[Chapter 18: Home again]

"My cave is nice."

That is the sole thing going through my mind as lie on the floor of said nice cave. After running all the way back from the village it’s not like I can do much else. Even so, I know that though it ended in a close call, the trip will end up benefiting me greatly. Twenty, I counted just to make sure but I managed to "appropriate" twenty whole books. Add that to the three I got from that dead guy for a grand total of twenty-three books in my pile that constitutes a library. For someone like me who knows nothing about this world I’m in this is as good as any cheat ability.

The bad news however, is that I dropped a lot my of my stuff to make room for those books and now need to make it all again. Though I would repeat what I did in a heartbeat as I know that these books will contribute more than those items ever could. Luckily I did manage to save my sword, though my pants now have a hole. All in all, an annoying yet necessary sacrifice, I mean what if I brought to little and people found out I live in the forest, that would be even worse then me losing all my weapons. And it’s not like I went there to steal anything in the first place, that all just sort of happened, I was just looking for a sort of revelation like what I found in the weapons training book.

I should probably figure out what I’m doing next. I could start remaking all my stuff but I really don’t want to. I want to learn skills and magic, not make shoddy stone tools, I just went on an entire trip for that purpose. So yeah, crafting is out, for now at least, so what else. I could try to level sword skills, nah that’s for later. So that just leaves magic, that’s always fun, wasn’t there their a magic I wanted to learn before I left? Oh yeah right, lightning. Thing is I probably don’t even need to get up for that, I can do it right here, no not now, now is rest. So that’s it then, I do magic when I get up, sounds like a plan.

After getting up from the floor of my cave, I left the cave while trying to get as little moisture on me as possible. I don’t know if that will do anything, but I don’t want to taze myself by accident. Now I plant my feet on the riverbank and stretch my hand out as far as I can. And like all the times before I try to imagine the element I wish to create. Lightning, or maybe just electricity, it’s energy itself, a constant movement of power that much like fire spreads to anything it can, dangerous yet potent. My image of lighting imposed on my mana as I squeezed it out my open palm. After some time any a few wasted mana I felt my hand tingle as small sparks of electricity jump on my palm as they were unable to reach any other conduit.

[Obtained skill]

[Lightning magic| lv: 1]

[Control lightning magic with 10% efficiency]

Another magic type to the list, good. You know what, I still have over half my mana left, I can keep going, what’s one more magic I can learn? I’ve stuck to elemental magic so far but I think I’ve gotten them all, leaving me with just the weird stuff. Let’s see what is there, sound or gravity, no I don’t think I could learn either of those yet each are levels of complexity higher than what I done so far. Then how about life and death, healing magic sounds cool but I don’t think it’s a good idea to perform self harm in these conditions just to try and learn it and death doesn’t interest me in the least, I live in a lush forest why would practice the antithesis of my home? Think man think what else can I do with my mana?

Wait… how could overlook this, I have learned how to turn my mana into all kinds of things and yet I haven’t learned how to just use mana by itself. I can move it around my body, sure, but I have yet to effectively move it outside my body. I have failed the art of the magic missile. I must rectify this mistake immediately.

So I began the learning of pure mana attacks then and there. So far I could expel a bit of mana into the air, that’s easy, it even happened whenever I failed to correctly create an element. But never has any of that mana even been controlled in the least. Come to think of it none of my elemental magic has every been really controlled either, I just made the element and sent it in a general direction. If I can figure this out my magical abilities should become qualitatively more powerful.

In order to reach this peak I do what I have learned is best for mana, putting my will into it. The mana in me seems to be importing with my mind and spirit allowing me to actually control it, every time I moved mana around inside my body it wasn’t some new muscle or anything it was me telling the mana where to go. So my thoughts are that if I just really want the mana to move how I want it, it should do just that. It’s a simple strategy sure, yet nothing has told me mana doesn’t work that way, even the magic book just says to will mana and it will work.

So here I stand, trying to make mana move with a bit more purpose than just dispersing the second it leaves my body. I’m not trying for anything fancy, just for mana to hold together as it travels. But even after half an hour it just doesn’t seem to work. I have improved in my attempts sure but so far all I’ve really accomplished is making the mana more together as it leaves my hand.

[Skill level increased]

[Mana circulation| lv 3]

[30% control over one’s own mana]

Though I appreciate the skill level it still angers me that it doesn’t work. I’m down to just 14 mana and haven’t improved a bit outside of internal control. What am I doing wrong, why won’t my magic stick together. Okay, I need to calm down this isn’t helping, just follow through the movements and keep that mana imagined in a ball. Keeping my mind as calm as possible I did exactly that, to the result of it dispersing even quicker than before. "Oh Come On!" I shouted to no one, my mana trembling with my of dissatisfaction, "You are MY mana and you wil do as I say!"

As I exploded in anger so to did a small durst of mana condensed by the sheer desire to hit something. It wasn’t impressive, it didn’t travel a foot, and it barely even held itself together, but for just a moment, it held. With anger completely replaced by shock I immediately tried replicating the intent I had. With barely any mana left I had to make every bit count. Speed on by the discovery I managed to replicate the attack on a smaller scale, then just a light cloud of mana that stayed on my hand for a second, till finally.

[Obtained skill]

[Mana manipulation | lv 1]

[10% control over one’s own mana when outside the body]

with barely a point of mana remaining all I could feel was accomplishment. I did it, I managed to get the skill. Note to self: sometimes being angry can be helpful. But I can’t help but feel that I got far too angry about my efforts failing, skills are only going to get harder from here and if I get angry every time one isn’t obtained immediately, well I’m not sure what will happen but it can’t be good. And not to mention how counterproductive it would be for me, I don’t want to deal with people and to that end I need to be completely self-sufficient and to that end I need to obtain as many skills as possible.

Not that I will let a little self-introspection ruin my mood, I did get the skill in the end so everything is fine for now. Well the sun is about to go down so I guess I should find something to eat. So after a quick fruit raid I returned to my beloved cave. I can’t help but chuckle at how easily I came to accept not only living in a cave but having fond feelings of it.

Now before I end the day I have one last thing I want to do, sword training. It’s finally time to put that book to the test and try to get some skill levels. Picking up my old sword I begin doing the form the book says should let me get my sword out of the basic levels. I spend quite some time doing the form over and over again one hundred times in place of one hundred swings, I was long overdue for a regiment upgrade anyway. And after all are done I take a look a my skill levels to see how they have my progressed and to my great surprise I see two notifications.

[Skill level increased]

[Basic sword proficiency| lv: 6]

[When using a sword damage is increased by 18% and crit chance by 6%]

[Skill level increased]

[Basic sword proficiency| lv: 7]

[When using a sword damage is increased by 21% and crit chance by 7%]

The sword forms have proved more effective than I could have hoped. I knew I was going through the basic levels too slowly so I can’t feel anything but overjoyed. But I can’t feel it for long as exhaustion takes over calling me to rest. And after the bare minimum needed to prepare myself I going into sleep’s embrace with a smile.