Unlimited Power - The Arcane Path

After talking to Tom and noticing that he wasn't doing nearly his best for the planet, Leon barely slept. He started to think of what he should after solving the situation between the Allied Forces of the North-America and Japan. To make matters worse, Leon didn't discover a single thing of what he should do to absorb mana from objects and the environment. If Leon couldn't sleep and discover anything about the things he wanted to learn, the only thing he could was to meditate, and so he did.

Unlike the previous day, Miller didn't try to make Leon begin his turn of watching the dungeon and the camp two hours earlier. So, after midnight, Gisela and Leon sat in front of the dungeon. While she was trying to freeze the water of a bucket, Leon observed the skeletons and crushed them before they could cause him any harm. Still, he didn't learn anything just by observing the monster.

"There is no flesh, and there is no sign of any magic element in those creatures' bodies… so, they must have mana in their bones. They are undead creatures, but they still have mana. Without bones, muscles, blood, and a brain to control their bodies, only something like mana could grant them the power to move…"

However, Leon was aware that something was off. Why the skeletons had their equipment inside the dungeon but had to wait for a day before they could evolve into skeleton archers, wizards, and knights? It was probably due to the fact that the dungeon was a portal that leads to another world because that world had a lot of mana, and the dungeon was part of that world… to some extent. But that didn't give Leon any clue either.

"When mana is involved, I usually fail because I don't understand the theory of what I'm trying to do… there is a reason why I'm failing at absorbing mana; if those undead creatures can, I definitely can, too."

"Master, is that a spell, too?" Gisela asked.

"No, I'm just manipulating earth," Leon answered. "A person can't control a spell for so long."

"But isn't that way of attacking more efficient than some spells?" Gisela asked.

"It probably is since I compressed the earth and made it move fast," Leon explained. "However, I have to use more mana to be able to control it. Using a spell is more convenient because I don't have to worry about giving shape to the projectile or increasing its speed. Besides, if you master a powerful attack and turn into a spell, you can shot that same spell over and over again to cause massive damage as long as you have mana."

"It isn't just better to create and control powerful magic projectiles and attack using them?" Gisela asked.

"It is not easy to control, and like I said, I can't control for long; to obtain control over something you create, you will have to touch it," Leon answered. "And sometimes, that is not possible."

"Can you only control something you created?" Gisela asked.

"That is right… I think." Leon frowned.

Leon started to wonder that perhaps that way of thinking was wrong. If someone could control something that a person created, then telekinesis shouldn't exist. The logic was a bit flawed, but if he could face grim reapers, then telekinesis must exist. At least that was what Leon wished.

"Let's see... Ah, I didn't create the four elements, but I can still control them... Telekinesis definitely exists, but putting that aside... the four elements are definitely simple. Still, objects are more complex since they don't have a single substance... why am I thinking about this? I certainly want to learn telekinesis, but first, I want to learn how to absorb mana."

Regardless, thanks to Gisela's question Leon found a clue. Using his mana, he could control the things he creates and the four elements with relative ease. Without mana, he couldn't do that without a few tricks. The key to not relying on tricks was to adapt himself; one excellent example of that was the fact that humans need food and water to live. However, just holding food and water isn't enough, they have to drink and eat it.

"I really don't want to eat a slime's core..."

It was mainly a stone, so that wouldn't be good for Leon. So, he had to find another way to adapt the stone to his needs. Leon needed to eat it... eat the mana, he had to eat something which he couldn't see. To eat something he couldn't know, he decided to use something he couldn't see, and that was his mana in the purest form. Leon enveloped the slime's core with his mana, he thought he would have to try that a few times before enveloping the entire core, but much to his surprise...

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Mana-Eater.

You obtained 01 status points.

Mana: 20

"Mana-eater? I wanted to absorb not to eat... ah, I didn't learn how to absorb, I forced my mana to absorb the core's mana. To absorb, I have to stimulate the mana inside the core and transform it to become mine... probably."

Leon had no idea if that was the case, but he confirmed his first theory when he checked his mana. It wasn't full; he used more mana than he had eaten. When Leon analyzed the core, he became even more sure of it.

Slime's core

It grants the user the power to use Fire Ball Lv 10, Water Blade Lv 10, Wind Lance Lv 10, and Stone Arrow Lv 10.

Mana: 1418/ 1440

"Mmm... I spent twenty points of mana to absorb two. The efficiency of this skill is terrible, but it has a lot of potential."

Leon grinned and then used that skill again and again until the slime's core became dust. For the time being, it was useless, but it was a start. Eventually, he would be able to absorb mana without spending... Leon was sure of it.