After explaining the fundamentals to Liam, Shaquille showed him how to form a mana heart.
It was a rather delicate process. One simply had to gather the surrounding mana and circulate it throughout the entire body, faster and faster, until a mana signature began to form. Once that signature stabilized, a mana heart would be born.
Liam sat cross-legged, fully focused on circulating the mana. The sensation was completely new to him.
Sitting in front of him, Shaquille observed quietly, ready to intervene at the slightest problem.
"Normally, you should create your mana heart in about a week. Maybe a little more, but it's around that," he said.
Liam didn't respond. He was completely absorbed in the task, even though he had heard him perfectly.
Shaquille watched him carefully.
'Hm… his concentration is impressive. He's focused most of his senses on a single task. It may sound simple when explained like that, but in reality it requires great mental strength.'
After about fifteen minutes, Liam suddenly opened his eyes, clearly disturbed.
"Uncle… something's wrong," he said.
Shaquille, who had been watching some random video on the holographic screen projected from his phone, raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
Liam searched for his words before answering.
"It's not difficult exactly. But after some time, the mana refuses to move any faster. It keeps the same speed. I can increase it a little, but only by a tiny amount each time. So… it feels like I'm not making any progress."
Shaquille smiled.
"Well, that's why I told you it would take about a week. At first it's easy. Your body welcomes mana the way it always has. But after some time, in order to create your mana signature, the mana has to fully acclimate to your body. And that takes time. It's a normal process. There's nothing unusual about it."
He took out a cigarette and lit it using a small spark of mana.
"To put it simply, if we represented it with a graph: at the beginning the progress is exponential… then it plateaus. After that it starts rising again, but much more slowly."
Liam thought about his words.
Even though he had created this world and was familiar with terms like mana heart, details like these had never really crossed his mind.
However, he had already expected that some kind of obstacle might appear, so it didn't surprise him too much.
"Is there a way to speed up the process?" he asked.
Shaquille answered in a nonchalant tone.
"In a way… but I'm not sure you'll understand. Still, I'll tell you."
He took a drag from his cigarette before continuing.
"You have to consider mana as a living being. Something that has a will."
Liam frowned slightly.
"Because it is?"
Shaquille shrugged.
"Hard to say. That kind of question causes endless debates in academic circles. In our case, whether mana is truly alive or conscious doesn't really matter. What matters is that you consider it as such."
He tapped the ash from his cigarette.
"Once you do that, you need to transmit your will to it. Your request to form a mana heart."
Liam raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Shaquille sighed.
"Don't look at me like I invented this method. We just know that depending on the person, mana can be more or less docile."
He continued calmly.
"Of course, on a larger scale things become much more complicated. You can't manipulate mana through willpower alone. In the end, what matters the most is your ability to control it."
"My ability to control it…"
Liam showed a faint smile.
This was one of those moments when he was actually grateful for his stats.
[Mana Capacity : A]
It was one of the only two good stats he had. A person's ability to control mana was directly linked to the amount of mana their body could contain.
'So I have an advantage.'
Moreover, Liam possessed another stat he had never truly understood, yet it seemed strangely connected to what Shaquille had just explained.
[Will : ∞]
'Maybe Will is related to the will Shaq was talking about…'
Liam closed his eyes and resumed circulating his mana while keeping this information in mind.
Each time the mana flowed through his body, a strange sensation passed through him. A sense of familiarity, as if this wasn't the first time he had tried something like this.
'What is this feeling…? I'm sure I've experienced something like this before…'
Without even realizing it, Liam's mana circulation gradually began to accelerate.
No matter how much he tried to remember where this sensation came from, nothing came to mind. Eventually, he decided to leave it for later and focus on forming his mana heart.
'Alright… let's try adding some will into this…'
Liam awkwardly tried to convey his request to the mana. Honestly, he had no idea how to do it. Shaquille's explanation had been far too abstract.
What was it even supposed to mean, transmitting his will?
'Come on… let me create this mana heart… and quickly.'
Even though he hadn't said it out loud, Liam had absolutely no intention of spending an entire week forming his mana heart.
Of course not.
He intended to do it right here and now.
If he had claimed he could master the first three techniques of the Moonveil sword art in only two months, it wasn't simply because he believed in himself.
No.
As the creator of this world, Liam possessed knowledge that most people didn't have. And among those secrets was a crucial one: the possibility of forming a second mana heart.
He even knew the method to do it.
First, he needed to create a mana heart. Then he would have to obtain a specific potion and prepare a certain mixture. If everything went well, a second mana signature would appear, allowing him to form a second mana heart.
Even if there was roughly a 85% chance that it would fail… and kill him, Liam was perfectly willing to take that risk.
If there was one thing his past life had taught him, it was that those who refuse to take risks are often the first to complain about their failures.
Yes, Liam could die before accomplishing anything.
So what?
He was ready to accept it.
After all, failure and success were simply two sides of the same coin.
Without him realizing it, the mana inside his body suddenly began circulating at a terrifying speed.
Far too fast.
The formation of the mana heart was imminent.
Shaquille was already standing, on guard. At the slightest problem, he was ready to intervene.
"Incredible…" he murmured.
"This is simply incredible…"
Not in a week.
Not in three days.
Not even in a single day.
No.
It had taken less than an hour for Liam to form his mana heart.
As the mana heart was taking shape, Shaquille suddenly noticed something strange.
At the same time, Liam frowned.
Indeed, as his mana heart was being formed, he felt something awakening at the same time.
"!!"
Shaquille's mouth opened in shock.
"Don't tell me that's what I think it is…"
Still deeply focused, Liam noticed the difference as well.
He couldn't afford to lose concentration. If he relaxed even slightly, he would have to restart the entire process from the beginning.
As his mana signature took the form of a mana heart, he sensed another signature.
A signature that had not just appeared.
'No…
It wasn't absent.
It had always been there.
It was simply asleep…'
'That means the previous Liam had already formed a mana heart… and it had remained dormant.'
'But then… why am I forming another one instead of awakening that one?'
Liam's mind raced as he tried to understand what was happening.
'The only possible explanation…'
'…is that a mana signature is not tied to the body, but to the soul.'
Therefore, if the previous Liam had already formed a mana heart, it was tied to his soul.
And since Liam had transmigrated into this body…
…that meant two souls now coexisted within the same body.
Everything suddenly clicked in Liam's mind like pieces of a puzzle falling perfectly into place.
A victorious smile slowly appeared on his face.
'What a pleasant surprise…'
'To think I would obtain a second mana heart this way…'
'The plan I prepared is useless now.'
'Haha… what a wonderful coincidence.'