Sword Saint's Reincarnation
Book 2 Chapter 37: Mana (2)

Rylan leaned forward. He knew very well how helpful such fundamental knowledge could be, especially since his current self used mana alone, without a hint of Aura.

“I thought this should be what we should start with,” Damian said with a grin. “Since the answer to that question actually changes from person to person, and even over time.”

Rylan nodded.

“Of course. People at higher Circles perceive the world differently, and that also goes for mana. Both in terms of its potential and abilities.”

It was something that he had already expected, given his experience with Aura in his past life and how the two types of energy had some similarities. However, he’d only become truly aware of it once he reached the Third Circle. The creation of his Second Circle had affected his senses, but reaching the Third Circle had changed his perception itself. His mind was now more in tune with his spirit, and both resonated with his body once he used his Mana Cultivation. This trinity was what allowed him to confirm his suspicions about the depth there was to mana.

Damian smiled.

“As expected, reaching the Third Circle was helpful. So, tell me, my disciple. What is mana?”

Rylan scoffed.

“You’re opening with a question before you even teach me anything?”

Damian shrugged, keeping his smile.

“It’s called a pre-test. I just want to know your perspective. Oh, and try to make it as concise as possible. Use the simplest definition you can.”

After frowning at his master, Rylan thought about the question for a few seconds. If he were to summarize his perspective about mana in a single word, it would be…

“Potential,” he said in a firm tone. “Mana is potential.”

Damian’s smile widened.

“Not bad. Potential for what?”

“Changing the world. Spells are the art of enforcing your will upon reality, warping it as a result. Mana is the medium through which this happens. It ignites to create flames, and liquifies to summon water that previously didn’t exist. As such, mana is potential.”

Damian stared deep into Rylan’s eyes, who met his gaze. This continued for almost fifteen seconds.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not into older men,” Rylan suddenly said with a grin. “I won’t kiss you even if you look at me like that.”

Damian blinked and scoffed.

“I can’t believe you would make a joke in the middle of a teaching session. Anyway, your definition is quite accurate, to the point I have nothing to correct about it,” Damian narrowed his eyes. “As if you have been dealing with mana for a long time.”

Rylan shrugged.

“…Well, your talent speaks for itself,” Damian continued after a second. “Then, what is the Mana Core?”

“It’s not exactly a body part, but it’s what allows us to channel the potential that is mana and use it. In a word, I’d say it’s like a staff.”

Damian smiled widely.

“Exactly,” he raised his right hand. Mana gathered above it in the shape of a sphere. “After actively trying to gather mana into our bodies and use it repeatedly, the System allows us to create a Mana Core. From there, we become able to create Circles. Have you ever wondered why some spells can only be learned at higher Circles or only be cast after reaching a specific Circle?”

Rylan tilted his head and recalled the conversation he’d had with his father after clearing the Dungeon.

“Each Circle deepens our resonance with mana and lessens the burden of advanced magic on our minds. The higher the Circle, the closer it brings us to the pinnacle of magic, the ultimate truth.”

Damian gave him a satisfied nod.

“Indeed. They are more than a tool that allows us to cast spells. It is also why the gap between each Circle widens as one progresses. For example, the distance between the Fifth and Sixth Circles is greater than the sum of all of those that came before it. So,” the man leaned forward, a mysterious light dancing in his eyes. “Spells would therefore be our wills’ actual enforcement upon the world.”

Rylan nodded.

“Then, how do we cast two different spells at the same time? Or the same spell twice simultaneously? How does a Mage enforce his will, which is singular, to create two different effects?” Damian asked.

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Rylan immediately realized where his master was going with this.

Right now, in terms of magic, dual casting would be the greatest improvement to my fighting ability.

Naturally, a Mage as experienced as Damian had noticed it as well. Rylan clearly remembered the effectiveness of dual casting in battle, both from Evenon and Hayden. This single feature had caused him no small amount of trouble. Both times he had faced it, he had needed to draw his sword.

“Our will needs to be great enough to do so, and our minds need to be able to bear the burden,” he replied after a second.

Damian smiled at him.

“Correct. Of course, the System is critical in the journey to do so. Dual casting isn’t the most difficult Skill to acquire. After all, Hayden has it, and so does your father. Evenon Bled also did. Triple casting and beyond, on the other hand, are quite something.”

Rylan rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

“When do we begin?”

Damian turned his head to glance over his shoulder, beholding the dying sunset. The sky had become almost entirely dark, but traces of orange light still fought valiantly to keep the darkness at bay. The moon, which could already be seen, seemed to be comforting them, saying that they would rise again tomorrow. Rylan took in the view in silence.

“Now,” Damian replied as he looked back at Rylan. “Are you willing?”

Rylan smiled at his master.

“Of course.”

Damian smiled back.

“Let’s talk about the most useful Passive Skills you should be trying to get, then. They will help you improve. Of course, I’ll help you through it. First, tell me what you already have.”

Rylan nodded and started listing his Skills and Titles from memory, omitting the ones related to his past life. By the time he finished, Damian was staring at him with a confused expression.

“…That’s all?”

“Yes.”

Damian narrowed his eyes, baffled.

“…Are you telling me everything?”

Rylan’s expression was calm.

“Everything related to magic.”

“…How did you achieve everything you have with only those? I already knew you didn’t know many spells because of the tournament, but for you to beat a generational genius with only that… I was mistaken, it seems.”

Rylan furrowed his brow.

“Mistaken about what?”

Damian’s stare was deep.

“Most of your power comes from swordsmanship, doesn’t it? Not the other way around, as is the case with everyone else. Magic isn’t your strength.”

Rylan stared back with an unreadable expression.

“I wonder.”

Damian let out a deep sigh.

“Well, at least this is somewhat comforting. You’ll benefit a lot from the Academy, and I know what I should teach you now. My idea to start with the basics was surprisingly a better one than I thought.”

Rylan didn’t reply. Damian raised three of his fingers.

“Since we’re still going to work toward dual casting, there are three Passive Skills that you should aim to acquire as soon as possible. And after those, there are others. We’ll move on to new spells after all of that.”

Rylan nodded. It made sense to make him able to effectively wield the weapons he already had instead of trying to get new ones. Even though his past life’s battle experience and judgment allowed him to transcend his expected power level even without mana circulation, getting good Passive Skills would only speed up his progress even more.

“Since you already have Faster Casting and Mana Affinity, we’ll work on getting you Efficient Casting, Mana Empowerment, and most importantly, Trained Mind. The last one will increase the effectiveness of your Intelligence and Wisdom stats and help us get started. Close your eyes, then spread out your mana, as if trying to see by using it.”

Rylan did as instructed, intentionally trying to shut off his senses, as if sinking deep into meditation. Soon, all that remained was darkness. When he reached this state, he made his mana leave his body and melt into his surroundings. It was a surprisingly familiar sensation, to see his environment while using none of his five senses. His mana wrapped itself around Damian, allowing him to realize that the man had raised his hands. A mass of mana floated above each, shapeless.

“You’ll try to mimic the shapes I’ll create. We’ll start slowly at first, then get faster and faster. Try to create both shapes at the same time, but if you can’t, create at least one of them clearly,” Damian said, his voice sounding like he was speaking from much farther away, as Rylan had almost drowned out his senses.

Rylan nodded and raised his hands. The training began as Damian’s mana contorted. The one on the right took on a square shape, while the one on the left turned into a flat circle. Rylan followed suit, making his mana move. After this pattern repeated itself a few times, Damian started to get distinctly faster. The shapes also got more complex, becoming three-dimensional, even though it meant that Rylan would need to create each shape with sharper focus.

Rylan concentrated. His full attention was on all of the changes to Damian’s mana, watching it like a hawk. The accuracy of his mimicked shapes didn’t decrease, even as he struggled to create them faster. After a while, Damian no longer sped up, but that didn’t make the training any easier: the man had stopped at the very edge of Rylan’s current abilities.

Time ticked by. Each time Rylan ordered his mana to change, his reserves decreased by just a bit. Naturally, because they were doing it almost once every second, this consumption became significant in nothing but a few minutes. Rylan couldn’t feel his body. He didn’t know if he was sweating or trembling. All that mattered was training to the best of his ability.

As the training went on, he gave up on ‘ordering’ his mana around. Instead, he tried to make it ‘flow’ almost on its own. Gradually, he made progress. But as suddenly as it started, the training ended. Damian lowered his hands, prompting Rylan to relax his awareness and open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the man’s smiling visage.

“That will be it for now,” Damian stated. “Rest. You have class tomorrow.”

Rylan looked through the window behind Damian. The night sky had proudly replaced the sunset. He grinned at Damian and stood up.

“See you tomorrow, Damian.”

Damian waved his hand. Rylan turned around and walked out of the study, then started making his way out of the tower. As he walked through the winding pathways and descending stairways, he smiled to himself.

Not bad.

He could tell Damian’s method had been effective, even though he hadn’t acquired new Skills. If he kept going like this, he would be able to grow quickly, even without Roland’s Complete Prodigy Trait.

And I have Dreams of Transcendence.

The Skill increased the effectiveness of all training, as well as his training speed, alongside its other effects. He just needed to keep going and pushing himself further. Besides, this was also a way of working toward getting Aura.

Soon.

He could tell he was close. After everything he’d been through, Aura was within reach. All he needed was time.

I wonder what my first Aspect is going to be.

Rylan smiled to himself as he walked. His steps were firm.