Mana Sense [#]


    <hr>


    To improve oneself is always worth it, but rarely pleasant. The sharpest blades are often forged in the hottest fires.


    <hr>


    Mana Sense [1]


    Deon returned to his room, dimly lit by a soft yellow glow emanating from the four corners.


    Despite his blank expression, his thoughts were still stuck on his first interaction with mana.


    From the perspective of someone from a modern, capitalist, neoliberal world, the concept of magic—an inexplicable power beyond physical understanding—was strange and terrifying in its general sense.


    But if that was what Deon needed to regain his life, he didn’t mind delving into its complexities.


    He thought again about his skill, mana sense. Although it initially seemed useless and, at best, a hindrance, something about it made him feel otherwise.


    Deon felt the skill had helped him connect with the cube. It would have taken much longer without it. Still, he wasn’t entirely sure.


    ‘Could I benefit from it alongside using the cube?’


    SIGH


    With a tired sigh, Deon headed toward the dressing area in his room. He felt drained of all his energy. And how could he not be, given that it hadn’t even been a full day since his arrival in the world of his novel?


    ‘This is the longest day I’ve ever lived, and I don’t think any other day will break this record!’


    In one day, Deon had done what an ordinary person might do in an entire lifetime, if not more.


    He died, came back to life, experienced depression, overcame his depression, adopted a new persona, lived his first day as that person, learned magic—at least as a beginner—and finally returned to his room to rest.


    And that’s not counting the smaller details which, when pieced together, could summarize the lives of some people.


    Although, most people don’t come back to life after death. Still, it should count for something.


    If he included the day he spent in his previous world as Walid, the failed writer, Deon hadn’t slept in over 36 hours.


    ‘I need rest.’


    That was undeniable.


    ‘Mana Sense. The cube. Anything else can wait.’


    He was truly exhausted, and it became evident when Deon admitted it to himself.


    Like a drunkard on a snowy night, Deon stripped off the clothes Vierenna had chosen for him and threw them onto the carpeted floor. His eyes opened and closed like a malfunctioning garage door.


    Only through sheer willpower was Deon able to put on the pajamas he had woken up in earlier, he made sure to place them somewhere he could remember to avoid mixing them up.


    With his eyes almost completely shut, Deon returned to the open space of his room, focusing solely on the bed.


    The moment he reached it, he collapsed forward onto it. His exhausted mind finally found the rest it desperately needed.


    …


    Deon did not experience any dreams. His sleep was as heavy as the darkness of the night in an abandoned cave. He didn’t even wake up when the small-built girl with green eyes and maid attire entered before sunrise.


    The girl, named Yven, was stunned by the way her master Deon slept on the massive bed.


    Deon was lying on his stomach, his head not even on the pillow, with one leg dangling off the edge of the bed.


    ‘He must be really tired.’


    It took her a moment to steady herself before stepping quietly toward the changing room. As soon as she entered, dim yellow lights lit up the room.


    She wasn’t surprised by the clothes scattered on the floor; it had been like this for the past three months. Even though her master rarely left his room, it didn’t reflect in the number of clothes he changed into from time to time.


    Not that Yven cared… well, she did. It was her job, after all.


    She knelt on the carpeted floor, picking up the clothes and folding them with practiced precision. She glanced around the room and nodded to herself.


    She left with yesterday’s worn clothes and placed them in the wooden basket beside the door. Then grabbed the basket and reached for the door handle, but her movement stopped.


    She thought again about her master.


    He didn’t have any covers on, only his thin sleepwear.


    ‘I should put something on him…’


    Her movements froze dead. She gasped and stumbled backward, the back of her head hitting the thick wooden door.


    Hurt, Yven staggered forward again, dropping the basket she was holding and, in turn, collapsing onto the basket herself.


    Deon watched the entire scene unfold with indifferent eyes.


    He had woken up when the dim lights of the changing room lit up, but before he could fully rise from his bed, the maid—who was supposed to be his personal servant—emerged from there and walked straight past him toward the exit.


    ‘The rest was known.’


    The girl lay sprawled on the ground with a terrified expression, like a criminal on an ancient execution platform. Her eyes began to well up with tears, but she held them back.


    She was waiting for Deon to say something, to yell at her, or anything, really.


    ‘What… what should I do?’


    Meanwhile, Deon was waiting for her to get up so he could speak with her like a civilized person.


    ‘Why doesn’t she get up? Is she injured?’


    And so, the awkward silence remained.


    Deon rose from his spot on the bed, his eyes never leaving the maid who hadn’t made any effort to move, as if she had given up before even trying.


    Yven in turn was too scared to function properly.


    ‘I’m finished! This is the end for me!’


    “Are you okay?”


    Deon asked as he approached the maid, feeling slightly concerned and slightly suspicious about the whole thing.


    Yven didn’t answer. Her mind seemed incapable of processing anything. But when she noticed Deon’s footsteps approaching her, she forced herself to get up.


    ‘So, she’s fine after all.’


    That’s what Deon thought until he saw the girl stumble again over the basket beneath her.


    Yven tripped once more, this time falling awkwardly to the side.


    huff-huff—


    Deon chuckled lightly at the clumsy sight. He never thought he’d start his day like this, and the sun hadn’t even risen yet.


    Yven, embarrassed, gathered herself off the floor, her eyes betraying her as she began silently crying, her head lowered. She wasn’t crying from pain; in truth, she didn’t know why she was crying—it just happened.


    Deon stepped closer to stand above her.


    “Are you okay?”


    he repeated, placing a hand on her trembling shoulder and extending the other to help her up.


    Yven hesitated for a moment before taking the offered hand—what other choice did she have? She couldn’t refuse it.


    She took his hand, and Deon indeed helped her stand, steadily this time.


    When he was sure she wouldn’t fall again, he let go of her.


    But he noticed her tears, which she tried to hide by keeping her head down.


    “Are you… hurt?”


    he asked, sounding more concerned than angry, with a hint of guilt for laughing at her earlier.


    ‘I’m finished!’


    Despite her thoughts, Yven knew she had to say something. Deon had already asked her three times if she was okay.


    “I… I’m fine, sir… my lord… ahh! I, uh… I will be!”


    Deon looked at the nervous girl with pity. To his eyes, she was clearly distressed. Still, what right did he have to push her if she insisted she was fine?


    ‘Time will tell, anyway.’


    So, he simply stepped back, giving her a chance to breathe.


    Yven tensed with every movement Deon made. She was waiting for punishment, but her master seemed as calm as ever.


    She nervously watched him sit on the edge of the bed, looking at her.


    And she stared back, expecting something that wouldn’t come.


    “Aren’t you going to punish me… sir?”


    Her heart couldn’t handle the tension and pressure anymore, so she just asked. There wasn’t anything she could’ve done by now to avoid punishment.


    ‘And I thought I’d do a good job!’


    Deon tilted his head slightly, clearly confused.


    “Why would I punish you? Are you used to being punished? Have I punished you often?”


    The last question was asked meaningfully, as the girl seemed safe enough for him to ask an unusual question.


    Yven was stunned by the questions. But she still had to answer; after all, it was her master asking.


    “I… I made a mistake and deserve punishment. And the lord hasn’t punished me before, thanks to his kindness.”


    Deon nodded, more to himself than to the maid.


    “How many times have we met before, not counting yesterday or now?”


    He decided to ask something more serious. The girl seemed too scared to think about why he was asking.


    “I—I tried to introduce myself to the lord before. But the lord always ignored me…”


    Deon got his answer. While the previous Deon had been aware of the girl’s presence, he hadn’t known she was his personal made. Or perhaps he did but didn’t care.


    “Were you surprised I knew you were my new personal servant?”


    Yven shivered slightly at Deon’s interruption, but perhaps that was for the best.


    She had been too honest anyway.


    ‘Why is he asking me all these questions? Won’t he punish me?’


    “Yes, sir.”


    Still, Yven had no choice but to answer.


    “How long have you been my personal servant?”


    ‘Is he testing me?’


    “I started on the master’s coming-of-age day.”


    Deon looked at the girl as if he expected a different answer, so in her fear, she began blurting out information.


    “Every noble like the lord receives a personal servant after their awakening ritual, which occurs on their coming-of-age day. It’s a sign of responsibility and independence, and at this age, lords have the freedom to make their own investments—”


    The girl stopped rambling when she realized she was just spouting nonsense.


    Deon said nothing. He lowered his head in deep thought. He was slightly disappointed by the girl’s sudden silence, but he had gathered most of the information he needed.


    ‘Coming of age, in essence, was merely a form of relative freedom.’


    Feeling pity for the girl, Deon decided to finally release her from his questions, which she probably saw as the punishment she’d been asking for.


    “You’re not punished,”


    he announced without much thought.


    Yven’s eyes widened in disbelief. She just stood there, her trembling eyes threatening to cry again for some reason.


    ‘How did this girl get such a position? She’s clearly inexperienced!’


    Deon couldn’t find the words to describe what he was witnessing.


    Isn’t a personal servant supposed to be experienced? How am I the one comforting her!This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    “Don’t cry again. You said you weren’t injured… I’m not punishing you because you didn’t make a major mistake that warrants punishment. Is that clear?”


    Yven was still clearly skeptical, but once again, all she could do was…


    ‘Wait! What am I supposed to do?’


    Understanding her thoughts clearly, Deon began giving her instructions for what she should already know.


    “Why don’t you clean up the mess you made and move on to your other tasks?”


    Signs of embarrassment appeared on Yven’s face, but what hadn’t shown on her expressions by now?


    Embarrassed, she started carrying out her master’s orders without much thought. That somehow helped her avoid making any mistakes, like a professional—at last.


    She picked up the basket and walked quickly toward the door. Before leaving, Deon’s voice called her again.


    “How many hours of sleep do you need to feel rested?”


    He asked, an odd question. But before the girl could think of an answer, Deon spoke again.


    “Never mind… Anyway, if you can make me a coffee with milk at the breakfast table, that would be great.”


    Yven felt like someone pulled her out of deep water only to throw her back in, and then out again.


    So, with a head heavier than an abandoned marble slab, she simply bowed respectfully, saying the bare minimum.


    “You can count on me.”


    With that, the maid left, closing the door behind her, leaving Deon to the silence of his room.


    “Can I?”


    He whispered to the thin air.


    ‘I forgot to ask her name!’


    <hr>


    ???


    ???


    ???


    <hr>


    Mana Sense [2]


    After the embarrassed maid left, Deon refocused on himself.


    He had asked her how many hours of sleep an average person needed, but then dismissed the question, just to ensure she wouldn''t get any strange ideas.


    In truth, despite not sleeping much, Deon felt he had rested enough.


    He felt refreshed and energized.


    This wasn’t logical for someone who hadn’t slept in over 36 hours.


    “Could it be because of the mana I interacted with?”


    The thought excited Deon, and he found himself hurrying toward the gray box sitting on one of the bookshelves.


    He swiftly opened it and pulled out the blue cube with intricate black patterns.


    Closing the box lid, he returned to the comfort of his bed with the cube.


    “Let’s do this!”


    Sitting cross-legged in the center of his bed in a meditative posture, the cube rested in his hands.


    Unlike the first time, Deon felt a unique connection with the cube. The sensation was strange but not uncomfortable.


    With a single thought, Deon''s senses began to dull. Soon, he found himself once again in the mysterious space where he had previously heard the sound of heartbeats—except this time, it was silent, and his dulled senses still registered within his mind.


    But the significant change lay in the intricate three-dimensional patterns occupying much of his field of view. They weren’t larger than a two-story house but were complexly interwoven, difficult for the eyes to follow and the mind to interpret.


    Deon’s consciousness moved around the patterns, searching for a starting point.


    His connection with the blue cube instinctively guided him to what he needed to do to begin.


    As he had told Vierenna, the object before him was a puzzle—and at the same time, it was himself.


    To progress through the first tier, he had to solve this puzzle.


    But first, he needed to find the starting point.


    Deon continued circling and observing the intricate, dormant patterns before him. Every time he thought he had found something that might lead to the start, he was wrong or too far from the truth.


    Unaware of how much time had passed, Deon decided to stop observing and start acting.


    ‘If I don’t try to begin somewhere, I’ll never start!’


    He reassured himself while choosing a thin thread from the massive, complex pattern.


    Reaching it with his mind—or senses—he wasn’t sure how, but somehow, he could naturally do so, considering he didn’t have a physical form in this mysterious space.


    The faint thread lit up with a dim glow at the point Deon''s mind connected with it. From there, the white light traced the thread, illuminating it.


    Deon watched expectantly as the light reached the thread’s first branching point, which split into only two directions—one of the reasons Deon had chosen it.


    He commanded the light to follow the thread on the left, which led deeper into the patterns.


    But as the light began its journey along the new thread, it simply dissipated into nothingness. Soon, the patterns returned to their inert, static state.


    Deon wasn’t discouraged or disappointed. He restarted from the same point on the same thread.


    This time, at the branching point, he chose the thread on the right, which followed a lower path along the massive pattern.


    But again, the light evaporated into nothingness, and the patterns reverted to their dormant state.


    ‘This is going to take a long time!’


    Despite everything, Deon continued his attempts. He still believed he could find the path if he tried harder.


    In Deon’s room, time passed in relative quiet.


    But in his mind, each passing second only added to his frustration over his repeated failures.


    ‘I''m doing something wrong! But what is it?’


    His frustration began to cloud his thoughts.


    Deon had seen this coming for some time now, but he had no alternative.


    He couldn’t stop now. He just had to push forward.


    ‘But relying solely on trial and error is wrong in itself! I’m missing something!’


    Deon paused for a moment, staring at the massive, intricate pattern before him. It just sat there within his line of sight, its shapes unchanging.


    ‘I need to try something new... but what?’


    Deon had previously considered using his mana sense to speed up solving this puzzle, yet he hadn’t even found the starting point.


    If he struggled at this stage, what would he do in the future?


    ‘What do I have to lose, anyway? If nothing works, I’ll consult Vierenna later.’


    With that thought in mind, Deon willingly entered the sensory stagnation state he had experienced earlier in the backyard.


    Almost immediately, the sound of irregular heartbeats began resonating within his mind and all around him.


    ‘I was right! I can access it now with a single thought.’


    But something had changed.


    In the empty space, the intricate patterns were nowhere to be seen—only the irregular heartbeats of varying intensity.


    ‘This is strange! I thought I was the one preventing the heartbeats from being heard in the space?’


    ‘Could it be that the space with the patterns and the space with the heartbeats are entirely different?’


    ‘No, that shouldn’t be true. Both are extensions of the mind. They should be in the same place. But... maybe my subconscious is deliberately separating them?’


    Deon was almost correct. When he used his mana sense, he unintentionally severed his connection with the cube partially due to the absence of his senses.


    When he connected to the cube, his instinctive focus on his five senses ignored the existence of his mana sense.


    In short, when Deon used his mana sense, he lost his other senses. And when he regained his other senses, his mana sense faded into the background.


    ‘Should I try combining them?’


    Deon felt hesitant but quickly replaced his doubt with determination.


    As long as he had an idea, he wouldn’t ignore it.


    ‘The appearance of the heartbeat is linked to my senses vanishing. When my regular senses return, the intricate patterns appear. But maybe I can try maintaining the heartbeats while keeping my five senses active?’


    Deon went with the idea, though he had no idea how to execute it.


    With focus, he felt his connection to the cube dim to near nonexistence.


    ‘Why did this happen? And why didn’t I notice?’


    It soon became clear.


    ‘My five senses are what create the connection between me and the cube. I didn’t lose the connection—I just stopped feeling it!’


    ‘So, the patterns are still there. I just don’t perceive them.’


    Before Deon linked the cube to his mana signature, he used his five senses to establish the connection.


    Now, with his five senses “offline” due to his mana sense, the relationship between the cube and his mana signature was what allowed him to sense the cube in the absence of his primary senses.


    Deon’s plan was to reverse the process he had used to link the cube to his mana signature.


    But this time, he would use the relationship between his mana signature and the cube to reconnect his senses without losing his mana sense during the process.


    With his limited experience with the cube, Deon attempted to reconnect his five senses while focusing on the heartbeat that resonated relentlessly.


    He kept trying, but nothing changed for a while—or so he thought.


    Unaligned with the background heartbeats, a faint second set of heartbeats reached Deon’s awareness.


    At first, he mistook them for the beats resulting from his mana sense. But they were the calm, regular heartbeats of his physical body.


    ‘Hearing!’


    As his sense of hearing returned, Deon’s other senses followed suit.


    The last was his vision.


    ‘Hah!’


    Deon gasped in surprise at the sight before him.


    As he expected, the massive, intricate patterns had returned, as if they had never disappeared.


    But they were different from when he first faced them with his five senses.


    ‘I knew it! Mana sense goes deeper than it seems!’


    Now, the thin threads forming the patterns glowed with a faint gray light. From time to time, dim sparks of light flickered in different points along the glowing gray threads.


    ‘No, that’s not right!’


    From a broader perspective, the sparks didn’t appear in different points along the threads—they moved across them at a speed the eye couldn’t follow.


    In parallel with the irregular heartbeats resonating throughout the mysterious space, Deon felt his own heartbeat quicken with the excitement of his current experience.


    ‘This is what— what should be called cheating!’


    Focusing on the intricate patterns, Deon could now clearly see the starting point, the path to follow, and even the endpoint—all at once without feeling overwhelmed.


    It was as if his awareness had expanded to comprehend what the five senses shouldn’t have been able to process.


    ‘Is this mana sense?!’


    He already knew the answer and was experiencing it firsthand.


    Suddenly, Deon recalled the description of the ability Mana Sense:


    "The key to the world greatest mysteries!"


    Although Deon was satisfied with the ability as it was, the feeling that his use of it was barely scratching the surface never left his mind.


    But Deon didn’t let himself get carried away. For now, he had something to do.


    ‘I’m sure I’ll learn more when the situation demands it.’


    He looked at the patterns, focusing specifically on the starting point.


    ‘But for now, why not give this a try?’


    Without waiting another second, Deon reached the starting point with his mind, and the thread began to light up.


    This time, the glow was a vibrant blue, signifying the correctness of Deon’s chosen path.


    The blue light traveled along the thin thread, diving into the depths of the patterns. At every turn, Deon instinctively knew the correct path and followed it. Each time, his chosen direction proved to be right.


    And so, Deon officially began his magic training.


    All thanks to...


    Mana Sense.


    <hr>


    ???


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    <hr>


    Mana Sense [3]


    The first rays of sunlight crept over the distant horizon, a gradient of gold and orange.


    The colors reflected on the face of the sleeping girl, waking her slowly as if the light were inviting her back to life.


    Vierenna opened her eyes—her clear, ash-gray obsidian eyes reflected the newborn daylight. Her white hair, scattered across the pillow, resembled silk threads glowing silver under the soft sunlight.


    Gently, Vierenna extended her hands to prop herself up into a sitting position, stretching to shake off the remnants of sleep.


    But before her mind regained full clarity, a surge of raw mana registered in her senses. It came directly from the floor below her room.


    ‘Deon''s room?!’


    She had an idea of what was happening, but her body was already moving toward Deon''s room downstairs to confirm it with her own eyes and intervene if necessary.


    With every step she took closer to his room, her theory solidified.


    Although the mana was raw, it was under control.


    ‘Could it be that he’s reached the first step in this short time? It took me about four days!’


    Vierenna opened Deon''s door and was surprised—pleasantly surprised—by what she saw.


    “Look at this! My baby brother has learned how to use his legs on his own.”


    Of course, she spoke softly so as not to disturb him.


    Despite her teasing, her happy smile didn’t betrayed her pride and joy.


    She closed the door and approached his cross-legged figure on the bed for a closer look.


    The blue cube rested in his hands, its black patterns slowly transforming into blue, forming intricate and varied pathways. However, the blue patterns were only just beginning to progress.


    ‘He’s just started! Impressive!’


    Satisfied with the situation’s stability and safety, Vierenna climbed onto the bed and lay on her stomach in front of Deon, who hadn’t moved.


    She could skip her morning training for today.


    Lazily, Vierenna stretched her body and buried her face in the damp blanket.


    ‘So soft!’


    ...


    After nearly half an hour, the raw mana surrounding Deon began to recede, and slowly, he opened his eyes.


    Initially, he was startled by Vierenna’s form, lying on her stomach in front of him and gazing at him with a bright smile.


    But he quickly recovered; he was starting to get used to her strange antics.


    “Good morning, baby brother,”


    she greeted him as she adjusted her nightwear to cover herself while sitting upright across from him in the same position.


    “Good morning to you too,” he replied.


    “Well, it’s truly impressive that you’ve begun introducing your body to mana so quickly. I’m proud of you.”


    Vierenna''s words were genuine, and she expressed them with both her words and her demeanor.


    Deon was aware that his achievement with the cube was unusual, but he couldn’t stop himself from appearing nonchalant.


    If he had the capability, Deon would exploit it without hesitation.


    “How long did it take you? And what’s the average time for a normal person to achieve what I did?”


    he asked, wanting to gauge his achievement compared to others.


    Vierenna seemed almost upset by his question.


    She responded with exaggerated frustration in her body language.


    “Ahh… so quickly, arrogance has gone to your head. Siblings shouldn’t compare themselves… And here I thought… mm... mm... mmm…”


    Deon grabbed Vierenna and covered her mouth. She’d never stop chattering if he let her.


    “I just want to understand how I compare to others. I’m calm and won’t become arrogant this early,” he said.


    Though Vierenna playfully resisted his gentle hold, she didn’t truly fight back. If this had been a real fight, he would’ve turned to icy dust in mere moments. He knew how strong she was.


    When he released her mouth, she sat back slightly, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and bemusement.


    “You… You’re so bosing and domineering... If you keep this up, I might even stop calling you baby brother.”


    She tilted her head toward her chest, placing a hand over it.


    “You even made my heart skip a beat. What will you do next?”


    Oh, no!’


    But it was already too late...


    ‘No, it’s never too late…!’


    Before she could say more, Deon grabbed her again and covered her mouth even tighter than before.


    This time, Vierenna was genuinely shocked. She didn’t even pretend to resist. She simply stared at Deon’s serious, worried expression as if silencing her was a national duty.


    “Don’t make it weird. Not like that!”


    ‘Not like that?’


    Vierenna was confused by Deon’s words, but when she considered her position, her attire, and what she was about to say just to see her baby brother’s embarrassed expression, she understood his point.


    ‘Maybe… I went a bit too far?’


    She grabbed Deon’s hands to signal him to release her, which he did upon noticing her calm gaze.


    Vierenna immediately observed her baby brother’s expression relax. Still, she felt like something was missing.


    ‘But what?’


    She didn’t have to think long to find the answer. Slowly and steadily, her smile widened as Deon’s expression crumbled before her.


    ‘No, I have to say something. This isn’t me!’


    Before Deon could reach her to silence her again, she managed to voice her thoughts.


    “You’re at that age already… It’s natural to feel strange when you touch—mm... mm... mm…”


    :How refreshing!’


    Although Vierenna didn’t finish her comment, she felt accomplished.


    ‘I’ll let his mind fill in the gaps. But how far will his imagination go? I hope not too far… Oh, no!’


    She raised her hands to block the pillow that smacked directly into her face. The intent was clear—suffocation.


    ‘Maybe his imagination is a little too active?!’


    Vierenna managed to slip away from his grasp, darting off the bed.


    “Calm down, baby brother… As long as I call you baby brother, you haven’t ascended to the rank you’re thinking of in your mind right now.”


    Deon didn’t respond. He simply watched her with disappointment from his seat on the bed.


    ‘Why is he so disappointed? Did I overdo it?’


    SIGH


    Vierenna sighed in defeat and returned to sit on the edge of the bed.


    “It took me four days, with guidance from Mother. You did it in less than a day, which is an extraordinary and rare talent. For a normal noble with high talent, it might take about a month at least. As for commoners, it usually takes three to six months, which is one reason they’re always behind in the academy.”


    This was Vierenna’s way of reconciling with Deon and easing his anger toward her.


    It seemed to work.


    “It wasn’t that hard, was it?”


    Deon asked with a small smile.


    ‘It, very much, was.’


    Vierenna didn’t say that. She didn’t like it when Deon was angry at her, so she refrained from provoking him further. Maybe next time.


    “I have a few more questions,” Deon said.


    “If you can’t ask your kind big sis, who will you ask?”


    He gave her an odd look but asked his questions anyway.


    “This morning, I woke up unusually early. Normally, I’d be too tired to even move at that time, but all I felt was energy and refreshment. Could that have something to do with the cube and my connection to it?”


    “Oh, that?”


    “I can explain that to my baby brother. First, you don’t connect with the cube; your mana signature does. And the cube, while impressive, isn’t something that would make you feel as refreshed as you described. Mana does that.”


    “This hasn’t happened to you before because your body hadn’t yet made any attempts to communicate with or use the mana awakened within you during your awakening ritual.”


    “The cube is just like a book teaching you how to use mana. So when you linked it to your mana signature yesterday, you took the first step in introducing your body to mana.”


    “Now your body recognizes and acknowledges the mana within it. One of mana’s benefits is accelerated healing compared to normal people. That’s why you feel energized and refreshed. Mana even enhances intelligence and memory as you progress. Body specialists experience significant improvement in all bodily functions.”


    Vierenna observed her brother’s contemplative expression. Although all these basics would be explained at the academy, she enjoyed playing the role of teacher and was good at it.


    “What is mana?”


    Vierenna was caught off guard by the unusual question.


    ‘What is mana?’


    She had never thought to ask such a question herself, simply accepting it as a natural part of her reality.


    Of course, the academy would cover this topic, and she could give Deon a summary of what she’d learned in her first year. Still, Vierenna felt curious about why her brother would ask such a question.


    “Mana is a persistent energy that spreads throughout the world. It has a tremendous capacity to adapt and change… Why are you curious about such a topic? You’re supposed to already know!”


    Once again, Deon’s expression turned thoughtful. After a moment of silence, he answered her question.


    “I just thought about it and felt that mana is unfair, that’s all.”


    ‘Unfair? True… in a way! But how does someone even ask such a question? And why?’


    Vierina''s curiosity grew, but she quickly dismissed it. Her brother had always asked the strangest questions, so what''s the different now?


    She got up from the bed and picked up the cube that had rolled off during their wrestling.


    The shape of the cube hadn''t changed much, only the blue patterns that had started to replace the black ones. Even so, her younger brother still had some time to go before making real progress.


    “Good work for one session. You might finish about 75% of it before it''s time to go to the academy. I''m proud of you, little brother,”


    she said as she placed the cube back in his hands.


    “I''m heading back to my room to change now. You should rest a bit until breakfast. Your body needs to replenish the mana you used during training.”


    Deon nodded, his gaze fixed on the blue lines on the cube as if seeing them for the first time.


    Vierina left him to his thoughts and headed toward the door.


    She opened it. yet before leaving, she called back to him.


    “baby brother…”


    A wide, unsettling smile spread across her face.


    “Don’t have any devious thoughts, okay?”


    With that, she quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.


    Left alone in the room, Deon stared at the door, his expression blank.


    ‘And here I thought I was capable of handling her.’


    ‘She''s a force of nature, a truly devious force.’