“The mana surge is approaching make your final preparations.” The Messenger spoke without standing up or opening her eyes.

Zane and the others stopped and looked at each other. After giving each other a nod, they started choosing their skills.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill Mana Manipulation.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill Mana Control.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill Meditation.

Zane smiled as he received the system notification. He finally had skills. Zane saw these three skills as the first steps toward his future.

Skill: Mana Manipulation

Level: 1 0%

Tier: 0

Effect: Grants greater understanding of mana and increases the total amount of mana that can be used. + 10 total mana and + 1 magical attack

Cost: none

Skill: Mana Control

Level: 1 0%

Tier: 0

Effect: Grant greater understanding of mana and improves control of mana being used. Decrease mana usage by 1% and increase mana regeneration by 0.1

Cost: none

Skill: Meditation

Level: 1 0%

Tier: 0

Effect: Closes the five senses while enhancing the sixth. Improves sensitivity, recovery and control of mana and stamina. Recovery increases by 1% in general and 10%while meditating.

Cost: none

Congratulations! You have received 3 class quests.

“I wish we could pick a few more skills,” Jason said

“I’m happy with what I got,” Zane replied.

“Everyone should be cautious,” Sophie said. “If Zane and Jason are right were about to be in danger. Be careful and take things slow. Make sure you don’t absorb too much mana.”

Zane and the other agreed with what she said before forming a circle. Zane thought they looked like a professional mercenary group. The only flaw would be Jason’s purple cloak. Jason’s cloak does make him look like the leader of our group so maybe it’s not a big deal.

“It begins.” The Messenger whispered but her words reached everyone.

Her words were appreciated but unnecessary. Zane could see dark clouds gathering on the horizon and feel the mana surging from the ground. If these two indications were not enough the systems sent let everyone know what was happening.

The mana surge has begun. Grow but use caution.

It was a short message packed with meaning. Zane could feel the intentions of the system. It wanted him to use the mana to strengthen himself and be careful when doing so. Zane could feel there was a lot more to the message but he couldn’t understand it.

As the time flowed the sky became darker and the mana became denser. Sunlight stopped passing through the clouds but the world was still bright. The mana formed a blue mist that created light which illuminated everything around Zane. It also made it difficult for Zane to see the people that were sitting next to them.

The mana slowly became drops of liquid that dropped on to the ground. Zane did not notice the liquid because he had entered meditation. Zane’s body took slow steady breaths without his conscious input. Zane didn’t feel but sensed the mana filling his lungs. From his lungs the mana went to his chest before spreading through the rest of his body.

Zane controlled the flow of mana within him while focusing on the mana outside of him. He used his mind to draw in the mana around him and create a mana shield. Zane visualized the mana in the air becoming thicker around his body. He focused on creating the shield through quantity rather than quality. Zane extravagantly spent his mana knowing the mana surge would help him quickly recover. Zane was able to create a strong shield capable of blocking out most of the mana. This allowed him to absorb mana at a steady pace and avoid mana sickness.

Zane thought he was doing well and smiled when the system confirmed his thought. He had just level up in Mana Manipulation and Mana Control. I don’t know how much time has passed but it couldn’t have been long. Each of my skills give me 100 experience every time they increase a level. At this rate I should reach level 4 or 5 by the end of the mana surge. After Zane finished that thought his Meditation skill leveled up.

Great! Only 700 more experience to level one. It looks like the skills I chose were correct. These three skills are the best combination and I’m probably one the few people who figured it out. Zane felt smug about how he was able to see through the Messenger’s explanation. Most smart people would choose one of the skills or both of the skills she suggested. Zane was probably one of the few people that realized that meditation was another skill the messenger suggested to obtain.

Zane noticed the Messenger said they would be sitting in meditation during the mana surge. He felt like those words were a clue about the third skill to pick and he was right. The meditation skill improved his control of mana and helped his overall thought process. Without the meditation skill his thoughts would be bit more scattered and the difficulty in analyzing and controlling his action through his sixth sense would increase.

Your body has been strengthened from prolonged exposure to mana. All stats +1

If Zane wasn’t in a meditative state and the large amount of mana in the air wasn’t restricting his body he would leap with joy. I only need to obtain fifty stat points in each stat to obtain the next level of the human race. Everything is falling into place perfectly. Zane smiled as he calmly continued to move mana through his body. His entire body, both inside and outside, were illuminated by a gentle blue glow.

Time passed and Zane grew stronger. All of Zane’s stats increased by two points, his Mana Manipulation and Mana Control skills each increased three levels and his Meditation skill increased by one level.

Congratulations! You have reached level 2.

Your race has rewarded you + 1 to all stats and + 2 free stat points.

Yor class has rewarded you 13(10) CP + 1 Str, +1 Dex, +1 End, +1 Vit, and +2 free stat points.

Zane felt energy surge through his body as he read the system messages. Each time he felt an increase in his strength he would check to see what caused it. Using his sixth sense he could access the system while his Meditation skill was active. Before he could decide where he would place his free stat points Zane sensed something jolt within him. The sensation was surprising but it was far less surprising than his mana shield breaking and a torrent of mana entering his body.

Zane felt like someone dumped a pile of snow on him. The cool mana became freezing and Zane’s thoughts froze. The mana did not. The mana continuously surged into Zane’s body and by time his mind recovered it was too late.

You have been infected with [Mana Sickness]

Debuff: Total mana decreased by 10% and total stamina decreased by 1%.

Time limit: 23:59:59

Zane tried to push against the tide of mana that was rushing into his body but it was no use. His failure to stop the mana and this led to the mana sickness becoming worse. In a few moments Zane lost access to a quarter of his mana and a tenth of his stamina but gained control of his mind. Zane quickly reactivated his Meditation skill. In the meditative state it was easier for him to think clearly and make rational decision.

Zane let his mind drift and followed where the mana was going. The amount of mana flowing into him wasn’t a natural reaction or caused by a mistake he made. I have to look for the source of what’s causing this.

After following the freezing energy Zane discovered a small silver flame. The flaming was burning in a dark space as a river of mana rushed into it. Zane sensed the flame desperately needed the mana to grow but it had drawn too much. The flame needed help.

Zane’s mind dived into the river of mana, formed a shield with his thoughts and pushed against the current. Zane couldn’t stop all the mana but the amount that he did was enough. The silver flame became bigger and brighter.

Zane did his best to stay firm in front of the endless river of mana but he was failing. The shield he created was being slowly worn down and pushed back. He only had a vague understanding of what the flame was, but he knew that if he did not help the flame his body would continue to suffer from mana poisoning.

Zane had to endure the pressure from the river. He had to endure pain of his mental shield being worn away. He had to endure the suffering caused by the mana sickness. Zane would endure because it was the only option in his mind and he was not willing to accept the results of failure.

Thankfully Zane did not have to endure long. Without warning the silver flame exploded in size. It swallowed the shield, the river of mana and broke apart the dark space that it was residing in.

Before Zane could even think about what happened he felt a feeling of warmth, comfort and completeness overtake him. His body subconsciously let out a sigh filled with pure satisfaction. Zane recovered from the wonderful feeling and immediately checked his system messages.

You have been infected with [Mana Sickness]

Debuff: Total mana decreased by 9%

Time limit: 18:24:30

Zane was shocked but happy to see that his condition was improving. As he looked at the Debuff he saw the time was rapidly falling and his total mana was recovering. In a few minutes he would completely recover. Zane decided to ignore the Debuff and turn his attention to system messages that he was much more excited to read. The system messages about his bloodline.

Bloodline energy detected.

Bloodline energy is surging. All stats +10

Bloodline awakened.

Bloodline Name: ???

Bloodline Status: ???

Bloodline Ability: ???

System is unable to analyze bloodline. Are you willing to inform the system about the bloodline? Yes or No

Zane sensed something shake inside him. He felt a surge of terror at the though of anyone learning about his bloodline. He quickly selected no and the terror left as soon as it came. Was that feeling caused by my bloodline? Teacher said that bloodlines were strange but I didn’t expect something like this. I wonder why it has such an intense reaction. As Zane thought about what he just experienced he heard a voice that shocked him out of his Meditation skill.

The system would like the opportunity to analyze your bloodline. The system will offer you an extra reward for every Class Race and Skill evolution. Are you willing to inform the system about your bloodline? Yes or No

The system had spoke to him directly and he was able to hear Teacher Isabelle’s voice again. This didn’t stop him from selecting no. Zane’s mind barely registered the actions of his body after it started moving but he didn’t stop it. After some thought he remembered the dream he had a few days ago. It would be better to hide information about his bloodline instead of selecting the extremely generous and unbelievable rewards.

Zane didn’t see any more messages from the system and his mana sickness had disappeared. After taking a deep breath Zane activated the Meditation skill and tried to sense his bloodline. He couldn’t find the black space or the mysterious flame but he found information. Zane found information on what should be his two bloodline abilities. Although it was explained to Zane that bloodlines have abilities to him it felt more like desires.

A desire to hide and a desire to grow. His bloodline did not want to be seen or noticed and it gave Zane the ability to hide from others. Zane’s bloodline felt limited because Zane was weak and wanted him to grow stronger. His bloodline would be able to strengthen his body and mind after Zane had gone through a difficult or dangerous situation.

Zane didn’t know the name of his bloodline but he was impressed by these two abilities. When I get home increasing my strength using the Body Training Path will be much easier. Zane started to imagine the different possible ways that he could use his new abilities.

Congratulations! You have met the requirements to evolve your race do you wish to proceed? Yes or No

Zane was not shocked when he sensed the system sent him an opportunity to evolve his race. His body had endured extreme amounts of mana and he had reached the minimum required stats necessary. Zane mentally prepared himself before selecting yes.

The first evolution for humans was not difficult. A human needed sufficient mana to enhance his human characteristics and a physique that could with stand the enhancement. After meeting the requirements for the physical and mental stats the only thing left was sufficient mana in the body and the surroundings. Zane had successfully met both of these requirements.

The mana surrounding Zane rushed towards him and he was hungry for it. Zane felt like he hadn’t eaten and days and the mana around him was the most delicious meal. His body and mind greedily sucked in the mana and transformed it into nourishment. After a few moments Zane felt satisfied and his body ceased its absorption of mana.

Congratulations! You have successfully evolved your race.

Race: Human Ⅱ

Description: A race capable of surviving despite having no abilities or traits that would help them do so. The race continues to develop based on the knowledge hardships and contributions of each member. Their lack of innate abilities allows them to pursue endless paths and learn anything.

Rewards: 50% increase in CP. +2 All stats and + 4 free stat points per level

Reaching the second level of the human race was a huge accomplishment. Zane would normally have to wait until he entered the first tier like most humans. Satisfied with his improvements Zane continued to absorb mana.

The amount of mana able to enter Zane’s body had increased. He pulled on the mana without fear. His tolerance had increased and he was less likely to get mana poisoning. Time went by and Zane continue to level up his three skills but his stats increased much more slowly. The increase in tolerance meant that his body would need more mana to improve.

Slowly the mana in the air decreased and the dark clouds in the sky dispersed. The mana changed from a heavy blue mist to a light blue mist. Zane exited his meditation satisfied with his increase in stats and level. He increased his Mana Manipulation and Mana Control skills to level fifteen. His Meditation skill had reached level twelve and all of his stats improved by six points.

Zane’s level increased but he didn’t assign his free stat points. It was a common practice to hold back on assigning stat points. Zane stared at the blue mist and reflected on his success during the mana surge. During his reflection the smile on his face froze. His eyes widen with alarm and disbelief at the mistake he made.