Mana Type Testing:

Test 1: Attempted to recreate mud mana through combining earth and water mana. Was eventually successful although it took roughly 15 attempts before mud was the result.

Test 2: Attempted creation of death mana through killing some basic farm animals. Before we began to modify the mana. As we ran our tests, the death mana transformed into something we're gonna call Dissection Mana. Seems to have fused with the latent mana of some materials in the area.

Test 3: Attempted creation of sword mana. A rare type of magical energy. Most of what Swordmages and other similar classes use is actually Weapon Mana. The test was semi-successful. The sword mana was slightly malformed and seemed to take on an a basic elemental form. Further testing required.

Teᔒ

Test 47: Accidentally created Deletion Mana. The east wing is once again a quarantined zone until we can figure out how to pump the pollution out.

Test 48: Somehow created a ManaCorps Mana, when we accidentally killed a project manager during the experiment. Mana manefested on the incident report we filled after the fact. No further effects manifested.

Test ???: Forgetfullness Mana has been sucessfully synthesised by placing all the people with alzheimer's we could find in a room and breaking several un-attributed cores. Testing has stopped due to all our senior engineers forgetting they worked here.

A few excerpts from ManaCorps Mana creation attempts.

ZeMadDoctor: Nice to meat you and all that.

Innearth: ...and you as well.

After a minute or two of silence, he responded again.

ZeMadDoctor: Well I guess if that's all I'll be seeing you.

Innearth: No wait - I promised Abe I'd have a proper conversation with you. I don't fully know how anything about you. Bose told me to ask you for help with death mana? So are you a death affinity core?

ZeMadDoctor: No. I remember you. Inquisitive one. I liked that.

Innearth: So what affinity are you? I'm curious.

ZeMadDoctor: I'm a kinetic core.

Innearth: Oh so you like dealing with movement and stuff. I've been using alot of kinetic mana myself - it's pretty useful!

ZeMadDoctor: It's just a tool. Useful indeed.

Innearth: So what's your second affinity? I assume you aren't just kinetic.

ZeMadDoctor: Earth.

Innearth: What do you like to do for fun?

ZeMadDoctor: Experiment.

Innearth was tired just trying to have this conversation. He responded to everything but really, doc didn't give him much to go off of... or do more of the bare minimum really.

That being said...the very last response was...something. We have a similar… no we have the same hobby...and this core also has an Earth affinity. I guess he's not being rude just straightforward? Maybe to get him to talk more I have to give him something to latch onto. It's not like I'm giving him anything interesting to talk about after all. I can't really complain about him not elaborating if I'm not sending him anything other than fluff.

Innearth: Hey speaking of experimentation... what's your opinion on mana circuits in monsters? I've been trying to figure out the relation between nodes and wires and how angles and lengths and thickness affect performance. What have you been experimenting with?

ZeMadDoctor: I...what are mana circuits? Are you talking about connecting channels between utilities? You mentioned something about nodes. Hmmm. Is there a relation? I thought they were simply a pipe pumping the energy. Maybe. Hmmm.

Partway through the Core's message, he seemed almost to stop talking to Innearth. As if he was thinking and sending everything he was thinking. It was something though. That was the most he had talked in this period and Innearth wanted to capitalize on that.

Innearth: Yes it's inefficient to simply throw a bunch of large upper-tier cores at a problem when you can achieve similar or better results with a smaller mana cost.

Innearth quickly picked a monster he didn't much care about - the old golem design - and overlaid a circuit of 5 small earth cores and 2 kinetic cores over its body (remembering to add a tier 1 pure core in the middle for stability.

Removing the gross bean legs and adding 4 sleek wheels so it wasn't as embarrassing to send off, he printed a copy and asked it to fire a ranged projectile. It seemed confused for a second and then as if translating his weird request, focused in the air beside it. A misshapen lumpy stone formed in the air and shot off making a small cracking sound as it hit the wall.

Not a good caster but good enough to demonstrate!

Innearth: Hey I threw something together as an example, make one of these.

Innearth sent an empty trade request or gift of the schematic and waited for a response.

As he waited he started conversations with both Aier and Jake who had responded to him by then.

Finally prodding doc he tried to get some sort of reaction.

Innearth: See it should have resulted in a core able to cast a spell despite not having a tier 2 core?

ZeMadDoctor: I see that! This is fascinating. I don't know how it works. I don't understand and I want to. I need to. Sorry I need to try and figure this out. it could have controlled the projectile with nothing but a tier 2 earth core. but then again. It seems like it shot faster than usual is that because of the kinetic cores? They took over movement. hmm. Is there a significance to there being 2 of them? hmm.

Innearth: What level are you by the way?

ZeMadDoctor: I'm level 28. This is...fascinating simply fascinating...

Innearth: Oh so that means you have the system controls to make stuff.

ZeMadDoctor: Yes indeed. I've started cataloging circuits in a circuit tab. It has to fill me in at some point.

ZeMadDoctor: Or at least I was trying. I can store them but they don't tell me anything. it's frustrating because I know the system can read them somehow. If I stick them in a monster and tweak them slightly the system shows me some changes in stats. It has to know somehow. I have to know! It changes but why? Can I predict it? Can I intelligently change it? Is it random? No it's repeatable. So how does it work?

ZeMadDoctor: Why can the system tell me some of the results but not all of them? it should tell me what spells the monster can cast.

Innearth: ...so It's pretty obvious you like the concept.

ZeMadDoctor: I hate it.

ZeMadDoctor: I don't know how it works. I need to know how it works...how do circuits...tick. I'll try to restrain myself and I apologize but.

ZeMadDoctor: I...we should pool our information. I'll research this a bunch and then compare notes. I'll return. Don't leave.

Doc's name dimmed. Well...that was a different personality. Intense somehow? I wonder if it's because of his kinetic core. He's straightforward because of Earth... but intense when he finds something he's interested in because of Kinetic? No that's too 1 dimensional. I think most of the cores have somewhat grown out of the early affinity influence. I don't feel very crystal like after all. That must just be his personality.

Innearth waited for a response. And then closed it. He had notifications, after all, no point in sitting there doing nothing. His attention rejoined the rest of his focus and boosted the two other conversations he had split off for.

Jake: Blimey yeh a dedicated one ain't yeh. I hear you were taught by aims ere. She's a good un and?

Innearth: you weren't what I was expecting really. I want to know how my friends are. What's Amy like with you?

Jake: oh she's a right pearl she is. Aims a Dimond among granite if you know what I Meant. You know we have a lil bootleg chat going on and she's the most helpful core in er'.

Innearth: you guys have a bootleg chat? How does that work?

Jake: Right well. See. We have a core ere by the name of YYY. Bit of a strange bloke. He acts as our chat guy. whole thing can't function without em.

Jake: Yeh see us cores all send messages to him. A core will send him a PM like and he does all the messy business of cataloging and sending it off to the rest of us. He's a right trouper he is. Let's us all pretend we back in tier 1 with a nice old group chat he does.

Innearth: That seems kind of annoying for him? He has to receive messages from everyone and then forward them? How does he even do anything else?

Jake: Oh pshh. He likes it the good sport. Real good at multitasking he is. Has lots of floors last I heard and uses em real good.

Innearth: I mean I have 6 floors and I'm able to keep track of 3 separate messages easily enough. It kind of sounds like you guys are being lazy though?

Even as Innearth said it, he imagined a group chat with just Amy Bose and Abe. If he had nothing to say he could just lurk and read the messages. That would be kind of nice.

Innearth: Okay well I guess as your junior core, for a friend of a friend do you have any advice for me?

Jake: Rigghto not sure if I can help there. Seems like yeh doing right well for yourself if you've already passed our aims. Don't need much advice as far as I can see. Wot?

Innearth: yeah just thought I'd check. It was nice talking to you!

Jake: Chirio good sir. Rest of your day and all that! If you ever need help with Aims feel free to give me a text.

Aeirh: hello.

Innearth: the air core who likes using earth? What's the story with that?

Aeir: oh wow okay sure. Guess bt told you my whole story huh. And I know nearly nothing about you. That's fun.

Innearth: BT? Oh is that what you call Bringer of Serene eternity? I call him bose.

Aeirh: Oh. Doesn't seem flattering. And yeah he's adorable isn't he? Always acting so serious. He's precious.

Innearth: Yeah…so what's the story though I'm curious?

Aeirh: It just feels like I'm onto something. I got some more experience when I used earth mana in tier 1 than when I did stuff with air mana so it seemed like a good thing to do? Nothing in life's worth anything if it's easy.

Innearth: Ah okay well I wouldn't say that. I mean why are you going out of your way to make everything harder on yourself?

Aeirh: gross. how can you say that when you are level 20? You got there by pushing yourself right?

Innearth: I guess slightly... I also played to my strengths though. I'm really not the best to give advice but I want to try.

Innearth: Have you heard about the secret tutorial advice?

Aeirh: what?

Innearth: Okay if you take a long time picking your first affinity you get advice from a core that can be summed up with this quote "Training with resistance only boosts your strength if you can remove that resistance after you are done training - otherwise, it just makes everything harder"

Innearth: He was trying to persuade Cores to not chose the non affinity option because it's limiting.

Aeirh: How did that core write that advice? I can't see a single way to communicate with tier 1s or 0s from here.

Innearth: I think he chose the non affinity option and got something that allowed him to do this?

Aeirh: So he's a filthy hypocrite is what you're saying. I really wish I chose that option, I was dumb and picked Air right away.

Aeirh: I wish I could go back and smash that stupid young core I was.

Innearth: I thought it was good advice? I tried to do everything myself for awhile and then had to use the market and copy some things. I feel like I'm better off because of it. The stuff I figured out myself helped me make the stuff I copied better?

Aeirh: Sounds to me like he had some cool unique options and didn't want other cores to figure out the secret. He wanted all that nice power to himself.

Innearth: I guess you could be right. It really didn't come off like that though.

Aeirh: Agree to disagree and all that. Basically, I think you're stupid and lying to yourself...but you do you.

Innearth: Well I tried to give advice. Trying to change the topic what's "Incorporeal mana?"

Aeirh: Proof that me pushing oneself is rewarded.

Aeirh: Earth mana has the concept of "Solid" tied into it right? Well Air has the concept of "Incorporeal" Tied into it.

Aeirh: It's not an option that's offered normally the other air options were "Wind, Tornado, Gas". I'm just special like that. Maybe if you pushed yourself you could have gotten a "Solid mana" affinity.

Innearth: So what does it do?

No sooner had Innearth sent that message then he received a gift of a small Iron cube.

The cube fell to the ground and sunk into it over halfway before stopping. Pulling it out the cube kept feeling like it was slipping out of his grasp and didn't leave a single mark on the ground.

Aeirh: That's what a simple use of Incorporeal mana can do. How about it? Looks like a unique material huh. Bet you haven't seen that before. I'm selling them for 500 mana a gram. Offering samples obviously because otherwise people wouldn't buy them.

Innearth: What does a monster made with this look like? And 500? that's a bit pricy. It seems like you'd need to make a whole monster out of the stuff before it would be useful. And it's like a unique material in that I can't edit it.

Aeirh: boo, you're too weak. I do commissions for different shapes for free and more complex ones for a variable cost. I do have takers on the market. 500 mana isn't a lot once you get to a higher level - my clients are all level 28-33 for the most part. If it's out of your price range... sucks. I'm not lowering it.

Innearth: Give me an example of a use of it and I might consider sometime.

Aeirh: I can make several claws out of this material that pass through stuff while still cutting them. Guarantee it's better than "Sword mana" because that works better with swords and falls flat with claws or non-hand-held weapons. Currently trying to engineer a version of Incorporeal sword mana that uses 3 elements and 3 mana types...something to look forward to.

Innearth: Okay so it's a weapon. That does sound useful if still being pricy.

Aeirh: A bunch of my monsters are also using it for defence - if their whole body is made out of it it's much harder to hurt. I also have a bunch of traps that use it but I can't see anyone but me wanting to buy enough to do the same.

Aeirh: Anyways please take care of...bose. He's my best friend don't you dare try and hurt him.

Innearth: ...Wasn't planning on it but noted. Might talk to you again. I'll hit you up if I need a material commission I guess?

Aeirh: Goodbye~

Partway through this conversation, he was messaged simultaneously by Amy's two other friends.

I really should have asked my friends at different times. I'm already overwhelmed by the number of new people aaah.

YYY: Evening. I don't have a cool hook to introduce myself but hi.

Innearth: Hi. I don't have a hook either. I really should have one though...the amount of people I've met today...

YYY: Favorite pastime GO.

Innearth: Uhhh...I like experimentation, Fine mana control and talking to my friends. What about you?

YYY: Cataloging. I've tested all 30 physical elements with every single base element and categorized their results. Then I started on Tier 2 mana flavours and now I'm working my way through every single combination. I've found a few that are not named yet so I'm doing pretty well. My goal is to make a database of them and sell it.

Innearth: ...okay you started off and I thought that sounded like experimentation but now it just sounds like boring brute force. How do you know there are only 30 elements?

YYY: Hey it's fun. Don't disparage my hobby. And I know cause those are the only ones I've found around me and in the market.

Innearth: Well glad you can pass the time. How is Amy with you guys?

YYY: She's perfect. Most of the messages I forward come from her and she always remembers to direct some my way. For some reason, my friends forget I'm a part of the chat sometimes despite being the one. Literally. Holding. It. Up.

Innearth: Well then. I guess that's all, Tell me when you're done with your database. I already bought most of the useful materials but would love a thorough collection.

Brutality Queen: Are you strong?

Innearth: Umm...do you mean are my dungeon monsters strong? I think so. I'm feeling alot more confident now.

Brutality Queen: You sound unsure and weak. Goodbye. If you think my times good enough to waste on you send your most powerful warrior to my dungeon.

Brutality Queen: Then if it manages to survive more than an hour without being a weakling and hiding, I may consider talking to you. Don't waste my time with too many useless attempts too. If you fail I'll only give you one or two "second chances".

Innearth: Goodbye I guess? I'll send you something if I want to test my strength sometime...goodbye then

...okay. Her status just dimmed. Guess I should have just responded with "YES I AM STRONG" or something. She probably would have asked me to prove it anyways though...

Should I test it out? Maybe I should try and optimize a monster for combat before sending it however. She said warrior so I can't send a bat/spider pair. I should probably send a snake as my best solo monster but considering it can't keep up with the spider/bats I think I'm going to wait till I can iterate one strong enough to do so. I could always just put enough work into one to make it a boss? That's a later me issue.

Trying to return to his monster design Innearth searched everywhere until he found the crazy ball mother.

She was...not doing well for herself. After Innearth had spawned the turtle she had wandered around until she found the entrance to his magma halls. Venturing in she had attacked a spider/bat pair confidently. Shooting off all the spinning balls they had harassed

Doc just responded again.

ZeMadDoctor: You still here? I've done adequate tests to try and review.

Innearth: Sure, Yes I'm here. Send away.

ZeMadDoctor: So circuits perform differently depending on the monster they are in. That's why my attempt at a circuit tab didn't work - the circuit that works well in one specimen doesn't in the other.

ZeMadDoctor: They don't change much if isolated however - I've started making spell arms that have a circuit embedded in them and then attaching them to several monsters to test and they all perform similarly.

ZeMadDoctor: I haven't cracked the code in terms of designing the spells the monster can cast though, just make ones I'm positive will use a spell.

Innearth: Alright, Good information to know. I also figured out that different materials for the exact same circuits change how they work.

ZeMadDoctor: I found that out as well. Changing the length and thickness of the circuits can correct those changes. An iron circuit performs identically to an aluminum circuit that's been thickened to a 7/6 ratio and lengthened by around 14%. I think it's based on mana conductivity of the element?

Innearth: I haven't tried making a circuit out of non-pure mana yet have you tried that?

ZeMadDoctor: Less useful. Didn't mention it because it breaks spells unless you are only using one type of core. The spells you can make by stacking different cores - like you did with kinetic and earth - are much more potent than just earth but a earth circuit.

Innearth: Okay. Well if you ever figure out something game-changing with these circuits please feel free to tell me. I'd love to know.

Innearth: Kind of curious I sent this initially as what I was working on. What sort of experimentation do you like to do normally?

ZeMadDoctor: Oh that's easy. I play with demons. make em. experiment on them. They are great.

...what. WHAT!

Innearth was floored.

Innearth: Do...do you have a death wish?

Innearth: ...how...how are you still alive?