Chapter 17, It’s Convenient To Be Able To See the Flow of Mana

Translator: Lizz

 

Masato, who had obtained a large sum of money, replaced the equipment that had been destroyed in the battle with the skeleton.

 

Equipment made from special materials like mithril or orichalcum was impossible, but the quality was better than his previous gear. After spending an entire day agonizing over the choices, he bought two slightly larger knives made with a high percentage of dungeon iron, along with a sturdy breastplate and gauntlets.

 

The gear felt good to use and quickly adapted to his body. The problem of equipment was solved.

 

Thanks to the effects of leveling up, his wounds healed faster, and a few days later he was already testing his skills. Before resuming full-scale dungeon exploration, he intended to master the use of the skills he had learned.

 

He couldn’t forget the exhilaration of gaining new power, and with each passing day he immersed himself in exploring what he could do with the skills, how far he could apply them, and what possibilities they opened.

 

The results appeared quickly. Skills like Dagger Techniques and Stealth were straightforward, and he reached a level where they could be used in real combat almost immediately. Even orcs, against whom he had struggled due to poor compatibility, became no different from goblins, and no matter how many appeared, he could treat them as small fry.

 

Masato continued learning how to use one skill after another, and the last one he tackled was Mana Vision. The information was vague, saying only that ‘The flow of mana can be seen.’

 

“First, let’s try using the skill.”

 

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he focused on activating the skill.

 

He strained his eyes, and while maintaining that state, looked at his own body. He then understood the flow of mana existing within him.

 

When Fireball was used, the mana went out from the body and into the air like a thin string, and once the spherical mana reached a certain density, he clearly saw the moment when fire materialized.

 

It was convenient because he could sense in advance what his opponent was about to use, but against enemies who didn’t rely on skills, it was meaningless.

 

“But what if I combined it with other skills?”

 

This was what Masato was currently thinking. Mana Vision alone only allowed him to predict skill activation, but when combined with another skill, it could transform.

 

Skill Sublimation.

 

When he tried manipulating mana as if casting a fireball, it would be judged as having experienced using a skill, and it became a skill. Masato wasn’t working from theory but from an intuitive conviction that ‘this kind of use was possible.’

 

The problem was that he had to confirm skill could be activated through Mana Vision. Without seeing the flow of mana, he couldn’t gain the experience.

 

Fortunately, he understood Fireball.

 

In the battle with the skeleton, despite the painful struggle, he had observed the flow leading up to activation many times.

 

“Alright, let’s give it a try!”

 

Masato stood up from the bed and headed into the dungeon to learn Fireball.

 

◆◆◆

 

When Masato entered the Tokyo Dungeon, he went to an area on the 1st floor where monsters rarely appeared and asked Rika to keep watch.

 

“I’m going to practice skills, so can I leave the surroundings to you?”

 

“Leave it to me.”

 

That was what she said, but since monsters hardly showed up, she quickly grew bored. After a while, with time to spare, Rika voiced a thought that came to her.

 

“If you really learn Fireball, Masato, your skills will be cheat-level.”

 

“I still have to build up experience, so it’s not quite cheat-level.”

 

“No, no, I’m pretty sure you’re the only one in the world! An explorer who doesn’t need skill cards! Having more options is amazing.”

 

“That’s true… Thinking about it that way, this skill might really be a cheat.”

 

Those without resources had few choices. Just being able to choose was already a blessing.

 

Ending the conversation to focus, Masato began manipulating mana.

 

He circulated it through his entire body, letting it permeate each cell as if soaking in. Flesh, blood, and bone were overwritten by mana. It was a sensation of being human yet no longer human. It resembled leveling up, strengthening his existence itself. It was the necessary process to stand alongside heroes, champions, saints, and sages.

 

In just a few seconds, his whole body was saturated with mana.

 

[Physical Enhancement: All bodily abilities doubled or more.]

 

The message flowed through his mind. He had learned a new skill.

 

“Eh?!”

 

He was trying to learn fireball, but gained a different skill instead. 0

 

If another explorer attempted the same thing, it wouldn’t become a skill; at best, their body would be slightly strengthened. The benefit of it turning into a skill was immeasurable.

 

“Did you learn Fireball?”

 

Rika, looking puzzled, turned and asked.

 

“No… it seems I learned another skill.”

 

“In just an instant… that really is cheat-level.”

 

“Cheat, huh.”

 

There was no need to spend years accumulating experience; he could learn a skill in a short time. He didn’t need the luck of obtaining a skill card or the funds to buy one at auction. If he could easily acquire any skill, then it was undeniably cheat-level. It would be hard to argue against calling it unfair.

 

“If you can learn by seeing the flow of mana, then you can obtain every skill in existence.”

 

“In that case, if I learned a healing skill, I could earn money without even continuing as an explorer.”

 

In modern society, businesses using healing skills were permitted. One needed to acquire certification after learning the skill, but it wasn’t particularly difficult. For Masato, it was something he could achieve right away.

 

Since the appearance of dungeons, injuries had become more common, and the demand for healing skills showed no sign of slowing down. If someone could use them, that alone was enough to make a living. Masato could support his two younger brothers and earn enough to send them to university.

 

If he were shown a healing skill, he could learn it immediately. Even if he retired from being an explorer right now, it wouldn’t be a problem.

 

Before he realized it, he no longer had a reason to continue as an explorer.

 

“That means…”

 

Naturally, Rika reached the same conclusion.

 

She looked at him with an anxious expression, her eyes on the verge of tears.

 

“Don’t worry. I won’t quit.”

 

Feeling guilty, Masato answered instinctively. He had no immediate plans to stop being an explorer—that much was true. But if asked whether he could continue for another year, his answer would have been, ‘I don’t know.’

 

Within that amount of time, he would almost certainly be able to use healing skills. With a safe way to earn money available, it was hard to imagine risking his life by exploring dungeons.

 

Of course, he couldn’t know for sure until the time came, but compared to before, his passion for being an explorer had undeniably diminished.

 

“You promise?”

 

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

 

“I believe you.”

 

The conversation ended, and Rika resumed keeping watch.

 

Masato gazed at her back. ‘I believe you’; those words carried weight.

 

If he betrayed them, it would mean closing off her future.

 

As an explorer, gaining experience and leveling up would change things, but that required overcoming trials, and there was always the chance he might not reach that point.

 

“Well then, let’s do this.”

 

Shaking off his doubts, Masato focused on manipulating mana. He circulated it through his body while releasing part of it outward. He shaped it into a sphere and increased its density, repeating the process again and again.

 

[Fireball: Create and control a ball of fire.]

 

Almost as if urging him to quit being an explorer right away, he effortlessly learned the very skill he had been aiming for.