Cutting Trees, Profile and Mana
As the morning came, I decided to walk back to the cave in hopes of starting my project to build my foundation.
Simply said, it wouldn't be easy on my own to build a house. I lack a lot of materials to do so. From nails, to cement and all other basics. It would take me a long time…so I am very motivated with the prospects of the results of my work
I carried everything that I could that was hoarded in the Goblin cave and when I started making my way back…after two hours, I came to the scene of the lake.
The lake itself would be the landmark that I would use so that I wouldn't get lost if I plan to go from place to place, looking for materials.
At the view of the lake, I could still see the variety of animals. And so far, I wasn't able to find anything like a wolf or any carnivorous beast. The lake only had showed a docile group of animals so it was safe for me to say that I would live longer than usual in this place.
I decided to put my foundation just near the river that flows to the lake. I was about 250 meters away from the lake and river, since if I stay too close to the noisy flow of the river, I might have a hard time sleeping in the night and if ever there comes a storm, I won't have to worry about the overflow of water that much.
With that said, I started the project by simply designing the house to be something that resembled a cabin.
With my current situation, first thing I have to do was to prepare all of the necessary equipment that I needed to build the foundation.
With that said, I grabbed one of the axes I took from the goblin cave and started to wonder as to what type of tree should I use.
"AK, do you recommend anything in here that I could use to start building my home?"
[ONE OF THE MOST RESILIENT MATERIAL FOUND IN THIS FOREST IS THE STEELPINE TREE]
"...Steelpine huh, that sounds like it's actually made up of steel. Its not is it?"
[IT HAS THE CHARACTERISTIC OF STEEL. ALTHOUGH IT DOES NOT MELT LIKE STEEL IN EXTREME FIRES, IT BURNS LIKE ANY OTHER TREE BUT ONLY AT HIGH RATES OF TEMPERATURE THAT ARE CAPABLE OF MELTING IRON.]
"So this means that Steelpine is actually somewhat resistant to fire. But doesn't this mean that I will have some trouble with cutting up this kind of tree?"
[WITH YOUR SKILL CRAFTSMANSHIP, THE ABILITY TO USE THROUGH ANY MATERIALS USED FOR CRAFTING WILL BE INFLUENCED. MAKING YOUR WORK THROUGH BUILDING A CRAFT POSSIBLE DESPITE THE TYPE OF MATERIAL YOU USE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECK YOUR PROFILE.]
"My Profile?"
Having thought of it, the All-Known book changed its screen from its explained information to another screen that displayed a set of words under [Character Profile]
It seemed like it contained all bits of information that was about me.
[Character Profile:]
Name: Shay Winston
Job: Farmer
Mana: 100/100
Health:100/100
Strength:20 [E]
Speed:25 [E+]
Dexterity:30 [D]
Intelligence:12 [F+]
Endurance:17 [F+]
Skill:
l Craftsmanship [Level 1]
-Blessing of the Craft [Grade A]
l In-Training Shadow Warrior [Level 15]
-Sneak [Grade A]
-Lock-picking [Grade B]
-Stab [Grade B]
l Cultivating Farmer [Level 1]
-Blessing of the Soil [Grade A]
"Is this who I am? What I'm capable of?"
[YES]
"I don't really understand…but from the looks of it, it seems as though some of these things have grades by them. Does this mean anything?"
[YES, AS YOU CONTINUE TO WORK AS YOU ARE BASED OFF YOUR SKILL, THE GRADES WILL BE AFFECTED AND YOU WILL GROW ALONG SIDE YOUR EFFORTS.]
"...Hmm, so that means I can become stronger?"
[YES]
"I see."
To my curiosity, I reached out and pressed one of the skills that I had called 'Blessing of the Craft' and in response, it showed me the description of this skill.
[Blessing of the Craft - A Skill blessed by the Gods to cultivate one's craftsmanship. To cut, to form, to build, all is possible with the Blessing of the Craft.]
"Hmm…looks suspicious." I said.
But because of this skill, I needed to test things out to actually get an idea of the blessing. It said that it was a blessing for crafting, so in other words…my work towards crafting houses and furnitures will be affected. Does this mean that I can use it on the process of collecting materials as well?
With that said, I went to one of the trees near me and I quickly swung the axe down.
The moment the axe touched the tree, I was surprised to feel as if there was no weight behind my swing and the tree that I thought would catch the axe's blade simply started to fall down after just one swing.
'Eh?'
It was like I was cutting through butter.
"...No way."
As the tree fell, I looked to my hands and saw that the shaking feeling of power before me, made me realize that this was pretty overpowering.
But after that, I simply sat on top of the tree and choose to sit and take a deep breather…
"Haaa….this is crazy." I said.
But despite this power, I began to think of how much I could accomplish during my time here…all of my thoughts were all correlated with the future of having a field of crops.
It was a vision for my future…
And that vision would only ever come through if I persevere with the work. After all, blessings are just blessings, the only plausible way to accomplish my goal is to actually put in the work.
I realized that.
And I started to move.
One by one, I went and chopped down the trees…clearing the area I would have to use as my foundation.
After that, I began to see that all of the trees that I chopped down were only found laying on the ground. The problem lies with the fact that I have to move these trees somehow. I don't think being able to move trees was a part of the blessing of the craft. When I went to try to carry one piece of a chopped tree, it didn't even took me a while to realize that it was impossible to move it on my own.
It was simply too heavy.
"AK, is there a way for me to carry this tree on my own?"
[THE ONLY PLAUSIBLE WAY FOR A MAN TO INCREASE HIS STRENGTH IS BY THE UTILIZATION OF YOUR MANA. TO USE THE ABILITY KNOWN AS MANA BODY REINFORCEMENT.]
[IT IS A TYPE OF SKILL USED BY THE MAGICIANS TO INCREASE THEIR PHYSICAL PROWESS…FROM SPEED TO STRENGTH, MANA BODY REINFORCEMENT IS ONE OF THE COMMON WAYS A PERSON COULD INCREASE THEIR PHYSICAL ABILITY.]
"How do I use Mana Body Reinforcement?"
[THE FIRST STEP TO USING MANA IS TO SENSE MANA BY ITSELF]
[SENSING MANA: THE FIRST STEP IS TO ATTUNE YOUR SENSES TO THE PRESENCE OF MANA. CLOSE YOUR EYES, BREATHE DEEPLY, AND LET YOUR AWARENESS EXPAND. FEEL THE EBB AND FLOW OF ENERGY AROUND YOU, LIKE A GENTLE CURRENT COURSING THROUGH THE AIR. WITH PRACTICE, YOU WILL LEARN TO PERCEIVE THE SUBTLE NUANCES OF MANA AND IDENTIFY ITS DIFFERENT FORMS AND INTENSITIES.]
"Hmm, attune to my senses."
From the way it explained itself, it seems as though it wanted me to meditate on the feeling of mana. The body that I hold has mana inside of me…so with that in thought, I should feel a sense of energy inside me.
Meditate…
Having closed my eyes, I began to try to let myself be aware of all the nature and feeling that was around me. From my breathing, I could feel the air go through my lungs…from how the winds were going against my clothes and skin…and to how the light from the sun was hitting my skin with its warm embrace…I felt calm.
".…" but despite this feeling of meditation, I could not sense anything else.
Mana was a concept unknown to me. So to discover it, I would need time.
"Hmm, it seems like I won't be feeling mana today. Maybe I should try at night." I said as I stood up from the fallen tree. And went to grab the leather bag that I discovered back in the Goblin cave.
Opening the bag, I could see that all that was in this bag was a variety of colored crystals.
"AK, what are these crystals?" I asked.
[ANALYZING…ANALYSIS COMPLETE…THE CRYSTALS YOU HOLD ARE CALLED THE ELEMENTAL CRYSTALS. MAINLY USED BY ADVENTURERS FOR DAY TO DAY USES LIKE FOR CREATING FIRES USING THE RED CRYSTAL, CREATING WATER USING THE BLUE CRYSTAL, MANIPULATING WIND USING THE GREEN CRYSTAL. THESE ARE SIMPLY MADE BY MAGICIANS IN HOPES OF PROSPERING THE FUTURE OF MANKIND.]
"So this means that these crystals are man-made?"
[YES]
"Hmm, that is crazy, so how do I use it?"
[TO USE THE ELEMENTAL CRYSTALS, YOU HAVE TO USE MANA TO LET IT FLOW DOWN TO THE CRYSTALS AND IN RETURN, THE CRYSTALS WILL BE ABLE TO CONDUCT THEIR ELEMENTS AND BE ABLE TO CREATE IT'S PREDETERMINED POWER.]
"So that means that I have to actually learn on how to use mana…" Knowing that mana control was a basic necessity for living in this world, I had to learn it fast for convenience.
"Wait, does this mean I can probably use these mana crystals in helping me control or detect the mana around me…"
Having said that, I picked up the blue crystal and started meditating again…
".…" with the crystal on hand, I began to think in deep thought.
And for some reason, deep within me, I could feel something flowing…like a water that was simply inside my chest…a feeling of energy that goes beyond anything I have felt before.
Not only was the effect of this power uncontrollably energizing my sensations, but soon, the feeling in my chest began to spread all over my body. Reaching for each limbs, this feeling began to climb each part of my limbs.
And not long after, I could feel the sensation of water dripping from my hand.
When I opened my eyes, I could see that water was flowing out of the crystal.
"Whoa, so this is mana." I said…but soon after a second of watching the effects of mana to the crystal, the crystal suddenly stops flowing. It stopped the moment I lost concentration.
"...What should I do with this?"
[GATHER MANA]
[GATHERING MANA: MANA EXISTS IN VARIOUS SOURCES, SUCH AS NATURAL ELEMENTS, LEY LINES, OR WITHIN ONESELF. TO GATHER MANA, FOCUS YOUR INTENTION AND EXTEND YOUR SENSES TOWARDS THE SOURCE. VISUALIZE THE MANA AS A SHIMMERING MIST OR A VIBRANT GLOW, COALESCING AROUND YOUR BEING. WITH CONCENTRATION AND CLARITY OF PURPOSE, DRAW THE MANA TOWARDS YOU, ALLOWING IT TO MERGE AND BLEND WITH YOUR OWN ESSENCE.]
[THEN PROCEED WITH CHANNELING THE MANA.]
[CHANNELING MANA: ONCE YOU HAVE GATHERED MANA, THE NEXT STEP IS TO CHANNEL IT TOWARDS YOUR DESIRED OUTCOME. FOCUS YOUR THOUGHTS AND INTENTIONS, SHAPING THEM LIKE A VESSEL THROUGH WHICH MANA CAN FLOW. VISUALIZE THE MANA STREAMING THROUGH YOUR BODY, CONVERGING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, OR RADIATING FROM WITHIN YOUR CORE. THROUGH SHEER WILLPOWER AND FOCUSED INTENT, DIRECT THE MANA TOWARDS YOUR INTENDED PURPOSE.]
"Gather and Channel…okay then." after reading the instructions, I didn't wasted any time controlling my mana. If I stop now, I would probably have a hard time tomorrow…now should be the right time to practice.
I should never forget this energetic sensation.
The days passed and when the sun was finally setting for the day, I opened my eyes and the mana inside of me was fully controlled. At its basic, I could move the mana from arm to arm for now, and it was enough for me to use the elemental crystals.
So with that said, I used the remaining time to set up a campfire.
Using the red crystal, I was able to easily make fire on my own. Without anything to cover myself with from the sky, I simply sat under a tree. The sun had already set and the moon was out. And with that said, the animals near the lake were still out and about.
"...I'm worn out." I said to myself as I looked pretty exhausted from what I accomplished today.
From cutting a whole area of trees by myself, to being able to discover my skills and blessing, and even discovering mana…I was proud.
And without hesitation, I laid by the fire and used a couple of leaves as my bed for the night. Tomorrow, I plan to do something about my lifestyle.
'I should probably make a tent first since making a house would take me a long time to do…'
As I thought of this, I suddenly heared something rustling from one of the bushes.
*Rustle**Rustle**Rustle*
"...!?" to my alert, I quickly reached out for the axe and readied myself for any sort of animal that was coming by.
As the rustling stopped, an animal came out of the bush.