The Right Direction

'Mana Reaper is the least described skill that I have received so far,'

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[Mana Reaper: LV: 1]: This skill allows you to steal mana from its targets. Varying degrees of strength at different levels. Basic magic resistance is gained. Non-Transferable

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'It seems simple, but the two simple words at the end of the skill add a lot of mystery to the world of skills,'

'I asked the system and its only reply was 'It's Not Transferable'...'

'It didn't reveal anything else but my mind wandered and I began to think,'

'The reason why I found this skill so weird, was the fact that the two skills that I had received from fucking gods weren't even 'Non-Transferable','

'So that said something about the skill,' Drew thought as he remembered a few nights where he couldn't stop thinking of the damn possibilities.

'It's the only skill that seems to be unique to me,'

'I have heard no word of skills similar to it and even Atun said that it didn't make sense,'

'But after getting over those two small words I began to delve into the meaning of Mana Reaper,'

'The first thing I tested out was what was required to activate it,' Drew thought as he recalled his findings.

Drew had first placed his hands on Flux and activated the skill and felt the suction force fill his body once again. But it didn't end there.

While sparring with the wolf he found that if anything that he is directly in contact with touches his target he could activate the skill. That meant that he could steal his enemy's mana when striking them with a weapon instead of having to touch them with his direct skin.

But the most shocking thing that he found was that he could drain his opponent's mana through an extension of their body. For instance, by striking a weapon they are holding or hitting their armor. He tested this in many instances and after a while, he began to have an idea.

'An extension of their body...' Drew thought as he stared at his scythes and looked back at Flux.

"Flux,"

The wolf stared back at him as its name was called.

"Use Temporal Lunge near me," Drew commanded.

Flux nodded and entered the particle-like state before leaping forward at a fast speed near Drew.

But right before Flux landed, Drew placed his hands on the strange magical particles in the air and activated the skill, which surprisingly worked.

"Fuck... does this mean that as long as I am touching a spell that a mage had cast, I can drain their mana?" Drew whispered to himself as if it was impossible.

"And if that is correct then protection magic or things similar to barriers or shields would be a weakness for my enemies"

'I feel like that could be problematic for me,' Drew thought before his mind came back to the present moment and the river in front of him.

He had been thinking about how people would react if what he thought was true.

"System, is there any magic that can simulate my skill?" Drew asked while staring at the skill description over and over again.

[Correct]

Drew nodded slowly at the answer, taking it in and thinking about what it could mean.

"What type of magic is it?"

[The only Magical Affinity that is currently known to be capable of that specific effect is the [Unique Magical Affinity: Anti-Magic]. Though there may be more that are unknown to the system at this time]

"Anti-Magic..." He whispered at the word.

"I bet that type of magic isn't really favored in this world," Drew said while thinking about all the people he had seen who could do magic.

[Anti-Magic is most likely not known by most of the world]

The system spoke those words as if it was self-explanatory.

"What do you- Oh..." He said before stopping himself.

"Unique magic... I haven't heard of that one yet,"

[Unique Magic Affinities, also known as Legendary Affinities, are usually regarded as the strongest type of magic a mortal can possess. No known mortal in this world has gained a Unique Magic Affinity through research or practice. All known cases of these Affinities have been innate, besides the user]

"?!?!"

[Your only magical affinity, Time Magic, is a Unique Magical Affinity. This affinity was not something you were born with which means you developed it. This means you are the only known person to have developed a Unique Affinity]

'That explains why I haven't heard of it before...'

'So Unique Affinities instantly makes the person born with it a 'Child Wonder', or something similar to that?' Drew asked with an eye roll.

[It is a very commonly known fact that people that are born with a Unique Magical Affinity are regarded as priceless treasures and can oftentimes lead to wars]

'Why would they lead to wars? Its just one person with magic a little different than others,'

[Most people who are born with those Affinities are children of leaders or direct royalty]

After the system said that it clicked in Drew's mind.

'It's a hereditary thing then,'

[Correct]

Drew took in the whole situation and tried to observe it from as many angles as possible.

'My unique skill is something that mimics Anti-Magic which is a Unique Magical Affinity that can cause people to go to war over,' He thought, stating the facts.

'So if anyone gets wind that someone is out in the world who can steal people's mana...'

'Or even if anyone finds out about my magical affinity...'

'It wouldn't be good,' He concluded.

'At least not for me,'

'I guess I just gotta be a bit more careful,'

"But what direction should I go towards?" He sighed while repositioning his legs and tapping his fingers against the cold stone beneath him.

[The system has a recommendation]

"Shoot,"

[The system can't 'Shoot', but the recommendation is as follows: Your current skills relate to draining the enemy of their 'life force' and fighting swiftly. There are a few known weapon stances that have similar abilities]

[Sanguine Style: Focuses on shadows and thievery in a unique way. They have great stealth abilities and are skilled in skills similar to Shadow Magic. They also have the ability to drain the health and stamina of their target with melee attacks and regenerate their health depending on the damage dealt]

[Mage Disrupter Stance: Focuses on eliminating mages and their attacks. Burns the target's mana when struck by a disrupter's melee attack. Abilities simulate Anti-Magic on a very small scale]

[Bloody Dancer: Glides through combat leaving only streaks of blood in their wake. They focus on speed, elegance, and pain. Their attacks cause a similar bleeding effect to the scythe skill, but are elevated to a very advanced level]

[There are no other commonly known Stances that cause similar effects to what you are looking for]

[But a word of advice. The host has shown a very high interest in being 'Unchained' and 'Free'. Because of this, The system would like to remind you that nothing is stopping you from focusing on developing other skills. Anything that you want to do... you can make happen. Do not think that your innate skill is what defines your future]

The information hit Drew like a wrecking ball.

He had known that any path he chose would be the right path. But because he started with that skill... something had wormed its way into his mind and told him 'This skill is your future,'.

"Your right. It doesn't define my future," He said out loud as he stood up from the rock he was sitting on.

"I don't want to be a mage!"

"I don't want to be a warrior!"

"I don't want to be a rogue!"

"I want to be them all!" He yelled as his youthful blood boiled in him.

After he finished declaring to the entire world what he wanted and didn't want to be, he took deep breaths in as his heart was racing.

"I want it all..." He mumbled as he finally tore his gaze from the river.

[...]

"Shut up system, you're ruining my moment!" Drew said sheepishly.

---

The sun had risen a little higher and Flux had finally woken up from his wolf nap. The wolf had just taken a stroll from the forest and came back with a few small pigs, rolling them towards Drew expectantly.

"Really?" Drew said exasperated, "Why do you have to have me cook what you catch?"

Flux just salivated in response.

"Fine, but I can't stay here while it cooks. I can set it up and you just... watch it,"

The next few minutes were incredibly frustrating for both of them as Drew desperately tried to teach Flux how to put out a fire and make sure the food didn't burn 'Too Much'.

But after the two finished their shenanigans Drew waved a solemn goodbye as he headed out to the hidden hatch to Dark Street nearest to his shack.

"I guess it's time to join a band of rogues," He said hesitantly as he rubbed his hands anxiously and walked down the beaten road.