5. A Spiritual Barrier

First, I put my right leg up at a 90-degree angle, turning my crawling pose into an arm-supported lunge. Next, I condensed all my mana into my legs and, in a swift movement, shot myself towards the exit. Using the momentum from my leap, I could grab onto the hole’s edges. And finally, forcing my mana back to my arms allowed me to gather enough strength to pull myself out of this hellhole.

That was the foolproof plan I came up with. So then why wasn’t it working!? I was confident that my mana, or whatever this aura was, strengthened my muscles wherever I allocated it. So, was I not correctly managing my mana? I’m sure that I transferred it around at the proper timings.

For the past month, I have been practicing and experimenting with mana. Through that, I figured a couple of things out. Usually, my mana was on the outside, which could serve as a protective barrier. However, I recently managed to transfer my mana into my muscle fibers to enhance them. It also caused a different feeling. Rather than just a carpet covering my skin, my body also felt lighter and more awake. The downside was that it had to cover a much bigger area than the thin layer enveloping my skin. That meant I couldn’t have equal mana throughout my entire body as it hardly made a difference when not packed together. Also, unlike mana on the outside, shifting it around without leaking was challenging.

I tried again, this time concentrating on any mana leaks that might have occurred. Once again, I leaped towards the exit only to trip during my launch. As I expected, my mana leaked from my calves and formed around my lower portions. I couldn’t tell that beforehand because my mana never seeped out entirely and simply appeared outside my muscles.

In disappointment, I sighed. Coming up with an alternative and less athletic plan was my once choice. Upset, I tried forming a sphere of mana in my hands. Then, thinking back to where it all started, I realized something crucial. Since the mage could release flames, could I possibly change the properties of mana? If I could turn it into a sticky adhesive, clambering upward, the steep ramp would become child’s play.

Unfortunately, I had no decent opening moves for comprehending that skill. All the information I had, was a dead mage I hardly remember. That concept of magic was like diving into a complex assignment without instructions or strategy. Since changing mana’s form was as simple as commanding it, why was changing the attributes so different? Were we perhaps not using the same type of magic? Eventually, my thoughts got so astray that I began to doubt if that little flame even had any correlation to the magic I used.

“Ugh, even thinking about it is a pain,” I complained out loud. At long last, my voice finally sounded like words after months of speaking to myself.

In the depths of hopelessness, a grin displayed on my face from a viable solution. Returning to the river that nearly drowned me, I submerged my arms in the cold water. Then, I forced every ounce of my mana toward my hands and gathered it into my usual sphere shape. Surprisingly, the water was absorbed into my mana, turning it into an orb of water. Levitating the sphere in my hands, I couldn’t help but glare in astonishment. It was actively circulating and giving off the feeling of a waterfall. Feeling excited, I tossed the sphere from hand to hand, playing with my new invention.

“Splash!” it sounded when I accidentally plopped it.

Oops, I dropped it. This time outside of the river, trying to form it again was neither a success nor a failure. Instead, it came out with a thin viscosity. It kept trying to become an orb but came out as a hollow sphere surrounded by water. Well, not precisely hollow, as it was full of mana. It became more interesting despite being incomplete, as it was like a combination of pure mana and water. It seemed as if the stimulus gave me the ability to convert pure mana into some sort of liquid.

Out of interest, I decided to lick one of the droplets. To my horror, my face immediately wrinkled up to the liquid’s sharp and almost burning flavor, causing me to spit it out with the intention of vomiting.

“This is undrinkable, that’s for sure.” I tittered while drooling the rest out. To think I could produce something worse than the toxin I sweated out a few months ago was outlandish. Even weirder was why I kept tasting everything that looked just scarcely bizarre.

Refusing to give up my small project, I persisted in searching for practical uses and came up with another crazy idea shortly after. The water-mana sphere never popped or released any mana when I threw it around. Heck, it was even okay after I licked it. It only busted when it came out of touch and smashed into the hard surface. So if I were to enfold my entire body or just my legs in that liquid, I should be able to perform my leap without any mana leaks.

To start, I cast my mana on the surface of my legs while imbuing them with the watery mana. Then, I got into my usual stance and dashed forth. Extending my arm toward the exit, I couldn’t quite grab it, but my plan worked.

“Again,” I muttered. Once again, I leaped at the exit using the enhanced strength from mana manipulation. Not quite, but progress was being made. Then, I tried again and again, hour after hour, getting closer every single time.

“Huff, puff,” I panted with sweat dripping down my face like a tap. I had entirely run out of stamina, yet I could still use mana. Did my water spell simply cost very little, or did I have an immense pool of mana stored within?

“One more time,” I mumbled as I got up after recovering. If it weren’t for my regeneration skill, there would be no way I could even move a finger from fatigue. Sealing my mana shut, I got up for another attempt.

As motivation, I yelled at the top of my lungs. “One, two, there, now!” My legs reacted instantly to my command, sending me the furthest I’ve gotten so far. Gripping my hands around the exit, I pushed myself through with my legs, almost digging a tiny hole with my feet.

“Ahh, freedom at last,” I cried. Or more like peace for my ears, at last, but that didn’t sound as neat. Then, to my surprise, I was standing up without any struggle to balance myself. Eagerly, taking my first step bestowed me with a feeling described as absolute happiness.

- [Notice] -

Essential Skill [Walking] Learned!

Stat Points are awarded for learning an Essential Skill.

[Mobility] 3 -> 9

Well, it was only fair that I learned to walk after all that painful work. The extra mobility would hopefully be noticeable now.

Thinking back to the day I awakened, it was astonishing to see how far I had come. Ever since I arrived here, there was something I wanted to do—get some fresh air.

Walking the path I had previously struggled to traverse felt like I had overcome a significant obstacle, yet unexpectedly nostalgic, despite only being away for a couple of months. I guess it made sense, considering I spent most of my conscious life in the barker pit.

Arriving closer to the Rift’s exit, the paths began blooming with more fauna. Usually, they symbolized harmony or serenity, but instead, they reminded me of something that sent chills down my spine. I was nearing the area where my mother died, and even worse, I had no idea where her corpse lay. Each step got heavier the closer I got, not from physical exhaustion but from the anxiety of stumbling upon her decomposing corpse. Her body could have been demolished into pieces, rotting on the walls and plants, as far as I know. Eventually, I was on the razor's edge of panic, imprisoned by fear.

“Blech! Gack!” Those nasty thoughts made me vomit whatever berries I had eaten earlier today. Coughing the last bit out, I tried standing up again, but the pressure only worsened.

“Damn it! My legs… They won’t move!” I raged while trying to rebalance my mana. Then another wave of dizziness hit me, but I had nothing left to puke out this time. With my last bit of energy, I slapped some sense back into myself.

“Puff… crap,” I uttered. “Huh, that’s weird. Did I run out of mana?”

There were no visible traces of mana anywhere, but why of all times did my mana deplete? Walking hardly required mana, so how did I run out so quickly? I’ve spent hours practicing a single jump, constantly condensing mana, yet a mere enhancement drained it all. Could I not feel my mana being depleted, or was it another factor? The more thought I put in, the more questions returned. Some things were just impossible to figure out independently. I needed answers from the outside world, but as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I had to find another way out. There was no way I could casually leave when with every step closer, my mind became hazier with uncomfortable trauma and shock with every step closer.

What was it about her death that scared me so much, though? Was it her last words, her promise about returning alive? Or was it imagining how mother nature putrefied her bewitching and alluring face into a pile of rotten flesh?

Eugh… Either way, I should probably just leave before I barf for the third time.