I wonder how much my subclass affects my control over my mana, and even over my black mana.

Sure, it's obvious that it helps, but my inability to measure it properly frustrates me. Is the effect stronger the more prideful I am? Is acting cocky boosting my control?

As always, the system likes to hide such information, and having had the subclass for months already, I find it hard to compare it to my prior efforts. The only obvious effect it has is on my mana constructs. My armor looks nice; the weapons seem well made too.

Great.

I look down at my arm as I finish drawing a set of temporary inscriptions made with mana conductive paint and etching them into my skin. It's sort of a single-use temporary construct. Sort of. If I'm doing it properly, it should help me with the black mana.

I've been working on examining the black mana and trying to come up with a way to reduce the strain it puts on my body the moment I try to use it. I have multiple ideas, and one of them is changing the frequency of black mana to match mine. The problem here is that it changes constantly; that's why I’ve created these inscriptions.

The inscriptions should help me with that, automating the process so I can focus on the rest. I already tried it a few times with tiny bits of black mana and so far it's good, but I will know more after I scale things up.

I’ve more or less optimized them to fortify my body with black mana. Logically, strengthening my body with black mana and then using more for something else should work, but I'm sure the strengthening itself will strain my body. Even though it won't affect me immediately, I'm sure it will be immense.

That's why I’ll offset it with my healing passive. I’ve already cut off my pinkie, and it grew back after a few hours of generating thermal energy and sending it to the stump.

It's not as good as Lily's healing, but I can't be picky, and I’m happy to even get that much, given how often I tend to lose my limbs.

“Master, I'm done,” Vega breathes heavily, and I remove the strain I’ve put on her with [Redistribution].

I'm making it harder for her to move just as Min-Jae did for me in an effort to strengthen her body. We also spend some of this time practicing some of the moves I learned back on Earth.

Having been released, she plops down next to me and examines the inscriptions covering my arms. I feel her senses examining it and allow her to do so.

“When will we reach the place you mentioned?” she asks.

“Sometime tomorrow. There is no need to hurry.”

Vega nods, “I already learned the crotch kick, master showed me. The one against people that touch me without my consent!” she chirps innocently.

“Good job, how about a mana orb?”

“Just really small ones, but I'm putting a lot of my stats into mana as master told me!”

Good, it's all coming together! The goal is simple: to make her build similar to mine. Just the fact I have reached Beyond with it shows how versatile it is, and most of the monsters, other than end bosses, don’t really cause me any problems.

“I also want to let master know something about my trait,” she starts carefully, “I wanted to keep it to myself, just in case, and master never asked so I didn’t lie.”

When I gesture at her to continue, she breathes out in relief, “A lot of demons and some half-demons are born with one trait. I heard there are some humans too, but I don’t know why.”

Huh, even humans? Weren’t they limited to three traits? Are humans on her planet different, is there something else? Are they born with traits they can’t pick themselves?

“I think most of the demons start with their demon heart,” she says, “I have one too. Everyone has a different one.”

“What is a demon heart?”

“The system calls mine a kinetic demon heart. It's weak and I was never really able to use it.”

Okay, is the system playing favorites here? First, humans start with 3 traits only, then there are some demons with 4 and some more ancient bloodlines with 5? And how is she even alive with a kinetic heart?

“Minion, how are you not dead?”

“My name is Vega, master,” she says proudly, “I’m too weak to use it, and I think it's one of the weaker hearts.”

I call bullshit; there is no way a kinetic mana heart or kinetic demon heart is weak. I made my own and it's not a trait, so I’m sure it doesn’t reach the system standards, it should be weaker than any trait would be. It's annoying, but it would be straight-up silly if 3rd-floor Nathaniel managed to replicate a trait at full power. I mean, I like that weirdo and all, but I need to be realistic.

As for the heart not generating kinetic energy and killing my disciple, well, that much could be explained by it being a trait as well. Unlike my own experimental and janky version, hers would be made by the system so it wouldn’t make any sense if it killed her.

The other reason could be her low level.

“Minion…”

“It’s Vega.”

“Starting now, you ditch everything other than practicing [Mana Manipulation] at night. Spend the rest of your days trying to use your Kinetic Demon heart.”

“Yes!” she says eagerly, and then hesitates, “But how?”

How indeed.

I let my own heart generate some kinetic energy and then gesture for my disciple to turn around. Sitting in front of me, she turns her back to me and I put my hand on it, somewhere behind where her heart should be.

She is still low level, so even with her natural barrier trying to stop me from affecting her, it’s not hard for me to send the tiniest trickle of kinetic energy to her heart. Focusing on it, I can sense the movement of her lungs, heart, and other organs through their kinetic energy.

When I finally reach her heart, It seems to change its rhythm, as a bit more mana radiates from it.

My disciple doesn’t say anything as she concentrates and examines it with me.

I send a few weak pulses of kinetic energy to her heart, and after each one, its rhythm changes and takes in slightly more mana. I stop there. She should figure out the rest on her own. She needs to use her own head and effort. Otherwise, she might grow too reliant on me.

Vega doesn't even react to me and continues to sit there, her eyes closed and focused on her heart.

Just in case, I place an anchor nearby and use [Perception] to keep an eye on her.

 

---

 

The building we are currently staying in is one of the tallest in the city and offers a sprawling view of the landscape. The top floor has no windows, and yet the vines’ reach even extends here. As always, most of the furniture is broken and rotted away, but I don't mind it that much and just move towards a circular hole in the wall. The edges of this hole are extremely smooth, either caused by a skill or a weapon.

I sit with my legs hanging over the edge and I train in the same fashion as my disciple.

Slowly, I create an orb as big as my pinkie nail, and the orb turns black with specks of lights inside of it. [Mana Domain] encompasses it, and I slide deeper into [Focus].

As always, the black mana tries to fight me, but my trait activates as well, and I gradually force it under my control. Then I reach towards it, and my index finger touches it at the same time the inscriptions on my forearm light up. The black mana orb turns into a liquid or smoke-like substance and flows into my arm. As it does so, the inscriptions change their color, and it grows harder to control, but with such a small amount of mana, it is doable.

Over a minute, I let the black mana seep into the entirety of my body, and then, when I feel ready, I use it to strengthen my body. One of the first things I ever did with my mana.

It feels different than using normal mana. Much stronger. My muscles twitch and spasm while my passive activates and starts healing me. I concentrate even more and change my approach. [Infusion] activates as well, and I attempt to distribute things more evenly.

[Infusion - lvl 22 > Infusion - lvl 23]

Even then, with the inscriptions to help me, I feel the pressure on my body increase, and over the next few seconds, the black mana dissipates.

After it finally works its way out of my system, I observe the damage and it's nothing to ignore.

I generate a bit more thermal energy and compress it, and the passive intensifies, gradually healing the wounds.

Well, the progress is there, but it will still take some time. I wonder what I’d need to use it without any restriction. A substantial increase in my Constitution? A passive with a rarity above epic, something like Mana Overload Absorption? Strengthening my Mana Circuit trait could help too.

Letting my body heal, I open the Community. As I type, I don't even bother trying to write anything about the dangers of this floor. The system has been extremely aggressive with censorship lately.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - the system didn't lie, disciples are really similar to us.

TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - yes! Mine has nearly the same skills as mine. The way he uses them is strange, so there is a lot for him to learn.

Izzy (Hell, group 4) - mine said she likes my flames. She also tried to eat them.

Soph (Hell, group 4) - Izzy, just stay somewhere safe and train with her. Do not risk anything, okay?

Izzy (Hell, group 4) - yah, yah (>_<)

TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - how is yours, Noname?

Noname (Hell, group 4) - She has similar skills and fights like me. Same as yours, there is a lot for her to learn, but the most important part is that she actually wants to and has a lot of enthusiasm.

TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - not gonna lie, she sounds scary.

NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - I bet in a few weeks she could beat your ass, TheStrongestOne.

NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - Yeah, if she is even a bit like Noname, lol.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - Did you find out what happened to your disciples before they got summoned?

Sset (Hell, group 4) - Hello, Noname and everyone else. It's nice to see that you are here at the scheduled time. As for you, Noname, so far we've come to think that the disciples were close to death before they got summoned.

NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - Mine was about to be eaten by some monster.

Izzy (Hell, group 4) - Mine too! She said some group attacked her village.

Knight (Hell, group 4) - Sorry for being late! Mine almost died as well; he got attacked and beaten by some noble asshole.

Maya finally joins as well.

Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - I had to heal mine; he was close to bleeding out.

Looking at what they are saying, I think I will have to ask my disciple as well.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - Do you think they are real? The system said they were taken from a database.

Sset (Hell, group 4) - I wouldn't be surprised if the system constantly updates that database, so they could easily be real. But that's something we can't say for sure for now.

Izzy (Hell, group 4) - I don't want mine to be fake.

NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - That would suck…

Noname (Hell, group 4) - Got to go, later.

I use an anchor to reappear next to Vega, just in time to grab her and stop her from hitting her head against the floor as she passes out. She is unconscious and breathing heavily. There is barely any mana left in her body, and she has a few wounds under her skin.

Her heart is beating differently now, like that of a small bird.

Piercing through her natural barrier, I reach towards it and absorb some of its energy, carefully slowing the pace down to a normal level. For a few minutes, I help it beat until It feels right and release my hold.

The young half-demon in my arms calms down as well, and the pained expression gradually disappears from her face.

Reflexively, she moves in her sleep and her small hands grab the hem of my clothes, pulling herself closer to me like a small animal looking for safety and warmth.

This time, I agree with Aaron. It would really suck if the disciples were fake.