Chapter 3-Divine Grade Mana Core

After stepping into the portal, I found myself walking through a sky-blue tunnel-shaped corridor with Stella on my shoulders swinging her legs happily humming a song that I didn't know. 

My eyes twitched as I asked her "Can't you fly on your own" As if oblivious to my irritation she replied.

"At this stage in the game flying isn't allowed in spacial tunnels so no I can't" she continued humming her song.

I continued walking resigning myself to having her there.

"oh by the way be careful when you leave the portal you might fall" She paused humming to warn me.

"be careful of wh....." I started to say before stepping out of the portal and feeling like a truck hit me knocking all the air out of my lungs and falling to my knees.

"that" was her casual reply as if ignorant to my pain.

'What is this stinging pain'

I thought as I gasped for air trying to force air into my lungs only for the pain to get worse. 

'This pain is as if the world is crushing me from all directions'

"Bare with it, that's just mana cleansing your body of impurities and creating natural mana circuits in your body. If you don't believe me focus your mind and feel the inside of your body."

She said while casually floating above me.

Grinding my teeth in irritation and to bear the pain I realized that she knew this was going to happen.

'This brat knew that I was going to be in this much pain and didn't even warn me, some guide you are'

 I focused my mind and tried feeling past the pain and started feeling something hot moving through my veins like lava creating a path to flow and nourishing my cells strengthening my body and bones. I looked closer at what it was and was astonished by the multicolored energy flowing in my body.

'I guess that is mana, why does it hurt so much It feels like it's burning me from the inside. It weirdly feels comforting tho'

※

{+10 to all stats}

{Passive skill Mana Veins (Lv.1) obtained}

※

I stared shockingly at the notification that popped up.

The pain subsided and I started feeling that all the mana in my body started converging to the center of my chest, knocking against something as if trying to force a door open. It failed the first few times and mana continued to flow into my body trying to break the door down. The more the mana banged the door the more I started hearing a banging sound from my body, the sound grew louder as the knocking continued.

Then all of a sudden a cracking sound was heard from within my body as if a glass was breaking and then mana started going on a rampage In my body.

※

{Passive Skill Mana Gate(Lv.1) obtained}

※

"Sit in the lotus position and control the mana in your body to flow into the Mana Gate at the center of your chest. That will purify the mana, then take the purified mana back through your Mana Veins down to your lower abdomen and create a Mana Core. A mana core is where the mana is stored in the body and mana Cores are divided into 7 ranks namely: Poor, Normal, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, and Divine."

Following her instructions, I sat with my legs crossed in the lotus position and took deep breaths trying to control the flow of mana in my body but like an unruly brat, they refused to listen. It took me a total of five minutes to get the mana to listen to me and flow along the pathways I felt being burnt into me earlier which Stella called mana veins. Slowly as if reluctant to be controlled the mana in my body flowed into my mana gate and was purified.

A frown formed on my face as all the mana was purified and all that was left was significantly less than what was in my body.

As if knowing my concerns Stella spoke up.

"If you feel the quantity of purified mana is low then absorb more from the air around you. The more mana you use in the initial creation of your mana core the better the quality of the mana core but be careful because if you do, it will be harder and take longer to level it up in the future."

"Thanks for the warning but something just doesn't feel right with the quantity of mana I'm using to make my core"

After saying that, I focused on the air around us and saw different colored tiny particles floating through the air.

"Wow... this is amazing, but how do I absorb mana" I looked up at Stella with a confused look on my face. 

With a sweet smile on her face, she replied, " Through meditation, spread your consciousness around you and call out to the mana you can sense. What comes next is going to be a bit painful since you don't have a mana breathing technique. You are going to have to absorb the mana through your skin and into your mana veins."

'Well ... no pain, no gain'

I closed my eyes and started meditating clearing my mind, and taking deep concentrated breaths, I focused on what I could feel and sense. To my amazement, the tiny particles that could be seen with my eyes open could now be felt with my eyes closed.

In my mind, the mana around me were like multicolored stars within the night sky, the only difference with these stars was that they were slowly moving.

I didn't know how to spread my consciousness so I imagined as if stretching out my hand calling to them, the mana in the air as if hearing and acknowledging my call stopped moving about and started swirling around me creating a vortex. I called them further into my being to be absorbed. As they made their way through my skin, an excruciating pain as if being stabbed by a thousand needles assaulted my body, and a blood-curdling scream escaped my lips but I refused to stop. 

Stella with a worried look on her face was flying around me feeling guilty because there was nothing she could do to help.

I ignored the pain and focused on the unpurified mana flowing through my mana veins; controlling it to my Mana Gate to be purified, the purified mana then flowed back through my mana veins to my lower abdomen.

I continued to absorb and purify mana until I felt full as if I had reached my max capacity and then I knew it was the right time to make my mana core so I concentrated all the purified mana into one spot.

The mana started to solidify into a 1-inch sphere, and once it solidified it started to absorb the leftover purified mana and grew in size to a 6-inch sphere leaving my body tired and sweaty with no mana left in my body.

I meditated until my mana was full before I got up feeling refreshed and power flowing through my body.

"This is unexpected." Shella stared at me shellshocked.

"What's wrong" I asked her, feeling anxious thinking that something went wrong.

※

{Divine Grade Mana Core Acquired}

{+1400 MP} 

{Pain Resistance Lv. up x4}

{Fatiuge Resistance Lv. up x2}

{Mastery Meditation (Lv.1) Acquired}

{Mastery Mana Control (Lv.1) Acquired}

{Mana Control Lv. up x4}

{Mana Gate Lv. up x2}

{Mana Veins Lv. up x3}

{You have acquired a mana core before reaching Level 10 and have acquired the 'Mage' Class. Do you wish to set the 'Mage' Class as your Class or Subclass?}

{The title 'Magic Prodigy' has been Acquired}

※

I stared on as notification after notification flooded my sight. After reading the second to last notification I placed my hand on my chin in contemplation.

'If I pick Mage as my class I feel like all the hard work I put into training my body will go to waste so I'll set it as my Subclass' I made my choice in my mind.

"That's what's wrong, are you a genius or something," she complained as she looked at the notifications popping up one after the other.

Ignoring my complaining fairy, I mentally called up my status to take a look at the new elements.

'Status'

※

[Name-Lucas Carmicheal/{Avatar Name}]

[Gender-Male]

[Race-Human]

[Age-18]

[Class- No Class]

[Subclass- Mage]

[Job- No Job]

[Titles- Magic Prodigy]

[Level- 0

(Experience 0/100)]

[Rank- ]

[Divine Grade Mana Core]

[Stats 

<HP-300 300< p>

<MP-2200 2200< p>

<Stamina-550 550< p>

<Strength-28< p>

<Endurance-30< p>

<Agility- 27< p>

<Dexterity-35< p>

<Intelligence-40< p>

<Luck-9< p>

<Unused Stat Points-10]< p>

[Mastery

<Weapon Mastery (Basic Lv. 9) < p>

<Martial Arts (Basic Lv. 7)< p>

<Meditation (Basic Lv. 1) Turn off your external senses and sense the mana around you< p>

<Mana Control (Basic Lv. 5)] The ability to control the mana within and around you< p>

[Skills

 {Passive

 <Pain-Resistance (Intermediate Lv. 1) < p>

 <Fear-Resistance (Basic Lv. 5) < p>

 <Poison-Resistance (Basic Lv. 3)< p>

 <Fatigue-Resistance (Basic Lv.6)< p>

<Mana Veins (Basic Lv. 4) The Pathways through which mana flow< p>

<Mana Gate (An Ethereal Organ used to purify Mana< p>

 {Active

 <None]< p>

[Magic Affinities

 {Unawakened]

[Unique Traits

 {God of War's Physique (Divine Lv. MAX) Learn and comprehend any martial technique 10x Faster

{?????????????

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