Description: Allows the user to absorb mana into their body and retain it as an internal reserve. Higher levels improve absorption efficiency, storage capacity, and control over retained mana.

[Mana Absorption level 1!]

[+2 Magic Power]

[+2 Focus]

[Ancient Skill Scroll Bonus Detected!]

[New Perk Unlocked: Perfect Initiation (Mana Absorption)!]

[Permanent Effect: +50% Skill XP gained in Mana Absorption.]

I studied the description of my new Skill and wondered about the implications. It was much akin to what mother had said, but I had a feeling there was more to this Skill than the description promised.

I looked up at the membrane blocking the way to the deeper level. I got up and walked to it. I tried to pass it, but it instantly rejected me and pushed me back forcefully, so that I fell on my butt.

Then I got up and absorbed a mana particle. I held it there, and added another. Two particles were now inside me. I merged them with some effort. Then I tried to pass through the membrane.

It rejected me again.

But it didn’t throw me back as forcefully. It was subtle, but because of my high Perception I could sense a difference. I was still thrown back, but not as violently.

“I got it!” I exclaimed. “Mom, I got it! I know how to pass this room!”

She was sitting cross-legged on a bed as she worked on unlearning her Skill. “Good job, little gem. What is it?”

“To get to the next sanctum, you need to hold enough mana inside you. Then you can pass through this screen.”

“Oh, interesting. How much mana do you think you’ll need?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “I think many, many superparticles.”

“Is that a lot?” mother asked.

I cringed a little. “I can manage two normal particles now. A superparticle is ten normal particles. I think I’m going to need at the very least level ten in this Skill.”

Mother turned to me and looked at me with a blank expression. “Ten? This trial expects you to stay here for months of non stop training?”

“I guess that’s why there is food and water,” I said.

“Jonaka will be so worried…” mother said. “Can you speed it up?”

“Yes,” I said confidently. “The Skill scroll gives a really good Perk. I think that’s the blessing you mentioned.”

“It gives a Perk?” mother asked. “What kind?”

“You’ll see,” I said and grinned.

“Cheeky,” mother said. “So you think it won’t take months?”

I thought and shook my head. “I can absorb mana in a way that this room didn’t expect. The design was to get the mana from the food and drink. I can just use the free mana that’s everywhere.”

“That’s great, little gem,” I don’t want to rush you, but your father will go crazy if we stay here for weeks.”

“I don’t want to make him worry either,” I said. “Did you unlearn Teaching?”

“Not yet, but I lost a level,” she said. “But go worry about your own progress now.”

I gave her a wide smile. “You just get me.”

There was no way this would take weeks. I had the perfect build for this. I wasn’t learning to manipulate mana from scratch like mother would. I had Meditation, Mana Sight and Mana Manipulation firing at the same time for maximum efficiency, I think this situation called for learning Mana Absorption as fast as I could. For all I knew there might still be even another trial that could take a long time. I had less than two months remaining for the Moon Festival. 

I threw myself into training. I could really feel the Perk from the Skill scroll do its magic. I leveled up faster than I had with any Skill before. 

[Mana Absorption level 2!]

[+2 Magic Power]

[+2 Focus]

To my delight, even when I took a break to eat, that was training too, because the food and water was infused with mana. I ate slowly. A bite at a time. The rush of mana into me was almost tangible, for the ration bricks must have been enchanted. My practice was the focus on trying to keep the mana inside me. A lot of it dissipated, which I figured was for powering the System and my Skills. Because most of the mana dissipated, it was difficult to keep them inside me. I did get the hang of making a few particles clump together inside me. First two, then quickly four.

Like this I spent all of my time, eating and training. We slept with mother cradling me in one of those comfortable beds. In the morning, I started with Meditation to clear my mind and immediately continued to work on the new skill.

[Mana Absorption level 3!]

[+2 Magic Power]

[+2 Focus]

Fortunately it got easier over time. And to my great delight, I did get levels in other skills as well. Mainly meditation.

[Meditation level 18]

[+1 Perception]

[+1 Focus]

After a while mother finally managed to unlearn Teaching. She was quite pleased with herself, and immediately demanded that I read the scroll to her again.

I was more than happy to oblige.

She sat on the bed with a ration brick in her hand and listened while I explained the parts she didn't understand. The role reversal amused me. A baby teaching his mother. Just yesterday she had taught me something fundamental about the System, and now I was teaching her how to use mana.

“This is harder than I thought,” mother grumbled.

“Try to feel the mana inside the food,” I said. “Or just imagine it. Like dancing white lights. And then decide the mana is supposed to be where your belly button is.”

She closed her eyes and took another small bite. “I don’t understand that last part. Ask it? Insist? Do I need to tell the mana something?

“No,” I said. “Well, yes. But don’t tell the mana anything. The mana just listens.”

“This is a bit confusing, little gem.”

I frowned and thought about it. Then I got it. “You know how you always say “Time to go to bed, Luka.”

“Yeeeees?” mother said warily. “I’m not sure I liked that tone.”

I ignored her. “And you don’t ask me. You don’t demand or command. You just inform me that bedtime has come, like the sun has risen, or something.”

I knew exactly what kind of tone would piss off mother, so that’s what I used as I tried to hide my smirk. She cracked an eye and pinched my cheek. 

“Owwww….”

“Cheeky, little gem.”

We sat quietly for some time. Then mother's eyes flew open.

“Oh! I got it!”

“The Skill?”

She nodded furiously. “And there's a Perk too! Little gem, what in the world have we found?”

Mother had a small fit when she learned the Skill. It was the first Epic Skill she had known anyone to have. Even her Rare Skill Sixth Sense was considered extraordinary in the village.

I genuinely hadn’t been happier in my life so far. And mind you, my whole life had generally been very happy. But doing what I loved, putting my nose to the grindstone of magic, and getting to share it with my mother. Time stopped mattering. We ate, we trained, we slept. 

[Mana Absorption level 4!]

[+2 Magic Power]

[+2 Focus]

Training with mother had become quite entertaining. We were doing essentially the same thing, but the difference in our progress was enormous.

I could see every mana particle I was working with and move it around as I pleased. Mother had to do everything by feel. Sometimes she would sit for an hour trying to hold a single particle inside her.

Of course, I found this fascinating.

I had never really considered how difficult manipulating mana would be without Mana Sight. Watching her struggle gave me a new appreciation for my Mythic Skill.

Mother didn't seem to appreciate my enthusiasm quite as much.

“It's so hard,” mother complained. “Explain it to me again.”

I sat on the altar by the scroll. “Okay so take a sip of water and imagine it running down into your stomach. And then imagine the water is glowing with a bright white light. Because it basically is. It’s infused with mana and that looks like light. And just pluck a mote. Imagine it being like a grain of sand. And just hold it there for as long as possible.”

“Oh—oh!” I got it! Yes! I got a level!”

“That’s great, mom!”

“That was so fast!” mother exclaimed. “This Perk is crazy.”

I loved watching her be so excited. I guess that’s where I inherited my own enthusiasm for learning.

She sat cross-legged with a scrunched up face and attempted to concentrate. I was taking a break and eating, while teaching her. After some time she opened her eyes and sighed. “It’s so hard. I’ll need to read the scroll again.”

“I’ll read it again too,” I said.

Because the scroll was infused with all kinds of enchantments and magical patterns, it made learning the skill easier. Reading it seemed to give the same kind of eurekas I sometimes got from Magical Insight.

After studying the scroll, we settled back on the beds to meditate.

“So let me get this straight,” mother said when we sat down. “You have Meditation to keep you focused, and you can see the mana particles, and you also have a Skill for manipulating mana, so it’s easier to keep stable inside you?”

“Yeah…”

Mother shook her head. “You little monster… How is that fair?”

I chuckled and closed my eyes, eager to start again.

At first, keeping ten particles inside me at once was an enormous achievement. But with practice I managed to merge them into a single superparticle. That was when things really started getting interesting. I could keep the mana stable much longer, and I noticed that some of it was no longer dissipating. Then I managed two superparticles. Then three. Every improvement made the next one a little easier. My other Skills were improving too, because of the synergistic way I was using them.

I was really starting to see the increases in Magic Power and Focus Attributes. Focus in particular had been lagging behind, and I was very happy about having gotten a way to increase it. It just made all of the long training sessions lighter. 

Finally, after ten days I reached the final breakthrough. I was now able to absorb several superparticles into my navel and I was adept at creating a stable mana formation inside me that prevented the mana from naturally escaping to its strange orbits. In addition the mana was now dissipating slower.

My hard work had paid off, and the System rewarded me.

[Mana Absorption level 10!]

[+2 Magic Power]

[+2 Focus]

[New Perk Unlocked: Mana Augmentation!]

Description: Allows absorbed mana to be converted into energy that reinforces the body, temporarily enhancing physical capabilities and reducing fatigue. The effects depend on the amount of mana used, its distribution within the body, and the user's control.

I collapsed on the floor and let out a contented sigh.

“I got it, mom.”

My mother squealed with delight and hugged me.

“I’m so proud of you!”

I gave her a tired smile and closed my eyes. I was so truly spent, but I was really happy. And most importantly, I had earned a nap!

Before studying the new Perk further, I wanted to check out my Status, because I had leveled up quite a lot during this time.

Name: Luka

Attributes:

Perception 91

Focus 39

Mana Flow 66

Magic Power 61

Skills:

Meditation (uncommon): 19

Mana Sight (mythic): 18

Mana Manipulation (uncommon): 19

Spellcrafting (rare): 11

Mana Absorption (epic): 10

Total Level: 77

Skill Slots: 5/5

Perks:

Sage, Contemplative, Magical Insight, Arcane Convergence (18%), Mana Weaving, Continuous Casting, Perfect Initiation (Mana Absorption), Mana Augmentation

Special Achievements: Awakened Mind

Achievements: First Skill

It was a beautiful sight to behold. My skills were coming along nicely, and I could really feel the attributes accumulating and making everything mana related easier.

“Only ten days,” mother said and shook her head. “I’ve never heard of anyone getting a new Skill to level 10 this fast.”

“Well, I have synergistic Skills,” I said. “And we didn’t do literally anything but train. And we had the scroll to boost our progress.”

“I’m only level three ,” mother said with a pout. “What does your new Perk do?”

I told her.

“That’s interesting,” my mother said. “Try it.”

I absorbed some mana and used the perk. In the same way the mana would naturally dissolve inside me, if I didn’t hold it in an active form, the particles dissolved, but now they turned into something I hadn’t seen before.

The mana took on a liquid aspect and flowed into my organs. I felt slightly less tired.

“Oh,” I said. “Wait a moment.”

I repeated the process. I took in more and more mana and repeated the process over and over again. Once the liquefied mana had reached all of my organs, my muscles and even my eyes and brain, I felt rejuvenated. I felt fresh as if I had just taken a nap.

But I kept going. I kept absorbing mana and making it into this liquid form and I pushed it into my leg muscles. I needed to test something.

The process took a long time, because I was clumsy with it, but because my intent was clear, the mana knew what to do. I wanted to strengthen my leg muscles.

After my legs felt full of mana, I stood up and jumped. I leapt over my mother, which made her jaw drop. It’s not every day you see a toddler jump like a flea.

“By the spirits!” she gasped.

I landed and immediately jumped again. This time I nearly hit my head on the ceiling.

“Careful!” mother cried.

“I'm fine!” I said, laughing.

I tried putting more mana into my arms. I grabbed the edge of one of the heavy beds and lifted it. Not easily, but I lifted it!

Holy shit. I was becoming a strong baby!

Mother stared at me. Then she started laughing too.

“Your father is going to have a fit when he sees this.”

I have to admit, I played around with it for quite a while. It just felt too fun not to.

This was the second time I could do something truly amazing. The Water Jet spell had been my first taste of powerful magic. But that had been a one-off in a moment of inspiration in an extremely mana dense environment. I would return to cracking that at a more appropriate time. But this was something repeatable and consistent. And it didn’t require so much mana, that I wouldn’t be able to do it in the Moon Festival.

I grinned to myself. This could solve a lot of problems with Vorok’s overwhelming strength.

Back in the village, the mana would be sparser and I had needed a long time to make the mana usable with my muscles. But my mastery over this new ability could only grow. 

However, despite now having acquired a tool to use in the Moon Festival, I was not ready to return. This was not enough to defeat the Silverback.

“Mom, I want to move forward.”

“You think you can now?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I said.

“I can’t follow you,” mother said. “Will you be alright?”

I nodded. “I have to go further.”

“I know you must, little gem. Be careful. I’ll wait here.”

Mother knelt down and hugged me tightly.

“I don't like this,” she said quietly.

“I'll be fine, mom. You saw what I did to that oversized monkey.”

“Yes, little gem. I did.” She kissed my forehead. “But I'm still your mother. I'm allowed to worry.”

“Fair enough,” I said and hugged her back.

She let go and smiled. “Now go find your ancient secrets. I'll be right here.”

I grinned. “I'll bring you something nice!”

I sat in front of the membrane I would have to pass. I started gathering mana inside me into a formation. I think that would be enough. I just had to prove to the barrier that I had enough mastery of the skill. I was eager to find out why in the next sanctum.

After I collected as many particles as my level ten Skill would allow, I stood up and touched the barrier.

It felt cold to the touch, but my hand pressed into it. It didn’t reject me. I slipped through and felt triumph swell in my chest. I turned and grinned at my mother. She waved at me and wished me good luck. I couldn’t hear it well, but I waved back.

Then I exhaled and turned to the stairwell. 

The next chamber was small. There was another altar and a door. But everything was just… plain. The same gleaming black stone with a wet look, except for the altar that was white. I walked in front of it to examine. To my surprise it lowered itself to accommodate my height. But that wasn’t the most surprising feature. My eyebrows shot up and I gaped at the construct.

It had a screen. It was something that looked like technology from my old world. Text appeared on the screen.

Welcome. Please check for requirements:

Then a panel opened next to the screen. It had a handprint on it. I pressed my palm against it.

Checking requirements…

Mana Absorption detected…

Mana Manipulation detected…

Scanning for mana detection ability…

Mana Sight detected…

It seemed that this construct was checking whether I had the right Skills to move forward. So far so good. My pure magic build was paying off.

Wait a minute.

This thing was reading my System?

I looked at the screen again. Somehow the Ancestors had built a machine that could recognize my Skills. Did that mean they had understood how the System worked? Could you actually build something that interacted with it?

I had so many questions. I hoped whatever was behind the door had some answers.

Scanning for other requirements…

REQUIREMENTS NOT MET.

Wait what? I felt deep disappointment. Was this it? I couldn’t venture further? After all this work? What skills was I missing? I gritted my teeth. There had to be a way to—

Override detected…

[Sage] Perk detected.

ALL REQUIREMENTS MET!

I grinned. The Sage Perk had come through. It overrode all requirements for magical and mind related Skills. I’d had no idea it would work in this kind of situation as well. But I supposed it made sense. This construct was built to interact with my System. It appeared that the Sage perk didn’t only apply to the System’s internally imposed requirements for learning or using skills. It also applied to externally applied requirements.

And just like that, the door ahead opened.

I tentatively walked inside. Instinctively I checked my Mana Sight, and to my surprise I saw something I had never seen before.

There was not a single mana particle floating in the air. But something ahead shone like the sun with mana. It was like looking at a nuclear reactor at full power radiating massive amounts of energy. I had to turn my Skill off, or I’d be blinded.

I blinked and in the torchlight of the blue flames, I saw a silhouette ahead.

It was a large floating humanoid. Completely smooth and blue. It was bald and had the features of a handsome man. But the most striking feature were the eight arms. They were floating idly around the figure as if the man was underwater.

“Welcome, little one,” the figure said in a gentle but deep voice. “Do not be afraid.”