Return Of The Strongest Player-Chapter 8: Mana

"Yes?" asked Arthur, staring at the lanky man. After the battle, his clothes were tattered beyond repair, while blood still escaped his wounds continuously.

His face showed an ugly expression, while the fingers in which a sword was clutched were encompassed in calluses. In layman's terms, he was wounded beyond comprehension and on the verge of death.

The lanky man stared at Arthur blankly before turning his gaze to face the carcasses of the King Wolves. He licked his blood-red lips before glancing at Arthur, who shook his head at him. "Could I… have them?"

"No," replied Arthur flatly before sheathing his dagger. "Hunt them yourself. It's really not that difficult once you get the hang of it."

"No, I want yours," the lanky man persisted in a stubborn tone. Arthur wondered if the wolves had caused brain damage to the man but quickly disregarded the thought. Maybe this guy was simply a child.

"No, you can't have it," replied Arthur, slinging the carcasses on his shoulders. Although they were heavy, the man believed he could reach the village without any trouble. "Go home and get your injuries treated first."

As Arthur prepared to leave, he felt his senses tingling. The crimson-eyed man's eyes widened as he turned around in an instant. The lanky man–who he'd ignored after a while–had attempted to stab him using his longsword.

"You fucking…" Before Arthur could speak, the lanky man's boot collided with his face. In the second he took to recover from the impact, the carcasses of the King Wolves had disappeared as if they'd never existed.

A surge of anger rose in Arthur's chest, and the urge to retrieve what was his strengthened. He quickly unsheathed his dagger before sprinting towards the lanky man, who believed he could escape.

"You really thought you could escape?" Arthur inquired as he approached the lanky man. The former was much faster than the latter. Arthur threw his dagger forward in hopes of disrupting the lanky man's feet.

Unexpectedly, the dagger–akin to a boomerang–delivered a deep cut on the lanky man's thigh, knocking him off balance.

The man landed face-first into the mud, and Arthur immediately caught up. He retrieved his dagger before kicking the lanky man's abdomen. "Do that one more time, and you're dead. I don't care about the laws of the village."

Once the lanky man nodded frantically, Arthur snatched the carcasses before spitting on the former.

"Bastard."

*

After trading the carcasses of the King Wolves and receiving a silver coin as his total savings, he bought a longsword before heading home. Surprisingly, his father still hadn't returned from his job.

Once he delivered the money to Anna, Arthur headed to the fields again to meditate.

He wanted to unlock access to mana as quickly as possible. The quicker he unlocked mana, the more latent potential he'd be able to unlock. In his past life, it took several years to unlock mana, immediately before entering the tower.

However, he couldn't delay it this time. Access to supernatural abilities was the core of one's eventual strength.

Once he arrived at the field, Arthur sat in a meditative position with his legs crossed and hands on each thigh. With relaxed, shut eyes and a rhythmic process of taking deep breaths, he began the process.

Mana was the energy, the essence of the universe and the dimensions beyond it.

It was creation and destruction and was known by many names, such as Qi, World Soul, and others. Existence was webbed and forged through careful use of mana, and each string of the world contained mana.

In order to manipulate it, one had to open the inherent circuits that allowed them to control mana. Once opened, smoothening them would only allow for higher production and harnessing rate.

Arthur imagined the webs of the world, the strings that connected them together, and the final product, which was everything one saw. From life to death, creation to destruction, darkness to light… everything was mana… wasn't it?

[Your mind is comprehending the supernatural energy that forges and sustains existence.]

[Mana circuits are opening.]

[Epiphany is being achieved.]

[Opening Rate: 1%, 4%, 25%...]

[47%... 48%....]

[The rate of opening has slowed. You must realize what it means to manipulate reality through mana.]

A system… houses, humans, clans, towers, friends, clanmates… everything was mana. What it meant to manipulate reality was quite simple. One would harness the properties of reality… be bound to it.

Like a shareholder in a company.

[84%... 85%....] 𝐛𝐞𝗱𝗻𝐨𝐯𝗲𝗹.𝐜𝐨𝐦

Such was existence, wasn't it? The large company in which an innumerable amount of shareholders exist. The CEO and founder of the company was the being that existed above the tower.

The apex of everything… universe, dimension, multiverse, and/or reality itself. Even unreality.

That was the CEO of the company, the one who distributed mana?

[83%... 82%...]

Wrong. Wait, was the CEO also bound by mana?

[81%... 80%...]

'It's not my position to realize such secrets,' thought Arthur. 'It is for the higher beings to decide. I must harness the supernatural energy, use it to my benefit, merge with it, and eventually transcend it.'

Humans were dependent on mana, but the feeling was not reciprocated. Mana had no ego, but it did not depend on another being or energy, either.

[You have achieved another epiphany.]

[Rate of opening has increased severalfold. You are entering a state of enlightenment.]

[Your mana circuits have been strengthened and smoothened for the arrival of pure mana.]

[93%... 94%...]

[99.9%...]

'Mana is everything,' thought Arthur, and that's when it occurred.

[100%]

[You have gained access to mana.]

[Your mana circuits have been opened. Mana continues to flow in rapidly.]

As Arthur slowly opened his eyes, a pearl of newfound wisdom was vivid within them. His eyes were like a calm river. However, when angered, even a calm river could produce violent waves. A beast trapped behind serenity.

'My body feels lighter,' thought Arthur. 'My mind feels rejuvenated.'

He'd finally gained mana.