Increasing spiritual force (chapter 5)

Inside the cozy confines of his boat home, the air hung with the subtle scent of saltwater and the muted creaks of the vessel swaying gently. Adam stood, index finger raised, showcasing a ball of mana that vibrated with newfound stability. Unlike its predecessor, this mana ball had grown in size, now matching the girth of his thumb. A satisfied grin graced Adam's face as he marveled at the progress.

"Not bad, not bad at all," he mused, his eyes reflecting a sense of accomplishment. "I at least confirmed that its size increases with the level, and its cooldown decreases as well." His gaze shifted to the floating screen before him, the soft glow casting a faint light on his features.

[ Name: Adam ]

[ Mana (plain): 9 (particle) ]

[ Spiritual-Force: 1.69/1.69 (1 spiritual force lasts for 1 minute; 1 spiritual force can be recovered in 1 minute) ]

[ Created spells: 

Unstable-Mana-Ball(Tier: 0): a very unstable and small mana ball that explodes due to its instability. It doesn't do very much damage due to its small size, but it does release a bright flashlight when it explodes, Lv:2 (0/500) cooldown: 5 seconds ]

"Too bad that its requirement to level more than doubled," he noted casually, the prospect of the increased effort not dampening his spirits. "But what I am most excited about is the spiritual force." The resilience of his practice reflected in the additional point to his spiritual force, an achievement that fueled his enthusiasm.

"I am so close to leveling up; I might as well just focus on leveling up this spell," which was exactly what he did. Hours passed, one after another, until he finally reached the 2nd spiritual mark. This achievement not only made him feel more awake but also strengthened his mind and made it more open. Additionally, he felt stronger, though not physically, but in some other way. However, what he was unaware of was the fact that across the vast expanse of the universe, several beasts and monsters, both magical and mundane, all twitched their noses. Some even perked up their heads as they looked around, drooling, as if they had smelled something delicious.

while the clueless adam Entered his sea of consciousness, Adam found himself within the same bubble, albeit expanded—twice its original size, but his astral form also more vivid, and brighter, "hmm, so increasing my spiritual force also has such affect" his attentions then drifted towards the exterior, various colored bubbles outside caught his attention. The blue and green hues dominated the scene, intriguing him momentarily before he refocused on the floating mana particles within his bubble.

"Well, now that I have twice the duration for my spiritual force, it's time to construct another spell model, and this time, I'm aiming for a spell that does damage." His determination echoed through the sea of consciousness's interior as he activated his spiritual force, prompting the bubble to start hoarding plain mana, but much to his surprise, instead of one tendril that was doing all the hoarding, another new tendril sprouted, doing the same thing as the first tendril, hoarding, "all the more reason to increase my spiritual force" he smiled to himself as he let his sea of consciousness do the hoarding while he brain stormed on what type of spell he could make with his limited amount of mana and spiritual force.. Engrossed in his thoughts, he mulled over ideas for a more potent spell model, the dim light of the boat home providing a serene backdrop to his creative process.

In the ethereal expanse of his sea of consciousness, Adam observed with focused determination. Sixteen mana particles, each smaller than the tip of his pinky, floated around him like vibrant fireflies. The subtle hum of magical energy resonated through the void as he patiently awaited the recovery of his spiritual force.

[ Name: Adam ]

[ Mana (plain): 16 (particle) ]

[ Spiritual-Force: 2.01/2.01 (1 spiritual force lasts for 1 minute; 1 spiritual force can be recovered in 1 minute) ]

[ Created spells: 

Unstable-Mana-Ball(Tier: 0): a very unstable and small mana ball that explodes due to its instability. It doesn't do very much damage due to its small size, but it does release bright flash light when it explodes, Lv:2 (301/500) cooldown: 5 seconds ]

A deep breath, a redundant act for his astral form, preceded the activation of his spiritual force. He engaged in the delicate process of stitching together a line of mana particles, a length now extended to 16 after his spiritual force had doubled. The newfound complexity presented a challenge, as the fine line struggled to maintain cohesion before ultimately shattering. Sixteen mana particles dissipated, leaving Adam with a sense of disappointment, "guess mana arrows would have to wait". He gazed at the remaining multicolored mana particles, patiently anticipating the gradual recovery of his spiritual force.

As the spiritual force recharged, he allowed his sea of consciousness to accumulate nearby plain mana for the next six minutes. Sixteen more mana particles gathered, providing him with another opportunity to experiment. A determined expression settled on Adam's face as he contemplated alternative approaches. "since mana arrows don't work yet, so let me try something different."

His mind circled back to the concept of a ball—a notion derived from his previous successful creation. "Well, the previous mana ball was made out of three mana particles, so I want to know what would be the difference if the ball was made out of 16 instead." With meticulous care, he began stacking the 16 mana particles, forming a sphere comparable to a sizable marble. To his relief, the arrangement maintained structural integrity, and the ball of mana seamlessly transformed into a spell model.

[Ding!] [Congratulations to the host for creating the spell (Mana Ball)]

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Author's Note: Well, here's another chapter. I hope you guys like it. As I mentioned in the abstract, the beginning will focus on him discovering the ins and outs of his system and arming himself with spells. However, just a couple more chapters and base will pick up and you guys might start getting fed up with the story.

 PS: the chapters are 900 - 1000 words long, the system don't count.