I set the stack of books on my desk and began flipping through them, scanning each title and section until a particular page caught my attention.
Mana Sense.
> A heightened perception that detects ambient mana flows, magical auras, enchantments, and curses. Advanced users can read residual magic, track unique mana signatures, and even gauge the strength of ley lines.
Practice: Meditation, attunement to magical sources—natural or artificial—and sharpening one's magical intuition.
Unlike elemental spells or combat techniques, mana control wasn't about shouting incantations or releasing bursts of power. It was discipline—engraving control into your body and mind through repetition and focus.
I reviewed the fundamentals again.
Mana Circulation refined the flow inside the body.
Mana Control directed mana precisely once it left.
But Mana Sense... that was something else entirely.
It wasn't about force or form—it was connection. You had to let your mana mingle with the world's, then listen to what it whispered back.
I sat cross-legged on the floor, exhaling slowly. My mana began to pulse outward in small, steady waves. They brushed against the faint hum of ambient mana around me—thin threads woven through the air.
Then—
A flicker.
A pulse.
Dozens of faint signals struck me all at once, chaotic and disjointed, like trying to tune into every radio channel at once.
I frowned and checked the book again. No mistakes. Still, something was off.
Flipping the page, another section caught my eye.
Harmonic Resonance
> Aligning one's internal mana frequency with the ambient world—like tuning an instrument to the right pitch.
Practice: Focused meditation and attunement to specific environments or artifacts.
A realization clicked into place.
I wasn't listening wrong.
I was out of tune.
I closed my eyes again and matched my breathing to the flow of mana in the room. My internal rhythm was faster—erratic. The environment's was slower, smoother. I began adjusting my flow, cycling mana through my core and limbs until both patterns aligned.
And then, the static vanished.
Everything came into focus.
It was like opening a new sense—one not bound by sight or sound. The world bloomed into faint outlines, shapes formed by mana rather than matter. The walls glowed softly. The shelves hummed faintly. Even the air shimmered where mana currents drifted.
I wasn't seeing light. I was feeling it.
Then something deeper stirred—an echo beneath the glow.
A strange pulse, gentle but steady, coiling around my core like shadow following flame.
It wasn't mana. Not exactly. It moved differently—slower, denser, like liquid shadow threading through light. When my mana brushed against it, the energy recoiled, folding inward as if retreating from contact.
For a heartbeat, I caught a glimpse of it—something ancient pulsing beneath my mana veins, cold and alive.
Then it vanished.
The connection snapped, leaving behind a chill in my chest and a hollow silence where that pulse had been.
I blinked, the world around me dimming slightly. Was that… inside me? Or did I imagine it?
Whatever it was, it had responded to me—and then hidden itself.
I pressed a hand over my sternum, half-expecting to feel something stirring beneath my skin. Nothing. Just the quiet thrum of mana returning to normal.
Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe a hallucination from overextending my senses.
But some part of me believed something was there. Watching. Waiting.
Time blurred. The moment stretched into hours—or maybe seconds. When I finally stirred, dawn light was spilling through the window. Morning already.
Strangely, I wasn't tired.
Had I meditated the whole night? Or crossed into some dreamlike trance between mana and mind? Either way, it worked. My perception felt sharper—like I could sense the air vibrating with mana even when I wasn't trying.
A loud growl from my stomach broke the serenity. I realized I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.
I grabbed a quick meal from the fridge, downed a can of juice, and returned to my desk. The next book was about Light-elemental spells.
Several stood out, but only a few were within reach for my current MP reserves.
Nova Flare
> Summons a miniature sun that detonates after a delay, releasing radiant energy in a small radius.
Cost: 150 MP
Incantation:
"O radiant light forged in stillness,
Swell with the fire of judgment.
Let the weight of truth descend—
Break, and become brilliance."
Mirror Veil
> Shrouds the user in refracted light, creating afterimages to confuse enemies.
Cost: 50 MP
Incantation:
"Bend the light and break their gaze;
Let falsehood take form and shadow dance.
May reflection become my shield."
Flash
> Releases a sudden burst of light to blind foes or signal allies.
Cost: 30 MP
Incantation:
"Light of clarity, shatter the night—
Splinter into a thousand blades of brilliance.
Blind their eyes, break their aim."
And finally, the one that truly caught my eye
Photon Step
> Instant movement between three to ten meters in a burst of radiant light. Bends illumination to displace the user along its path.
Cost: 140–180 MP
Incantation:
"By the light that pierces the veil of stillness,
By the gleam that dances beyond the reach of shadow,
Let my form be unbound from this place—
And carried by radiance to where my will alights!"
I leaned back in my chair. Photon Step would burn nearly all my mana, but even one successful use could be decisive in combat—or the obstacle course.
Besides… if I could learn to balance light and movement perfectly, it might even bring me closer to Veiled Stride.
I closed the books and stood, stretching out my limbs. My body hummed with energy, my mana more responsive than ever.
"Alright," I murmured to myself. "Let's see what this light can really do."
I packed my things and headed toward the gym's private training room.
It was time to put theory into motion.