CHAPTER 8 : MANA CORE

After walking for nearly half an hour, I walked out of the town's gate and entered the wilderness.

The landscape was beautiful. A land covered in green plains interrupted here and there by a small hill or a little forest, and small tributaries of the main river sliced all the green with a beautiful light blue colour making the whole scene feel alive.

Wildlife such as boars and deer roamed these plains free.

It would have been the perfect place for my awakening if not for the continuous transit of horse-drawn carriages and groups of people riding on horses.

Wanting to find a quiet place away from anyone's prying eyes, I decided to go slightly deeper into the forest.

In the deeper parts of the forest, a lot more wildlife roamed free thanks to the higher density of plants.

After walking for what felt like an hour, I ended up in an open area inside the forest with a little rocky formation, however just right for my objective.

Following my will through mental power, surrounding earth mana integrated inside one of the large boulders.

Instantly, the mass of soil moved as I directed its structure to change. Chasing my will, a small cavity formed in front of me, inside the boulder.

And entered through it without any hesitation.

The small cave was just the right size for my needs - spacious enough to accommodate three people, but cozy enough for me to settle in comfortably. I wasted no time and quickly got into a meditative pose, feeling the chill of the floor beneath me. With each passing moment, my mind grew stronger and clearer along with my perception of mana as eventually, I was able to recover my mental energy to its peak.

Without fiddling around even for a moment, I instantly extracted the final fragment of mana from the atmosphere that was necessary to complete my core.

*Boom!*

A loud boom erupted beneath me, causing the surface to fracture into fine cracks. The surrounding mana began to fluctuate erratically.

Without opening my eyes, I simply utilized my mental power to calm it down.

Then I focused on my newly formed mana core.

A satisfactory smile emerged on my face as I looked at the pure black sphere floating just a little below my chest. I could feel my mental energy constantly interacting with the impure atm mana pulled inside the core, purifying or changing the mana according to its nature.

Producing pure mana particles as a result which moved inside the core actively like a group of lively children.

Although both the sources of mental power, be it in the mind or the core, feel the same and could be utilized in a similar way. However, this suggestion couldn't be more wrong as their purpose differs vastly.

Mental energy supplied to the mind is what enables or provides us with the ability to think, as it presumably connects the brain to the consciousness present inside the soul. Additionally, this is also the mental energy people generally use in this world to control mana outside of the mana core.

Similarly, mental energy bestowed to the core also fuels a certain mechanism, which in the end enables mages to purify mana inside their mana cores and is also the main reason behind affinities.

I had always thought what would happen if I had more soul connections? What if my whole body is connected to my soul? Will I achieve that so-called integration stage?

Although extremely curious about this mechanism and the connection which connected the physical body to the soul, I did not attempt to inquire about it as of now, the reason being my fear of causing some irreversible stimulation to the unknown mechanism.

Now, however, when I providentially looked through my newly formed core. I realized that the soul connection which should have been within it was nowhere to be found. Panicking, I inspected every nook of my mana core but to no avail.

Even though I could feel mental energy in the large quantity being surged into the core from....somewhere, for some reason, I just... could not put my finger on the source. As if...my own mind, mental energy and will or whatever did not want me to find out its existence.

After searching for nearly an hour, a defeated sigh left my mouth as I shook my head.

Throwing the matter to the back of my mind for later inspection, my attention once again shifted to my newly formed mana core.

Following my mental power, a stream of mana came out of the core through the mana veins.

I willed it into the ground and It followed my command in an instant Like a most loyal servant as the cracks beneath my feet snapped back at a speed that could not even be compared had I only used atm mana.

At this moment, I felt the difference between atm mana and the mana purified by oneself in their core.

Atm mana felt...borrowed while my own mana had a kind of familiarity to it as it was tailored made for me by my mental energy.

After playing with my new toy for a while, My mind wandered off to my plans for the future.

I should be able to finish assimilating the fire element within a couple of months with the formation of my core. After that, it shouldn't be too challenging to do the same with the other elements. Unlocking the deviants is already something I know how to do, it's just basic high-school physics.

I believe that within the next 2 to 3 years, I'll be able to gain all the elements and presumably unlock their deviants. While also reaching at least the orange or yellow core stage.

This will enable me to enhance my self-defence abilities significantly, Consequently, I might even venture outside to battle some mana beasts and gain some combat experience.

I'm not thrilled about the idea of battling like a crazed mc straight out of a fantasy novel. However, it's crucial to attain strength for the impending conflict. After Dicathen's downfall, I must safeguard my loved ones and myself, and that requires power.

I have decided to refrain from getting involved in the war and instead participate as an ordinary citizen of this continent. I will fight alongside the rest of the army against regular individuals, showcasing average abilities. And even that is only because of my parents. Once the war concludes, I will just relocate my family to a secure location.

Why? Because I don't wanna mess with the asura's, without a solid reason, at least not yet when I'm a fucking child. And there is literally no reason for me to do so. I mean I certainly have no beef with them, do I?

Well whatever they do in the future, as a scientist, I'm confident in my intelligence to gain enough power to at least not get influenced by their actions while also protecting my family.

Greed; The yearning to possess something, encompassed by intense and selfish desire.

Almost everyone possesses greed for something, including me. In my case, I am greedy for knowledge, and.....it could be the only factor that might influence my decision regarding the asuras in the future.

Anyway, over the next few years, my primary goal is to advance my core stage and enhance my fundamental abilities as a spellcaster by practising and perfecting a variety of spells.

Additionally, I intend to hone my skills in both conjuring and augmenting magic since my mana veins and channels are both exceptionally potent.

I've decided to mix things up a bit in my daily routine. Though everything else will remain unchanged, I will now dedicate my afternoons to practising and honing my spellcasting skills. As for mental energy training, that will take place during the night

But first...I have to figure out how to utilize mana rotation and mirage walk before dusk, otherwise, my protective mother will probably lock me in the house for who knows how long.