Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)-Chapter 39: Mana core

As soon as I slip back into meditation, the glittering particles return, twinkling in the darkness like tiny stars. They're so beautiful, so magical that I can't help but smile.

"Ooooh, I'm seeing mana again!" I whisper excitedly.

The shimmering lights dim slightly at the sound of my voice, as if reacting to my distraction. I quickly refocus, inhaling deeply, slow and steady, calming my mind. Little by little, the mana grows brighter again, swirling gently around us.

But then, I notice something different—Eris's mana is glowing even more vividly than before.

Is she… actively channeling it this time?

"Alright," Eris says, her voice smooth with focus. "I'll move my mana to different parts of my body. You tell me where it goes so I can make sure you're actually seeing it."

"Yes! That's a great idea!" I nod eagerly.

"Alright, here goes."

She takes a slow breath, and right before my eyes, a shimmering stream of mana flows from her heart, branching out like the limbs of a glowing tree. It snakes gracefully down to her right arm.

"Right arm!" I say confidently.

Eris's eyes widen. "It's… correct?"

"Hehe, of course!" I grin, feeling immensely proud.

She still looks a little skeptical. "Alright, again." She shifts her mana.

"Left arm!"

"That's… correct too!" she says, stunned. "How about this?"

"Left leg!"

"And now?"

"Belly!"

"And now?"

"Both right arm and left leg!"

"And now?"

Her mana suddenly surges upward, pooling into her eyes. In an instant, her irises glow brilliantly in the dark—deep, mysterious, enchanting.

"Whoa! Your eyes!" I gasp, completely mesmerized. "They're beautiful!"

Eris blinks, her glowing eyes flickering softly before dimming back to normal. "I can't believe it… you did it!" she gasps. "You passed the test. You actually broke the record, Felicia—you're a genius!"

"YEEEEAAAAAHHH!!!" I throw my arms up, practically vibrating with excitement. "World record, heck yeah!"

With this, the first step of learning magic is officially complete! Easy-peasy!

"Eris, what should I do next?" I ask, practically bouncing with energy.

She taps her chin thoughtfully. "Hmmmm… how about trying to see your own mana?"

"Right!" I nod, determined.

"This time, let's see how fast you can do it!"

I grin. Challenge accepted.

Eris explains that this next step is actually the hardest for most beginners. Unlike ambient mana or another person's mana, a person's own mana is much harder to perceive. Since my mana core has never been trained, my own mana is faint—like a wisp of smoke, barely there.

"There are four stages to growing the mana core," she adds.

I nod, already recalling what I read in the book earlier.

Stage 1: Formless Core / Invisible Core – As the name suggests, at this stage, the core hasn't yet solidified into a defined shape. However, mana starts to concentrate in the chest area, slowly gathering until it condenses into a small, tangible mass. Once the energy compresses into a tiny sphere—about the size of a fish egg—Stage 2 begins.

Stage 2: Enlarging Core – The newly formed mana core gradually expands, growing larger as it absorbs and refines more mana. Over time, it reaches the size of the heart, stabilizing and becoming more potent.

Stage 3: Pulsating Core / Waving Core – At this stage, the mana core synchronizes with the heartbeat, releasing rhythmic pulses of energy. These waves can be so intense that even non-awakened individuals can hear and feel them. Some describe it as a second heartbeat—one not of blood, but of raw, flowing magic.

Stage 4: Rebirth – The final and most difficult stage. By initiating the rebirth process, the mana core compresses back down to its smallest form, restarting the cycle from Stage 2. This process lasts anywhere from days to months, during which the individual temporarily weakens before emerging significantly stronger than before. After every rebirth, rings appear on the core's surface, marking the number of cycles it has undergone.

The highest recorded rebirth cycle is seven, belonging to an SS-ranked adventurer. This means her mana core has been rebirthed seven times.

With all this in mind, I focus on Eris's mana core once more, examining it carefully.

From what I'm seeing, her core is definitely at Stage 2—the Enlarging Core. But that means… she's at least a D-ranked adventurer!

"Eris, are you sure you're just an E rank?" I ask.

She tilts her head and chuckles. "Ah, about that… I advanced a few weeks ago, but I've been too lazy to take the rank-up test," she admits with a shrug.

"Hmmm…" I squint at her.

That makes sense.

But… something feels off.

Is it just me, or is her core unusually bright?

A Stage 2 core shouldn't be glowing this vividly.

Wait… could it have rebirthed?

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

No way. That's impossible. A person with a rebirthed core should be at least A-rank. Plus, I don't see any rings on her mana core…

Maybe my vision is just too sharp, making everything seem brighter than it really is.

Either way, it's time to focus on my own mana core!

"Alright! Time to form my own core!" I announce excitedly.

But then… there's a small problem.

I will have to look down…

However…

"…You don't have to keep looking down at your chest like that," Eris giggles. "You'll get a neck cramp!"

I freeze, feeling instantly flustered. "But… erm… how am I supposed to see my own mana core then?"

"I can see mana too. Just leave it to me!"

As she says this, her eyes begin to glow again— deep, dark amethyst, enchanting and intense.

My ears perk up in realization.

Ohhh! That's perfect! How could I forget about that!

As a catgirl, Eris's awakened mana sense is also visual! That means she can see mana the same way I do!

"Ooooh! This is great!" I say, feeling relieved. No more awkwardly craning my neck!

Eris smiles. "Oh, and by the way…" she hums. "The world record for forming a Stage 1 core is two hours. Think you can beat it?"

"Hehe, watch me!" I say, my determination blazing.

Taking a deep breath, I stretch lightly and sit up straight.

This is it. The first step toward magic.

Once my mana core forms, I'll finally be able to use magic.

I can't help but wonder… what kind of magic will I have?