But not everything was positive discoveries…
When Ren tried different steps and different combinations, he quickly realized he didn't understand all of them. And worse still, not all were useful.
Some made him slower, the mana flow becoming sticky and resistant like honey instead of water. Others made him heavier, as if the weight of the energy itself multiplied, pressing down on his limbs and core. And some even retracted mana to his center, making skill activation harder instead of easier, counterproductive…
It was like learning a new language where some words had multiple meanings and others were accidental insults that could get you in trouble.
Ren spent hours each night experimenting, annotating results with meticulous detail, trying to understand the underlying patterns that connected everything. Building a framework from fragments and failures.
He was just beginning to understand all this…
