[Mana manipulation art: Mana Codex]
[Learn Mana Codex?]
Andy still watched with shock. With a weak yes, he nodded his head.
Almost simultaneously, new knowledge began to fill his head, making his mind a bit cloudy for a few seconds. And then it became clear.
A step-by-step on how to manipulate Mana and more. This manual was so detailed that Andy felt he was being spoon-fed.
An in-depth look at how and where to guide the Mana in his body. This process would then lead to unblocking the Mana Circuits pathway. According to the Mana Codex, this was the first step in cultivating this manual.
Filled with excitement and a bit apprehensive, Andy tried to emulate what the system had shown him.
The process wasn't hard, in fact, it wasn't much different from what he had been doing before. The difference came in the execution, rather than the gathering.
Previously, the manual Andy practiced instructed him to gather Mana and bathe his body with it. But due to his lack of talent, he was unable to gather enough Mana, nor maintain what he had gathered long enough to baptize his body.
Now, the Mana Codex had completely redefined the process.
The key wasn't in the gathering, but in the guidance.
Andy still had to gather Mana, however, he didn't need to bathe his entire body in it until his body was able to coexist and accommodate Mana freely.
All Andy needed to do was trace the Mana Circuits over his body, and naturally, Mana would be drawn into his body.
This was what the first layer of the Mana Codex contained.
His heart thudded with excitement and nervousness.
Now with this new knowledge, Andy didn't need to worry about making a mistake in tracing the circuits, the system had already done that for him.
So excited to make an attempt, Andy forgot that he was being watched.
He gathered Mana again over his palm, however, rather than trying to maintain the Mana he had gathered, Andy immediately began infusing the Mana into his body through the tip of his finger, following the direction of the Mana Codex.
He began tracing the first line and then…
A sharp, burning pain tore through his finger, as if he had placed it on top of a candle for too long.
"Ouch!"
Andy didn't think that this process would be painful to draw a single line. The Mana Codex didn't mention anything like that.
He started to doubt the manual itself, and then the doubt crept up to his self-esteem. Andy wondered if it was his lack of talent that caused such a reaction.
Let's give it a go again.
Making his second attempt, Andy gathered Mana once again and went through the same process. This time, he was ready to endure the pain.
Almost immediately, burning pain assaulted his mind. With resolve, he resisted the urge to cease what he was doing.
Andy also held back the urge to scream and cry. Hold it in! His cheeks puffed out and his brows scrunched.
The longer he allowed and used Mana to trace a circuit in his body, the harder it became to endure.
And seven seconds, it stopped, and finally, Andy was able to breathe. He could only gather Mana for that long. His body was covered in more sweat than he had accumulated when he was doing his daily quest.
His index finger shook in pain for a few seconds before the burning sensation vanished. As if ice water had been poured over his head.
Andy looked at the tip of his finger, and he couldn't help but be ecstatic at what he saw.
Though it was faint, there was a forked line of circuit hidden underneath his skin.
This little success seemed to erase Andy's memories because he immediately tried to gather Mana once again. The moment he tried this, Andy noticed slight changes.
The first being that Mana seemed to gather faster and it was easier to control than previously. The second was that, the Mana he seemed to be gathering now was thicker than the wisps he was capable of calling out.
His eyes opened with joy and his body shook to contain this joy. Andy had to force himself to control his facial expression, so as not to allow peeping eyes to discern anything.
Despite these changes, the pain he experienced didn't reduce, in fact, it even increased.
After another seven seconds, Andy stopped. His grasp over Mana had gotten better, but his ability to maintain his control was still the same.
[Endured pain: +2 Strength. +5 Endurance. +5 Will.]
Seeing this, Andy was surprised.
Was he being rewarded for enduring pain? Wasn't this a bit… sadistic and masochistic?
Once again, he resumed what he was doing, even wishing he could last for more than seven seconds. That way, wouldn't the system grant him more stats for enduring pain?
A win-win situation.
Two hours had gone by and Andy had finally been able to draw a complete set of Mana Circuits on his index finger. The sun was already close to setting, and the street lamps had already come on, anticipating the darkness of the night.
But Andy seemed not to care.
His chest heaved up and down, tired from the continuous attempt and tracing of Mana on his finger. It had taken him two hours and a session of intense pain to be done with one finger.
How long would it take him to complete this process for his entire body?
Still too slow. How far will I get before graduation at this pace? Andy frowned. He looked up and his stats appeared before him.
Name: Anderson Naver
Race: Human
Rank: None
Mana Rank: Initiate
Status: Awakening
Skill Slots: 1/5
Mana Capacity: 20/100
Strength: 89
Agility: 10
Endurance: 107
Will: 123/123
Intelligence: 9
Andy couldn't help but lick his sweaty lips, tasting the saltiness of it. "How strong have I gotten?" He had expected his stats to increase, but not this much. After twenty minutes of trying to trace the Mana circuit on his finger, he had stopped paying attention to the rewards he got for enduring pain.
Mainly because he needed to focus on one thing, and also because the rewards he received for enduring the pain of tracing had reduced significantly.
Hence his current surprise.
"My Mana capacity has increased this much from just tracing circuits on one finger? What would happen if I trace it on five?" He mused in amusement, even wanting to resume tracing.
However, he was too tired to do that.
Just when Andy was thinking of testing out his strength, the scenery before his eyes changed, or more accurately, expanded.
More than 15 feet away, he could see a figure hiding behind a bush, observing.
At first, he was shocked, thinking something was wrong. But with his will being as strong as it was, he was able to gather information faster.
"It's a Matron… is that who the system has been warning me about?" He whispered.
Melinda was unaware that Andy was now able to locate her. In the first place, she wasn't even aware that he had been notified of her lurking.
She was still trying to wrap her head around all that she had just witnessed.
It was commonly known that Andy wasn't talented with Mana, and yet, she had seen him make sufficient progress in two hours.
Did this boy never truly try to cultivate Mana? Has he been lazing around all these years?
She was filled with mixed feelings. This would have been good news normally. But now that she had been given permission to take Andy if she pleased, it wasn't as much of a good news as she wanted it to be.
If the academy finds out what she knows, they wouldn't let her consume him.
This increased the urgency for consumption… but at the same time, Melinda knew that it would be better for her, to allow Andy to accumulate more progress before consuming him.
That way, she would benefit more.
Let's allow him two more days…