Ashen had called out his status screen to check his progress, but the moment he did, everything went black. He passed out before he could even see what appeared before him.
When he finally woke up, the world felt strange and quiet. The sky above was almost completely dark, with only a few stars shining faintly through the clouds. The air was cold but fresh, and there was a sharp, burning smell nearby.
Blinking a few times, Ashen turned toward the source. A fire burned steadily not far away, and above it hung the headless body of the boar he had fought earlier.
Then his eyes shifted back to the glowing screen floating in front of him.
Ashen Freeman
|[Race]|: Human | |[Age]|: 16
|[Unique Skill]|: Cast-Control
|[Existential Rank]|: 537 (F+)
|[Extra Skill Slots]|: 4
|[Player Ranking]|: 989 (unranked)
Ashen's eyes widened.
"Wait… is it just me, or did my ranking drop?"
He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining it. The last time he checked, his player rank had been somewhere around 958 or 957.
So how had it fallen all the way to 989?
That didn't make any sense at all.
"Good. Ya awake already."
Ashen turned his head toward the familiar voice. Gaius sat beside the fire, poking at the roasting boar with his walking stick. He turned it slowly so the flames would cook every part evenly.
"I was beginning to think Ya would never wake up," the old man said.
Ashen sat up, still sore and tired. "How long was I out?"
"Long enough for me to start roastin' dinner," Gaius said with a grin. "If ya didn't wake up soon, I was thinkin' I'd have to drag ya and this big fella outta the forest. But with this old body of mine, I doubt I could manage either one."
Ashen groaned softly as he pushed himself to his feet. His body ached everywhere, but at least he could stand. The fire's warmth was a welcome comfort against the chilly air.
He walked closer to the flames and sat down across from Gaius, stretching his hands toward the heat. "I never thought I'd actually do it," he said quietly.
"I never thought ya would either," Gaius replied with a laugh. "To think ya took down a magic beast and did it without using mana. Who really are ya, boy?"
Ashen let out a tired chuckle, then winced as his back throbbed in pain. He shifted a little, trying to find a comfortable spot. "You said that earlier too. Magic beast. What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
He had a feeling they weren't ordinary wild animals. The boar looked like one, sure, but that was about it. Everything else about it was wrong. Its size, its strength, the rage it fought with… it thrived beyond a normal animal.
"Magic beasts," Gaius began, "are creatures that've been corrupted by mana."
Ashen frowned. "Corrupted by mana?"
The short answer didn't help much, and Gaius knew it. He leaned on his walking stick, eyes reflecting the firelight. "Before ya can understand what a magic beast is, ya need to first understand what mana itself is and how it relates to creating Magic Beasts."
Ashen nodded slowly. "Alright. I'm listening."
"Mana," Gaius said, "is the energy Magus use to perform supernatural feats. Every Magus is born with the authority to absorb mana, and it's what lets them bend the laws of nature."
Ashen tilted his head. "So mana's just energy?"
"Not just energy," Gaius corrected. "It's an element. One of nature's very own. It's everywhere, around us, inside us, flowing through the air and ground. Mana is part of nature itself… maybe even nature is mana."
Ashen blinked. "That sounds... deep."
"Aye, but here's the strange part," Gaius continued. "Mana ain't like any other element nature ever made. Water, fire, earth, wind, those are the primary elements. Then ya got the secondary ones, ice, lightning, darkness, light. And beyond them, the tertiary elements: space, time, life. Those ones exist outside the normal laws of a world."
Ashen's expression turned thoughtful. "So… where does mana fit in?"
"Beyond all of them," Gaius said simply. "Mana doesn't just exist in worlds, it creates worlds. It's the origin of every other element. Without mana, nothing else could exist."
Ashen scratched his head. "I still don't get it."
The old man chuckled. "Didn't expect ya to right away. The point is, mana isn't just fuel for spells. It's the foundation of all existence. What ya call 'mana' here might go by other names in other worlds, but it always serves the same purpose: it lets livin' beings control nature or defy the heavens."
Ashen blinked a few times, still trying to process it all. "That's… a lot. Way more than what I asked."
"Knowledge never hurts, boy," Gaius said, chuckling again.
Ashen sighed. "Yeah, sure. I'll try to remember that."
"Good," Gaius said, his tone suddenly more serious. "Now, as grand as mana is, it's not perfect. There's a flaw in its existence, a corrupted side that twists nature into something violent and wild."
Ashen's brows furrowed. "Corrupted? You mean… like the boar?"
"Exactly," Gaius nodded. "Every living thing in Aldrion is born with a mana core to help absorb mana, but not every living thing is equipped with the intelligent nature of absorption.
As for we Humans, we have the intelligence and insight on absorbing mana, likewise the discipline to control the absorption process.
Animals, though…" He paused, stirring the fire. "Animals are a different story."
"Because they can't control it?"
"Because using it makes them violent," Gaius said grimly.
Ashen frowned, his eyes dropping to the roasting boar. "But aren't wild animals violent already?"
"Sure they are," Gaius said. "But imagine one with almost no intelligence, filled with mana, the strongest, most dangerous force in existence. What do ya think happens then?"
Ashen gulped, staring at the flames. He didn't need to answer. The image of the boar attacking him earlier was answer enough.
That explained everything. The impossible strength, the unnatural rage, it all made sense now.
Gaius gave a slow nod, noticing the realization in the boy's eyes. "If ya think that boar was bad, boy, then ya ain't seen nothing yet. That was a small taste of what this world can throw at ya."
Ashen didn't argue. He remembered the undead threat they had heard about earlier, and a cold feeling crept down his spine.
Gaius stood up, using his stick to push himself to his feet. "If ya done restin', we should move. We need to get back to the village and warn them."
Ashen blinked. "Warn them? About what?"
"The danger, of course," Gaius said.
"But the boar's dead," Ashen replied, pointing to the fire. "There's nothing left to threaten the village."
Gaius shook his head. "Ya really not listening, are ya? Didn't I just say it? Magic beasts are born from mana corruption, and that corruption starts with the environment."
Ashen's eyes widened slightly. "So… you're saying…"
"I'm saying that if the land itself is corrupted, then the animals living in it won't be the last to turn," Gaius said gravely. "That boar ya killed? It's only the beginnin' of the trouble ahead."