Chapter 2. Troublesome Mana

The tunnel opened up to the left a few meters after the first curve I came across into a large cavern with a generous amount of stalactites, stalagtmites and archs. FYI, stalactites are on the ceiling and stalagmites are on the ground. As I walked further into the room I froze in surprise when I noticed what appeared to be five cockroaches scurry away from some kind of furry corpse. The size of the cockroaches intimidated me, they must have been the size of cats. Thankfully it did not appear that they would be returning soon. Upon closer inspection of the corpse it turned out to be a large bat about the size of a child.

The cockroaches that ran away appeared to be scavengers. It would seem I did not have to worry about them so I turned my attentions back to the corpse. As I inspected the chest cavity I noticed a hint of crystal hidden amongst the flesh. It was pretty gross but the gem was easy to dislodge since the surrounding flesh was eaten away. I felt it was worth it through because it reminded me of the legendary mana stones of fantasy novels but it appeared fractured and grainy. Moreover it looked like blood vessels were running through it. As I stared at it wondering what it was and what purpose it served another soft chime sounded.

Ding!

Skill Identify Available for 5 skill pts (y/n)...

Error: Trait Zen Mind lowers cost of skill acquisition. Skill pt cost lowered to 4 pts…

‘OMG its identify! O yes please give it to me’

Ding!

Skill: Identify Lv.1 Aquired...

Yes. Now to try it out on this sphere.

‘Identify’

Small Mana Core

...Okay. Not that much information, but that's to be expected from a Lv 1 skill. I will just have to train it.

After quickly scanning everything in the cavern I learn that the bat creature is called a Burfen Bat and the moss is simply glowing cave moss. I have to focus a bit more to be granted information on the stalactites and the cave floor but I end up getting various limestone descriptions. This does not surprise me but the slight difficulty getting the information implies I might get more experience for identifying specific parts of objects.

I was about to start identifying the anatomy of the bat corpse when another scream pierced the stillness of the cave. I started, there would be time for experiments later, I had to join up with my fellow survivors.

The cavern I was in had three exits counting the tunnel I emerged from and the scream came from the tunnel a bit to the right of the tunnel I exited. I continued my plan of skirting the edge of what I imagined was the beast's territory by taking the exit on the other side of the cavern.

Immediately upon entering the tunnel I noticed that the moss did not give off as much light as the cavern or the tunnel I used earlier. In fact the amount moss on the ceiling seemed to be declining the farther I went, I hoped this tunnel was not a dead end. Moreover the ceiling started to lower and I could finally reach what moss was left.

When I moved my hand closer I was surprised to discover that the pressure slightly increased on my hand. Suddenly it came to me, I had been so stupid the pressure I had been feeling was mana. I started concentrating on imagining the pressure inside of me moving around like sloshing water in a cup. A few moments into my practice my concentration suddenly improved like something locked into place. A little part of my mind remembered the skill concentration but that was quickly replaced by what I had set out to do. Bit by bit I felt the pressure begin to fluctuate between my left and right sides before I was interrupted by the system chime again.

Ding!

Mana Manipulation Lv. 1 gained...

I was ecstatic, I was finally on the path towards becoming a mage.

Ding!

New Class Available - Beginner Mage…

Found No Class Equipped…

Mage Class Auto Equipped…

Interesting… I’d better check the description. I am also glad the system uses the word equipped. This implies classes can be changed easily.

Class: Beginner Mage

General Magic User

+5 % Exp gain when using magic skills.

+5 % General Proficiency when using magic skills.

Hm… What does it mean when it says proficiency. Perhaps identify can be applied to the menu? Well I won't know until I try.

It takes awhile and concentration has to be activated but I finally get an answer from the system.

Proficiency: Level of efficiency in completing a skill e.i. Power, Extent and Cost.

Ding!

Identify Increased to Lv.2…

I am glad the system rewarded my efforts. It seems like learning something new about a skill increases its level. Although it felt like I skipped a step in its progression, the menu isn’t physical and identifying something like a concept sounds harder.

But enough about that I am much more interested in mana! After I gained the skill I became much more aware of the pressure and the discomfort disappeared, in fact the pressure almost feels like a part of me.

As I walk along I take some time to get acquainted with my mana and start moving it around. My ability to control the mana increased a lot after gaining the skill but I do not like that I only seem to be capable of making points where mana converges the flow of pressure makes me uncomfortable. I want to move a little bit of mana without my entire pool following it.

But instead of getting ahead of myself I instead try to create voids in my body where there is no mana by repelling the mana instead of attracting it. This turns out to be harder than it seems since the mana desperately tries to fill in the gaps. I have to stop for a second and concentrate on drawing mana away from the area I want repel before I succeed in creating a space vacant of mana.

My triumph is short lived however because after I had released the rest of my mana it broke the barrier I had made and filled in the space. But I now know what I feels like to succeed and the next time I try it the barrier stays and I am rewarded with the system chime again.

Ding!

Mana Manipulation Increased to Lv. 2…

With that my control has improved once again and another round of screams filling the air as I continue my trek through the cave.