Chapter Seven: ...The relationship of elements and essences is that of parent and child, respectively. The child is different, but similar. Rage essence is much like fire; it is a destructive essence that leaves one emotionally exhausted. However, this relationship doesn't stop there; rage essence has siblings, very similar, so similar that they can be described as the same essence, but are subtly different if examined closely. Just like how there is rage that is loud and destructive, there can be a quiet festering rage...

I write down the observations from my years of mana studies, as well as my recent marathon of study to finish up most of my breakthroughs. Each breakthrough's max level became twenty after I enhanced [Sense Mana] into [Sense Magic], but I had not yet gotten all breakthroughs to the new max level.

It has been two months since my first lesson with Lotis, and I've also improved in the dungeon, but I'll review that later.

Chapter Twelve: ...Enchanted items are much like a continuous use of a spell... The mana is changed by interactions with mana structures; the MM force will influence reserved mana and change it to what it needs to be for the desired effect... the enchantment allowance observed by [Analyze] is equal to how much space is available for enchanting mana structures. Many things can influence this, from mundane materials to existing mana structures; these can often create inefficiencies in the enchanting mana structure, so only an experienced mana manipulator can realize the full potential of enchantments...

Chapter Thirteen: ...through extensive study of magic frameworks, it is clear that magic items function more like a pseudo-Class, except that each evolution of the item adds on to the existing framework with little very alteration to the ones before it...

Chapter Fifteen: Monsters are created by magic, and there is definitely an interaction with raw soul material in the formation of souls... when monsters die, magic lingers in certain parts of their bodies, which will form magic materials. The magic frameworks of these materials are more like a seed, just a core which can then be grown into something more during a process of creation, crafting the material into something else... Due to the nature of death, miasma is always present in the material. I strongly suspect this miasma is the reason why cannibalism can create cursed beings, but why it only works with species of the same race is a mystery. One theory of mine is that when the body uses the meat, it is considered a process of creation...

Chapter Eighteen: … Mana infusion is a complicated topic; to understand it, one must understand the true nature of mundane materials as well... the mana forms structures along the nuclear forces, even magnetic ones, which suggest a relationship with the MM force. To properly infuse a material, mana must fully saturate these spaces between atoms... only when there is no more space will it be considered fully saturated. However, it is important to realize that forming metallic mana in between atoms will stop them from moving, so it is important that there is space if you need the atoms to move... mana being infused in the body can cause damage leading to mana toxicity...

Chapter Nineteen: … Much has already been explained in chapter eighteen, but now we will go further into detail with molecules and chemical interactions... Some essences can often mimic atomic structures, should they be missing, in a crystalline structure. Because of this, certain materials – like steel – can benefit greatly from metal essence, specifically the steel variant of metal essence. This can lead to metals that would normally have imperfections instead being perfect down to the very building blocks of the item...

Ting! Sense Magic has obtained levels 602-648!

With my first twenty breakthroughs now capped again, and everything I learned about them written down onto a book, I just have the last ten breakthroughs to finish. Normally Runalymo use scrolls, but this book is made purely from mana for thematic reasons. A book detailing the nature of mana being made of mana just seemed fitting.

[Inquisitive Perfection] tells me that the symbolism of this book being made of mana is perfect for creating a magic item, but honestly, I don't care. For one, I will likely not need it, like how I don't need the [Sense Mana] function of my Eyewraps, and two, I'm only writing this to pass on everything I learned, not to take into battle.

The book is decorated with [Sense Magic's] magic circle. The magic circle is cut in half – as if cut with a blade, only having a small gap between the halves – to prevent it from consuming the book and all the hard work I put in to make it. The book is made from several variations of beauty mana and the lettering is made out of dark mana, with the natural rejection reaction of the opposing mana types overcome with careful use of the MM force. The goal is to make the reader question how I did it, to entice them to read further.

Ting! Sense Soul has obtained levels 111-125!

I have also had ample opportunity to study monsters spawning in the dungeon; it seems as if the raw soul stuff seeps into the world via cracks made in the fabric of reality. Where is the soul stuff coming from? I can only guess that it's a part of the reincarnation process and that there might be some sort of soul layer or something. The only question is: how do souls get to this soul layer? When a monster dies, their soul just kind of... vanishes.

In any case, that mystery is low on my priority of things to do. I have plenty of time to figure it out later.

Right now, all three of my dungeon clones are engaged in their own separate battles. The first clone is fighting a boss roaming the dungeon; it is a threat that needs to be put down before it gets stronger and interferes in the Treant battle.

Spectral Hunter Stygian (Grand), Winter Terror (Grand), Level 258 Ice Bond.

This boss is a large catlike creature with scales on its arms, shoulders, and tail. Long barbs come out of its back, with thick fur protecting it from the cold. It happily munches on some spine wolves that it recently caught; its guard is down, the perfect time for me to strike. My clone approaches behind it, hovering above the ground to not disturb it, an invisible stalker with dozens of empowered fairies following my clone. Each fairy has enough hearts to deliver a powerful blow; each one holds spears to pierce the hide and deliver an efficient attack.

The Stygian’s hackles rise as it senses danger approaching. It growls and looks around, defending its catch. Frost flows out from it as the land nearby freezes; unfortunately for it, illusions don't feel cold.

I launch my attack; however, the Stygian seems to know where it will get hit and dodges several fairies. It can't dodge them all, there're too many, and its skills are too low-level, but it shows that the boss is no pushover when it comes to dungeon monsters. That said, even if it has high-quality skills, they are still low level and don't have the amount of breakthroughs needed to fight someone like me.

My fairies stab it repeatedly as I raise my perceptive pressure to the max to make it panic and open itself up for more attacks. The Stygian screams and lets out a nova of ice and cold, attempting to kill everything around it. Unable to properly retaliate, the boss tries to run, but a stab to its hind legs temporarily cuts off vitality to its limbs just as its tendons are cut to prevent manual movement, making it stumble.

Once vitality rushes back in to reanimate its legs, the Stygian gets up and runs off, an army of fairies chasing after it, lead by a familiar with a [Summoner's Beacon] attached to it.

I let it run off, slowly walking to its location. It will get tired eventually, and once that happens, it won't have the energy to fight. I feel bad for terrorizing it, but this is for the safety of my people; if we lived in a perfect world, none of this would be necessary.

I only managed to take out about twenty percent of the Stygian's vitality with that surprise attack, meaning it's still a threat to people.

I catch up to the Stygian as it slows, panting heavily. My fairies have harassed it, down another ten percent of its vitality. It growls threateningly at me and conjures ice javelins, shooting them at me. I let them pass through my clone.

As I stare down at the monster, it whimpers and backs away.

It knows that it can't hurt me. If I kill it, another will just spawn, and then I'll have to hunt down another until one has a build that counters me. Maybe I should just scare it so it will stay away from people?

As I approach, I increase my perceptive pressure to make sure it knows that it is me looking at it. The Stygian whines and lowers down submissively; I lower my perceptive pressure and start walking away; the poor thing has learned the lesson.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Stygian cannot believe his luck! The being spared his life. Like an immortal god, it gazed upon him with the weight of an entire world. Nothing he could do could harm this being; she has to be a goddess, the All-Seeing Goddess! She commands those glowing soldiers of light, servants of the Goddess.

He knows what must be done; the Goddess had her eyes covered, yet could see him, that is the answer. To truly gain sight, he must close off his eyes; that is what the Goddess was trying to tell him.

The Stygian closes his eyes, the darkness overtaking him, and immediately realizes that this is going to be much harder than he thought. He stumbles through the forest, trying to navigate the world, bumping into trees and shrubs.

There is life all around him, from the shrubs to the insects in the ground, from the birds in the trees to the prey hiding in their burrows. That must be what the Goddess was trying to say; she wasn't attacking him; she was trying to say that in order to truly see what lives, he must close off his senses.

He understands now; before, he ignored most other things, just looking for suitable prey, he did not care to think of anything else around him. He had eyes, yet he saw nothing, that is why the Goddess covered her eyes, to show him that he was blind all along.

The Stygian casts his mind out, reaching for the life around him, to truly 'see' for the first time in his life. Suddenly, the world emerges in a color he has never seen before, and the Goddess's message rings in his mind.

Ting! You have gained the Sense Life general skill!

The world around him is alive! There is so much life! The plants in the ground, stretching out wide and deep, so many insects… things he should have seen before but never noticed.

This is a gift from the Goddess; he must practice this skill and learn to differentiate the types and shapes of life. In order to please the Goddess, he must master this gift!