Mana, Awakened
How long had it been since we plummeted down to the fourth floor?
At first, I tried climbing back through the gaping hole we had fallen through, but the dungeon had other plans.
Escape from the current area is impossible.
The system warning cut off any hopes of a retreat. Just days ago, the characters I raised tried to butcher me; now it seemed the dungeon was taking its turn.
“Absolute bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit.”
Even so, was it because I had a walking powerhouse like a hearty bowl of soup by my side? I wasn't shivering in terror. Though if I had to pinpoint a problem…
“Right. You should be able to handle beasts of that caliber.”
“Go on. I told you to go fight.”
“What if you die…? If you try harder, your chances of dying will decrease. Understood.”
BOOOOOM—!
BAM—!
SLASH—!
For the first time, I felt a twinge of sympathy for the characters I used to order around. If I were an NPC thrown blindly onto the front lines like this…
“I would've danced with my sword right away. No, wait, would they have boiled me alive instead?”
Once again, guilt toward my former subordinates washed over me. Endless level-ups, acquiring and refining skills, and an ever-growing collection of bruises and cuts.
“Status Window…” I croaked in a hoarse voice.
Ding—!
With that familiar chime, a blue translucent panel materialized before my eyes—the very same interface I had only ever seen on a screen.
Name: Seo Juhan | Race: Human | Level: 15
Available Stat Points: 15
Skills: Stealth (S), Sword Mastery (B), Yang Demon Sword Technique (D)
Resistances: Mental Resistance (E), Physical Resistance (E), Bleed Resistance (F)
Equipment: Aged Essence (B+), Worn Iron Sword (F), Worn Leather Armor (F)
Compared to the monsters I had personally nurtured, these numbers were downright pitiful. Yet every single point represented the agonizing fruits of my labor: Bleed Resistance from being mauled by rabid wolves, Physical Resistance from being rammed head-on by horned cattle, and Mental Resistance from Yeong So-so's relentless scolding.
“Not half bad for an ordinary mortal body.”
While So-so was distracted tearing into a strip of dried meat, I hastily distributed the stat points I had farmed from slaughtering beasts.
[Strength +3] | [Vitality +2] | [Agility +3] | [Intelligence +1] | [Mana +6]
Stat: 'Mana' has reached a milestone threshold.
Acquired Skill: 'Mana Manipulation (F)'
Along with the prompt, a rush of raw knowledge flooded my brain. I clenched and opened my fingers.
Bzzzzzzt—!
Mana coiled tightly around my knuckles, conjuring the unmistakable silhouette of Fist Qi right out of a wuxia comic. Of course…
Pshhhhh—!
Holding it for barely a few seconds drained me dry, causing the aura to fizzle out into thin air. Even with my mana upgraded to E-rank, maintaining it was an entirely different beast.
“Fist Qi?”
“………You saw that?”
“I saw it clear as day. If you have progressed that far, we may move on to the next stage.”
There was a next stage after this hell?! Seeing the sheer terror plastered across my face, she flashed a chilling, predatory smile. She pulled another strip of dried meat from her sleeve and began roasting it over an open flame.
“…………????”
“Observe closely. For this may well be your final meal.”
“Did you suffer qi deviation, or have you officially lost your damn m—?”
CRACK—!
So-so's knuckles slammed cleanly into the crown of my skull.
“Aaargh—! It's fractured—!! My skull is split open—!!! That is a one hundred percent compound fracture—!!”
“Good. Thrashing about like that will only double the medicinal effects.”
“What in the world is that supposed to—!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud—!
Wait. A heavy, rhythmic vibration resonated through the stone floor—far too clumsy and thunderous to belong to humans.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—!
Holy shit.
From the depths of the shadowed cavern, an uncountable tide of monsters surged forward. Ten? Twenty? Fifty? No, there had to be well over a hundred.
Only now did it click why a dungeon crawling with D- and E-rank critters had been designated as C-rank, and why everyone warned against setting foot on the fifth-floor boss chamber. Ah, I never expected to meet my ancestors before my own parents. Grandma, Grandpa… I'm on my way—!
“Their numbers are rather high. Twice what I anticipated.”
“Excuse me…?”
“I should thin the herd.”
With those casual words, Yeong So-so drew the blade that had remained sheathed at her hip throughout our entire journey. She unleashed a single swing devoid of any theatrical flair.
Yeong So-so has activated 'Annihilation (B+)'.
What followed defied belief. A linear crescent of pure destructive force tore forward without resistance, disintegrating every beast unfortunate enough to cross its path.
GRRRRR—!
SKREEEEEE—!
HSSSSSSS—!
Agonized shrieks tore through the cavern. It was a bizarre, majestic spectacle: beasts scrambling for their lives while a lone human calmly harvested them like wheat.
“Just vacuuming up all that EXP… sweeping it right into her pockets.”
“What does that mean?”
“Never mind, just a figure of speech.”
Twenty. Fifty. One hundred. By the time the body count surpassed one hundred and fifty, she halted.
“Hmm. This should suffice.”
As if responding to her intent, the soaring crescent vanished into thin air. Just what kind of obscene stats did she possess to pull off something like that? The moment my curiosity flared—
Ding—!
A feature that had never existed in the original game suddenly manifested before me: the ability to inspect another person's status.
Name: Yeong So-so | Age: 21 | Level: 50
★★★★★★★ (7-Star)
Innate Skill: Heavenly Martial Body (SS)
An existence worthy of being hailed as the heavens' living incarnation of martial arts. However, perhaps due to the misfortune of her birthplace, her growth has stalled for reasons unknown. Depending on future guidance, she may become an agent of absolute evil or a paragon of supreme virtue. Guided by the right hands, she will blossom along the righteous path.
Seven stars…? A martial artist seven-star?!
I had poured absurd fortunes into the gacha back in the day, yet the wuxia factions always seemed capped at five stars. Naturally, I had assumed she was just another five-star mentor. But she was a seven-star? Her…?!
If I let her slip through my fingers, I'm the biggest idiot on the planet. For real.
In a world based on a game I thought I had squeezed dry, I had unearthed a hidden gem—and a seven-star to boot, an echelon where even my stacked roster had only seven individuals. I wanted her. I wanted to recruit her so badly it made my teeth ache. I turned my head, staring at her with unabashed greed.
“Roughly fifty remain. For someone who can emit Fist Qi, this should be trivial.”
“Hehehehe…!”
“Why that spine-chilling chuckle? And why are you looking at me with those eyes…?”
“Hm? Oh, nothing. Just admiring how much I treasure yo—”
WHACK—!
Her open palm connected solidly with my back, launching me directly into the sea of ravenous monsters.
Blood-Intoxicated Wolf (Lv. 15) | Mad Cow (Lv. 16) | Starving Crow (Lv. 14)
The composition was identical to before. First to pounce was a wolf, jaws gaping wide with foul breath. I pivoted on my heels with a swift sidestep.
CRUNCH—!
The pommel of my sword pulverized the beast's skull. Scooping up the carcass without breaking momentum, I hurled it squarely into the face of a charging cow.
MOOOO—!?
Blindsided by the airborne corpse of their ally, the pack's charge faltered. Perfect. Leaping onto the back of the nearest bovine, I drove the blade straight through its vertebrae, dropping it instantly. Of course, the skies above weren't empty; the crows circled greedily. As a special courtesy, I ripped a hunk of fresh beef from the fallen cow and flung it upward.
CAWWW—!
SKREEE—!
Stupid carrion birds. True to their nature, they swarmed the airborne meat in a feeding frenzy. Before they could register my approach, I closed the distance and severed their necks in a flurry of silver arcs.
Feats that would have been unimaginable just days ago were now effortless. Thanks to my newly bolstered stats, what had once lived purely in my imagination was now cold reality. My body felt as light as a feather.
SLASH—!
The once-cumbersome iron sword swung effortlessly, cleaving flesh and sinew like warm butter.
Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Forty.
By the time forty carcasses littered the cavern floor, over ten monsters still circled me hungrily, but my mana reserves had dwindled to barely ten percent. Desperate, my eyes darted back toward Yeong So-so.
She slowly, deliberately shook her head. Not a shred of intention to lift a finger.
Right. She wouldn't be a genuine seven-star without a rotten personality.
If I was going to die either way, I might as well bet everything on the path that guaranteed victory.
[Mana +6] | [Agility +6]
The moment the points were allocated, my depleted reserves surged with fresh vigor, and my limbs felt weightless. Mana boiled within my core, coalescing from an abstract sensation into tangible, vibrant Qi.
Elapsed time: one second.
⚡ Skill Activated: 'Stealth (S)' ⚡
Erasing my presence, I dragged the mana pooling in my heart and circulated it through every meridian in my flesh. A scorching heat enveloped my limbs as I sprang forward, landing dead in the center of the remaining pack.
Elapsed time: two seconds.
Yeong So-so's martial instruction echoed in the back of my mind:
“Internal energy… no, you have yet to learn a cultivation manual. Envision transferring the mana draped over your flesh onto your blade, then unleash the forms along with that natural flow. That shall be your most efficient path.”
Now I understood. Withdrawing the shroud of mana from my skin, I channeled every droplet along the steel edge. A shimmering azure radiance flowed down the blade. Sword Qi had finally manifested.
There was no room for hesitation. Slipping into a state of pure, detached flow, my blade carved an instinctual path through the air, bringing to life the sword art I had previously only known as rigid textbook motions.
The cool blue aura ignited into a blazing crimson inferno. Like an unbridled solar flare, the sword slashed wildly in an unbroken circle of fire, descending upon every creature within a ten-meter radius.
SLASH—!
Scorching scorch marks etched across monster hides. Before their primitive minds could comprehend the strike, the flesh around their wounds oxidized into cinders. Yet, fixated on the prey standing before them rather than their fatal injuries—
GRRRRR—!
HSSSSSSS—!
They reached out with filthy claws to rip the human apart. Their drooling maws and ravenous gazes were revolting, but their claws never found their mark.
GRR—?
HSS—?
Movement had been denied to them. The searing crimson burns gnawed hungrily at their flesh, spreading with merciless speed until every remaining beast in the cavern crumbled into a fine, drifting pile of ash.