Chapter 6: Mana Basics 101

"You're dismissed from the Scout department, Long Leggy."

Bearing no brain cells in process, you let out an anticlimactic, "Oh."

It might be very detrimental news for the old owner of this body but somehow it doesn't really affect you much.

You then snap out from your stupendous expression and assert the situation, "Then what about Chronos?"

Chronos replies, "I've just got back from shoving the resignation paper into the higher up, I'm pretty much unemployed now."

You can see Thuljas is rather pleased in a very devilish manner with an eerie wide smile, "Huhuh, the Scout-dept is a rubbish income source choice in Vagant Association. I recommend applying for the Coalition department and the Assail—"

Chronos interrupts, "No, we won't be joining the Assailant. Hahaha."

"My pardon but I'm not talking to you."

"I heard the senior on the Assailant is a real pain in the ass to deal with."

"Your intention to brainwash our defenseless friend here is obvious."

Without any understanding of the important topics they are arguing, your brain runs a lap in a circle trying to send the possible valid information into the temporal lobe, if there is any easy-to-digest data that can be processed to begin with. This situation will be immensely easy to understand if it didn't feel like walking in a parking area full of maniacs in cars doing collateral damage.

"I'm in utter confusion, is there any gentle soul that is able to give me a brief idea of the situation?"

Thuljas throws her gaze at you, in a dubious heart-stopping manner.

You slightly let out a whimper.

"It seems like the age regression also regresses your memories." Says the menacing owl as she closes the distance of her gaze into your face.

Still fiddling with the contents on her backpack, Chronos joins the conversation again, "Well, it was called amnesia for a reason." As she brings an instrument with an attached inflatable rubber cuff.

"A sphygmomanometer?"

"No, silly. It's a 'Mana' appraiser."

Chronos then walks to your left side and pulls out the IV infusion forcefully from the body of a child.

"Oi! Be gentle, Oi! GAAAAAAAAAA!??"

"Hush, hush, you'll be fine~"

Looking from the spilling blood on your left arm, it just contradicts her words.

Exponentially, the urge to punch her elevates statistically but your right arm is also on an infusion. Thuljas can only shake her head with a facepalm.

Chronos then wraps your upper arm with the inflatable rubber cuff. The shocking turmoil from the sudden detachment of the IV infusion is still there doing a rave party beneath your wrist, your skin and pain receptors are more sensitive than numb as you try to tightly close your lips to prevent any saliva from spilling.

"Compose, you need to sterilize and close the remaining infusion mark with cotton first."

"Nah, she is a tough gal'."

"NO I'M NOT!"

As the devil tinkers with the device, you can feel that the rubber cuff begins to tighten and holy lord, your blood is getting pushed through the infusion mark as it creates a mini red water fountain.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Oy, Thuljas, is this room soundproof?"

"It's Rainbleed, and no, it isn't."

Your whole body exudes a flicker of blue light. Ignoring the collosal mind-numbing pain, you can feel a high concentration of energy unprocessed in your whole branching blood veins. The denser the energy you can trail is actually pathed into the tube of infusion on your right arm into the hanger pack of blue liquid.

"Compose, how is the 'Mana' level?"

"It's just like we predicted. Together with the body, the foundation is also regressed to the power level of an average child."

In your near passed out consciousness, you are able to decipher some words that they say.

Basically, you've become weak.

The very word that haunts you to no end, you died because you're weak, you failed because you're weak, you embarrassed everyone because you're weak.

Denial is power.

You're not weak.

"Ah, did you already teach her to absorb and process the 'Mana'?

"Hell no, am I the kind of person who shares my knowledge willingly?"

The liquid isn't actually as dense. You search for the path and explore the so-called 'foundation'. The wasted essence has all been used to accelerate your natural regeneration capabilities but it feels out of place, your cells didn't use all of the energy efficiently.

To patch the problem, you search for the cause; it was the untrained use of subconscious nerves in your spine and it didn't even try to use the massive amount of energy. Your whole body ignores the 'Mana' as it roams every inch of your blood vessels as the unnatural non-ionizing radiation begins to naturally heal the tissues, helping the flow of oxygen, and the regeneration of blood cells.

It might be the very reason why you felt like you never ran out of blood when you were fighting the hemorrhaging back then. As your former states might be storing this processed version of energy.

Miraculously, the 'Mana' hasn't been processed yet but it can give you many benefits by just being a third-party support.

Now you know what the blue liquid infusion is for.

"Compose. She is in the appraisal process. Try to guide her consciousness to the foundation."

You feel an unknown party exploring your veins, leaving guidelines as you follow all the mazes of exact shapes and turns to find a metaphorical orb hiding near your belly button.

The orb is empty but the unknown party is giving you an example as it pours a few drops of 'Mana' into the core. The core however, rejects the gifts from the meddling consciousness as it disperse immediately into nothing.

"Sweetie, can you convert those 'Mana' yet?"

"I don't know."

"For starters, you can use a small tiny bit from the liquid 'Mana' that is currently circling your whole blood flow."

Chronos's instructions are rather hard to trust, but it won't hurt to try the guidance of your self-proclaimed reliable lil' companion, it might cost your life though. Leaving the grudge aside, you try to branch out your consciousness and encircle a small amount of the liquid 'Mana'.

"No, that is too big. Just take the miniscule."

You do what Chronos tells by shrinking the perception into miniscule quantum of atoms.

You've now known the true form of 'Mana'.

It is actually a string.

A numerous stretching fabric, few times the size of a planck-length curved with distinctive features different from each other can be perceived. The size is so small it almost reaches the unknown quantum realms. Maybe 'Mana' has existed from the beginning of time and humans didn't have the tech to detect the ravenous source of energy.

Chronos continues, "And as you can see, there are thousands of types of strings, you only need to combine three different types of them and make a shape. Shrinking your consciousness into the size of the strings to temper it should do the job."

Your consciousness touches the energetic strings, you can then connect the end into another, "I've connected two of them, do I need to make a loop?"

"Well, feel free. It won't change anything except creating a massive positive feedback and drastically increasing the output of the processed 'Mana' to go Kabooooom~"

"W-what should I do?"

"Make an intersection, connect both of the ends to the middle part and connect the third's end into the middle of the first and the second. Your shapes will determine the 'Mana' quality."

"Did I've just made a dic—"

"Hush, it was one of the best shapes you can use."

The combined strings emit a drastic energy ten times stronger than before. The temperature nourishes the heated cells within your body as it pumps your blood and sends the oxygen more efficiently than the average working procedure of the cells at work.

Your first ever processed 'Mana'. Excited, you can't wait for more of your partner's instructions. Although it was a little too jarring to have a phallus-shaped nuclear fusion to be your first achievement in this world.

"Now transfer the 'fusion' as a whole into your 'Mana Sea'."

You guide the phallus-shaped 'Mana' into the orb. Without any warning, your consciousness is transported into vast droughty land—together with the phallus-shaped 'Mana', the tiny glimmers react vigorously as it enters the realm.

Just like an ice being put on top of a sizzling oil, the 'Mana' then scatters creating a visible puddle the size of your feet.

A whole new experience that no normal human has felt before.

Mana acquired.

Thuljas interjects, waking you up from the intense trance. "Usually, it takes years of training to be able to perceive 'Mana', guess your muscle memory is still there after all."

"Huh? How does that logic work?" Says Chronos.

"To be honest, I'm not so sure either. But I already contacted my acquaintance on the CRI about this."

You want to ask what is CRI until your partner suddenly answers the inaudible question like she is reading your mind, "Calamity Research Institute, buncha old nerd having a climax each time the association gave them the Calamity's dic—."

"You can get sued for that." The owl says.

A Calamity, the word of vagueness from the very start you embarked into this world. Only time will tell what it was, as you're currently bearing the crest of ultimate sadism in your left wrist that hasn't been treated at all.

"Can I heal this using 'Mana'?" You say.

"The process won't be finished instantly, but you can try to control your 'Mana' to simulate your blood cells to do all the work." Thuljas replies, "Your body is your shrine, I shall help your journey to strengthen yourself, as I'm hoping to see you soon as an Assailant personnel."

Chronos finally unwraps the inflatable cuff from your upper left hand, "Or call the doctor."

The owl glances at her watch.

"But I'm afraid it was time for me to go."

Chronos gives the departing owl a thumbs up, "You can leave the nursing to me!"

You're not sure about that.

As Thuljas walks into the door, she stops right in front of the frame. Without facing the one she talks to—she says, "Long Leggy, are you sure you forgot what 'green apple muffin' is to you?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know." You can only bitterly reply.

"I see, I shall depart now then."

The tall shining savior of yours ducks from the ceiling of the door, waving her hand as a farewell. Fate is fickle yet absolute, with enough belief; you're sure that you will meet her again.

And now you're stuck with the audacious bitch.