The sight of the colossal mana signature guarding the scattered item brought Adam's surging confidence back to earth. He was powerful, yes, but not invincible. He activated his Mana Vision, trying to discern the creature's form, its vulnerabilities.
"Lyra," Adam whispered, his voice hushed, "can I absorb something that big? Like I did with the goblins?"
Lyra's response was immediate, yet filled with a cautionary tone. "Adam, your ability to create and sustain dimensional rifts for absorption is directly tied to your internal mana output. While your mana supply is constant through absorption, your current 'outflow' capacity is limited. Think of your body as a pipe. You have a constant flow of water coming in, but the pipe itself can only release a certain amount at once without bursting."
"To create a portal large enough to absorb a creature of that magnitude, you would need to sustain an enormous mana output in a short period. This would create a severe mana imbalance within your body, overwhelming your system. It would be equivalent to intentionally inducing severe mana poisoning, leading to rapid bodily deterioration and potentially total systemic collapse."
Adam's brow furrowed. "So I can't just absorb its arm or leg? Cut off a part of it?"
"That is also not feasible with your current dimensional manipulation," Lyra explained.
"Your 'absorption' is not a teleportation, but a direct dimensional rift. If you attempt to partially absorb a living creature, the part remaining in this dimension would be cut off from its mana flow, but the severed part within your dimension would cause immense mana disturbance. The creature's remaining mana signature, even if severed, would still be 'alive' and attempt to create turmoil within your controlled dimension, potentially destabilizing it and harming you."
"The only way to absorb a creature in parts," Lyra clarified, "is if those parts are truly severed from the main body, effectively 'killing' them in this dimension. Once the mana flow is cut off, they become non-living matter, allowing for absorption into stasis as a carcass."
Adam's initial surge of power deflated slightly. His new ability was potent, but it had clear, dangerous limits. He couldn't just brute-force his way through every obstacle. The guardian of the scattered item was a problem that required more than just overwhelming force.
The sun was now higher in the sky, and the silence of the jungle was punctuated only by the distant calls of unknown creatures. Adam had found his item, but a formidable, un-absorbable foe stood in his way.