The Mana Circuit

"Too easy…Just like taking candy from a child…" Asher mumbled with a grin as he landed in his room after getting teleported.

He transformed back to his elf form and then looked at the Kronus' Armor Set in his hand.

[ Gear Name : Kronos' Armor Set || Non-Enhanceable ]

[ "Kronus was a simple blacksmith who made a living by forging armor and weapons. But he stole the precious Litnum metal from his master's coffer and used it to forge a armor set that would protect him during his adventures" ]

[ Grade : Rare ]

'Hmm, Rare grade? That would mean I would get a status effect and bonus. Let me put this on and see,' Asher mused while not paying much attention to its origins. It seemed like this man named Kronus was so proud of his own creation that he even included a description of his theft in his creation.

It looked like any ordinary silver armor from the outside but only when touching it could one feel how sturdy it was.

Asher knew, for his level, this armor was not bad, and after putting it on by simply passing his mana through it, he checked its stats,

[ Level 5 ]

[ Effect : +25 DEF ]

[ Bonus : +50 HP ]

[ Durability : 200/200 ]

"This is definitely a solid armor set," Asher was glad he accepted the quest, especially after seeing how much his HP increased,

[ HP : 94 -> 269 / 270 ]

It was more than twice his original health, and he felt like he could be a mini-boss against those of his level even without transforming into Hellbringer.

He quickly removed it, and right when he wished he had some magic storage pouch or bracelet to store this, the armor set suddenly vanished into his ring.

"Whoa…The ring can store my stuff as well? Aren't you a charmer," Asher kissed his ring, feeling even more glad to have such a spectacular ring. When he tried to sense his armor set, which had disappeared into the ring, his eyes widened when he realized that the armor set had actually fallen into the Dimension of the Damned.

Now it made sense why this ring could store things, and just to experiment, he tried to summon his armor set again, and to this relief, it manifested right in his hands.

"I guess I can put and take stuff out any number of times from that place," Asher mused as he realized that the only restriction was he can physically teleport to that dimension only once a day.

He then remembered the multiple messages he had received after completing the quest and took a look at them,

[ Quest successfully completed! ]

[ Rewards received -> 55 Rating Points , +1 Talent Point, +1 Skill Point, +1 Life Crystal]

[ Difficulty bonus -> None ]

"55? Wow..." Asher could see that he earned rating points more than what he had already from just a single kill...even though that was by killing a level 5 on the verge of dying. He realized the system was different here. Hunters would receive points based on how much damage they dealt and not based on who dealt the killing blow.

As expected from a quest for demons. There was no fair play.

[ You have received the title 'Weak But Strong' for killing a Hunter considerably stronger than you ]

Title : [ Weak But Strong -> +10% STR ]

[ Rating Increased : 53 -> 108 ]

[ Level Increase Pending ]

"I guess I will be leveling up as a demon for the first time," Asher mumbled upon seeing that he had earned enough rating points to get a level up. He could also feel his mana circuit tingling, ready to evolve his body to the next level.

However, he narrowed his eyes as he thought, 'I guess I can only level up when night comes…' Asher knew that even if one earns the necessary rating points to level up, it wasn't a simple process.

One would have to sit down and meditate while focusing on their mana circuit, which would be pulsating with mana that needs to be used to extend the circuit and level up.

Asher knew that since he was a level 1, his mana circuit would be quite simple, to the point even a kid could map it out on a piece of paper. But as one level up, their mana circuit keeps extending and becomes more complicated.

The more complicated one's mana circuit was, the more mana would be infused within their bones, muscles, and every inch of their body, strengthening them in every way. Their capacity to hold more mana would also increase consequently.

And the best part was one could choose how to increase their strengths when they level up. Asher knew the mana circuit basically consisted of four paths. Strength, Defense, Intelligence, and Dexterity.

The 'Strength' aspect would basically define how powerful one's attacks could be.

The 'Defense' aspect defined how strong and resilient one's body was. Higher the defense, the more their body had the capability to defend against attacks.

The 'Intelligence' aspect defined how much mana one could store within their bodies and also determined the ease with which they could learn magic arts. Those who focus on developing this aspect would be more sensitive to mana, allowing them to even gauge the strength of those stronger than them. In other terms, they could gain the ability to 'see' the mana circuit of others.

The 'Dexterity' aspect defined how fast and precise one could be. If fast enough, one can even dodge attacks from their enemies. It would also determine how fast one can cast and execute spells as well.

All intelligent beings with mana would usually put more focus on two paths out of the four since they knew trying to focus on all four paths equally would make them average without being good at anything. Asher also knew it was best to always specialize rather than try to make all four aspects stronger equally. There were people who did that, but most of them never achieved anything.

He knew this time he couldn't focus on the same paths he did in his previous life. Since his Hellbringer form was the strongest, he felt that he should definitely focus on the 'Intelligence' path.

And since he can never lose his health whenever he was in his Hellbringer form, he felt that he should focus on a different path rather than the 'Defense' path. Of course, it would also mean that his defensive capabilities or the ability to endure attacks wouldn't be his forte.

But that was the biggest cost of specializing in some of the paths.

"Being a glass cannon that can't take any damage seems to suit me…" Asher mumbled to himself with a smile as he thought that the second path he should focus on should be the 'Strength' path.

Since he had a time limit on how long he could be in his Hellbringer form, it would be best if he could deal as much damage as he could while he was in that form.

His eyes shone, thinking that this was the perfect combination. A mana circuit focusing on strength and intelligence.

*Knock*

Suddenly, a soft knock echoed from the side as he looked towards the door while powering down his ring.