28 An Overnight Quest

[New Mission Issued]

[Channel Your Mana Continuously Throughout Your Body for 6 hours]

[Rewards:

1.) +100 EXP.

2.)A New Attribute: Mana Points...]

The golden notification panel appeared right in front of his face as soon as he grabbed the doorknob and prepared to enter the room, and have a good night's sleep to prepare for tomorrow.

Entering the door and shutting it, a big smile appeared on Hael's face instead as he looked at the panel and smiled brightly. My first quest.

Once I do this, I would be able to level up to level 2, wouldn't I?" He asked, almost jumping in joy from the quest.

[Technically, yes.] The system replied as Hael walked to the side of the bed and took off his fluffy sweaters, leaving only the small underwear on him.

Looking at his body, he could see it was far from being developed at all, and not a single muscle could be found on it.

It wasn't his fault though; he had always tried to look like his brothers and fathers who were true muscular giants. Unfortunately, his fate was that of a learned scholar.

But now, he too was going to walk on the path of growing stronger, and the mere thought of being able to change his fate was something that had caused a very great surge of excitement through him.

Who wouldn't want to be able to slash out a sword of flame and float in the sky touching the very clouds, or reduce entire armies to nothing with a single magic art?

"Huuuu, time to concentrate..." He said, clearing away his mind as he got into a cross-legged position and calmed his breathing. Channeling Mana through the body...

It wasn't a topic that was really that foreign to Hael himself. He had been taught by the clan elders how to properly cultivate after his great affinity for magic had been discovered...

"First rule, empty the mind, and enter into an absolute state of calm..." Hael whispered and the first thing he did was close his eyes.

The eyes were the windows to the mind; once they were shut, the task becomes easier... '

And after ten minutes of absolute silence, he was finally able to clear away all the other thoughts from his head...

"First rule fulfilled."

"Second rule, form a moon petal hand signal, and draw in Mana..." Hael thought to himself and in the next second, he shifted his hands which were formerly on his laps and wrapped them together, separating them from completely touching by extending his thumbs out and pressing them to each other...

"Done. Now I simply have to will for the Magical energy to come to me..." He muttered out loud as he calmly waited but the voice soon rang in his head, breaking away his concentration.

[That is not the correct hand signal...] The system's voice rang out as Hael snapped his eyes open.

"What do you mean this is not the correct hand signal, this was what the elder taught me including everyone else..." Hael replied. He could even remember when his brothers and father cultivated, they had also done the same hand signals such as this

. And now someone was telling him his clan's way was wrong?

[This hand signal can work, I'm not saying it's wrong. Just that it is not the best for a beginner like you...]

"Why?"

[Because this hand signal is not requesting for Mana. It is a hand signal for one who has already established a connection with Mana.]

[When you're starting out on the path of magic, you're like a slave willing for the power of a god. And that power of a god is concealed in Mana.

To obtain it, you would have to beg for it, not simply ask for it to come to you. While it might truly come to you after some time, it won't be willingly. It would be forced to do so by the primordial rule of cultivation.

But if you beg for it to come, you show your willingness and need for it. It will flood to you in greater amount! Around three times better than simply asking it to come...] The system explained as Hael's eyebrows furrowed. And thinking about it, the entity's explanation seemed more correct...

When Hael had asked the grand elder why they had to form this particular hand signal and not another, he had said that is how it is done, and provided no concrete explanation for it.

This was the first time he had heard of such an explanation for a hand signal..

"Ok, then. So what Hand signals would I have to use?"

[A begging hand signals...]

"Huh?"

[Imagine you're a farm boy who has lived in the desert and rain only comes after 5 months. But suddenly the rain didn't come for the next five years due to reasons you don't understand.

Your cattles are dying, and so are your plants, and you almost lost everything but suddenly, the clouds darkened and sprinkles of rain began to fall, just when all hopes seemed to have been lost.

How would you respond to the rain? That is how you beg for Mana...] The system replied as Hael furrowed his eyebrows, thinking clearly about the puzzle, but he soon understood it, and in the next second, he changed his sitting posture as he got on both knees, instead of sitting cross-legged..

Once he got on both knees, he stretched out both hands wide into the skies and then closed his eyes...

[Excellent. Now start willing for the Mana energy to come to you, like praying for the rain to become even more abundant!] The system whispered, as Hael balanced his breathing and concentrated harder 10 minutes quietly passed in silence, and that was when dark particles suddenly began materializing out of the empty air, and began flooding into Hael's palms, circling around his body.

With every breath, they doubled, and soon the entire room was covered in motes of dark energy each of them pulsing like a heartbeat.

[You have achieved the second step!]