147 Disillusion (1/2)
No point in getting ahead of myself though. Same as always, I charged the mana. After a few minutes, I looked at my status,
New skill learned! Mana saturation(lvl 1) unlocked!
Mana Saturation(lvl 1) - With your own flesh and blood as a cage, you extend your mana pool beyond its ordinary means. Increases charging speed and efficiency with level, and also reduces health cost while saturated.
After obtaining the skill, the intense discomfort from charging lessened. I raised a hand, aiming at a cluster of trees. I let the mana go, a singularity forming. It pulled in a few trees before detonating. It pulled inward for far less time than the previous singularity in the fourth floor.
After creating several more explosions, I learned a few tricks. For starters, the gravity wells needed to pull in matter before they exploded. The denser the objects absorbed, the faster the gravity well blew. Whatever fell in fueled the explosion, sending out the shockwave.
No matter what fell in, they left nothing behind.
It was a culling kind of spell. When I used it, this strange pulling sensation passed through me. Along with it, a snap of coldness. Right after the detonation, a flash of heat washed over me. I stared at my status during these moments and discovered the cause.
The cold originated from the tiny, minuscule black hole sucking in heat. After that, it dispersed in a wave of radiation. That created the warmth. Hawking's radiation at work I guess. I honestly didn't know exactly how it worked.
After hours of messing around with the black holes, I got a few level ups in the skill. Compared with most abilities, I gained levels in the talent at a snail's pace. In my eyes, that was fair. Considering what a ridiculous ability it was, I didn't complain.
By the time I finished two of the four farms, I had ended the day's session. There wasn't a real reason to grind like my life depended on it. With that in mind, I headed back up to my room.
I found Althea still sleeping on her side. I walked by her, giving her a morning kiss. She woke up, grinning at me. We enjoyed a simple breakfast together. I used the kitchen at my place, making an omelet and a leafy green salad. I stay away from spinach since it tastes like dirt.
At this point, I didn't need it to be like Popeye either.
After the eggs and a few leafy greens, I went downstairs. I spoke with Torix. In the third floor, Torix sat within an empty classroom. He stared at his status screen,
”It's good to see you, Daniel. What may I help you with?”
I grabbed one of my hands like I was pulling off a ring, ”I have to upgrade the gear. I was hoping to get an idea of what to give the troops.”
Torix closed his status, turning in his seat, ”Well then, I'd recommend something that would enhance their growth. Perhaps something that will give them an extra burst of strength in times of need?”
I tapped my chin with a hand, ”Well, how about I create a mana crystal for them and a...hmmm...maybe a medallion that enhances intelligence and perception?”
Torix nodded, ”Those stats seem perfect. How would you go about creating mana crystals? They normally need to be harvested from worlds that are dense in mana.”
I shrugged, ”I remember seeing some people charge mana into gemstones in BloodHollow. Couldn't I do the same here?”
Torix nodded, ”There is a cluster of raw amethyst in the mountain that you could use for it. I'll have someone send the jewels to you.”
I pointed at Torix, ”I'll be in the research area on the second floor. Cya professor.”
Torix waved goodbye, still staring at his status. I paced down onto the second floor. Welding torches sent out sparks that arced in the air. I walked towards the back of the tinkering area, walking past the caged eldritch.
Amara spoke to the monsters inside the glass zoo.
She tried convincing the monsters something. As I imagined, they didn't respond to her. I passed by Diesel, his eyes intent on a new design for Althea. He worked on the framework for a prototype. I waved at him,
”Still working on that new design?”
Diesel looked towards me, raising an eyebrow. After seeing me, he waved back, ”Ah, you know how it is. These things take time. What are you in here for?”
I kept walking until I reached my own bench, ”A reward for those that took part in the battle against Yawm. It's going to take a while.”
Diesel wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead, ”It makes me sweat just thinking about it. Good luck.”
I laughed a bit, ”You too man.”
I settled in, cleaning off a few wood shavings from my desk. With the gears of my mind turning, I opened my dimensional storage. I pulled out my grimoire, flipping it to a blank page. I outlined a few runes and set to work.
Like with any runes, I began with getting an understanding of what I wanted to carve first. Unlike endurance, intelligence required finesse in its application. To manage that, I dwelled on what intellect was.