VRMMO: World's First Glyphborne

Chapter 304: Control and Precision

Just to be certain, they had Valerie repeat the test. However when the exact same results, with a hint that it might get even better, they simply marked down their findings and quickly moved onto the second test.

"For this test, you will need to use your mana and form the liquid into the shapes you are prompted with. I shall demonstrate." One of the examiners informed her, as he stood on the other side of the table from her.

He picked up the jar containing the blue sludge and proceeded to dump it out onto the table, where it quickly spilled across the entire surface and tried to flee off of the edge.

However before it could make its escape, the examiner placed his hand on the sludge and closed his eyes in concentration. The sludge stopped in its tracks, wriggling at the edge as if it was struggling, before it started to slowly crawl back onto the table.

It retreated along the path it had spilled across, creeping its way back to his hand as he slowly lifted it from the table. The sludge followed the hand up, as it started to form the shape of the jar underneath his hand, before the examiner deposited the sludge back into the jar it was perfectly shaped for.

He then pushed the jar over to Valerie, as his colleague placed down a small black cube and activated its projection function. Above the small cube the image of yet another cube appeared, the shape that she was supposed to copy.

With a gesture from the examiners to begin, Valerie held her hand over the open jar and pushed her mana out in a small stream.

Whilst the examiner had been giving his demonstration, Valerie had been watching closely with her mana vision. From what she could see, the sludge acted similarly to a ferroliquid, which was a liquid filled with small, trace amounts of a magnetic substance and so that the liquid itself would react to a magnetic field.

In this case, instead of using magnets, you were using mana. You weren’t necessarily forcing the liquid or controlling it, simply moving mana through it and guiding it. The difficulty came from the evenness.

The more mana, the more of a reaction you got from the sludge. Which meant that it wasn’t enough to form the shape from mana, but you had to keep the levels of mana consistent across the shape. Too heavy on one side, and the shape would turn out deformed. Simple in principle, but difficult in execution, especially if you didn’t know what you were doing to start with.

With a strong pull of mana, Valerie ushered the liquid out of the jar as it floated in an undulating ball, before she started to give it shape. Her experience with mana outside of her body wasn’t as vast as her experience of it inside of her body. Especially with her experience projecting it out rather than dragging it in.

So she was a little more clumsy that she would have liked, especially on the corners, but she got there in the end and soon enough a smooth cube was floating above her hand.

The examiners looked at each other, having a silent conversation, before nodding and changing the projected shape.

One after the other, Valerie formed the sludge into different shapes. Each more complicated than the last. Starting with simple shapes, such as spheres, pyramids, dodecahedrons etc. to more intricate shapes with finer, more fiddly details such as a person’s face.

It was at this point that, with the examiners permission, she used a second hand. The further the mana got from her body, the thinner it naturally became, as it wanted to move into the air and disperse.

That was part of the difficulty and challenge, and why the control was so important with this tool. So there were two solutions. Either pump out more mana to make up for the deficit and hope for the best whilst trying not to overload the parts closest to you, or what Valerie did.

With her other hand, she focused on the mana in the air, pulling it towards her like she did when she was meditating, and introduced it to the sludge’s formation. The external mana plugged the gaps and supplemented her thinning mana, allowing her more complex shapes to take a clearer form.

It was magical to watch, as it seemed like she simply tapped a place on the sludge, a small ripple would cascade outwards, before the sludge tightened itself up and became much clearer than before. As if it was simply a disturbed pond that needed to have its water stilled by a gentle touch.

The last form she had to create was that of an open book, including the writing on the pages, before she was finally through with the test and was allowed to deposit the sludge back into jar, which she did with a wave of her hand.

As soon as she was finished, Valerie let out a deep and exhausted sigh as she wiped her sweat-covered forehead with the back of her hand. She gave the examiners a goofy smile filled with pride, and they gave her blank, uncaring glares back. How nice of them.

With the same glowing level of joy, they led her away from the table and over to the practice range, which Valerie approached with an eager smile.

Using the sludge had perfected an idea that she had been brewing in her mind for a while. Hobbling over to the shooters mark, Valerie took a deep breath and held both of her hands out in front of her before trickling her mana out just like she had done with the sludge.

She formed multiple rivers, having to close her eyes to focus on directing them.

Previously when she had been in this position, she had cast a fireball through simply willing it and understanding how they formed. This time she was taking it a step further.

This time she used not just the knowledge that she had gained as Valerie, with conducting and practising magic, but what she had learned as her time as Belladonna. Every fight she had experienced, every trial she had gone through. Every advance in her magic seemingly led to this exact moment, as the culmination of her abilities across both worlds.

The examiners watched in confusion, wondering why she was not doing anything. Usually this was when someone would be chanting their spells, but she was simply standing there quitely. They could not understand what Valerie was doing, until the light started to form.

A circle of pure mana, presenting itself as glowing blue lines, drew itself in the air in front of Valerie’s hands. Once the circle was complete, lines bounced within its confines, drawing a seven pointed star.

Runic symbols rapidly sprouted along the edge of the circle, and within the free spaces of the septagram.

Once the last symbol was formed, Valerie let out a long, drawn out breath and raised her head. Her eyes opened slowly, gazing upon her work with pride before she slowly turned her eyes to the two individuals that were staring at her. Their eyes were wide, as if they could not be open enough to take in the view before them, and their jaws were nearly touching the floor with how wide they hung.

Pressing her fingers together, Valerie allowed a smug smirk to grace her lips, before snapping her fingers.