Darkness.
Endless darkness.
Time seemed to stretch on without measure.
Within this void, Richard's consciousness slowly began to awaken.
He opened his inner eyes and found himself floating in a vast sea of stars, countless points of light stretching in every direction.
Having studied the Lorren's Human-Skin Notes for days—and this was not his first venture into meditation—Richard quickly recognized the truth: the stars surrounding him were mere illusions. What he truly perceived were wandering energy elements from the outside world.
Red, ochre, black, azure… a myriad of energy elements, each radiating its own distinct aura.
As he observed them, Richard sensed something different from previous meditations. He was no longer completely detached from his body; he could faintly feel his physical state.
It was a strange sensation—like lying in bed while simultaneously perceiving another body next door. Of course, that other body was his own.
He thought carefully.
Judging by the results of the Leyden jar experiment and the procedures he had performed as recorded in the notes, it was clear that his efforts had not been wasted. His body had indeed entered the "activation state" necessary for opening a mana reservoir.
It seemed that the second difficulty in becoming a wizard—establishing the mana reservoir—was within his grasp.
Yet caution lingered. To truly conquer this challenge, the reservoir had to be fully opened. Partial progress was not enough.
Richard recalled the Human-Skin Notes concerning mana reservoirs. According to the text, a mana reservoir is a special structure inside the body capable of storing wandering energy elements. Only by successfully opening it could one store energy during meditation and prepare for spellcasting.
Opening a mana reservoir was no trivial matter. It required mobilizing one's full mental focus to construct.
The notes described two methods:
The Brushing Method: Imagine a large brush within the body, then use all of one's mental strength to control it. Repeatedly sweep over a designated area, gradually forming a cocoon-like or irregular mana reservoir.
The Construction Method: Envision building materials distributed throughout the body. Using full mental focus, guide these materials into fixed positions to construct a solid structure—a precisely shaped mana reservoir.
Both methods were arduous and time-consuming. The larger the reservoir, the more difficult and lengthy the process, though a larger reservoir also allowed for greater energy storage (mana capacity).
Furthermore, mana reservoirs existed partially in a physical sense. They had no mass or volume yet exhibited immense energy. They were immune to physical damage but vulnerable to energy-based harm, so their placement had to avoid vital organs like the heart or brain.
Richard digested this information carefully before taking action. He decided to employ the Construction Method.
First, he selected the position for the reservoir. Then, rather than imagining scattered building materials throughout his body, he directly shaped his mental energy into construction blocks, arranging them in the chosen location.
Block by block, layer by layer…
Time passed slowly, almost imperceptibly.
Opening a mana reservoir was a long and grueling process. Days melted into nights, weeks into months. Richard devoted himself entirely to this task, largely abandoning the laboratory. Lucy, tasked with maintaining the lab, grew quietly resentful, puzzled by his prolonged absence.
By the time summer faded and the fields turned golden, autumn had arrived.
Cool winds swept down from the north, clearing the sky and revealing a flawless sapphire-blue expanse.
On such a day, Richard finally completed the mana reservoir. After countless days of concentrated effort, a perfectly shaped cube-shaped mana reservoir emerged in his chest, slightly left of center.
To the naked eye, it resembled a miniature pyramid, intricate yet restrained. Richard had chosen this form not for aesthetics but for practicality—it minimized the workload and difficulty. Constructing a sphere or other complex shape might have taken months longer.
With the reservoir established, Richard had conquered two of the three major challenges to becoming a wizard. Yet he did not rest. He immediately turned his focus to the third challenge: smelting energy elements.
This was the final hurdle.
Through months of meditation and observation, Richard had formulated a highly confident hypothesis.
The solution was simple: magnetic fields.
The third challenge required transforming the raw energy elements stored in the reservoir into purified energy suitable for spellcasting. The body had to be in an activated state similar, yet not identical, to the one used for opening the reservoir.
Richard realized that electric energy could flow throughout the body with ease, but a magnetic field could envelop the entire body, influencing the elements within.
Magnetic fields had additional applications: affecting compass needles, manipulating objects, and in advanced physics, even controlling high-energy particles in fusion experiments. In essence, energy elements could be treated as high-energy particles, and a magnetic field could impose order on them, prompting changes—smelting them into refined energy.
Smelting!
With this understanding, the path forward became clear. Electric energy produced magnetism; magnetism could generate electric energy. By mastering one, the other could be controlled.
Having already solved the electricity problem, Richard was now ready to harness magnetic fields.
The smelting process had begun.