Chapter 20: Levi’s Mana ring

I just did magic!

The thought floated around my head till it became a resounding chant that threatened to drown my mind.

Growwllll!

A loud growl to my right brought me back to my senses and I looked to see there was one beast monster left, a purple coloured fox.

I got up to my feet very quickly and grabbed my fallen knife. I walked towards the fox with purpose, it seemed to have sensed my cool demeanor and it's countenance changed, it stopped growling and started snarling in a scared voice.

Snarlll!

I didn't care though, I didn't care if it was scared or not, I didn't care about anything, all I knew was that it was a prey and it was mine. My prey.

I stalled till I got to the fox, my presence seemed to have paralyzing effect on it and it stopped moving completely. It didn't move as got close to it, it didn't move as I reached one long arm out and grabbed its neck, it didn't move as I yanked it up, it didn't move as I drove my knife into its side.

Only when the blood dribbled out, first in drops then in a steady current, did the purple fox begin to howl and struggle to escape.

Howwwlll!

I let go of it and watched as it ran for the gate as if escaping the farm would somehow spare it from the ugly fate of death.

It managed to reach the gate, then it collapsed and lay still. When that happened, all the carcasses of the beast monsters began to dissipate into the air and soon, they were completely gone and the farm was as brand new as if it never got invaded.

[Quest completed]

I looked at Emily who had gotten up and was limping towards me, she had an arm around her shoulder and cradled it gingerly. seaʀᴄh thё Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"How is your arm.." I started to say but she waved me away.

"Did you just do magic?" She asked and glanced at my palms as if she could read them and get the answer to her question.

"I think so". I replied honestly, I was aware wind came out of my palm but it could just as easily been a fluke, after all I needed to kill more beasts to build my mana level.

A thought occurred to me, what if in my frenzy I had killed the 22 beast monsters necessary to become a one star mage?

"Show me my profile". I said aloud, ignoring the questioning look Emily gave me.

The system blinked to life.

[Here's your profile]

[Name: Levi]

[Level: 2]

[Title: Farmboy, Beast Slayer]

[Strength: 30]

[Intelligence: 20]

[Stamina: 20]

[Speed: 30]

[Mana: 310]

[Element: Air]

[Lust points: 170]

I studied the screen carefully and blinked when I saw my mana points, I now had enough mana to become a level one mage!

Somehow in my killing frenzy I had killed over 20 beast monsters, the thought was chilling, I already knew the system planned to use me as an instrument of destruction but realizing how easy it was for me to let go and become a mindless murder machine was a truly scary thought.

"It is magic". I said gravely to Emily. "But I don't know how I did it, I was never able to do it until now".

It wasn't a lie, at least it wasn't a complete lie.

Emily nodded. "I understand, it was like that for me too".

"It was?" I asked dumbfounded.

"Yes". Emily said. "I'll teach you how to feel the mana inside you".

"Okay". I said and listened intently.

"Tell me, when you think of mana, what do you picture?" She asked.

"I dunno". I replied. "I kind of picture a flowing river in my gut".

Emily laughed at that. "That's truly imaginative, but it's wrong. Mana takes the form of a ring".

"A ring?" I repeated.

"Yes, a ring". She said and smiled. "It wraps around your heart, now close your eyes and try to feel your heart, do you feel any ring of energy around it".

I found the whole thing absurd but I closed my eyes, took a deep inhale and let the air whoosh out of my lungs.

Whoooshh!

Then I concentrated on my chest, in the center of the chest, there was a compartment known as the mediastinum, I focused on this compartment intently until I could feel my heart beating regularly, each beat sending blood throughout my body.

I focused on the heartbeat and tried to feel any trace of energy near it, then I felt it. The trum of energy so pure it made me want to recoil and weep with joy, it was like a thin band of energy that surrounded my heart, feeding into it and feeding from it.

"I can feel it". I breathed.

"Good, now open your eyes". Emily said.

I did as she said reluctantly, I wasn't ready to leave the pure energy yet.

Emily smiled when she saw this. "Right now you have one ring of mana because you're a one star mage. Someone at the two star level would have two rings and someone at the three star level would have three rings".

"So that means the number of rings correspond with what level of mage you are". I said.

"Correct". She replied.

Emily looked up at the brightened sky, it was fully morning now.

"I need to get going". She said. "I have to visit the healer before I go to the academy". She turned to leave.

"Wait!" I said hastily. "The academy, how does it work?"

Emily looked at me with a pained expression on her face. "Even if I told you all about it, it wouldn't matter right now". She said.

"Why?" I asked.

"It won't matter because the academy is not recruiting student right now, the window of admission has elapsed".

"Oh". I said dejectedly.

"However, you have great potential and it shouldn't go to waste just because you discovered it late". Emily continued.

I looked up at her in confusion.

"I'll train you everyday after school". She said. "Sure we have different elements so I won't be able to teach you specialized techniques but the general teaching will be helpful too".

"Yes it will". I agreed excitedly, after all, half bread was better than none.

"Okay then". She replied and started her journey back hime