Chapter 58: Burning Hot

Liquid mana is the stage at which the mana particle gets squished together and all the mana becomes a sea of the particles composite parts, whatever those are. There is certainly something in the sea of mana stuff. The fluctuating MM force and empowering fields indicate that stuff has something to do with that. Sometimes the MM fields get so strong I could almost see them. In order to know more, I would need to study liquid mana of mixed elemental mana, not just one type.

My core, on the other hand, is all about how mana comes into existence and its storage, there are two parts of it, the mana well which produces the mana, and the mana reservoir the walls or membrane that hold my mana reserves. The mana well produces mana in a very inefficient process, normally, half of the mana we generate are waste elemental and essence mana. This can be influenced through intense emotion, a tendency just for some reason your core produces more of a mana type, an affinity such as my affinity to beauty magic, or through focus. Skills and magic also affect mana generation as evident by my [Summoner's Core] skill.

Surrounding the mana well, the star in my core, is my mana reservoir. Through it, I can control how much I hold and how much I can intentionally dump out, something the guardian had done to train my [Mana Toxicity Tolerance].

Ting! Sense Mana has obtained level 245->252!

I have it now, let’s see how my evolution improved.

Two Tailed Runalymo Sage:(Major) (heirloom)Requirements: Two Tailed Runalymo, Have bond at level 200 before age 10, Have Sense Mana at level 200 before age 10, Have bond at level 250 or more before the age of 15, Have 20 or more breakthroughs in Sense Mana before the age of 10, Have 25 or more breakthroughs in Sense Mana before the age of 15, Have Mana Toxicity Tolerance over 100, Have over 10 breakthroughs of Mana Toxicity Tolerance, Have Mana Toxicity Tolerance maxed, Have Twin Minds at level 50 or more, Have five or more breakthroughs in Twin Minds, Have taught over a hundred people a high tier general skill, Have spread knowledge of Sense Mana to the Runalymo people, Have spread knowledge on how to improve enchanting, Have invented Spell Crystals for your society, have improved Spell Crystal design, Have invented Bond Crystals, Have invented Airships, Have improved Airship design, Have the knowledge of another realm, Have been taught by Safyr The Guardian of the East Nexus, Have learned from an ancient ancestor, Have learned of lost history, Marked by Venaro the Great Spirit of Knowledge, Age of 10 or higher.

A scholar, a scientist, and inventor, this Runalymo revels in discovery, her ability to learn and memorize is second to none. This Runalymo can more easily spread knowledge of her discoveries and teach others. This Runalymo will seek out ancient knowledge and learn from ancient and powerful beings. This Runalymo's many inventions have already helped her people and will continue to do so, marking her race's place in the world's history.

Note: As the progenitor of an heirloom race the merged skill will continue to level and achieve breakthroughs normally. Take your race to ever greater heights, or burn to ashes trying.

If only I could just wait and improve. I could get my Bond to three hundred maybe even four hundred before the age of fifteen, such a gain would easily have me at the grand tier but if I wait any longer this path could be corrupted. This is super difficult to do, It's really hard to progress further despite knowing it could be way better if the time allows for it.

I move to walk into the temple but as I pass by the liquid mana I had a sudden realization. If the mana on top of it has solidified, can't we just take some to forge later? I watch as the fire mana interacts with the air and produces flames.

Does fire mana actually contain any heat? Or does it cause materials to get hotter? Fire silk never feels cold but it does feel toasty or does it heat the air and it's that we feel? Fire silk has never burned me or anyone I know. Could it be possible to swim in liquid fire mana?

If anything it's a [Mana Toxicity Tolerance] breakthrough.

The worse thing that could happen is I badly burn my hand and just heal it.

I weave a sleeve of ice mana to keep the hot air from burning me, I tentatively touch the solid fire mana with a bare finger. I focus on keeping specifically fire mana out of my body. I recoiled my hand as searing pain enveloped my finger, it felt as if my skin is being melted!

Ting! Pain Tolerance has met the requirements for a breakthrough. Pain Tolerance will now continue leveling past level 30!

3rd Breakthrough: You've suffered third degree burns, this will help you tolerate such pain again.

Ting! Pain Tolerance has obtained level 20!…Ting! Pain Tolerance has obtained level 22!

Ting! Mana Toxicity Tolerance has met the requirements for a breakthrough. Mana Toxicity Tolerance will now continue leveling past level 110!

11th Breakthrough: You've resisted a specific elemental mana, this will help you resist sources of an elemental mana.

Ting! Mana Toxicity Tolerance has obtained level 111->112!

Real fucking smart, Aly, stick your hand in fire why don’t you!

I healed my finger with my Bond and a spell.

Still, I gained breakthroughs, so I was doing something right, just that it was way too much mana. The Guardian said that my body can only hold so much mana so if I fill it up then use my new breakthrough with my state of focus I should be able to stop the fire mana from burning me.

Filling my body up with as much mana I could I reach into the flames again and touch the solid metal again. It felt hot to the touch, almost unbearably so but it didn't burn me this time. I use a string of ice mana to cut a piece off and store it in my storage ring, maintaining my state of focus with my second mind.

I train my new [Mana Toxcitity Tolerance] breakthrough feeling the unbearable heat slowly fade. I then cut off a large piece of solid metal holding it in my hand. The air around it burst into flames. The large piece of solid metal felt more like a stone or raw ore, perhaps if properly forged it can be much stronger?

I store the large piece and cut a hole to the liquid mana below. It is ten times denser than the solid, perhaps there's another breakthrough for [Mana Toxicity Tolerance]? I store the excess mana and slowly dip my finger into the liquid mana below. The mana squeezed its way into my body, exceeding the natural limit. It felt like worms crawling under my skin and it is unbearably hot but again I am unburnt, maybe being slowly cooked alive but not being burned.

The worse sensation is not the heat it's the feeling of my body exceeding its mana limit. I can't be hurt by the mana toxicity anymore so the pressure just keeps increasing as is the heat. I take my hand out of the liquid mana with a hiss and wave my hand trying to cool it. Mana escapes me as I pushed it out to reduce the heat as quickly as I could.

Ting! Mana Toxicity Tolerance has met the requirements for a breakthrough and continue leveling past level 120->130!

12th Breakthrough: You've exceeded your body's mana capacity, this will help you store more mana.13th Breakthrough: You've partially or fully submerged in liquid mana, this will help you resist vast quantities of mana

Ting! Mana Toxicity Tolerance has obtained level 113->127!

I see, not only was I exceeding my natural capacity but my capacity was growing as well which let more mana in. Getting these to the max would hopefully let me take a bath in liquid mana.

Where else would I get this chance? What other opportunity is there? Think about it, I would literally be able to bathe in mana! I could see that being accounted for in my next evolution, it is already taking mana toxicity into account.

I continue training, slowly holding more mana, lasting longer and longer in the liquid mana. I have to constantly remove solid mana forming on top of the liquid mana but it's something I could do.

Ting! Mana Toxicity Tolerance has obtained level 128->139!

In order to get the last level looks like I would actually need to submerge myself in the mana. It was taking more and more of me in the liquid mana level my thirteenth breakthrough, By now I am standing waist-deep in the mana with a sheet of ice mana over me to prevent me from being burned from the hot air. I took a moment to resolve myself and slipped under the liquid mana.

Ting! Mana Toxicity Tolerance has obtained level 140!

I am actually swimming in liquid mana! There's no way I am sane for considering this.

Who in their right mind would even think of doing this? Who in their right mind would actually do this?

It had hurt, but not too much, it was very uncomfortable and the sensation of worms crawling in my skin was disgusting but that's all gone now. I don't even have buoyancy so it just feels like I am sitting in normal air.

I got out of the mana before it solidifies over and traps me there. I go into the temple, Dad is still studying the Likeness.

"You're trying to study something far above your current level, you don't have the right breakthroughs yet. Focus on leveling up and one day you'll be able to understand. I'm at two hundred fifty and it's still complicated for me" I say.

Dad sighs. "You're right. I thought I could make one, successfully do the Analysha but I am not yet ready for it. I don't even know what material is used in this"

"It's pure solidified mana but it's made in a complicated structure. You'll need some sort of mana forging skill to even come close to what you need to do."

"You're right I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s go home"

"Wait, we still have some time I am really close to getting my Bond to two hundred fifty. We can go into the dungeon and I can kill some monsters."

"No, it's too dangerous without the fighters" Dad stood resolute.

"We can just stay at the entrance then, aren't you at least curious at what it's like? If any monsters come after us we'll see them and we can just quickly run out" I argue, turning on my charm from [Acting] "Plus there are no monsters above one hundred anywhere near the entrance"

Dad thought for a long time.

"Alright, but we do not move more than five steps away from the entrance."

I smile gleefully. "I won’t!" The dens are both in my fairy range, and someone called for artillery bombardment!

Stepping through the dungeon entrance I give Dad a fire silk blanket. Then I summon three clones, one with my perception attached and being piloted by my second mind. Next, I began summoning an army of fairies and move the clones through the dungeon forest.

"See, I'm not moving away from the entrance, I am perfectly safe!" I gloat and raise earthen walls around us for more security.

Dad simply gave me an accusing look.

Once my clones got to the Arachnoid den I sent them in. Blasting every monster in my path. My first target is one of the level two hundred mini bosses. There are hundreds of monsters in between me and it but all became fodder for me, even giving me two level ups in my bond. The extra level was probably because of the way I am using my bond skills. Using my clones and familiars as a substitute for me and as portable points for which to materialize my spells.

My clone group tracked down the first mini boss, a large hairless Arachnoid. There's probably more to it like patterned colors to show its venomous nature but such details are lost to me.

I spread my small army out to surround the beast and with [Beauty Enchancement] [Fairy Empowerment] and [Fairy Explosion] I supercharge a fairy. Then another, and then a third. As the mini boss is distracted by my dwindling numbers of fairies the three supercharged fairies latched onto the miniboss's legs. I sent a dose of fairy explosion to overcharge them and trigger their explosion early.

Surprisingly the monster survived! Just over a third of its vitality is gone and it struggled to stand on its remaining legs but it actually survived! However, with it weakened so much it only took two more rounds of supercharged fairies to finish the job.

Ting! Your Bond has obtained level 243->253!

Ting! Your Class, Fairy Summoner has obtained level 92! 15 status points awarded.…Ting! Your Class, Fairy Summoner has obtained level 103! 15 status points awarded.

That was easy enough. Maybe I can even take on the level three hundred boss, that should be worth a crazy amount of levels.

I rest a little bit to recover my mana some and built up my army of fairies again, all empowered to the max. This time the second mini boss I'll hit it with as much as I can all at once, take it out in one go.

Entering the mini boss room I already have my fairies prepared. They rush forward as the Arachnoid raised its legs in a challenge and with an explosion that rocked the cave and somehow didn't cause a collapse the second mini boss decorated the room with tiny bits and pieces of guts and chitin.

Ting! Your Bond has obtained level 254->258!

Ting! Your Class, Fairy Summoner has obtained level 104! 15 status points awarded.…Ting! Your Class, Fairy Summoner has obtained level 110! 15 status points awarded.

I got a significant decrease in the experience from this one. Maybe I should have heeded the Guardian's advice and dropped a few skills to prevent me from leveling past one hundred. However, I would have had to drop [Summoners Core] and lose a ton of progress and breakthroughs on it, even if I kept the knowledge levels. The only other choices were to drop [Fairy Explosion] or [Fairy Empowerment] but I can't do that as those are letting me kill these powerful monsters.

As I began to move my clones again I hear a thud and the creaking of trees nearby. I quickly scout out the area with my perception only to find a massive treant moving toward the dungeon entrance.

Razor Leaf Treant (Grand) Iron Bark (Grand)

That's not good, I can't take that especially when it's so close.

"What's that?" Dad asks.

"The reason why we are staying so close to the entrance, we should probably leave now" I take Dad's hand and pull us through the dungeon entrance.

Did the dungeon not like me cheating its dens?