Luckily for me, Rash was well-informed about most of the things I was curious about. Just like when he explained the topic of Beasts, he went through everything he knew about the Path of Mana.
At first, he looked confused by my question.
It seemed as if he had a lot to say—more than he actually voiced—but in the end, he decided to explain everything from the beginning.
To him, I must have looked like some disciple who had grown up on a lonely mountain, far away from civilization.
Still, he told me everything, and with that, my understanding of this world widened once again.
First of all—
Information about the Path of Mana is as basic as knowing how to walk or run.
Every member of the humanoid races knows about it.
Every one of them is born with a dormant mana core.
And every one of them walks the Path of Mana.
It isn't like the stories from Earth, where only the chosen few can wield mana.
Here, everyone can.
From beggar to noble.
No exceptions.
Of course, that doesn't mean everyone becomes powerful. Just like everything else in life, there is a difference in talent—a disparity that ultimately decides how far someone can climb.
But more about that later.
First come the basics.
The Path of Mana consists of six stages. And those six stages are divided into two parts.
Awakening and Adaption.
Awakening is the first part and consists of three stages.
Dormant — The Core Creation
Flowing — Awakening
Condensed — True Awakening
Each stage also carries a title with which people can identify themselves.
Dormant has no title, since everyone is born in this stage.
Those who reach the second stage are called Awakened, and those who reach the third stage become True Awakened.
This entire first half of the Path of Mana focuses on awakening the mana core itself. It is mostly an internal process.
Advancing through these stages happens naturally. Simply breathing mana over time is enough. In theory, if I were to sit still for a few years and do nothing at all, I would eventually reach the next stage.
But training and talent can partially speed up this process.
Talent doesn't mean someone is better at controlling mana. It simply means their body absorbs mana more efficiently than others. Some people have physiques that receive mana faster than others.
That is all.
The process itself is rather straightforward.
Now comes the second part of the Path of Mana.
Adaption.
Just like Awakening, it also has three stages.
Strengthening — The body adapts to mana
Affinity Manifestation — Mana adapts to the body
Fusion — Body and mana union
Stage four is called Strengthening.
People who reach it are still considered True Awakened, which initially sounded strange to me.
But the reason is simple.
There is very little difference between Stage Three and Stage Four.
Reaching the Strengthening stage usually happens either through chance or through training under a teacher. Unlike the transition to Condensed, nothing dramatic occurs. Most people discover it by accident.
For example: While training, someone might try to push mana into their arm. Instead of remaining internal, the mana suddenly spreads outward, covering not only the arm but also the weapon.
That moment reveals the advancement to stage four.
The ability to envelop objects with mana.
At first, it sounded impressive. But in reality, it isn't as great as one might imagine.
I need to say that the mana in this world does not function the way it does in the novels or anime from Earth.
Just because someone has a core and can envelop a weapon doesn't mean every sword swing releases a crescent wave of mana that cuts enemies apart.
No.
Mana works differently.
Less dramatic, but more realistic.
Before reaching this stage, mana can only be used internally. To strengthen your body and enhance muscles. Then, after reaching Stage Four, mana can finally be used externally.
I found it strange that external use only becomes possible at this point. So I asked Rash about it.
He couldn't explain why. To him, it was simply normal.
My own guess was that the body first needs to develop enough resistance to mana before safely releasing it outside. Otherwise, the mana would damage the user. But that is only my assumption.
So you can use mana externally to envelope objects, but that lets call it power isn't omnipotent.
There are clear limitations.
You can only infuse mana into objects you are physically touching.
A sword.
A spear.
A shield.
Your clothes.
Anything that is in contact with your skin.
When enveloped with mana, a weapon functions similarly to an enhanced arm.
Its durability increases.
Even its sharpness improves.
At the beginning, this ability is limited to objects directly in contact with the user. But with practice, people can also infuse projectiles.
Arrows and throwing knives, for example.
However, even that has limitations.
The moment an object leaves your hand, you can no longer infuse mana into it, and the mana inside it slowly weakens before it disperses.
But external mana usage is not the only thing that happens during this stage.
The stage is called Strengthening for a reason.
The body itself undergoes a transformation. This process actually begins the moment your core awakens, and the first mana flows through your body. But during Stage Four, it reaches its peak.
The strengthening does not happen magically. It occurs through the mana constantly flowing through the body.
This process is called Leaking.
The mana that flows through your body and pathways leaks into the surrounding muscles, bones, skin, nerves, organs, and flesh. Your body isn't used to this new energy and, in return, becomes damaged. They tear, split, or receive cracks. Then the damaged parts of your body heal and become slightly stronger and more resistant than before.
This entire process of leaking, damaging, and healing then repeats itself multiple times as you progress through the stages.
In a way, it resembles muscle growth.
When someone trains, their muscles develop microscopic tears. As the body repairs them, the muscles grow stronger.
Strengthening works the same way.
Except that it affects the entire body and not just one muscle.
This process happens naturally every time mana is used. The more mana someone uses, the faster the body strengthens itself. Eventually, the body reaches a state where mana no longer damages it.
Normally, reaching that point takes about a year, but intense training can shorten that time.
And then comes Stage Five.
To be honest—
From everything I heard, this stage interested me the most.
Affinity Manifestation.