Chapter 6: Mana Awakening — Part 1

After meeting Chuck, Nor left the guild and decided to take a short walk through the city.

It was already evening.

Dancers and singers performed in the streets, while laughter could be heard from every direction.

As Nor passed by the food stalls, his mouth started watering on its own.

But he quickly came back to his senses when he remembered that he only had eighty copper coins left.

What an idiot I am…

I should've offered one gold coin first, not two right away! he thought, rubbing his forehead.

After walking through almost the entire city, Nor eventually reached the port.

He approached the railing, leaned against it, and began staring out at the endless sea.

It was not called that for no reason.

No one had ever managed to sail to its end.

Most of those who tried either died or returned with horrifying stories about the creatures that lived in its depths.

It's time to go back to the inn… Nor thought as he watched the sun slowly sink beyond the horizon.

When he returned to the inn, he was so excited for the next morning that he spent several more hours simply looking back and forth between his status window and the ceiling, smiling from ear to ear.

Nor woke up at seven in the morning.

He quickly got ready and headed toward the guild.

When he arrived at the meeting place, he stopped near the entrance and began waiting for Chuck.

— He should be here soon… — Nor muttered.

— I'm already here.

The voice came from his right.

Nor flinched and quickly turned his head.

Chuck was standing beside him, as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

— Alright, let's go, — Chuck said calmly, showing him the way.

Nor silently followed after him, still wearing a shocked expression.

They walked around the guild building and arrived at a clearing about half the size of a football field.

— We'll start here. This is our sparring field, — Chuck said.

Hearing that, Nor looked around.

A sparring field?.. Then why is everything so flat?

And indeed, there wasn't a single hole in the ground.

Not even one mark from an attack.

— It's enchanted, — Chuck said, noticing the look on Nor's face.

Then he stomped his foot against the ground.

Crack.

The earth beneath his foot split apart, and a crack spread several meters across the field.

But only a few seconds later, the ground began repairing itself.

Seeing Nor's surprised expression, Chuck added:

— Our captain has good connections.

Nor silently stared at the restored ground.

— Alright, let's start with theory, — Chuck said. — In principle, it's fairly simple. Mana exists in everything. But you can't see it or touch it. The only thing you can do is feel it.

— To do that, you need to completely relax and empty your mind. Sit down, adjust your breathing, and calm your thoughts. Then you'll be able to feel mana. After that, you'll start drawing it into yourself. But since you're a beginner, your body will fill up quickly.

Nor sat down on the grass, trying to follow everything Chuck said.

— How will I know how to draw it in? — he asked.

— Instinctively, — Chuck answered calmly. — It's like breathing.

— I see…

Chuck fell silent and simply watched him.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Then thirty.

But Nor still couldn't feel anything.

And then, suddenly, everything changed.

It felt as if he had been submerged deep underwater.

But he wasn't suffocating.

On the contrary.

It was a strange sensation.

As if he hadn't drunk anything for weeks…

Nor unconsciously began drawing mana into himself, trying to fill the emptiness inside him.

At first, the mana around him vanished within a radius of ten meters.

Then a hundred.

Then a kilometer.

Then tens of kilometers.

Hundreds.

And even after thousands of kilometers, mana continued to pour into his body.

One minute earlier.

What exactly is this boy?.. Chuck thought as he looked at Nor.

At that moment, he remembered his conversation with Orlan from the previous day.

After meeting Nor, Chuck went to Orlan's office.

Or rather…

He flew in.

— Hey! What's with that boy?! Why did you tell me to help him?! Do you think I have nothing better to do?!

Chuck kicked the door open and shouted right in Orlan's face.

Orlan raised his eyes to him.

Then he slowly stood up from his chair, walked over to the window, and placed his hands behind his back.

— Do you remember how the captain threw me through the doors yesterday?

— Standing by the window with your hands behind your back doesn't make you look cool.

— You think so?

— I'm sure of it.

Orlan remained silent for a moment, then sighed.

— Fine. Anyway, she threw me into the doors. And I clearly remember hitting something extremely solid with my back… only after that did I fly into the building.

— And?

— Then look at this.

Orlan lifted his shirt, revealing a massive black bruise stretching across almost his entire back.

Chuck's eyes widened.

He understood perfectly well.

A Lord couldn't receive an injury like that from simply crashing into a wall.

— I don't know, — Orlan said, lowering his shirt. — Maybe I'm wrong. He isn't even awakened… at least, I couldn't feel any mana from him. But just in case, I want you to keep an eye on him.