After the Apocalypse: The Path to Magic
"What do you mean?" Thalia asked Kael with a confused look.
Kael simply stared at her for a few moments, making her feel uncomfortable, before he averted his gaze.
She felt that he had changed, completely different from the person she met a month ago when he was on a work break.
The Kael standing before her now looked more authoritative and seemed to hide many secrets, though his body shape and height hadn't changed much.
Suddenly, a definition of mana from one of the light novels she had read crossed her mind:
A mystical energy that fuels magical abilities, divine powers, or supernatural phenomena.
"You mean, I'll be able to use magic now?" Her round, violet-blue eyes widened as she stared at Kael.
He simply nodded and said, "Keep sharpening your core, and use every mana shard you get after killing specific monsters."
He stood up and returned to where he'd been sharpening arrowheads, resuming his work.
Meanwhile, Thalia remained seated where they had been talking, her expression still filled with disbelief.
"Kael," she called out after a while.
"Hmm?"
"What kind of magic will I learn later?"
"I don't know. Maybe, like that drink, we'll discover what we need when the time comes," he replied without lifting his head, continuing to sharpen.
Silence returned for a while before Thalia finally stood and went back to making arrows.
They continued their tasks without another word.
***
Several days passed without incident.
They spent the time crafting arrows and practicing mana control as well as martial arts.
Kael explained the stages of mana bit by bit, claiming he had learned about them from a light novel he'd read.
Mana and divine power, which appeared after the apocalypse, had similarities to those in fantasy worlds, making it easier for him to teach Thalia these concepts.
Everyone possesses a mana core, starting from the lowest color, light gray at level 1, up to level 10 with a white core.
To level up their cores, one must obtain mana cores from certain monsters, as not all monsters have mana or divine shards.
There's no other way to increase core levels, be it mana or divine core, except by collecting mana or divine shards.
As for obtaining a divine core, a person must first have a fully saturated level 10 white mana core. Only then will they able to acquire a divine core.
Both cores coexist, as the skills and powers they grant are different. However, the method of leveling up and refilling them is the same.
Thalia diligently honed her mana core and circulated mana throughout her body, while Kael guided her on how to maximize its potential.
For instance, if mana was concentrated in the eyes, the user could see objects from a distance, see more clearly, or even see in the dark.
Since their mana cores had only recently formed, Kael advised her to gather more mana shards before engaging in too many mana-based activities to avoid depletion.
***
On the fourth night, the bell Kael had set up rang, putting both of them on alert.
He quickly rose, extinguished the campfire, and grabbed his katana. Thalia also grabbed her bow and a quiver full of arrows.
He stood by the door and looked at her, who was now also positioned on the opposite side of the door.
Then, another bell rang from a different direction, followed by a third one from the same spot as the first, then a fourth, a fifth, and eventually, all eleven bells had rung.
"Wow, eleven," Thalia whispered tensely, holding her bow and an arrow at the ready.
Kael only glanced at her before focusing on the noises outside.
Not long after, they heard growls and thuds. It seemed some of the creatures had already fallen into the traps Kael had set.
From the sounds, he was certain they were second-type monsters, with tougher bodies than the first-type.
He doubted the wooden spikes he had placed would be enough to kill them.
He opened the door and stepped out, followed by Thalia, who moved into a safe position to shoot her arrows.
Kael walked to the center in front of the cabin, where he lit a large pile of firewood he had prepared earlier.
The bonfire quickly roared to life, illuminating the entire area.
Soon, they heard the dry crunch of leaves under the monsters' feet. Kael signaled to Thalia to get ready while he unsheathed his sword.
She nodded and aimed her arrow in the direction of the sound.
Kael suddenly lunged toward one direction, swinging his sword, which sparked as it collided with the monster's thick claws.
He didn't stop there; he spun, closed the gap, and drove his katana into the creature's chest, hitting a weak point.
The monster let out a loud roar before collapsing, lifeless.
"I need a better sword," he muttered with a sigh, noticing the blade had chipped slightly under the firelight.
Then, he heard the crunching of leaves again and quickly moved toward the nearest sound.
Three second-type monsters appeared, and Kael didn't hesitate to attack.
He had fought stronger and faster monsters before, so he confidently took the offensive.
Kael closed the distance to the nearest monster and drove his sword into its chest before it could retaliate.
Suddenly, he heard the sharp whistle of an arrow slicing through the air, and the farthest monster fell backward, its chest pierced by Thalia's arrow.
"Nice!" he muttered.
However, her next arrow missed the weak spot in the final monster's chest, and it instead charged directly at Kael.
Then, eight more monsters emerged and three of them surrounded him.
"Shit! None of my traps worked," he growled as he deflected a claw aimed at his head.
But what made her furious was that the remaining five monsters began destroying the cabin.
Thalia, who was on the front porch, immediately rolled to the ground to avoid the flying debris.
One of the monsters spotted her, but she, now kneeling on one knee, had already aimed and shot it straight in the chest.
The remaining four monsters turned their heads towards her, and she gulped nervously as she saw their glowing red eyes fixed on her.