Chapter 4
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 004
Chapter Title: Mana Sensing
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Mana.
The fundamental force that powers magic, the basic unit comprising every power in this world.
All interactions in the world occur through mana.
The gentle breeze rustling across the fields, the waves surging in the great oceans, the flames engulfing the forests, the lightning bolts crashing from the heavens to the earth...
Every change in nature arises from the flow and interaction of mana.
A select few special individuals could draw this mana into their bodies and wield it to perform acts akin to miracles.
They were the mages.
The chosen humans who could sense and manipulate mana.
The existence Andy aspired to become.
'To become a mage, I first need to sense mana.'
That was why mana sensing was essential.
Only those gifted with the special talent to connect to the world of mana and perceive its presence could become mages.
According to the book, this mana sensing ability was innate, something one was born with.
For some, it took merely a few months of training to sense it.
For others, even years of practice yielded not even a speck of mana.
Thus, magic was a field more dependent on talent than any other. Without the gift to sense mana, even entry was impossible.
Andy stared at the book, questioning himself.
'Can I really sense mana?'
Mana sensing ability was hereditary, passed down through bloodlines.
This was why certain families produced mages and knights generation after generation.
Those with mana-sensitive bloodlines married one another, producing offspring with special abilities, whom they raised as mages or knights.
In contrast, Andy was a complete orphan, not even knowing his parents' faces, let alone hailing from any family.
If his parents had been from a mage or knight lineage, he wouldn't have grown up as an orphan like this.
Objectively speaking, the odds of him being born with magical talent were exceedingly slim.
Yet, for some reason...
'I can do it.'
Andy was swept up in an unfounded conviction.
He brimmed with confidence that, if he set his mind to it, he could attune to mana and touch the mystical realm with his soul.
It was strange.
He, who had endured all sorts of abuse and hardship as an orphan, had rarely felt any self-assurance.
Yet when it came to magic, an inexplicable certainty and confidence filled him.
As if his very soul yearned to tread the path of the arcane.
"Hoo..."
Andy took a small deep breath and closed his eyes.
Meditation.
The most basic method of sensing mana.
'Perceive the world not through the physical senses of the body, but through mind and soul.'
Mana possessed both physical particle-like properties and spiritual characteristics.
To perceive it, one had to view the world through spiritual senses, not bodily ones.
Hence, meditation.
Suppress the senses of the flesh to their utmost, focus on the soul's perception, and awaken mana sensing.
"..."
With eyes closed, Andy concentrated his mind.
He tried to ignore all sensations from his body's five senses.
The rise and fall of his chest with each breath, the faint heartbeat echoing in the silent space.
The aroma of food wafting from the kitchen outside the door, the rough fabric brushing against his skin.
He shut it all out.
He pushed away stray thoughts from his mind, ignored the nagging prickles of sensation. He turned his gaze inward, not to the world outside his flesh.
How much time passed?
It felt like mere minutes, or perhaps hours—an ambiguous haze.
Within it, the boy's consciousness slowly sank. In utmost focus, he explored only his inner self.
At some point, he felt his bodily sensations dulling.
As if his body had vanished, leaving only his consciousness floating serenely.
The boy's mental realm.
In the void of darkness, a radiant orb of light emerged, hovering loftily.
The boy knew instinctively.
'This is my soul.'
The moment the boy recognized his soul...
His spiritual senses sharpened.
His mind expanded gradually. The consciousness swirling within his body stretched further and further.
Before long, it filled his small frame and projected outward beyond his body.
Then, a flood of information poured in.
A dim, dusty cramped room. The sight of a lone boy sitting within that tiny space.
The boy's expanded perception read the surrounding space itself.
'...!'
It was wondrous, astonishing.
The sensation of his consciousness leaving his body and extending outward.
His mind elevated, a pleasant fullness filling his soul.
Amid it all...
'What is this?'
Andy detected something drifting in the air.
An energy fierce like flames, yet flowing steadily like a river.
Untouchable, unscentable, invisible—yet unmistakably felt.
Distinct particles of an otherworldly nature, vivid within his extended consciousness.
The boy slowly opened his eyes.
"...No way, mana?"
Mana. The most fundamental force constituting this world.
Even for those with genius talent, recognizing its existence took over a month.
Andy had sensed it in just one day.
The boy felt his heart pounding fiercely.
A week passed.
In that time, Andy's daily routine hadn't changed.
He woke at dawn, gathered firewood from outside the village, fetched water from the well, cleaned the inn, and washed the bedding.
The same tasks as always.
Before, he had done them sluggishly, conserving energy as much as possible.
They were excessive for a 12-year-old child, and finishing early just meant holing up in his dim closet of a room.
There had been no motivation to work diligently.
But now, things were different.
'Finish as fast as possible and train mana sensing.'
He now had reason to tackle his chores with enthusiasm.
To practice mana sensing even a little longer, he threw himself into the inn's work.
Andy moved swiftly, completing his tasks far earlier than usual.
The workload felt more intense for the shorter time, but he didn't mind.
If it meant an extra hour of mana sensing training, it was more than worth it.
Today, too, Andy finished early and shut himself in his tiny room.
"..."
The boy closed his eyes and meditated.
He sank his consciousness deep. He poured all his focus into his soul's senses. Stray thoughts vanished.
His perceptions began to slip free of his body's constraints.
Then, he felt a vast expanse—the world of mana.
Though his body was confined to the tiny room, his mind roamed the boundless realm of mana.
His consciousness, transcending matter and space, expanded rapidly.
Andy felt liberation.
Neither the cramped closet under the stairs nor his malnourished, stunted body could confine his mind.
His expanded self communed with the world.
Sensing mana meant exactly this.
Transcending the body's senses to touch the world with consciousness and soul.
The world's most basic building block was 'mana,' and honing one's consciousness to connect with this 'mana' was mana sensing.
After savoring the mana realm for a while, Andy slowly opened his eyes.
"It's starting to feel familiar now."
He had trained mana sensing for nearly a week straight. Thanks to that, his progress was remarkable.
He could now sense mana's presence effortlessly even in daily life, and with eyes closed in focus, he could perceive individual mana particles in the space.
A pleased smile tugged at the boy's lips.
"Is this what fulfillment feels like?"
Every day brimmed with satisfaction.
Each evening in this small room, he sensed mana. His consciousness expanded day by day, his soul growing in presence.
Days of steady progress. He could feel his soul maturing step by step.
If he kept growing like this, he would one day become the true mage of his dreams.
The boy lay down to sleep with a contented expression.
'Looks like I really do have a talent for magic.'
He was convinced he possessed magical talent.
The book said sensing mana alone took months, yet he had done it in a single day.
In just a week, his mana sensing had become astonishingly proficient.
He had no direct comparison with other mages, so he didn't know their typical growth rates.
But Andy wasn't so oblivious that he couldn't recognize his achievements were extraordinary.
He began sketching out future plans.
'Once I can use proper magic... I need to leave this place. Head to a developed city.'
He couldn't live here forever, slaving away like this.
He dreamed of venturing to a city beyond the village.
He had heard city mages were treated with utmost respect. Even as a mere orphan, once he learned magic and went there, he could live a proper human life.
Of course, it was impossible right now.
'To step outside the village, I need strength first. At least enough not to die out there.'
He was still just a scrawny 12-year-old who could sense mana—helpless against external threats.
Law was distant, blades were near in this barbaric age. The world beyond the village teemed with dangers.
Monsters and wild beasts roamed outside, and bad luck might bring bandits or thieves.
In this remote northern frontier of the Federation, it took at least a week of travel on foot to reach another village amid such perils.
How would he procure food, or protect himself from threats?
For a boy alone, leaving the village was suicide.
'If I could wield just one or two proper attack spells, I'd be fine...'
Of course, attack magic would change everything.
It would offer relative safety from beasts or bandits.
Even the feeblest attack spell held absolute power against those without supernatural abilities.
Lost in such thoughts, Andy chuckled softly.
"Still a distant dream."
It had been only a week since awakening to mana—too soon for future plans, wasn't it?
'Time for sleep.'
Andy closed his eyes. To endure tomorrow's grueling chores, sleeping in was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Just as he was about to drift off...
Clatter! Crash!
A commotion erupted outside his room. The clamor of a crowd pouring into the inn.
Then, a high-pitched child's voice rang out.
"Gavory Aunt! Big trouble! Tom, Tom was playing outside the village and in the forest...!"
"A wolf bit Tom!"
Andy slowly opened his eyes again.
'Tom got bitten by a wolf?'
Tom, the innkeeper's son—the boy who bullied him the worst. The little ringleader of the village alleys.
He had been bitten by a wolf.
Andy rose from his seat.