CHAPTER 176: MANA CHARACTER

Leon was ready.

Or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. As if anyone’s ever really "ready" for getting their brain scrambled like eggs.

Famous last words.

It struck his mind like a brutal attack, even though it was supposed to be information to help him learn a new technique.

"Arrrggghhh!"

Stabbing agony lanced through his temples, heat prickling across his scalp as each pulse throbbed behind his eyes. Thump, thump, thump—his heart hammered against his ribs. A metallic tang coated his tongue, sharper than blood alone. Cold sweat dripped down his spine, pooling beneath him on the grass, the sweet scent of crushed wildflowers mixing with the coppery air.

His mind grew hazy, the world spun around him, and the last thing he remembered was the white jade slip humming in front of him.

He lost consciousness.

His brain took damage from the overload of information, as cobweb-like tears appeared within.

When the holy energy surged, it brought not just warmth—he felt it seep through every nerve, like cool water poured over a burn, the pain receding in soothing, slow waves. Hiss... The ringing in his ears dulled.

He was unconscious for only 30 seconds.

[Intelligence +12]

Shit, I didn’t know—even after all the previous torture—I would still lose consciousness on the first hit, all that gritting my teeth and gaining enlightenment for nothing.

This was the first and only time he was knocked out by the mental shock of information. Afterward, he only reached the brink of haziness but never lost consciousness again and was able to form his thoughts.

His body stayed tense throughout, and although he didn’t lose his mind again, the pain remained intense.

The whole process lasted for half an hour. During the first fifteen minutes, his cry of pain traveled across the grassy plain, mingling with the constant healing of both his mind and body, which made him euphoric.

For the last few minutes, he wore a serene expression, as a slight tinge of pain was nothing compared to the comfort of being enveloped in holy energy.

After he finished with the first jade, it dropped to the ground like any ordinary stone; all the information about the Celestial White Moon Mana Heart Transformation was now in his mind.

He just had to look through it to fully understand.

Alright, enough stalling. Time to go fry my brain some more.

He didn’t stop there and focused on the other nineteen techniques he had chosen, scattered explicitly around him.

His intelligence stat had increased once more.

He didn’t even check the stat and moved directly to the following technique.

While he could have tried to understand the Celestial White Moon Mana Heart Transformation first and then continued—which would have made it easier for his mind—he did not.

He intentionally chose not to, as this was not just about learning various techniques from which he could deduce how to form his mana heart using holy energy.

There was another big opportunity in front of him.

The intelligence stat.

A combination of holy energy and these high-level techniques, which were packed with too much information, was the perfect fuel for his intelligence stat.

The process of absorbing different techniques continued as time passed quickly.

Twelve hours straight had passed; he had learned all the techniques, and his intelligence stat had increased to a new level. His brain was filled with so much information that he was barely able to contain it.

Leon felt exhausted; his mind and body both tired, his eyes droopy, and he could have fallen asleep at any moment.

But after preparing bedding for himself, he called out his stats in his mind before taking a peaceful, long sleep.

His focus was only on one thing.

[Intelligence: 805]

He saw a massive jump in his intelligence.

It was all worth the torture, he thought, a smile tugging at his lips as he lay comfortably on the soft mattress and fell into a deep slumber as soon as his body touched the softness.

—

In the same endless expanse of grassy field.

No sunlight was there to wake him, yet he woke up on his own, rubbing his eyelids and stretching his arms. Leon finally felt refreshed.

He didn’t know how long he had slept, but it was all worth it; he needed the rest.

He took out the cutlery, along with a steaming hot steak, soft, fluffy bread, a dish made from his potato and other ingredients, and some red wine, which didn’t make him feel drunk, but he still enjoyed the flavor.

He took each bite leisurely and savored every flavor.

Mmmh, so good!

If only enlightenment tasted half as good as steak.

He felt much more relaxed now. He could see the path ahead, and the tension in his mind had lessened quite a bit. This lunch, dinner, or breakfast—whatever it was—felt much more savory than before, even though it was the same food.

Yet it tasted different.

Storing everything inside his inventory with just a thought—fwoosh—as it all vanished.

He assumed a meditating position on the ground, his expression resolute as he began to study the first technique, Celestial White Moon Mana Formation Techniques.

As he processed the information, he started to understand why these techniques contained such a large amount of knowledge.

In addition to forming the mana heart, the technique explained how it was created.

Moon affinity was not an affinity in itself, but derived from the combination of different affinities.

Elements like

Water

Ice

Shadow

Illusion

And lastly, time.

These elements made up the core of Moon Affinity.

Five affinities for one power? Who designed this system, a committee?

But water, the most basic affinity, took up the most significant part, reaching 45% of Moon Affinity.

Then ice: 20%.

Shadow: 15%.

Illusion: 15%.

Time: 5%.

This was the combination the founder of the Celestial White Moon Technique used to create her unique Moon affinity.

A blend of various affinities to make a unique one of her own.

The idea itself blew Leon’s mind completely away.

The founder’s words stated her technique was not perfect—no method was—as the limitation of affinity was always there, based on the five affinities she had and factoring in the rank of each one.

A harmony of balance between the affinities was the accumulation of her entire life.

An affinity of her own, which formed a single affinity that surpassed every affinity she had, breaking the power barrier imposed by affinity rank.

Other than her rank 7 water affinity, the others were mediocre, with her time affinity reaching only rank 1.

Practically unusable to her, she still managed to make it work and create a new affinity.

Leon felt goosebumps at the dedication and time she put into creating an entirely new affinity, breaking through the rank barrier.

He didn’t know her, yet he respected her. Reading this text so easily felt like cheating.

Other alternative methods were also mentioned, some needing only two affinities, which she learned along her journey. She said they were just weak imitations of her perfect moon affinity, consisting of all the affinities she had and never outclassing hers.

To learn the technique, at least two affinities were needed.

After the process of learning to create Moon Affinity was done, there came the long, arduous task of using Moon Mana as a strand to weave your own heart and a complex rune inside, which supports the whole heart and gives it life.

It was stated that, depending on the person, it could take as long as one hundred years to form their mana heart, or as little as one year; everything depended on the one who was creating it.

Leon’s expression was solemn after learning everything, as he couldn’t use his affinities at all. How was he supposed to create Moon Affinity in the first place—let alone form the mana heart? Yet as the realization settled in, a cold weight pressed into his chest. He stared into the void, wondering if this was where his journey would finally halt.

And here I thought I was the main character.