TravelingDreamer

  After breakfast, I returo the bison area. Again, I chose a target, shot it, waited for the rest of the herd to relocate, and began the process.

  After l the bison, I id it oic sheet and diag. Well, it was dead—that’s all the data I got from my Diagnose spell. I couldn’t sense anything else from it. Hmm, I didn’t expect that. When I diaghe jurbers, I “saw” that they were mostly made of mana a it dissipating. Here, I got nothing except “it’s dead.”

  That gave me an idea. By eling my mana into it, albeit with much less iy than before, I carefully observed as the meat slowly became saturated. The mana path kept eluding me, and I just kept eling. By closing my eyes, I not only sehe mana in it, but also established a e with it. It was clear that the mana I sensed beloo me, not just the mana of the surroundings or any other source. I trated more and more and sank into it, feeling the mana in the meat. I felt there were still empty pockets, so I eled more mana into it until it was full but not over-saturated and about to explode. Just permeated with mana. With my eyes closed, I sat like that, entirely focused oire carcass. I lear: every bone, muscle, fat accumutio, a. Feeling every cell in the whole thing.

  Suddenly, an insistent red light threw me out of my examination. Annoyed, I ope to return to my task quickly.

  You have learo seh your mana.

  New css unlocked: [Wizard]

  Would you like to take the Wizard Css as your sub-css?

  Cost: 1 ability point.

  Y/N

  I remembered being offered the css in the past, but then the cost was three ability points; now, it was only one. When I got the Healer Css, it didn’t e anything because I learned healing spells on my own. And I got a message that the sub-css’s strength would equal that of a main css. That got me thinking. Based on the achievements that unlocked this css, it souerrific. But should I take it now and have a weaker sub-css? Or refuse it and receive an offer of the css free of charge and at full strength iure?

  While sitting there, I cast Purify on the carcass and stored it to prevent spoige, deep in thought. I had a severe case of analysis paralysis. I just sat there with the open window and couldn’t make up my mind. Finally, I closed the window with my mind without reag a decision.

  I summohe carcass again. My mana still saturated the carcass. I ected to the mana again and tio exami. After some time, I felt like I knew everything there was to know about it, maybe even too much. So, I took trol of my mana i, not just ected to it, but grabbed it like when I pressed the jurbers and guided the mana the way I wanted. I wahe carcass skinned and butchered correctly to steaks, roasts, and ribs.

  I trolled my mana to go where I wanted, so it would do what I wanted. It wasn’t easy. It kept slipping out of my trol. I was sweating and had a headache but wouldn’t let up. I felt it was doable if I didn’t give up. Finally, I had the mana where I wa, and it was ready for what I wanted. So, I added some more mana and gave a final push. The carcass looked like it defted. It was clear that the pelt wasn’t attached to the rest but lying on top. I picked it up and looked—it was the whole pelt with residue. The meat had disected from the bones and was lying in a heap between and around them. I examined every piece, and it erfect. Everything was exactly like I wanted, every piece.

  YES!!!

  The red light was blinking rapidly again.

  You have learo wield your mana suffitly.

  New css unlocked: [Wizard]

  Would you like to take the Wizard Css as your sub-css?

  Note: Due to your achievement, you take the Wizard Css without spending ability points, and the css’s strength will be equal to a main css.

  Y/N

  WOO HOO!

  It turned out that analysis paralysis could be a good thing.

  I clicked YES this time and opehe css description.

  WIZARD

  This is a rare and very sought-after css.

  Wizards are schors of magid mana.

  They develop new spells, bihem, and expand them. They study mana and its intricacies and learn to wield it like a tool.

  When a Wizard advaheir uanding of magid mana, they develop the ability to wield external mana.

  This Css does not have Spells, Skills, or Abilities—the wizard develops their own.

  +3 Intelligence, +3 Wisdom, +3 Perception, +1 to all other stats.

  This css does not receive free stat points

  I still wasn’t doh the red light.

  Level up

  +3 Intelligence, +3 Wisdom, +3 Perception, +1 to all other stats

  Css: Wizard Level 2

  Well, that was a surprise. I could uand now why I got the ot only because of my experiments with mana, but also because of my desire to develop the looting spell. It sounded precisely up a wizard’s alley, and I was sure my iion had an enormous influen unlog this css. I was gd I didn’t take it the first time. Sometimes, being overly fused had bes. But I still wished I had some answers.

  Huh, I suddenly had a thought. I let my Luck lead me to the cave with the emeralds. Could it lead me to answers?

  I ehe active Luck ability, thinking that I really, really, really wao figure out what was going on with my mana. And I felt a dire. It was west, with a slight ao the south. And I felt as if it still had time, as if something that was supposed to happen hadn’t happened yet.

  So there are answers? It’s not arbitrary?

  I summoned a cooler, stored all the meat, rolled up the pelt, and stored it.

  And I just sat there, basking in the moment. I succeeded in actually looting a carcass—not exploding it or shooting its pelt away, but actually looting it. I got an excellent css that sounded very iing and patible with my personality and my o uand things. And I had a dire for answers. It was simply a perfeent.