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Chapter 83 - The First Construct (Patreon)

Published:
2023-05-21 12:31:43
Imported:
2023-06

Content

First, I forcefully take control of my mana, straining my brain to do so. But I already know what to do. I tried it on the man who wanted to kill me; I also tested it on so many monsters. I gave it a lot of thought and testing. So, it's time to do it for real.

I take a wisp of my mana and use it to etch the construct inside my body. Then I add more and more skills to do it.

I use [Mana Manipulation]

I use a super weak version of [Oscillation]

Then, [Mana Surge] fires up, boosting my [Mana Manipulation] as I am creating the construct.

It's not exactly like Sophie's; it has similarities to my trait, and mana circuit as well.

While doing so, the world outside of my mind becomes distant thanks to my deep [Focus] and I feel a few more stabs at my body, the monster delivering the poison again.

But I ignore it, and I ignore the mana that starts tearing through my body as I have to focus on creating the construct.

Every fiber of my being screams against the onslaught of mana, yet I grit my teeth and endure. I've always known that this would be no easy task. It feels like a maelstrom is raging inside me, wreaking havoc on my internal organs and threatening to consume me. The raw, wild energy of mana refuses to be tamed.

Yet as the world around me fades into the background and my existence narrows down to this singular task, there's sense of calm that permeates my consciousness. Like the eye of a storm, calm amidst the chaos. The sensation is surreal, like I'm observing myself from outside, detached from the pain. The harshness of my environment, the cold stones under my battered body, cold air, it all become secondary, put to the back of my mind.

I can almost visualize the intricate patterns of the construct, its complexity resonating with the very essence of my being. The inelegant yet beautiful pathways. In the end its not only about surviving and taming my raging mana, its about creating something new. Something mine. I'm just pulling strings of energy, shaping it, crafting it. It's a task that pushes me to my limits, a constant struggle against the raw, untamed force that is mana.

My arm twists and cracks, blood starts flowing from my nose and ears, one of my ribs breaks, and bruises start appearing all over my body. But I do not let it bother me. I continue to focus and slowly, carefully etch the pathways for the construct on my bones, connecting them to my circuit as well.

The construct slowly comes into existence and I make it stronger and more resistant against skills such as [Disruption]. I cover it in my mana, I hide it under my circuit.

My ears ring and I feel lightheaded. The pain of creating the construct is even worse than the pain of my body being ravaged by my own mana. It takes a lot of time - it feels like days, but in the end, I succeed.

A notification lights up. My first construct is as simple as this - the maximum I can do right now.

Congratulations, you have created your first Construct. The name will be kept as such and it will be shown in the status under active skills and over passive skills. Well done!

You have acquired Reinforcement (Construct)

The versatile enhancement that uses mana to bolster the user's physical, and mental abilities. By infusing specific aspects of their being with mana, it can improve strength, agility, defenses and mental resilience, providing overall support and stability for the user

Immediately, I feel the pressure of my mana lessen, and quite a bit of the amount starts flowing inside the construct and through the pathways I created. I feel my body strengthening up, almost the same amount as when I'm strengthening it actively.

The efficiency is not that good and it's wasting a lot of mana, and it's running the entire time instead of how I liked to use it - by sending pulses of mana through my body to strengthen the parts I wanted.

But it's a start. I am sure I can improve it in the future.

I like that it's boosting multiple things.

Physically, thanks to my experience with boosting my body.

Mentally, thanks to my [Focus] and the fact that I wanted it to give me some resistance against mental attacks and the testing I did on all those Razorwings that had some sort of mental attacks.

But finally, some pain alleviates and the mana I have to deal with right now lessens. Maybe 20-30% of it flows into the construct.

The efficiency is terrible. I could get the same results with 10% of my mana if I used it actively.

But there is a huge advantage. It's passive. I don't have to use my mind to do it and anyways, I can't use all of my mana right now. And as I found out, the amount of mana I have is much higher than I thought.

There's also another advantage. I can turn it off and on any time I want to.

One part of my [Focus] immediately uses [Mana Perception] and I start sending threads of mana along with it into my surroundings. I also send pulses of mana, using it as a sonar, trying to calculate the room I am in and to find the monster.

I stop controlling my mana that's not such a problem now as the Construct sucks it up and uses it, and at the same time, my strengthened body handles it better.

Damn, I am excited. This opens up so many roads in front of me.

Your skill [Mana Perception] has evolved into [Perception].

[Mana Perception - lvl 15 > Perception - lvl 10]

My levels!

Give them back!

The heck!

What the hell?

Did I just “upgrade” my skill? Judging from the name, it's not it. So have I acquired a skill that's a higher version of my [Mana Perception] and they combined? That would confirm my theory that every skill has a tier or something like this. For example, Lily's [Disintegration] should be an exceedingly high-tiered skill as it allowed her at such a low level to hurt Cinderbear.

Good!

I fire up [Perception] and much more information comes back to me this time.

I can still track mana but there's more of it. I can create a map of my surroundings in my head. It's all mostly visual as there is no sound feedback and the area is smaller than before, much smaller.

But I love it?

The reason?

This little shit glued on the wall right over my head.

The monster immediately starts running away but I send even more mana inside my body to strengthen it together with my construct and dash at it.

My speed is higher than I thought so I crash against the wall but I ignore it and dash again after landing on the ground, quickly reaching the monster.

I still can't sense any mana from it, even as I grab it by the neck. Suddenly, a tiny flame flares up from the monster's mouth, lightly illuminating our surroundings. Now, I can see the text hovering over its head.

[Venomous Needle Imp - lvl 40]

Another little asshole that gave me so much trouble. Once again I am reminded that even someone much higher leveled can be fucked over by having a bad matchup.

Through my [Perception], I continue to observe the monster after tearing off one of its arms, that has a stinger on it.

It's similar to a goblin, just smaller and even thinner. Its skin is red and ears sharp and big. Also, its eyes are massive; they continue to look at me while the monster screeches, trying to kick me.

What are your skills? Show me. This can't be all. You are level 40.

Slowly a fire starts glowing around the monster. Just a few wisps of flames here and there around it but soon it's set ablaze.

Before they can burn me, [Disruption] clashes against the monster, making its flames die off.

The monster screeches and tries to do it again.

And I watch.

[Disruption]

I watch.

[Disruption]

I track the flow of its mana, following it carefully. Watching as fires come into existence.

[Disruption]

Unfortunately, the monster stops after a while, totally out of mana and not even screeching anymore.

So I grab its leg and swing the monster against the wall.

Crack

And again.

Crack. Splat.

[You have defeated a Venomous Needle Imp - lvl 40]

I wait for a bit, but nothing happens. I'm still here, and there's no portal. Okay, Granny, let me show you what I am capable of.

[Perception] fires off, and I start walking deeper inside the web of tunnels.


*****


POV Maya Jones

"He has a sister?!”

“Yes, she's five years older than him.”

“Damn, it's hard to imagine him having an older sister.”

“I know where you're coming from, but just imagine a female version of him, only more sociable and significantly less forgiving.” The young blonde silences.

“That sounds terrifying.”

“More than you think.”

Comments

Xaver Klein

And even worse is when they say "you could only achieve what you did because ... (Insert whatever bullshit happened that the protagonist had no influence on)

cerim

I can promise that none of the characters from Earth who got into the tutorial have backgrounds like being a prince, an angel's son, or any similar mystical origin. They are all 100% humans from Earth. As for Victoria, well, she, Nat, and their mother all have humble beginnings. A tiny spoiler - her mom is able to travel so much because of Victoria's money, and Nat has outright refused them. More on that in the future. As for the background part, what I've added so far provides a bit more backstory for Nathaniel. More POVs or flashbacks will hint at why he is the way he is, and the same for his sister.

Naoggeddon

Flashbacks I think are fine and I agree would help character building and the reader further connect with characters, but anything concurrently happening or having to do with the present/future would be irrelevant. You started releasing 2 months or so ago and written 83 chapters so far and mc is maybe 50%(generously through floor 2) say the mc leaves early at floor 10 and not forceful recall at current pacing would be around chapter 450 or 10 months from now that's a lot of time.

cerim

And even worse is when they say "you could only achieve what you did because ... (Insert whatever bullshit happened that the protagonist had no influence on) I believe I've tried hard enough not to grant Nat some OP skill or anything that would make things too easy for him. Others also have the Focus skill (like Maya and Victoria), and Mana Manipulation isn't hard to acquire (a few more people have learned it since the start of the tutorial). He grows stronger thanks to his effort, his talent for mana, his obsession with mana, extensive testing, and willpower. When Nat talked about others being weak back on the first floor, it was mostly meant to imply that they are lacking in dedication and willpower. I hope I've correctly understood what you wanted to say :D

cerim

Hmm, there are a few pieces of information I did share in this POV: Nat has a family, a mother and sister. Two of them seem to be rich or in a high position, so why is Nat traveling on a regular city bus and doesn't seem to be well-off? I wanted to show that Nat and his sister are similar to the point that they both have the Focus skill, and her POV feels similar to Nat's POV. There's a small hint at how powerful people that come to Earth can be and also that they will keep their powers after coming back to Earth. Only a week passes outside while 5 years pass within the tutorial. Nat likes animals, the gym, and watching people. Tess's father works for Victoria and he used to be a bodyguard. In one of the earlier chapters, I did talk about Tess being trained a bit by her father. Immediately after one round of the tutorial ends, more people get inside the tutorial and they seem to be picked and sorted into difficulties by the tutorial - there's a system for deciding who gets assigned what difficulty. Three rounds of people are already outside of the tutorial, yet at the time when Nat and others got in, everything seemed okay and there were only maybe some rumors about returnees. Why? What's happening? Yes, most of these won't be answered for a long time, but I want to make people think about it now, have some theories about it, and foreshadow some things that will come in the future. It might feel that it's too soon, but I had to start it somewhere, and this felt like a good opener for future flashbacks and once-in-a-while POVs from Earth. In every future POV, I want to give a bit more info about the system, and some background for another character. Flashbacks will go a bit deeper into this or that character.

Xaver Klein

I just dont see what this sidearc will bring to the narrative. Unless youre willing to shift the genre, the story will most likely end when or soon after they reach earth again. In that case the perspective on whats going on at earth is neat, but provides little more than fluff. If this is going to make the shift to fantasy-science-fiction (you cant leave earth intact without incorporating tech into how humans will approach this new development), you risk alienating your audience when everything falls into place for Nathan due to his background, its also weird for conflict. Sure, he may be the estranged son or whatever, but when shit hits the fan, he will have an easier time getting resources to do whatever, compared to a no-name who fought his way to the top and doesnt have the respect and trust from the Establishment. But then again i cant read your mind. This just set off my alarm bells. Story so far is the bomb and i hope to read about the real bomb you keep teasing us with soon (title and cover).

cerim

I've written a longer answer about that under Naoggeddon's comment. With this POV, I mainly wanted to show that Nat has a family and there might be something amiss with his family and give a few more informations. Every future POV from Earth will serve two main purposes - provide some background on some characters and share some information either about the system or what's happening on Earth. Another point is that it would be strange if the story ended as soon as they returned to Earth. The primary reason is that they are in something called a "Tutorial". That implies a lot. For the first POV from Earth and before any flashbacks from Earth, I wanted to do something special and interesting, and this seemed fitting :) As I said, Nat and his family all come from humble roots. There's no chaebol-style situation, no wealthy father. With Victoria being in the position she is, I wanted to showcase the willpower both siblings possess - more on this in the future. As for having an advantage when coming back to Earth, it doesn't matter much with the things I've planned. You've already heard about Champions or Paragons. When beings with even half of that power return to Earth, things will become interesting, to say the least. I've always tried to make things challenging for Nat, and if he was rewarded, it was due to the effort he put in. The same applies to others too. Feel free to ask more; I don't mind trying to explain it. As for the bomb, we'll get there! But a buildup is needed for that - there's some logic I'm working on. It would be weird and feel undeserved if it came too soon! Meanwhile, you can read about others, Champions, Paragons, Ruby's master, Emperor - all these characters are here for a reason :)

cerim

Well, the problem is that you don't know what I have planned. :D It could be something that fits into these cliché developments, or it's something that I want you to think I am going to do, and then do something else while putting out some hints or foreshadowing it - for attentive readers. Your first reason is what makes me think more. I believe you are partially right in suggesting that it seems as if he is expected to succeed - the problem might be the way I wrote that perspective, which led you to think that. But it's still valid, as some people might hold that belief up until the next POV from Earth, which could easily be months away. Your second reason is also valid. I agree that even though I am introducing plenty of new questions, it also removes some mystery. I will think about it!

Barnabas_11

Naruto is great example here - Started as story about someone with and from nothing wanting to be hokage/ the best, facing against people with great advantages in this pursuit, ending with continuous reveals that in fact he is so good because he in fact have it all in his background, great clan, ultra powerful parents, tailed beast, and being reincarnated demigod/son-of-god among others.

cerim

That's a good example of what you guys are worried about. I dislike that trope, so this definitely isn't the case. I don't want to spoil anything, but I can say that up until Nat was 16 years old, they were a struggling family. What you saw in the POV - Victoria in the office and such - is the result of her hard work alone and Nat distances from that.

cerim

It´s not bother at all! This is very much story in progress and I do realize that I might make mistakes. Getting good, respectful feedback is amazing and something I am thankful for. There are already few things I changed or fixed thanks to feedback I got from you guys :)

Anonymous

> I use a super weak version of oscillation [Oscillation] This should probably only be a single "oscillation"

cerim

Oh, one more thing. That man was not Keiron - just someone with similar skill.

cerim

Oh boy, so many deleted comments! What happened here?!

Xaver Klein
>>109052806

Kinda rude to just make our insightful conversations vanish. I would accept letting lily live (and staying sane) for the forseeable future as an apology. ;)

cerim
>>109052806

It would only confuse people in the future. :D But don't worry, I've remembered every piece of feedback and hopefully, I've answered everyone before rudely deleting it. Well, you will just have to wait and see what I have prepared :)