“There’s nothing like taking on a mission to save the world, only to blow your arm off a second later. That’s genius. A remarkable move, indeed. Good work, traveler.” he muttered, walking.

  After wrapping the stump with the curled pieces of meat attached to it in his shirt, he ran back to the Guild. There, Mayra prepared a slip of paper and then directed him to a place a few streets away, which was the local equivalent of a clinic, where he arrived relatively quickly, although he almost bumped into a child in his haste.

  The interior of the facility was divided into several sections, which were marked with signs and paths leading to them. The sections were classified according to the urgency of the case and race. Orion, rather positively surprised, watched as the humanoid woman with bark-like skin patiently took her seat in the waiting room, not trying to act as if her case was more important than the others. With his hand wrapped in his now almost completely red shirt, he was let in fairly swiftly.

  When he entered the room, he was greeted by a rather modern, sterile style, but the vast majority of the items on the tables or cabinets were mixtures or crystals of various kinds. There were still a few kinds of strange, more complex devices in here that he preferred not to imagine working.

  His stay here was rather brief. The doctor with the squirrel-like head of a hyrax yelled at him a little bit, but pretty quickly he took action. The stump and the remains of his mangled hand were placed in something resembling an open mold, made of a metallic gel that conformed to the expected shape of a hand. Then the mold was closed, and after a moment, Orion began to feel a tickling sensation where his fingers had been earlier.

  The doctor informed him that due to his clearly low level, his body’s requirements for regenerative magic were rather small, so the whole thing should run smoothly.

  When the process was complete, the metal separated again, revealing a distinctly sutured but largely restored hand, now wearing a transparent gel protective glove. Then, still shouting, the doctor told him to avoid overstraining his limb for several cycles until the glove was fully fused to his skin, which meant complete healing.

  It wasn’t until after the procedure that Orion remembered the piece of paper Mayra had given him, which he then showed the doctor. After reading the contents, the medic handed him a potion, which, after pouring it over the glove, should speed up the cure even more. The doctor then applied another liquid on his shirt and pants, thus saving him from having to walk around in bloodstained clothes. Finally, with a smile on his face but still shouting aloud, he wished Orion good luck.

  There was a good chance that they would meet again soon, as Orion was going to continue his training; but this time being careful not to hold the compressed energy, like an idiot, in one place with no way out. It’s a good thing he chose the hand and didn’t try to do all that near his sternum. He could run into some… problems if he had to run for medical help while being dead.

  Naturally, he decided to draw as many lessons from this incident as he could. The issues of mana control were one thing, but seeing how medicine works here, he began to form an idea about how people in this world approach technology, possibly magitech, or civilizational progress in general. He had already noticed this, among other things, by entering the rented room using the hotel elevator.

  There were several different means used to lift him up. On one side was magic that pulled him up, on the other magic that caused space to shrink, and then magic that pushed him off the ground.

  It must have been the same with his surgery. Although he didn’t see directly what was going on inside the mold, he assumed from his hand’s condition that several approaches had to be used. Since he lost a significant portion of his hand’s mass, some kind of magic must have been responsible for regenerating, or regrowing, what he had lost. Then another kind of magic made what grew back fit the parts that survived, and the last one was for stitching those whole pieces together. He didn’t know what it was like to rebuild bones or tendons, but it was clearly working because he could now; awkwardly, but still; move this very hand.

  These two examples gave him an idea. Although he still probably saw only a merely tiny fraction of the local technology, it’s quite possible that when creating or looking for solutions, the most popular way of thinking here was to use components that clearly and directly served to achieve a result. If that was true, he already had a pretty good idea why he was the one who got here.

  Earth technology often used components that did not affect the outcome directly and theoretically seemed like they would actually hinder a given section yet were essential when considering the whole.

  A good example here was the most basic NOT gate in logic gates, whose only function was just logical negation, which was the reversal of the input signal. A little less technical, but still a good illustrative example, was the pruning of plants. Although in theory it looked like we were harming them, in practice it made the plant grow stronger and bear more fruit.

  Orion still remembered one example he used in his project. One day in the office, Big Anna told Aaron that he was a ‘walking random bullshit generator’. This inspired Orion to create a more precise verification of the correctness of generated answers by having the program deliberately provide incorrect replies and then compare them with the correct ones to assess the differences.

  Whether it’s just creativity from a lack of magic or perhaps a culturally educated mindset, Orion assumed it was the reason he was here. There was still a chance that this kind of approach would fail, because perhaps the magic had to be directed in a way where the component was directly conducive to achieving the goal. Either way, sooner or later, he was going to check it out because it might be useful to him in some way.

  Naturally, as he considered it, he couldn’t help but think of a few ways to solve his current quest, which the System had assigned him. And while the straightforward option was to gain the strength to physically help, perhaps the approach he needed to take was one he apparently had some experience with. If there was a way to solve this problem, or as the quest says, to contribute to it from a magical-technological perspective, he would once again have to immerse himself in complex learning, tedious testing, and endless iterations to create a solution.

  And it sounded fantastic.

  This time, however, he learned from his previous attempt.

  If he were to create something that would help fight or even detect the presence of demons in some way, no one could find out about it…

  Absolutely.

  No.

  One.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  On his way to the meditation place, looking up at the sky, he tried to formulate a plan. So his way to the park was busy figuring out all sorts of scenarios for where he should go with his new project. He identified a few favorites that theoretically should be feasible, but to make sure of that, he would have to examine the realities of the world and the workings of mana.

  ***

  Sitting cross-legged, he let out his breath. A gentle breeze whipped through the leaves of the surrounding aquamarine hedge. Although his face was adorned with a silly smile, the interior was relatively calm.

  He had already calmed the emotions of satisfaction associated with another attempt to extract mana from his core, the joy of achieving the cube’s full glass state, and the irritation when it turned out that it had become purely metallic again.

  The next stage of his training became quite clear after another attempt to pour his mana into the cube, as it turned out that this one, almost identical to the previous one was beginning to transform into a glass version, but with the difference that this time the structure was gradually returning to a metal form. The conclusion was obvious: this time he had to achieve a complete transformation in one infusion. At this point, Orion had forgotten even the main purpose of the exercise, which was to be able to open the Spatial Ring, instead enjoying the progress.

  After a dozen attempts, he came to the conclusion that directing the mana extracted directly from the core was exponentially easier than controlling the one that hung passively in his body. And while it took an extra step in the process to bring it out of his own soul, the fluidity and willingness with which it cooperated easily paid off.

  Orion could already imagine that sooner or later opening the gate from the core and adjusting the appropriate dose of mana would become a habit. On the other hand, now that he had some knowledge of how to control it, he had to admit that he was tempted to take another trip into the cosmos to witness mana in its raw form. He felt that in his current state, he could get something else out of the experience, or a little bit more of a taste of what it really had to offer.

  The problem turned out to be his currently low mana capacity and the efficiency of its usage. When he pumped about 70 percent of that energy out of his core, when it became unstable, it blew out his arm. At the same time using about forty percent, he was able to push the glass state of the cube to about three-quarters.

  Should he saturate it with a more sophisticated version of intention, or should he direct it with greater determination, or perhaps he should focus until he reached a state of tunnel vision: he, mana, the cube; that was what he was currently working on. He would take turns imbuing the cube and resting, waiting for his mana pool to fill, simultaneously thinking about his quest or his next plans.

  The answer to the previous question turned out to be all three options. He now clearly saw that the higher the mental capacity, the more effectively one should be able to control mana, thereby providing some evidence as to why it was the intelligence stat that was so strongly associated with this energy. Thinking about how badly you want to produce an effect and then trying to force that desire into the mana, intensifying the flow itself and forcibly rejecting other stimuli to focus on the mana was definitely not an easy task.

  “Yo, the explosive boy.” Orion was interrupted by a familiar voice. Opening his eyes, he saw an amused Eyharnis. Of course, she’s heard stories about his hand. He could hardly wait to hear how Avir would bully him with this.

  “Oh, I didn’t know you were back already. Hey.”

  “I was passing nearby and I heard the sound of some wild beast. Of course, as an adventurer, I had to check it out.” she said, barely holding back the fight-out laughter, which caused Orion to squint. “Catch. It’s for the beast.”

  A package wrapped in a strange kind of milky foil flew towards him, which, when unfolded, immediately began to emit an addictive aroma. Suddenly, Orion’s stomach began to scold him in anger, how he dared to forget it after all they’d been through together, and Eyharnis took a defensive position, as if a wild beast were about to attack her.

  Thanking her for the meal, Orion dug into the dish, which consisted of bluish, rather spicy meat covered in transparent jello cubes that melted in his mouth, spreading its flavor even further. Eyharnis pulled out a package for herself so they could eat together and hang out. Meanwhile, she told him about their last assignment, which turned out to be a hidden control of another village, and asked what he was doing while they were away and how his progress was.

  After a moment’s rest, she reminded him not to forget to report to the Guild and left, saying she no longer wanted to distract him from training. Left alone, Orion felt a range of strange emotions. On the one hand, he was ashamed of having to be fed at all, as by forgetting about it, he effectively regressed to the level of a child, not only in terms of the level but also in terms of the ability to take care of himself. On the other hand, the fact that someone was willing to share a meal with him made him not only grateful but also feel something else that he could not fully describe. Some weird kind of pride from witnessing a willingness to help? Perhaps.

  Finally, he wondered how it was that he had lost track of time again. It was more than halfway through the free cycle when he was sitting and training, which meant a significant majority of the earthly equivalent of a day was spent in a meditative position. Contemplating it, he thought that his experiences where he didn’t have access to the clock made him stop relying on it so much over time.

  Feeling that he was close enough to the breakthrough, he decided to work on his control for a ‘moment’ longer before going to the familiar rock to fall asleep. Spending the next few minutes reaching as much silence as possible, he closed his eyes and breathed. Just as mana was partly his organism, so he tried to realize and feel that he was now partially mana.

  The pressure of his body on the ground no longer mattered, as if he were floating in the midst of mana itself. The rustling of the leaves became a whisper, only to disappear after a moment. The touch of air on his skin was no longer an indication that he was outside but was now a stream of omnipresent neutral energy, surrounding and tenderly stroking his body.

  In a trance-like state, near his sternum, he felt not only the nourishing influence of his core but also the pool of mana contained within it, which almost vibrated with its presence to let him know that it was ready to act. Whether it was from rejecting all stimuli or because he had reached a state that, in a minimal way but still to some extent, brought him closer to what he felt during a drug-induced trance, Orion began to hear familiar music. However, the pleasant humming did not interfere with his concentration; on the contrary. The subtle rhythm and melody resonated with the flow of mana, guiding him on how to more effectively imbue it with his intention.

  Mana moved, not as a wisp of energy, but as a free stream, through his hand. This time he felt more clearly that it wasn’t just in his hands but that it was traveling through tiny troughs that must have been his pathways. But instead of admiring new feelings, he gave mana direction and intent.

  Energy flowed out of his body. With mana sinking into the object, he watched as it smoothly transformed into pure glass. When the transformation was complete, the cube first split apart like a Rubik’s Cube, then beginning to twist and bubble, somewhat similar to how the System in its manifestation was changing into Orion’s double.

  And although in the new structure of the object he began to notice certain patterns contained within, his attention was effectively diverted by the appearance of a notification, or rather notifications.

  [Skill: [C] Minor Mana Control [Level 1 (1.15%)]

  Description: Allows you to control mana. Passive skill.]

  [Congratulations. Exceptional Title obtained.]

  [Title: Scion of Mana]

  [Description: You have achieved a full percentage of minor mana control while still being a newborn in the broader cosmic sense, despite not belonging to a race that relies on that energy. Evolve along with mana so that one day you will reach a state of complete fusion of body and ethericity, thereby achieving true transcendence.

  Summary: Attained at least 1% Minor mana control while at level one.

  Effect: +15% to all stats. – Error: Unable to access stat pool. Effect canceled.

  Effect: Enhances mana perception. – Error: Unable to access the perception aspect. Effect canceled.]

  [Please wait. The calculation of a possible, adequate reward is ongoing…]

  “I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but… Ah, fuck.”

  awesome! ??