Chapter 32：Experimenting (1/2)

Arthur always considered his mana to be supplied from elsewhere. He was under the impression that he was borrowing it from the outside, just like a game. This misconception was because of his Legacy, as it felt like this strength was not his own. However, he realized how faulty his understanding was. He kept using mana as a currency while it was a part of his body, drastically reducing its efficiency.

There was another way to use mana other than abilities or skills, and that was enhancing. Mana is a type of energy that has appeared alongside the first dungeons in the world, and that's why many of its properties were a mystery. However, it was believed that each person had a body and the lifeforce that moved it. After much research, this life force was a type of mana as well.

In theory, mana can even resurrect the dead if they haven't been lost for a long time. However, that remained in theory as no one was ever able to replace life forces with mana. There seemed to be a link between a person's lifeforce, mana, and the person himself. Once that link has been lost, the mana would leave the body.

Since lifeforce was a type of mana, that meant everyone had mana. That was, in fact, inaccurate. Mana was the name given to the energy a person could add to their body, on top of their lifeforce. That's why non-awakeners were called as such because they had no awareness of mana, even if their lifeforce was mana as well.

The common knowledge about abilities was the same. Even if Arthur was uneducated, he would still use other methods to increase his knowledge. One such method was the internet, allowing him to access information with public-access.

If mana was the energy of the world, then people were the filtering gates mana would go through. As each person was unique in their way, their body would manifest mana differently. Some people would control flames when they tried using mana, others would have their body's functions amplified, turn a person invisible, and even communicating with other dimensions like summoners. Abilities were versatile and unique for each person, usually inherited but mutations could occur with a child having a different ability than his parents.

Then came the raw use of mana, as weapons and other tools were normal unless they were artifacts or magical tools, a person had to use their mana to enhance his weapon or coat his body. This was invented by a powerful person whose ability was unsuitable for battle or industry a hundred years ago. The person was able to control mana so efficiently that he could contend with powerful ability users.

It was then that mana control and usage was spread among the public since it gave people with non-combat abilities the hope of being able to hunt and defend themselves in this chaotic world. Arthur wanted to learn the basics by himself, and that was the main task on today's agenda.

As he closed his eyes, he tried to sense the mana inside of his body. As it has reached 30 by now, it was hard to not notice its existence even if he tried. Like a gentle flame in his body, the mana moved and flickered inside of his abdomen. The mana was linked to his lifeforce, greatly enhancing it. That was why awakened people lived longer than others while looking a lot more youthful.

Using the link that he imagined in his mind, Arthur urged the mana to different parts of his body. As if pulling a boat while swimming, he felt like his mana was met with resistance. It was his lack of control over his mana, as well as the weakness of the link his body had. Because this link was unused for almost all of his life, Arthur had a weak control of it. If he was more knowledgeable, he'd have a better grasp of how to use this link and what it was called. However, he was simply a person who has just recently awakened. He didn't have the time to have proper education about mana or abilities, reling on himself to learn things throughout his jobs.

Arthur felt mentally tired after trying to move the mana to different parts of his body. Although it was a gentle energy, harmonizing with nature itself, Arthur had no control over it. If others could pull their mana as they wished like pulling a rope, then Arthur felt like he had a thin thread. As soon as he tried to tug on that thread too hard, the link would scatter and his mana wouldn't move. He'd have to concentrate again for him to use it.