and the area and other conditions, but typically it will bind with the area's mana and become permanent," Ialdir said.

He also achieved another rank in Mana manipulation it was already at Beginner Rank 6. "Long duration spells could be pretty useful later," he said standing back up to look at Ialdir. The man never once moved from his spot, it felt strange to him.

"That is it for the Spellcasting part of the Tutorial, you can, of course, experiment to try and create your own spells, next you should try running, I'm sure you noticed you have a stamina bar now, judging by your physique you will actually start weaker in Evotania then you normally are," Ialdir said.

"Really, weaker?" he asked. Daniel was not happy to hear that but he was also really curious what Ialdir meant.

"Just start sprinting or running around you will notice your stamina drain quickly," Ialdir responded.

Daniel didn't bother responding, he took off running to get a better idea of what he meant. He wasn't actually much slower than in reality, "How does quickness actually affect me then," he wondered. Even while pacing himself, his stamina was dropping drastically, he noticed some notifications appeared. Rather than stopping to look at them he chose to keep going "What will happen when I reach zero stamina," he thought. He ran for five minutes, his body was on fire. He was huffing and puffing while stumbling. He couldn't even speak, "This is crazy," he thought, he kept going he knew that something might happen if he tried pushing his body further. He believed that Ialdir would prevent him from dying or anything bad from happening since he was still in the Tutorial.

~ Ding ~ You have lost 1 health ~ Ding ~

Health will continue to be used instead of Stamina

His lungs were on fire, he felt like he was dying as he pushed on. He tried to go for a little bit more but, his legs gave out completely, he couldn't go on. Rolling over onto his back he was gasping for air. He couldn't focus on the other notifications right now.

"How does it feel," ialdir asked he was now standing over top of Daniel.

He didn't even notice him move or run to catch up to him. "Can't," he gasped out. He just laid there with his eyes closed. It didn't take long for his stamina to start recovering, he felt like he could breathe again.

"You did really well, already learning sub-skills, and even some less basic skills," Ialdir said.

Daniel was calming himself down, "How am I supposed to fight, in melee," he asked.

"Lesser races learned to use magic to protect themselves for a reason, pure physical martial arts are a much more difficult path to take," Ialdir said.

Setting himself up he noticed his health and stamina were naturally recovering. He didn't lose that much life, compared to stamina. He could see his current status, he also looked at all the new notification windows that were transparent and hidden before.

Health: 97/130

Mana: 127/127

Stamina:39/130

Congratulations New Skill Learned: Endurance

Congratulations Endurance Increased a Rank

Congratulations Endurance Increased a Rank

Congratulations A New Skill Has Been Learned: Determination

Congratulations A New Sub-Skill Has Been Learned: Natural Recovery

Congratulations Endurance Has Increased a Rank

Congratulations Endurance Has Increased a Rank

Congratulations Endurance Has Increased a Rank

.....

|~Endurance~|

Most living creatures require stamina to move, Congratulations on your first baby steps in life, the more you move your body the more stamina you will require. Endurance will help you maintain and require less of your stamina.

-Effect-

Increased Consumption of Stamina 20%

~Current Skill Level: Beginner Rank 8

|~Determination~|

You have shown the Willpower to overcome and struggle through hardships. One tests their will and determination in only the toughest of trials.

~Effect~

2% Reduced Effect of Pain and Exhaustion. And Mind Influencing Effects

Current Level: Beginner: Rank 1

|~Natural Recovery (Subset Skill)~|

Through pain and exhaustion, your body will naturally learn to adapt and recover.

(Subset Skill of Endurance)

~Effect~

4% increase in natural health and stamina regeneration.

Current Level: Beginner: Rank 1

"Wait, what is a Subset skill," he asked.

"A Subset Skill is a skill associated with a skill, and is related to that skill, there are many more skills to discover, in fact, I was gonna teach you one after you understood Endurance," Ialdir said.

"Really, what subset skill was it gonna be," he asked.

"The basic idea of meditation, do you feel the tingles at the very edge of your mana, almost like you are touching something? That something is the wild and free mana around you, try and grab it with your mana, pulling or sucking the external mana into yourself. Many find it easier to think of themselves inhaling the mana and exhaling what they couldn't convert to their own," Ialdir replied passively.

Listening to his instructions he remained sitting, he looked for that familiar sensation, he stretched and spread his mana out around him. He could feel the sensation stronger, "Could I use this similar to perception," he asked.

"That is a normal thing to do, think of your mana as a large extension of yourself, you use it to shape and bend the mana of the world towards your will, which is how you cast a spell, the stronger and more focused you become will also, naturally increase the effects of casting," Ialdir replied.

He nodded and went back to feeling the mana around him, he began to try and grab and pull the mana around him. It reminded him of the sensation of touching and pulling on cobwebs, "Do I really have to bring this into my body," he thought. It wasn't easy to pull in the mana, it slowly began moving towards him. The closer the strange cobwebs came the easier it was to pull. It felt strange he could feel the change in the mana, it almost felt like he drank cold water, as it changed into a different sensation.

He heard a ding sound after repeating the process multiple times. He opened his eyes to see a new notification.

Congratulations, You Have Learned The Beginner Sub-Skill of Mana Manipulation ~ Meditation ~

|~Meditation (Sub-Skill)~|

Meditation a skill mostly used by those who draw and wield mana, elves are born with the skill. Humans tend to learn the skill early on, it is rarer to be seen used by the other races.

-One who willfully focuses on drawing in the free mana of the environment around them to themselves with a purpose.

Effect - Increases Mana regeneration by 10-150% depending on the focus of the user.

Current Level: Beginner Rank 1

"You're pretty good at all this, it has only taken you two hours to accomplish all of this," Ialdir said.

"Really thanks, do you know how others are doing," he said looking over towards the man.

"Yes, there are some that have already reached novice in Mana Manipulation, and Endurance, however, not many have unlocked Determination or Natural recovery," Ialdir replied.

"Really that fast," he said.

"Each person will be different, you have plenty of time to practice and catch up, this concludes the tutorial function, Now I must ask, have you decided on your starting kingdom and location," Ialdir asked.

"Yeah, Kingdom of Sylvantir, in the capital city Shalee," he replied.

"I'm afraid a Beastkin can not start inside the capital city of an opposing race, your kind is looked down upon by most high elves, you must gain favor in another location, you may choose other major cities if you like inside the kingdom of Sylvantir," he replied.

"Where else can I start then that is closest to Shalee," he asked.

"Depends, you have many options as long as it is a location with a shrine to one of the divine, the closest location for you would be the forest shrine of Kaena, Goddess of the Wilds," Ialdir said.

"How far is that from, Shalee," he asked.

"Would be about two full days travel," Ialdir replied.

"What are the other options," he asked.

"You have the village of Oshn Tirion which has a small church of the divine which would only require a slightly longer journey," Ialdir replied.

"Can you tell me the pros and cons of each of them," he asked.

"I'm afraid that is a question that I can not share too many details on for each location, Kaena's Shrine is in a remote area in a forest, you may find assistance there for your journey. As for the village of Oshn Tirion, it does not typically welcome your kind but you may still find assistance," Ialdir said.

He wasn't sure which one to start at, he wasn't expecting the problems with beastkin in the elven territory, he knew each race came with prejudices against them from the NPCs in the world. He decided to just go with the closest option, he would just run to Shalee, it will also let him use growth points on his physical attributes. "I've decided I'll start at the Shrine of Kaena, Goddess of the Wilds since it is closest," he said.

"You destination has been chosen then, I will remain here with you until the time that the world's gateway fully opens," Ialdir said.

"Thanks," Daniel replied. For the remaining hours, he continued to practice his current skill set. He noticed that only Endurance and Mana manipulation could level up. The other skills remained at rank one. A change happened to the skills when they finally reached novice rank.

|~Endurance~|

Most living creatures require stamina to move, Congratulations you have learned and experienced how to move your body. the more you move your body the more stamina you will require. Endurance will help you maintain and require less of your stamina.

-Effect-

Reduced Consumption of Stamina 0%

~Current Skill Level: Novice Rank 1

Current XP (0.0%)

|~Mana Manipulation~|

Everything in Evotania has mana some are able to manipulate it, congratulations on learning how to manipulate the mana around you.

- Effect -

80% increased consumption of mana when used,

mana increased by 5%, Mana range: minor

Current Level ~ Novice ~ Rank 1

Current XP (0.0%)

The change in stamina consumption was massive, he could easily go for twice as long as before. The control of his mana became simpler, he was able to shoot a mana orb consistently to 20 ft, however, his accuracy and cast speed still required improvements. After he reached, Novice ranks, he decided he should notify Joseph before they actually entered the world. He opened his menu and pulled up his contacts. He opened the messenger, he hadn't received any messages during the character creation.

"Hey man, I am not gonna be able to start in Shalee as a beastkin, go ahead and start leveling and stuff without me, we will meet up when I get there, I gotta start in another place," Daniel sent. It didn't take very long for him to receive a reply.

"No problem bro, I'll just meet up with my other friends we will go leveling, where are you gonna be starting at by the way?" Joseph replied.

"Some remote shrine for the Goddess of the Wilds, her name is Kaena, I'll head over towards you and we can meet up, should only take two days to travel to get to Shalee," Daniel said.

"Strange that place isn't an option for me to start at man, I went ahead and checked but yeah, this dude I am here with is just looking at me blankly and said you do not meet the requirements, it is probably racial or something," Joseph replied.

Before Daniel could respond to Joseph he was interrupted.

"It is time are you ready to begin your journey?" Ialdir asked

"Yeah, I am ready," Daniel said

"Good Luck Daniel Smith, I'll be watching over you and recording your legend," Ialdir bowed and said.

Suddenly everything went black for Daniel.