Awakening the Mana Core

Leon showed his token to the guard stationed at the entrance of the Apprentice Mage Mountain and stepped into the foothills. He wandered about, comparing the illustrations on the paper in his hand to the plants around him as he searched for the required herbs. There were three kinds: Planetia Dewgrass, Moonlight Moss, and Puan Sandweed. They really were quite common; he found one almost immediately. For herbs used in crafting elixirs, the difficulty seemed surprisingly low.

“Moonlight Moss…”

The problem was that these probably weren’t all the herbs needed to make the elixir. Even if every single one was required, it seemed unlikely the old man would have listed them all.

“Suspicious old geezer.”

Leon had seen that shady look on the elder’s face. But he didn’t show any reaction. He still lacked the power to verify his suspicions, and there was no one he could ask for help right now.

After digging for herbs for three hours, Leon descended the mountain once the sky began to darken. The requested quantity wasn’t large, so he had thought he could finish today, but he had damaged the roots on his first attempt at harvesting unfamiliar plants. In the end, he decided to return tomorrow as well.

Back at the dormitory, he washed up, scarfed down some bread, and trained until exactly noon to claim his quest reward.

Noll Essence? The name alone didn’t give him much to go on, but the grade written in parentheses let him roughly gauge its value. A tiny yellow bead dropped into his palm. He had no intention of consuming it right away. His plan was to stockpile it until after he awakened his mana.

The next day, Leon followed the same routine and completed the full quota the old man had demanded. As always, he ended the day with a draw.

“Hell yeah!”

When the reward he had hoped for actually appeared, a thrill shot through Leon. Unlike with attribute bodies, fairly high-grade rewards came quickly this time. Well, that was just luck.

Switching the reward type was definitely the right call.

There was no denying the overwhelming importance of attribute bodies. But if he became obsessed with them, he wouldn’t know how much time he should invest. Besides, even low-grade elixirs didn’t need to be thrown away. And who knew? Maybe an elixir crafting recipe would pop up someday.

Should I really try growing herbs inside the orb’s space?

He entered the pocket dimension carrying the extra herbs he had harvested. He had already noticed that the clothes he wore came with him, which meant objects could be brought inside as well. One hour here equaled one minute in reality. In other words, every minute that passed outside meant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an hour flowed within…

If this worked as he imagined, it would be perfect for cultivating herbs. The fact that time would fly by while growing them was an ideal condition. On top of that, the overwhelming mana density inside the orb made it even better. It was only natural that herbs used for elixirs would grow better in mana-rich environments.

Even if laying the initial foundation took time, once things stabilized he might even be able to mass-produce elixirs.

I’ll test later whether time continues flowing here when I leave the orb.

Leon couldn’t plant the herbs right away. He would need to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clear trees and prepare the soil to create space in this dense forest. For now, he left the cloth-wrapped herbs where they were and exited the orb.

He then unrolled the F-rank elixir recipe scroll he had received earlier.

Planetia Dewgrass…

That overlapped with one of the herbs the old man had requested. But that was it; none of the others matched.

Is the old man trying to make something different?

The number of herbs needed for an F-rank elixir wasn’t that high.

Planetia Dewgrass, Tear Mushroom, Rainflower Petals, Mist Dew.

He checked the detailed illustrations, exact quantities, and full manufacturing process. Most of the ingredients were related to water.

Water is a common element found everywhere, so that’s not strange.

The real issue was the manufacturing process itself—boiling the roots, decocting the petals, and the precise timing for mixing in the dew. These were skills that couldn’t be learned from text alone, but a few attempts should be enough to master them.

Elixir crafting magic.

He would need magic related to this. The lowest-grade elixirs could be made with any crafting spell, but the problem was that those spells themselves were hard to obtain.

Then a thought struck him.

The Old Magic Library!

There was no way that vast library wouldn’t contain crafting magic. No matter how outdated, magic was still magic. And it had said any spell would work for the lowest-grade elixirs.

Leon decided to deliver the herbs to the old man tomorrow and immediately search the library. With that settled, he returned to the dormitory and closed his eyes.

*****

“You really gathered everything in just two days. Was harvesting them difficult?”

“I failed a few times, but I got the hang of it quickly.”

“Well done. Then read as much as you like. Of course, you’ll have to pay if you want to copy or borrow anything.”

The old man wore a warm smile, but Leon no longer trusted it. The elder disappeared into the back room, leaving Leon alone. He immediately began wandering the first-floor library.

Elixir crafting magic… elixir crafting…

Since he hadn’t even awakened his mana yet, he had no need for other spells. He deliberately avoided using the book-searching artifact at the entrance. It would leave a record. Just in case the old man decided to check, he chose to be cautious.

After scurrying around for about thirty minutes, his effort paid off. Leon stopped in front of a particular bookshelf.

Brem System Elixir Crafting Magic (Low).

He didn’t know exactly how outdated Brem system magic was, but the important thing was that it existed. Leon memorized the book’s location. The moment he awakened his mana, he would learn it immediately.

Returning to his seat, he threw himself back into mana awareness training. It was finally time to awaken his mana.

****

Leon aimed for the one weekly holiday and trained with fierce determination. During the five working days, he refrained from using the orb’s space and saved up his time. All the elixir rewards from those five days were single-star elixirs.

At first he had wondered if killing monsters dropped elixirs, but he realized they had simply been named after the lowest-grade monsters. He would have to consume them to learn what differences existed between them.

In any case, the total accumulated time inside the orb reached 101 hours. Leon intended to use every single one of those hours in a single day. If he grew too sleepy and his concentration wavered, he would briefly exit, sleep, then return. No matter how much time he spent inside, it didn’t matter. Even 101 hours inside would equal only 101 minutes outside. The key was distributing proper rest intervals to recover from physical fatigue.

The moment he woke up, Leon turned down his roommates’ invitation to hang out and headed straight for a secluded spot. He entered the orb.

A space densely packed with trees. Leon sat down in a small clearing between two trunks. He closed his eyes and breathed.

Inhale. A breath that calmed the mind.

Exhale. A breath that emptied the old.

Inhale again. A breath that filled with the new.

Exhale once more. A breath that circulated the new into newness.

One hour… two hours… The sense of time’s passage grew distant.

His consciousness, which had been straining to chase faint traces of mana in reality, was now eagerly devoured by the mana that saturated the space. Emission and absorption reached a state of trance. Before long, formless energy began whipping through his body at a speed where he could no longer tell what was entering and what was leaving.

This was not mere air. It was mana.

The fullness that swelled his body was the root of wisdom. The mysterious order of nature. The wave of energy that resonated with our will.

Soon Leon felt as if something were whispering to him. It was trying to commune with him. Was this a message of wisdom from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mana? Or a connection to its origin?

Before he knew it, he felt a fullness stirring within his body. It was different from the fullness he had felt before. He felt the fullness of ‘mana.’

A tickling sensation rose in the center of his chest, followed by the feeling of something cracking open with a sharp sound. Leon’s eyes snapped open.

A core the size of a bean wriggled near his solar plexus.

“Haa…”

Mana flowed from his mouth like breath. He watched its current.

“Heh… haha… hahahahaha!”

He had awakened his mana.

His face was dyed with ecstasy as he gazed at the brilliant particles that filled the world. Only now did he truly feel just how absurdly dense the mana concentration was here. A perfectly ordinary boy who had lived without knowing what mana was could now see its flow.

Without any mage’s guidance or teaching.

Through self-study!

Of course, it would be remiss not to mention the Growth Helper’s assistance.

The general quest had been marked complete even though he hadn’t done it in reality. It must have been completed together when he finished the breakthrough quest.

What caught his eye next were his rank and mana quality. Apprentice 1st Class was the lowest tier of mage ranking. That was only natural since he had just awakened his mana. What disappointed him slightly was the mana quality. It was a talent that determined the strength and efficiency of magic, so E- grade was a bit regrettable.

Still, it was manageable. Unlike the immutable attribute body, mana quality could be improved by consuming elixirs. For Leon, who planned to mass-produce them, it wasn’t a major concern.

With a joyful heart, Leon claimed the general quest reward.

A reward that already felt routine. Next came ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the breakthrough quest completion reward.

Hmm…?

Probability increase? Chrono Orb?

Leon immediately exited to reality and checked the orb. The number 179 was displayed on it. He had originally possessed 101 hours. Adding the time gained from completing the general and breakthrough quests brought the total to 211 hours.

Roughly… I was in there for more than a day?

He had continued the breathing method for thirty-two hours straight. To think he had fallen into a trance without any rest. He had expected to use most of his original time, but he hadn’t imagined he would awaken it all at once. It seemed the change in his attribute body had been effective.

So this orb is called the Chrono Orb.

Only then did Leon realize how heavy his eyelids had become.

Let’s sleep for now.

He returned to the dormitory and closed his eyes with a heart full of joy.

*****

Someone Leon recognized visited the Old Magic Library where he worked. It had been a while since they last had a visitor.

“Lia!”

In his delight, Leon shot up from his seat.