Chapter 285: All About that Life (2/2)
[I feel like I'm on the right track, but there is something missing. Reber was able to use his mana to cause plants to grow, and even though that was probably some kind of unique skill, there should be some way to do it myself.]
Based on how he figured Healing Magic worked in the first place, he'd thought it should be a simple matter to get bacteria to reproduce at an accelerated rate. However, it seemed slightly different.
[Could this be the limitation of my skill? Like it's only capable of restoring something to its original qualities.]
By this point, Tal had stopped what she was doing to walk over and observe him. Somehow, she managed to guess what he was attempting to do, and offered a few words of advice. ”Forcing it will accomplish nothing. The trait of life is that it operates independently, without the need for outside interference. If you relax and allow your mana to flow as it wills, I believe you will have more success.”
Concentrating, Mike allowed his mana to creep out of his body in a slow stream, but made no effort to direct where it went afterwards. For a long moment, it didn't appear to have an effect, but then he noticed that the energy was being subtly tugged towards something within the clump of manure. As he watched a small green sprout emerged from the substance, and continued to grow at a fast rate.
[There must have been a seed left behind, but I guess this works.] He could tell that the microbes in the manure were also multiplying rapidly and vigorously, so he dropped the clump and used Lifestyle Magic to clean his hand.
[I feel like I achieved a greater understanding of how Healing Magic works. Maybe it ranked up while I was wor…] Mike checked his [Status] and found that the entry for his skill had changed rather dramatically.
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- Life Magic (Tier 4, Rank 1) - (EVOLVED)
A form of magic only accessible for those who have walked the path of healer, this skill harnesses the power of the fifth basic element, Life. Practitioners can use their command over this element to control, empower, and even create living things. Within the realm of its influence, there are no forms of magic more dominant, but it cannot affect things that never held the spark of life. Higher levels of skill increase mana efficiency and the power of magic produced.
Rank 1 Effects: Healing Mastery
- Healing Mastery -
Life Mages arise only from those who have a fundamental understanding of organic beings. With this understanding comes the knowledge of how to treat the many ailments and injuries that such beings encounter over the span of their life cycles. Includes the effects of all Healing Magic skill ranks of Tier 4 and below.
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[...This is good, I think. Not sure really what I should feel about this.]
”Hey, Tal. Have you ever heard of something called Life Magic?” He asked quietly.
She stared at him for a few moments, and then shook her head. ”I know it is considered one of the Basic Elements, but as far as I'm aware, there is not a skill designed to manipulate it directly. If you have unlocked such a thing, it is probably something belonging to the realm of Tier 4s, and therefore outside of the scope of common knowledge.”
”I see...Well, in any case, I think I've come up for a solution to our soil problem.” He commented absently while taking a few moments to explore his newfound understanding of how mana interacted with living things.
He realized he'd never given much thought before. How could so much energy be stored in a person's body without causing some kind of horrible side effect? It would have been easy to write it off as the effect of the System and the divine powers that created it. After all, if anyone could perform the miraculous, then actual gods surely could.
However, he now knew that it was more complicated. Mana, as he understood it, suffused every aspect of this world to a greater or lesser extent, but it tended to concentrate in certain areas, one of which was the tissues of living beings. Based on what he could tell from the small plant growing out of the pile of manure by his feet, and comparing it to the mana in his own body, it seemed that the more powerful one was, the more mana was concentrated inside of you.
In fact, as he glanced over at Tal, he could tell that, while her body contained a surprisingly large amount of mana, it still was nowhere near his. He tried moving a large chunk of mana out of his body and then observing the aftereffects. Even though he shifted close to a quarter of his reserves, the mana contained within his body barely changed at all.
[Is mana perhaps the vehicle the System uses to enhance people as their skills increase? Considering that it's a mysterious energy source whose properties are unclear, I guess that makes about as much sense as anything else. Now, how can I use this…]
Putting aside the exciting possibilities for the time being, he returned his thoughts to the task at hand. He wove together a stream of elemental magic drawn from Earth, Water, Air, and Life, and sent the resulting mana into the ground.
Within seconds the dirt started to change, taking on the appearance of a soft, loamy soil. He watched the effect spread, eventually expanding to include the entire demi-realm. Once he felt that it couldn't go any further, he relaxed and allowed his remaining mana to dissipate.
[Hmm, that cost me about half of my reserves. I guess trying to use four different kinds of magic simultaneously was a bit much. Come to think of it, this means my Dual Casting skill must have ranked up as well…]
Mike's thoughts trailed off as he realized that everyone was now staring at him.