[A/N: This chapter isn't yet edited.]
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My gaze lingered, the dust fully cleared and I could see through the beast on the ground. There were no movements whatsoever, and that could mean only one thing.
"That thing is dead isn't it?"
Curious, I move forward, calculating my steps. For all I knew it might not actually be able to be dead and just trying to deceive me. One thing I did learn while fighting it, is that the creature isn't just some random animal, no. It had knowledge.
As I approached it, I could see the entire body fully. Its limbs curved together with its body, while its wings looked like there was no life in them.
"It's dead, then."
I bent down, trying to inspect its body. It was my first time coming close to a creature such as this, and to be called Mana-Beast, a creature made entirely of mana.
My hand laid on my chin, looking puzzled as I uttered.
"The name does sound familiar, where have I heard it?"
"Well, I guess I'd remember if it's that important."
I brushed the thought off and placed my right hand in its body. It was smooth, soft and utterly warm.
"Wow, never could have guessed. From all the researches in my previous life as a scientist, and also from what studies had shown, when a human or an animal dies, their body becomes cold. But, what is with this warmth?
"It's fur is a lot, more than that of a regular lion."
I was baffled, it didn't make sense. More like, it didn't follow the natural law of things. But who was I kidding? Nothing since after my death had followed the natural law of things.
My hand, still caressing its fur suddenly shifted from its body, but before that I turned left, and then right, as though checking if I was being watched.
No, I wasn't.
"Alright!"
My hands landed on its ears.
"Ah~!"
They were so fluffy. My eyes shut, my mouth couldn't stop smiling, my hands couldn't stop caressing the dead creature ears.
"Ugh, I've always wanted to do this to a cat all my life, but I wasn't able too since the apartment I stayed in didn't allow pets. Tch."
I couldn't stop playing with the ear of the animal to the point I was so into it. Then I snapped from the voice of the robotic female voice, but this time something was different, instead of the regular bell sound something else was made.
✍️[SIGH! You have defeated a Middle Tier Mana-Beast!]
[Rewards Obtained: 2,000 CPs]
[You leveled up!]
'Why does it sound, disappointed?'
At the corner of my eyes, the blue panel shimmered and the text boldly written, especially the first.
'Why is that one written boldly? Why is that?'
I stopped caressing the body of the creature, removed my hands from it, and stood to my feet.
"I think now's the time to check the main things."
I turned away from the beast, about to take a single step, when I heard a loud noise, explosion.
I quickly turned to know what it was, and to my surprise it was nothing that I'd have expected.
Before me, a cloud of smoke gathered where the Mana-Beast laid, or where it used too, then it began settling. As it cleared, my eyes laid on something different, something magnificent.
"What is that?"
I bent down, my gaze fixed on what looked like a green sparkling ball lying down on the ground—where the Mana-Beast once laid.
'Where did the beast go?'
I got curious, stretched my right hand to inspect the ball, and upon contact.
[Ding! New Items Identified!!]
[Scrutinizing Item! …%…%…% Completed!]
[Item Obtained!]
[Description ⬇️]
Baffled, I stared at the panel before me.
'What, it displays images too?'
I could see the image of the ball in my hand. The exact same image of what was on my hand, and below there was a button.
I stretched my left to click the button, but my hand passed right through the system.
"What?!"
I couldn't touch it.
"What was I thinking, there's no way I could touch it in the first place?"
I stared at the screen, but didn't know exactly what to do.
"Hey System!" I called.
But no answer.
"Tch!"
"It says click below with the 'description' button, but how…"
At the mention of 'description' the texts changed and displayed an entirely new window. I could see a whole lot of information boldly written.
[Item Name: Mana Ball]
[Description: A Mana Ball is an item dropped when a Mana-Beast is killed. The ball could be converted into items such as, weapons, armor, and in most cases, an artifact.]
"Oh?!!"
My eyes widened as I read the description, then shifted to my hand. I could see the ball sparkling, reacting to the light of the sun.
"So this thing can get me an artifact? Just how much is it worth to be able to create such?"
I stood back up, gazing at the ground where the Mana-Beast once laid.
'A Mana-Beast dropping an item? Where have I heard that from?'
I squinted, as the sunlight reflected off the Mana Ball into my eyes.
I turned, leaving the open area where there was too much sunlight, and walked towards the forest where the trees shield the light, then a thought came to me.
"Right!"
I remembered, I was going to check more on my skills during my fight with the Mana-Beast.
I stopped half way into the forest and stared at nothingness.
"While I'm at it, I have to check my 'status' also."
At the mention of 'status' a new window appeared before me, bringing with it a whole lot of information that I wouldn't have been able to obtain myself.
[Status]
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Name: Hitori Korr
Race: Human
Class: N/A
Constitution: N/A
Level: 3/10
Power:
- N/A
- Aether: 30%
Attributes:
- Strength: 5
- Vitality: 3
- Veil: 1
- N/A
Skills: 3
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My left hand rested against my chin as I scanned the words carefully—taking each one into account.
My name was still the same as Hitori Korr—same as my past life, and my race is human. Thankfully.
"Class N/A? What is it 'not available'?"
I brushed it off and moved through the next, class also was 'not available'. Power level three out of ten.
'Is my limit ten?'
"My is my limit just ten. It is saying if I reached then that's ehere I'd stop leveling?"
'But I reached level 3 early, so… or is it going to break and push forward some point?'
The question lingered in my head for a while before brushing it off. I knew there was no point in thinking so much about it, but still had it at the back of my mind.
I gazed at the power section.
"Power, not available? If I don't have a power yet then how did I defeat that beast?"
With this thought, my eyes scanned through the rest and landed on the 'skills' section.
"Oh? What I used were skills, so that man, even with skills I still have a general power?"
I caressed my chin. 'Hm… Interesting!'
'So it's says I have three skills, those where the one I used earlier.'
"How can I see their details?"
At the mention of 'details' a new window appeared different from the one that displayed my stats. Two windows.
'So it responds this time huh?'
[Skills Descriptions]
[Lv 1 Skill: Aetheric Sense]
[Description: Can sense mana and aether energy within a 100-meter radius, detecting, Humans, Mana-Beast, or Artifacts.]
[Lv 1: Phantom Step]
[Description: A short-range teleport
(10 meters) by bending spacetime, leaving a faint trail of starlight.]
[Lv 2 Skill: Stellar Spark]
[Description: Channels a small burst of stellar energy through, creating a fiery projectile or weak shield.]
"Damn!"
I stared at my skills amazed. They were even more than I expected..If I didn't see the description I wouldn't have known they were this powerful.
"Aetheric Sense, I already used that, but I didn't know I could even sense aether. From what I've gathered Aether is my one source of energy and not mana."
I gazed at the section where it says 'Aether' and a description appeared.
[Life Force: Aether]
[Description: The comic essence drawn from the vast expanse of stars, voids and spacetime. Aether sustains you, powering your breath (Aetheric Respiration), abilities, and evolution. Can also be obtained through conversion of 'Mana'.]
"Wow!"
My eyes widened as the words flowed into my head, the information was well detailed, I had to place my hand on my chest to feel the energy.
"So this is my reason for being alive in this world. It powers my breath? That's just sick, if I didn't have it then it would be the end of me I'm not compatible with Mana."
I stared at the ground in deep silence as I reflected on what had happened to me from the time of my death to this moment.
"Wow… that's a whole lot."
I raised my head, my gaze landing on the skills section.
"And it also powers the skills also?"
My gaze landed on the skill [Stellar Strike], out of all the skills, it was the only one at level.
"Level two already? When did it upgrade. The description says it only channels a small burst of stellar energy, hold one small? What I released earlier wasn't small, or was the small compared with what I can actually do?"
"The fact that it's already in level 2 means it had upgraded."
My eyes landed on a word that I seemed to have skipped.
Stellar energy.
"It says 'Stellar Energy' but it mana I blasted earlier, or aether?"
The entire scenario was already complicated and confusing, however my brain knew how to process things which so much mass.
"If I can't understand it, then there's only one way to find out."
I placed the Mana Ball on the ground, and walked to the center of the empty field. I raised my hands—straight, facing the trees, a surge of excitement building up within me.
I smiled.
'Let's go!'
"Skill [Stellar Spark]!!"