Chapter 33 Cheating Death - New Members? (Part 1)

This chapter ended up being inadvertently short.

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While meditating, Daichi’s focus was disturbed by the sounds of talking near him. Waking up, he realized it was Hannah and Avas doing.

Hannah was comforting Ava about the previous troll encounter, praising her on her bravery for managing to kill 2 trolls despite being rattled.

Kaden had fallen asleep even though he was the one that was supposed to be on watch, or so Daichi thought. Then he re-evaluated his thoughts, perhaps the watch shifts had changed and he had just meditated for a longer period of time than he had expected.

Feeling a little discomforted by his inability to gauge time while meditating, Daichi wondered how he could fix that in the short term.

Glancing at the duo of Ava and Hannah, Daichi used his Analyze skill on them.

Human Named: Hannah Guresu

Level: 18

Description: Death hovers around her.

Human Named: Ava Kajiya

Level: 14

Description: The last of the Kajiya bloodline.

Daichi’s expression described his baffled state, seeing that both of them got some level ups with just the trolls from earlier.

Daichi realized that helping them kill notably stronger monsters was going to be a huge help in their case. Although looking at their levels, he was beginning to think that there was quite a discrepancy, considering they’d have killed nearly the same number of monsters at nearly the same levels.

Finding it a little odd, Daichi started to consider that perhaps the “Aptitude” stat was what affecting their different levels of growth. Perhaps different people gain less or more doing the same thing.

If that were the case, wouldn’t he have gained quite a bit from one of his titles…? Thinking about his own luck, Daichi shook his head and looked at Kaden.

Human Named: Kaden Guresu

Level: 13

Description: Lucky and fast.

Not a single change, Daichi began to wonder how much of this was due to Kaden’s own reluctance to kill when he didn’t have to.

In fact, thinking about all of their previous battles, Daichi couldn’t think of a single time when Kaden would kill an opponent unless he was attacked first. Instead, letting Hannah or Ava get the kill and strengthen themselves. Was Kaden being a team-player or was it more than that?

Staring up at the moons high in the sky, Daichi began thinking about the conversation they’d had earlier. Their talk involving attributes had sparked a lot of inner introspection that ended up interrupted by trolls. Thinking back over the topic and the new information, Daichi began pondering on the many opportunities that could mean for him.

While thinking about the wonders of mana and the fact that all mana could manifest. Daichi was in awe, his thoughts wandering around the many possibilities and secrets of Mana when his heart skipped a beat and his brain suddenly froze.

A familiar feeling spreading throughout his mind, Daichi felt as if he was on the verge of understanding something vast but simple.

Crucial and life changing, Daichi tried to focus on this thought that kept slipping away, a feeling that was telling him he was close to something huge but so far away at the same time.

Daichi immediately triggered his Meditative State skill again and allowed the feeling of mana to overflow onto him. He did as to ease his mind and allow it to naturally reach the conclusion he was chasing.

The great, many attributes dictate the possibilities of mana. Yet, there are many low wizards who can cast a variety of basic spells from different attributes. Making an attribute unnecessary to wield mana in a specific way.

Following that train of thought Daichi began wondering the true importance of an attribute. Whether an attribute itself was something that dictated the specialty one had or would have in mana manipulation… Or whether it was merely a form of mana that came into contact with one’s mana before one knew how to manipulate it.

If hypothetically a child with low mana who had never wielded his mana came into contact with a skill or a naturally occurring mana that entered his own, would that automatically change that mana pool into that nature? Only a mage could protect himself from mana and an attribute of mana.

Under this hypothesis, an attribute was not necessarily what dictated one’s natural predilection for mana use…

This alone would mean that someone with a wind attribute would theoretically be able to use fire formed mana techniques… It just wouldn’t be natural or easy…

Then again, the only reason why using one’s own mana is “easier” is because you can feel how that mana flows and reacts.

Once you have an attribute, using mana from another attribute was as if you were trying to learn a different language once you had already learned your first.

Would mastering the feel and use of mana, gaining experience of using mana in a different attribute then allow one to gain that attribute?

How would one go about changing his own mana pool to integrate another attributed mana inside that same pool? Was that even possible? Or would creating a new separate pool of mana be necessary somehow?

There are indeed people with multiple attributes… If they were not born that way, then certainly it would be possible to gain attributes through understanding and/or practical experience.

Involved in this epiphany Daichi felt a soul stirring feeling he hadn’t felt since that night he’d killed a demon. The feeling was almost surreal as he could feel his entire body this time as he experienced it. Although unlike before… This feeling didn’t even last a second. It came and went, in less than a second!

Fully embracing this epiphany, Daichi felt warm and excited with possibilities. Considering this new theory, Daichi began to wonder how he would go about learning the basics for how mana could be infused with another attribute.

While thinking about this topic, Daichi was awoken by Hannah’s urging. “Daichi, I’m about to pass out, everyone’s taken a turn staying up. It’s your shift” her hand on his shoulder bringing Daichi back to a state of awareness.

Noticing Daichi open his eyes, Hannah turned around and shifted back to her own branch not too far away. She leaned back against the trunk of her tree and closed her eyes trying to get some sleep herself.

Not being bothered by being tousled out of his meditation, Daichi maintained a general awareness of his surroundings while continuing his train of thoughts.

Perhaps simply trying to manipulate mana in a specific way would be sufficient. Daichi began querying if gaining more insight into the inner workings and concept of fire, wind, and water would be sufficient in order for him to apply that insight into his mana manipulation.

Then thinking about his own previous knowledge, Daichi started trying to remember the various books he read in the past.

Depending on what he already knew, he could measure himself against what he already could do and what he would need to learn.

Feeling confident in his process of thinking, Daichi was on the verge of beginning to apply this knowledge to the mana in the air when he noticed something across some of the branches. It was a hundred meters or so, on the ground.

A pair of eyes staring back at him. Suddenly very alert Daichi stared back unblinking. These eyes, the shape and size appeared almost human.