I climb the Temple, observing the mana within the Mana Arc as it swirls in a manner that almost makes it seem alive. The Arc’s basic composition is metallic mana with veins of liquid mana, but there's more to it than that. The mana circulates in a specific pattern, as if there is a beating heart driving its motion, producing warped MM fields of much greater strength than usual. Lacking the usual structure of stable valleys between peaks of increasingly high resistance, this MM field is more akin to a drain into which ambient mana just falls endlessly.

"How did she do it?" I ask myself.

It is the day after I talked with the elders about the priestess problem. I came to the Temple with the dungeon expedition, but have now separated from them to talk with Kayafe.

I reach the Mana Arc and place my hand on it, establishing contact.

"Hello again," Kayafe says.

"Hello, I have a few questions to ask you."

"When do you not? Ask away." Kayafe sounds appreciative. I can't imagine what it must be like to be in her situation, but contact with another being after thousands of years probably makes her feel at least a little bit alive.

"First, do you know of any place that is almost entirely devoid of mana? It's one of the last breakthroughs I need for [Sense Mana], since I finally got my twenty-eighth."

"Hmm, as far as naturally occurring areas go, there isn't much anywhere that I’ve been to. However a sufficiently powerful [Mana Manipulation] could create one, but you won't be able to do it at your level because yours is not part of a class."

"I actually got twelve more breakthroughs since last time I was here and leveled it up to three-thirty. I figure that I have about ten years to figure it out, so it should be fine to level it up more, but that means that I really need to know more about cursed skills now."

"I see... I can't help you there, but maybe some of the research of one of my companions survived. I suggest seeking out Dwarves, especially Dwarven soul mages, and asking around for Dhwol. My other companion, the Elf with the heirloom race, could see skills and worked with Dhwol in their search for a way to remove the curse from skills. Maybe they found something after I left? You may want to seek out the Elves too; if any Three-Eyed Elves survived, they'll be able to see more."

"The Guardian did say that there was a rumor of an Elf purifying a cursed skill, but she didn't believe it at the time.

Next question, how did you make the circulating mana in the Mana Arc and the Likeness of Myrou?"

"Ah, that. That is something only possible once you enhance the skill; you gain the ability to leave behind permanent effects in mana. For example, you can make mana unable to leave an area, or you can make a pot that turns all water into life essence water, essentially making an endless healing potion. [Mana Manipulation] was my greatest talent and strength; yours seems to be [Mana Sense], surpassing even me in that skill.” Kayafe’s voice turns curious. “What did you learn, by the way?"

"It's a dense subject, but to put it simply, I can see the MM force now, and I can see individual mana particles."

"MM field?" Kayafe asks.

"Mana magnetic force, named after its attracting and repelling forces, like those of a magnet."

"I see. I simply called it the attraction/repulsion force."

"Anyway, I can see the force fields that the particles create and how the force works, how mana can form structures or become solid or liquid. It's helped immensely already by making better mana batteries and mana metal, and I even made a Grand-tier magical item!" I can't help but brag. "Although I still need to actually make liquid mana, maybe if I can get my [Mana Manipulation] to three-fifty it’ll be possible."

"You are already close to four hundred then; at that point, forming mana weather should be possible without a class. At four-fifty, maybe a little higher, you might be able to manipulate the... MM field, directly.” Kayafe goes silent for a few moments.

“Try ripping mana out of monsters, that will get you a breakthrough; same with vitality as it's technically mana. Also try using ambient mana around you to cast spells, gather it in front of you, and simply impart a spell identity on it. Being able to do that has saved me a lot when I ran out of mana. Also, I don't know if you've figured it out, but try turning mana back into reserved mana; it's one of the best things you can do."

"I haven't even thought of some of those! That will definitely get me past forty breakthroughs. So what does it mean when a skill in my mana signature is... glowing, for lack of a better word?" I ask. I still don't know what that means, although I have a few guesses.

"Already?" Kayafe doesn't sound too surprised; I guess when she said nothing could surprise her anymore, she meant it; that, or she has just come to accept crazy things from me. "Let me guess, it's [Sense Mana]? Mine was just starting to show signs of that. It means you're reaching the next stage of it, Alysara. It means that it's ready to be enhanced; once you get your last breakthrough and cap your skill, you will get a legendary action point. This point is tailor-made to enhance the skill; there will be no safer point than that one to enhance your skill."

"And then what? What happens when you enhance your skill?" I can't help but feel excited; I am only a few breakthroughs away.

"First, the level cap doubles; keep in mind that your progress before still counts, so don't be surprised if you suddenly gain one hundred levels. Instead of five levels each per breakthrough for action and knowledge, it will be ten. The extra five is the same as before, just a mastery test version, so it's normal for your first ten or so breakthroughs to be instantly capped. Next, the per level bonus is vastly increased but, and this is the most important thing to note, the type of legendary point you use to enhance your skill will determine how much this per level bonus is increased by. Using the tailor-made legendary point will result in ten units per level instead of the unenhanced amount."

I almost choke hearing that.

"What's normal for unenhanced general skills? It's one unit per level, right?"

"Yes, so using that legendary point would normally result in a tenfold increase in your skill's power. However, you have [Sense Mana] in your race, right? That means your race bonus is applying, too. What's your tier?"

"Major and Unique, about a three hundred percent bonus for several skills."

"Then that applies; instead of ten units, it will have three hundred percent more added to it, so a total of a forty unit bonus per level."

"If that's per level...?” I can’t help getting increasingly excited as I run through numbers in my head. “One hundred levels will be four thousand units? Three hundred levels will be twelve thousand units, and my new cap of six hundred twenty will be over twenty-four thousand units; that's crazy! I can see one meter per level, so forty meters per level instead,"

"You're thinking out loud, Alysara," Kayafe says, amused. "Yes, it's quite powerful, now do you see why ultimate skills like [Mana Manipulation] and [Unlimited Minds] are so powerful? With up to one thousand skill levels, they become truly devastating."

Now that I think about it, I've been expanding the range of my spheres as if it wasn't being modified by my race; I didn't even know it was being modified. With two hundred sixty-seven levels, its radius is normally two hundred sixty-seven meters, but with my race bonus, it should add three hundred percent, about eight hundred meters, for a total of just over a kilometer radius... I could have seen that wolf much sooner, people wouldn't have died if I’d been paying attention to this!

This realization makes my gut feel heavy, as if I had swallowed a stone. Because of my oversight, because I was complacent in my skills, people have died. I shake my head to dislodge the guilt temporarily; there's time for reflection later. Right now, I only have limited time to talk with Kayafe.

"The last thing about enhanced skills is the extra breakthroughs. You may end up with forty breakthroughs, or who knows, maybe even fifty, and be able to get your [Sense Mana] to level one thousand. Also, since it is a legendary achievement, getting your skill maxed out will be broadcasted throughout the realm, your name will be known to all, whether you want it to be or not."

"How will enhancing my skill affect my descendants?” I ask, although I don’t want to think too hard about leaving descendants for quite a few years yet. “As an Heirloom race, I will pass down my skill in its entirety, at whatever height I reach with it. Does that count for enhancing it as well?"

"I don't know; there has never been any record of that happening. For one, most Heirloom progenitors don't live to the point of getting an enhanced skill... and I've never heard of raising the Heirloom tier to Unique, for that you are the first." Kayafe’s curiosity is transmitted through the telepathic link, I get the feeling she is perhaps more eager for that question to be answered than I am.

"Also,” she continues, “You should take time to really learn mana and practice with [Mana Manipulation]. It's one thing to have the skill at such a high level; it's another thing entirely to figure out all of the obscure uses for it. You are only ten years old, so you haven't put in the time, at least in [Mana Manipulation]. I have no doubt that by living your whole life with [Sense Mana] you know more about that skill than just what’s given by breakthroughs."

"One last question.” My mana is starting to get low. “How do you make a Mana Arc? It doesn't have to be a magic item, but maybe if I can enhance my skills then I can free you."

"A Mana Arc is a thing that has absolute control over mana. Think of it as a spell crystal, but one that effectively becomes the [Mana Manipulation] skill. It is capable of controlling vast amounts of mana, and even this one that I reside in is incomplete. I had to rush and could not fully understand everything. In short, it is a type of skill gem, although it encompasses all breakthroughs."

"Skill gem? How can I make one?" I can't help but ask.

"You don't." Kayfe replies stoically. "Skills are in the realm of magic, and thus one cannot simply ‘make’ one. Instead, I tried to use my knowledge of [Mana Manipulation] to make something similar, a gem that can funnel the vast amount of mana that moves through the Nexus into the dungeon, which can safely consume it."

"In other words, this is just a prototype?"I can't help but sound a little dumbfounded. The Mana Arc, the thing that has kept all Runalymo safe for thousands of years... is not even the true form of what it could be.

"Yes, a true Mana Arc should have total control over mana."

That is honestly terrifying. Given that its range extends over the entire Nexus, which is hundreds of kilometers in diameter, such an item could compete against even dragons.

"So,“ something rather frightening occurs to me, “the only reason it's working now is that it's using your abilities?"

"Pretty much."

If it's using Kayafe's skill right now, then its current power is equal to hers?! Let's see, she has the skill enhanced, and I think she has a Legendary-tier class for it, a minimum of five hundred levels and the class bonus of five thousand percent. With a minimum base of ten units per level that's five hundred per level... two hundred fifty thousand units?! I can already do crazy things with my measly three hundred thirty; with that much, she can channel almost ninety percent of all mana that goes through the Nexus. Ultimate skills are scary!

"Is your ultimate class based on your [Mana Manipulation]?" I ask, tentatively.

"No, though I wish it was. If you ever get a chance to make your ultimate class, base it on [Mana Manipulation]. Of course, you'll have to uncurse your skill first, but—"

My mana runs out, cutting Kayafe off. After a frustrated sigh and a few minutes of just staring at nothing, thinking, I walk back down and into the Temple.

The others have already gone into the dungeon. I get some weird looks from some Storm Warden priestesses on the way in, but I pay them no heed. I expand my perception to its fullest, and continue pushing it to make sure it's at its fullest. I will not be letting anyone else die because I didn't use my skills properly. With a spherical radius of one kilometer I can see far underground, but as expected, it's full of nothing but dirt. I don't need to see that far down, so I pull on the bottom of my perception to form more of a dome shape, only seeing about fifty meters under me. This has the benefit of expanding how far out I can see, keeping the total volume of perception the same.

Not only could I have seen that wolf way before it ambushed us, I could also have scouted the ruins much faster. Another stone drops in my stomach, the weight of my sins. I take a deep breath. What's done is done; I can only move on, I tell myself.

I make my way back to the main camp. There are large storage crystals now, ready to store all the materials we will process and ship back.

I see Esofy; she's wearing the Alpha Wolf furs that she claimed. Tana claimed some as well; I wonder where he is. I see a lot of people with upgrades, both gear and higher class tiers than before. Way more people have Adept and Major classes instead of Minor, and more should be near their next class evolution. However, I also notice that only half the first expedition came back. There are a few new faces, of course, but over a hundred are absent.

"It's a lot roomier now," I say, walking up to Esofy and Chyzu. Chyzu is also wearing wolf furs. The camp and all of its tents was left as it was for the larger first expedition which has now created an impression that there are more people here than there really are.

"Yeah, a lot of people just couldn't take it, not the danger, not stress, not the grief. I don't blame them; I was pretty close to doing the same thing, especially after the Everwinter Slime." Esofy then looks to Chyzu and smiles affectionately – With the help of [Inquisitive Perfection] I didn’t miss the significance of that look – before looking back at me. "Tana couldn't make it, not because she didn't want to, but because her parents are forcing her to learn a craft."

I see. Tana hasn't been learning an art or craft after all, although one can make an argument that martial arts are an art form, much like dancing is.

"I don't see Klora either," Chyzu adds, looking around. "It's possible she hasn't come back yet, she does live in the outer islands and they are only just arriving."

"Irela and Jowaru are back; their rivalry won't let one get above the other in terms of skill; Jowaru still counters Irela due to her being able to form armor that Irela’s lightweight blades can’t pierce."

"And Tulalo?" I ask. With Tana gone, we need her healing.

"Gone, she was here but said that she had something to talk to the priestesses about and that she probably won't be coming back this time," Chyzu answers.

"Uloru and Kadona will be back; they live on one of the furthest islands, so it's still going to take them a while," Esofy adds, shifting her weight.

"We'll be spending a week just training, right? Preparing for the level four hundred boss?" I ask.

"Yes.” I can see Esofy’s eyes widen slightly as she notices my Diadem, which I’m wearing partly to get used to the weight on my head. “You have a new piece of equipment; I assume it's better than you aimed for, seeing as how it's a magic item?"

With a broad grin, I take out my spear and dagger from my storage ring, summon my armor from my belt and create four clones. Three of them are the quasi-real creations of the Diadem and all are wielding my weapons. Both Chyzu and Esofy look surprised by my sudden transformation.

"I'm more prepared than ever!" I declare boastfully. Unable to resist the temptation to pose somewhat, I hold my dagger in a reverse grip and my spear withdrawn, as if prepared to lash out.

"That's so cool, Aly!" Chyzu exclaims, after a second of open-mouthed shock.

"You never fail to exceed expectations," Esofy smiles. "You'll have to make us one of those after this."

"Assuming you’re talking about the armor, it takes a ton of mana and a long time, but it's very strong," I say and slam my fist into my chest for effect. "Mind if I get a head start?" Without waiting for an answer, I send my clones off to the dens; the three quasi-real ones are given storage backpacks.

"That's not fair," Chyzu pouts.

"Maybe you can try making a water clone? And if we get another Mind Core, you can have it. I'll even make you one of these diadems, though it probably won't be a magic item."

"Thank you, Aly," Chyzu smiles.

Uloru and Kadona arrive two hours later and claim a tent for themselves. I admire Uloru's new hammer; I'd offer to make a mana hammer for her, but mana particles have no mass, so it defeats the purpose. Really great for armor, crap for weapons. My spear and dagger are the exception to that; the less mass the better for them; my clones aren't the strongest weightlifters and the damage is dealt mostly by the spell discharge rather than the physical impact.