Chapter 83: Mana and Meridians I
It was already night.
Zac was sitting in the living room of his house. In his hands was the booklet Matilda had given them, explaining how to sense mana and open the twelve meridians.
After reading it from beginning to end, he closed the book and placed it beside him.
He then sat down in a lotus position and slowly closed his eyes.
The first step was simple. Steady your breathing and calm your mind.
The second step was to sense the mana around you. Then, with every breath, feel it entering and leaving your body.
Inhale...Exhale...
Again and again. Trying to feel even the faintest trace of mana.
Time quietly slipped away.
After nearly two hours of relentless concentration, Zac finally sensed a tiny particle of mana in his surroundings.
"Yes!"
The excitement lasted less than a second. The instant his concentration broke, the faint sensation vanished completely.
"No, no, no, no, no! Oh, come on!"
"Fuck! Now I have to start all over again."
[Not necessarily.]
Zac frowned. "What do you mean?"
[You’ve already sensed it once. The first time is always the hardest. Now that your mind knows what it’s looking for, finding it again will be much easier.]
[And stop suffocating yourself inside this house. Go outside. Mana is naturally denser in open spaces. It’ll be easier to sense it there.]
Zac slowly turned his head. "You couldn’t have told me that... say... two hours ago?"
[I could have. But I love watching you suffer.]
"You’re an asshole."
[I prefer the term ’excellent mentor.’]
Ignoring the system before it could get even more insufferable, Zac got to his feet and walked toward the backyard.
The night sky stretched endlessly above him, filled with countless stars and a bright full moon. Zac took in the beautiful sight. "It’s... wonderful."
[Quit daydreaming or should I say... nightdreaming... Whatever, start doing what you came here for.]
Zac rolled his eyes.
He sat down in a lotus position once again and resumed his breathing, slowly inhaling and exhaling the cool night breeze.
Once again, he calmed his mind and started from the beginning, just as the System had suggested. Within half an hour, he sensed the first mana particle again.
But this time, he kept his excitement in check and simply observed it. Gradually, more and more tiny, sparkling mana particles entered his perception.
As time passed, he could clearly feel them flowing into his body with every breath. The hours slipped by without him even realizing it.
Five hours later, Zac finally opened his eyes and stretched his stiff body before letting out a long breath. "I think that’s enough for today."
"That’s a wise decision."
[Overworking your brain won’t get you any further. And those stories about meditating for days or even months without rest? Those aren’t meant for mortals.]
Zac nodded.
He took a quick shower before heading straight to bed.
The next morning, he woke up before sunrise. After washing up, he went straight to the backyard and resumed his training.
Since Beginner’s Food restaurant didn’t offer takeout, he had already bought enough groceries from the academy market the previous day to cook for himself.
He also sent a message to Marty and the others, telling them he’d be staying home for the next week to focus on training.
To his surprise, they all replied with almost the exact same answer.
’Same here.’
It seemed everyone had decided to make full use of the month’s deadline.
For the next two days, Zac focused on only one thing. Sensing the mana around him. He didn’t rush to the next step until he could reliably sense the mana in his surroundings.
The booklet had clearly stated in bold letters that trying to open a meridian before being able to properly sense and control mana was pointless.
So he concentrated entirely on that.
On the third day, he finally reached the point where he could sense the surrounding mana the instant he closed his eyes.
"I think I’m ready to start sensing the mana inside my body. What do you think?" Zac asked the system.
[Don’t ask me. I’m not your teacher.]
Zac smirked. "Didn’t you say you preferred being called an excellent mentor?"
[That was two days ago. I’ve changed my mind.]
"Oh, screw you."
Closing his eyes once again, Zac sensed the mana around him and followed the particles as they entered his body with each breath.
Sensing mana outside his body was one thing, but sensing it inside was something else entirely. It took him nearly eight hours just to follow the mana particles until they reached his heart.
The next two days passed as he continued training to sense the flow of mana within his own body.
Finally, on the day before his next class, Zac sat in a lotus position once more. The moment he closed his eyes, countless mana particles appeared within his perception.
He took a deep breath and saw how mana flowed into his body along with the air.
He could clearly sense it entering through his breath, reaching his heart, then spreading throughout his body before gradually leaving with every exhale.
After practicing the process for another hour, he slowly opened his eyes. "I think I’ve finally got the hang of it. The next step is controlling it, but that can wait until tomorrow. I’ve got class in the morning so I’d better get some sleep."
Ding.
His VSB suddenly vibrated with a notification.
Congratulations, Mr. Zac Delancore.
You have achieved first place in all three tests at the Three-Way Tester Center among this year’s first-year students.
’30 merit points’ have been credited to your student ID.
As long as you remain in first place, you will receive ’5 merit points’ per test every month.
The Academy wishes you continued success.
Zac smiled. "That’s... actually pretty nice."
Almost immediately, another notification appeared before him. One he was far more familiar with.
[Congratulations to the Host for achieving first place among all first-year students in the Three-Way Tester Center.]
[Reward: +100 Info Points.]
A grin spread across Zac’s face. "Now that’s what I call a reward. It’s been a long time since I last checked my status. Let’s see it now."
***
⟦ STATUS ⟧
Name: Zac Godson
Level: 42 (D-Rank)
Age: 19
Race: Human
Title: None
Bloodline: Fallen (Unknown) (Partially awakened)
Traits:
• Divine Aura
• Unmatched Charisma
Awakened Abilities:
• System (Unknown)
• Swordsmanship (SS)
• Lightning (S)
Technique:
• Heart Sword (SS)
Skills:
• Overdrive (D) [Growth-Type]
Info Points: 115 (+100)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
⟦ ATTRIBUTES ⟧
Strength: 90
Agility: 90
Physique: 90
Wisdom: 88
Unallotted Points: 0
***
Zac smiled, seeing his status.
[Look at you. You get a mere hundred points, and you’re already grinning like an idiot.]
"I’d grin even wider if there were another two zeros behind it."
[Greedy. Have you never heard the saying, ’A greedy man is never full, even if he has a mountain in his bowl?’]
"That’s not greed. Greed is wanting what you haven’t earned. Ambition is looking at a mountain and thinking it’s just a small hill with better marketing."
The system was silent for a moment. [You’re getting better with words.]
Zac smirked. "Thanks to you."
***
The next morning, the classroom was once again full. As usual, Matilda walked in exactly on time. "Good morning, everyone."
She then glanced toward Zac. "Mr. Delancore. Congratulations on taking first place in all three categories at the Three-Way Tester Center."
"The thirty merit points you’ve earned may not seem like much right now, but don’t waste them. Save them until you truly need them."
Zac nodded. "I will."
Matilda smiled faintly. "And here I thought you were going to be my only source of surprise today."
She shifted her gaze toward Sabrina. "Miss Sabrina. You’ve already opened your first meridian, haven’t you?"
"Yes, ma’am."
The entire classroom instantly erupted into whispers.
Even Zac was caught off guard. "That’s fast. I haven’t even started controlling mana yet, and she’s already opened a meridian.
[Some people are just built differently.]
"Can’t I say the same? My body was rebuilt using a divine herb."
[Almost divine.]
"Not the point. But still, shouldn’t it be easier for me than everyone else?"
[Don’t underestimate the others. Just because you had your own encounter doesn’t mean they didn’t have theirs.]
"Fair point. But what’s so special about her?"
[You really want to know?]
Zac immediately became suspicious. "You’re going to charge me the hundred points I just earned, aren’t you?"
[No. Now it’d cost you at least five hundred.]
"What? No chance. I’m not spending five hundred points just to learn about that ice cube."
[Your points. Your choice.]
"So, Miss Sabrina, which meridian did you open?"
"The Heart Meridian."
"Hmm, very good. I honestly didn’t expect anyone to open a meridian this early. But I suppose every generation has its exceptions."
She looked around the classroom. "In that case, let’s continue where we left off last class."
"The reason I didn’t go into detail about the meridians before was that I didn’t expect anyone to reach this stage so quickly."
"But now that someone has...There’s no point in delaying the lesson any longer."
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