Mana. It is as elusive as it is powerful. Few are those willing to walk its treacherous path beyond the first tier. Those who do manage to find true success in magic are even fewer. Why is this? The base attunements are simple enough. Origin, End, Force, and Discipline. Their Philosophies are also much more easily understood compared to an attunement of a higher tier. Unrestrained creation, unstoppable entropy, control of your surroundings, and control of yourself. Yes, condensing a core is an arduous, dangerous process, but there are enough power-hungry people out there to even the scales. Well, the answer lies in what comes after…

- The Academy Of Milte’s Guide To Magic

“Wake up Dad, we gotta go to the fair! We gotta we gotta we gotta!" my 9-year old daughter says with a slight frown on her face.

“One moment, little Junebug. Daddy’s up, but he’s got to get dressed”, I reply.

“Moooooooom! Pleeeeeeaaaaaase tell Dad to hurry up! He’s always late!” she whines, pouting further.

“yEs, deAr. ppLeeAaSE HU-r-ry U P! Y o u lOUSY, gooD FOR nothing PiEcE oF SHIT!” yells my - hold on. What gazes back at me is not my wife, but is instead some sort of amalgamation of human flesh and faces. To my horror, it seems to be that of my friends and family. The various mouths open up wide and begin chanting in unison.

“Hurry hurry HuRRy huRry hURry HURRYhurryHUrRyhurRy!” they cry out.

“Help us!”

“AGH!” I scream. Waking up, I look around for the abomination, but it is nowhere to be found. That nightmare wasn’t long, but still, seeing that… that THING… and their voices… “Hurry”... “Hurry”... “Help me”... it’s all too much, and I feel something inside me snap.

“Help you?! Help YOU?! I’m lost on another fucking planet, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but MONSTERS from a damned FANTASY NOVEL, and I’m supposed to help you? How? HOW?! How am I supposed to help you when I can barely help MYSELF?!

…

…

…

…

I’m sorry. I-I thought I could do it, I truly did, but I’m not so sure anymore. I’m old, I’m tired, and now I’m depressed. I want to help you all, I do. I just don’t know how”, I conclude. Deep breaths Graham, deep breaths. This changes nothing. The goal remains the same. I will get back to them one way or another, just gotta find out how. Until then, the best shot I’ve got is the system.

I stay like that for a long while, breathing in and out with long inhales and exhales.

*Ding*

[New Skill (Meditation) Gained!]

[Meditiation] - Enter A State of Calm. Improves Regeneration Rates By 10% While Active. Must Stay Still For Effects To Take Place. Effects Increase Based On Wisdom And Skill Level

Helpful, though this really isn’t the time to celebrate getting a new skill. Now that my brain is back on track from that awful dream, maybe I should do something productive. Hunting those kirrokeys is sadly on the agenda today it seems.

Steeling my heart, I head out in search of the spiteful buggers, only to stop short just outside of my cave upon noticing a group of them across the creek, seemingly looking for something.

Or someone.

I rush as quickly as I can to confront them before they notice me. My body barely makes it to the other side of the water before the first of the kirrokeys catches sight of my form. Counting seven of them, I get ready for battle. That’s when I notice one slightly larger than the rest, not much bulkier, but particularly lankier with bigger barbs on its middle fingers.

[Kirrokey Level 5]

The smaller ones are all level 2, and they can’t do much to harm me, even in a group. This bigger one though might be a problem.

The six smaller ones attack all at once, scratching and pounding on my body, though doing very little damage. One by one, I grab them off and dispose of them just like the others the day before.

A few scratches, though that was surprisingly easy. What about th-

Faster than I have any hope of reacting to, the level five kirrokey lunges and tears into me with its knife-like protrusions. Where the smaller versions had a hard time so much as scratching me, this one leaves gashes in my flesh like a sword through paper. Not only that, but I can hardly follow what's happening! Before I know it, I’m on the ground covered in my own blood while time is seemingly coming to a stop. I attempt to summon forth [Life’s Decree], but it is still on cooldown.

I’m gonna die, and right after that breakdown too. Why?

No!

I bring forth all of my will in search of something. Sensing a familiar feeling to the vital energies of vitae, I bear down on it, coaxing it to come out. When I do, I feel more energized, but it is not enough. It’s not the same. Still, something is most certainly there. I gather as much as I can, though the energy does not want to. No matter. This is my final hope to survive, and I will not be denied. As it comes together, a change occurs. The pseudo vital force becomes the real thing, and I feel myself being stitched back together at a rapid pace. Combined with the energization from before, it is enough to catch the kirrokey by surprise and turn the tables.

Understanding that I have no hope in actually overpowering it, I quickly drag it to the creek and shove the fucker’s face into it before promptly sitting on the back of its neck and head. It attempts to struggle, but from my position, I can hold the deadly knife fingers down while my higher weight does the rest of the work. A minute or so in, and the thrashing becomes muted. A little bit longer, and they completely cease. However, it isn’t until I get the notification that I feel comfortable getting up and off.

*Ding*

*Ding*

*Ding*

*Ding*

*Ding*

[New Skill (Internal Verve Manipulation Gained!]

[New Skill (Empower) Gained!]

[New Skill (Verve Condensation {R}) Gained!]

[New Skill (Internal Vitae Manipulation {R}) Gained!]

[Congratulations! You Have Unlocked The Hidden Stat (Pulse)!]

[For Relying On Your Body’s Ability To Mend Itself Together, Along With Unlocking (Pulse), You Have Gained The Title: (Regenerator)! New Paths Available!]

… [Kirrokey Level 2 Killed! Experience Awarded!]

[You Are Now Level 4!]

[Kirrokey Level 5 Killed! Experience Awarded!]

[You Are Now Level 5!]

[Internal Verve Manipulation] - Allows For The Control Of Vigorous Force Throughout The Body. Ability To Do So Increases Based On Willpower And Skill Level

[Empower] - By Sacrificing SP, Gain A Boost To All Physical Attributes For A Split Second. Each SP Is Equal To A 0.1% Buff, Up To A Maximum Of 10 SP. Maximum Increases With [Physicality] And Skill Level

[Verve Condensation {R}] - By Sacrificing SP, Gain A Boost To Health Regeneration At A Rate Of 25 SP Per HP/Hr. Capabilities Increase With Skill Level

[Internal Vitae Manipulation {R}) - Allows For The Control Of Vital Force Throughout The Body. Ability To Do So Increases Based On Willpower And Skill Level

[Pulse] - Condensed And Refined Vitae. Heals 10 HP Per 1 Pulse. Recovers At 1 Hourly For Every 5 HP/Hr While At Full Health, Or 1 Instantly For Every 50 SP Sacrificed (Due To Verve Condensation)

[Regenerator] - Multiplies Physical Regeneration Rates By 2

Well isn’t that nice?

I promptly pass out yet again.

As I sit in my cove, I read through the notifications. Can I not go even a few hours without almost dying? Ugh. I put five points each into [Verve] and [Constitution], with the rest going into [Vitae].

It’s been a few hours since the battle, and I’ve gathered the corpses as well as taken a bath. If not for being so mentally tired, I would try and gain a skill for butchering. Though, I do not feel physically tired at all. Maybe it’s time for [Meditation] to show its worth. So I sit down, pondering the colorful hell that I’ve been forced into.