Chapter 907 - Mana Daddy

Instead of flying back, I decide I’ll just walk through the canyons. Sometimes I boost myself up when I see something that looks like a sidewalk, and stroll along it to get a nice view of the valley carved into the stone around me.

The rivers, greenery, unusual trees, or rock formations. This is the first time I’ve had to take in the sights of the 4th floor of Beyond at a reasonable pace, usually, I just fly by it all.

The fight didn't even take that long. A mere few minutes after weeks of preparation and so much more effort leading up to all this. It all happened so fast that taking it slow now feels refreshing.

I wonder if I'm being observed. I'm well aware of the way the Rulers like to stalk us, along with some of the Handlers, so I sometimes randomly give a middle finger toward the sky. In other cases, I give a middle finger toward a cute fox-like animal that appears nearby, just in case they are observing through its eyes.

I also show a middle finger to the fish in the nearby river.

Of course, I can feel it. My mood keeps improving as I feel it tugging on the corners of my lips. Not even in the slightest do I care that they might have seen me in my weakened state after the fight. Well, maybe a little bit. It would be weird if it didn't annoy me for someone to have seen me in a moment of weakness.

Honestly, does it really matter at all?

At one point, I'm not even using body reinforcement and slip on a rock and fall off the edge of the sidewalk I've been walking on. I don't even try to catch myself or slow my fall, I just absorb the impacts and slightly change my defensive layer.

I let myself bounce off the rocks like a ragdoll, sliding across the dirt, freefalling, breaking a few branches on the way down, and landing on the ground.

Then I stand up, dusting the debris from my manatex clothes, and continue to walk.

From down here, the canyons look so huge, awe-inspiring even. Whenever I allow myself a moment to react in a way my pre-tutorial self would, I just can't get enough of them. Never in my life did I think I would get to see anything like this, and I don't even mean the System and all that. More like places on Earth. Sure, I dreamed as anyone does, but the doubt was always somewhere in the back of my mind?

The thought that I would grow up, find some shitty job to keep myself alive, possibly find someone, barely get by in some shitty apartment, maybe adopt a dog. Day after day, that would slowly devolve into a parade of the same old things.

And yet, here I am.

I'm being careful about saying I wouldn't trade it for anything else, as there might yet be things I can’t yet imagine that I would love to do. But yeah, I cannot currently imagine anything else I’d want in life.

Maybe a bit more of this, less of that, and other such grumblings. But in the end, it's just a trade-off. You get some things and lose others. Such is life.

Damn, I'm really in a weird mood right now.

With a soft chuckle, I boost myself through the air, reaching the warehouse where the head technician is currently sitting just outside the huge door on a simple chair, reading some sort of blueprint.

Noticing me coming closer, he scrambles to his feet and stares at me with wide eyes. Inside the hangar, multiple technicians react too.

So I show him my right forearm and the keys inscribed on it.

“T-THREE!?” he shouts, and then coughs up and repeats, “Three?” He still shakes his head, and his voice turns to a high pitch again, “Three motherfucking KEYS!?”

I give him a shrug, and after giving a wave, I teleport inside to my room in the hangar where I left one of my marks.

I have grown as a person. My mind sharpened, and I have become smarter. So, of course, I have a replacement set of clothes already waiting, as well as a shower I had built.

That need and tug to check my notifications is constantly there, but I'm enjoying it as I move into the shower, using some fancy soap and shampoo. I probably take a bit longer than usual, but I think at this point I deserve it.

Just in case, I point a middle finger toward the ceiling a few times.

Once I dry myself, I watch my figure in front of the mirror while carefully touching one of the permanent burns on my chest and the scars. My last touch is to my forehead, where that laser bored through.

With a shrug, I put a clean set of clothes on myself, not minding that they are a bit more formal than my usual set of casual Earth clothes.

I go outside by teleporting once again, and by this time, all the technicians are gathered around, and I acknowledge each and every one of them by giving a thanks and a nod. I remember them from the work we did on Regalia, their ideas, blueprints, and excitement. Even if some of them just came here to design the cranes, I appreciate it.

It feels a bit off, but I accept their deep bows in turn, and then launch myself off toward the Megacity.

Instead of aiming for something like a helicopter landing pad for people capable of flight, I land near the main gate, where I'm let in without delay.

Just a few seconds after I begin to walk through the city, a demon wearing a suit and glasses joins me, walking by my side.

“I saw what happened, and I just want to say I admire your guts, human.” That's all he says, and a few steps later, he’s gone.

I barely pass a few stores when another presence pops up on my left. “You won me a shitload of shards. The fight was fun!” I manage to catch just a smile on a fur-covered lynthari face before the presence is gone.

“I still think you were just lucky, but fuck it, most of us are, aren't we?” Only a second later, another voice says from my right, “I hope you make it, you beautiful lunatic.”

Thoroughly weirded out by all of this, I teleport away, but a new presence finds me anyway. A man in a suit with a bear face. “I lost a bet,” he says, completely unbothered. “Part of the payout is that I have to call you mana daddy. So here we are. Good job, mana daddy.”

Then he’s gone just as quickly as he appeared.

I almost want to throw an attack at the next presence that approaches, but this one hangs onto my arm and pulls me in closer to her. Just a glance tells me it’s Ruby, masked in her fake Handler form.

“They can't listen now, so you can speak freely. And yes, more of them wanted to barge in and annoy you, so you owe me,” she says simply, pulling me through Megacity toward the headquarters of the Primordial Knights.

“I would call you nice and all that if you hadn’t broken my arm just now,” I say.

“Some time ago I overheard your group talking about your Constitution. Naturally, I went to Earth to research what a hummingbird actually is. As it turns out, it’s a tiny, delicate creature with an embarrassingly frail constitution. Did you know their hearts beat up to 1,260 times per minute in flight? They live in a state of perpetual panic where failing to eat every ten to fifteen minutes results in immediate death.”

“I inherited my mana deficiency from them.”

“Sure you did. You are lucky I'm so good at controlling my powers, otherwise, you and everyone else on this entire floor would’ve been dead in the presence of my true body.”

“Lissandra would dig herself out of her grave just to insult you if you couldn’t manage that basic level of control. And even the Rulers would die in your true body's presence?”

“Yes, even that bitch Lust, if her pets didn't keep setting up barriers for her.”

“I didn't-”

“So you,” she shakes me a little, “should be thankful. And I'm sorry for breaking your arm.” She sighs. “You did really well out there.”

“As always.”

She gives a smile. “Almost as always. You and your sister still don't realize how troublesome Starless Sky's revival is.”

“I think with all that’s been happening to us, it's a bit of a dick move to expect us not to care for ourselves first over any trouble we might cause for others.”

Looking at me for a moment, she nods. “Fair enough.”

We take a step, and instead of covering normal distance, I find us standing in front of the entrance to the Primordial Knights headquarters.

“No one will annoy you here, so take your time. I’ll keep an eye on you and interfere if I must. And select carefully. I won't give you any advice, I know you’d only reject it anyways.” She waves her hand, and as she takes a step, the air around her wavers just the tiniest bit before she’s gone.

Giving my third shrug of the day, I use my mana signature to pass through the defenses. I think out of all the top guilds in the Beyond, the Primordial Knights have the weakest defenses around their buildings.

It's like they're just hoping someone will attack.

Using Wraith Dance a few times, I pass and weave between people, opening a few doors along the way until I reach the garden that’s still restricted to anyone the guildmaster hasn’t invited. It is something Nyssa set up previously, and I haven't changed it.

The garden isn’t large, it’s framed on three sides by buildings. In the middle of it stands a single tree, its trunk surrounded by a circular patch of grass and a lone bench. Said tree is pale white, its thick stump scarred by damage that has clearly split it in two. One half remains dead and hollow, while the other half grows into a new trunk, living and strong. The tree has a scent to it. Like freshly cut grass with a faint hint of citrus.

This chapter was published by its author somewhere else entirely; wherever you're reading it now picked it up without their say-so.

I sit on that lone bench and take in the view, which reveals Megacity below and the valley framed by the mountains. The square opening looks almost like a portal, a window cutting through the surrounding buildings.

Then I go through my notifications.

[You have defeated Glacial Monarch - lvl 506]

[Lvl 443 > Lvl 444]

[Lvl 444 > Lvl 445]

[Lvl 445 > Lvl 446]

[Lvl 446 > Lvl 447]

[Lvl 447 > Lvl 448]

[Lvl 448 > Lvl 449]

[Lvl 449 > Lvl 450]

[Lvl 450 > Lvl 451]

[Lvl 451 > Lvl 452]

[Lvl 452 > Lvl 453]

[Lvl 453 > Lvl 454]

[Lvl 454 > Lvl 455]

[You have defeated Sky Severing Raptor - lvl 499]

[Lvl 455 > Lvl 456]

[Lvl 456 > Lvl 457]

[Lvl 457 > Lvl 458]

[Lvl 458 > Lvl 459]

[Lvl 459 > Lvl 460]

[Lvl 460 > Lvl 461]

[Lvl 461 > Lvl 462]

[You have defeated Desolation Hydra - lvl 501]

[Lvl 462 > Lvl 463]

[Lvl 463 > Lvl 464]

[Lvl 464 > Lvl 465]

[Lvl 465 > Lvl 466]

[Lvl 466 > Lvl 467]

[Lvl 467 > Lvl 468]

[Lvl 468 > Lvl 469]

Well done! You have successfully reached level 450. You may now select a new Primary Class. Available classes and their rarity are based on your actions and performance up to this point in the Tutorial.

Not bad at all. Out of habit, I go into my status to invest all my stat points into mana, only to find that I have none and my mana has already increased.

I guess things like this become nearly instinctual after a while. I bet it happens to everyone.

Then I make myself more comfortable and, reaching out to my room, teleport a heavily secured box to myself.

I put it on my knees and go through three layers of locks requiring my mana signature, each one increasing in difficulty. Even looking closely at the last lock would fry the brain of an average Beyond attendee, as I have done my absolute best to secure it.

Once it's open, I take out what’s probably the last remaining bar of my favorite chocolate in the Tutorial, as well as a blue-colored sports drink I enjoy.

Next, I carefully take out and place down a bag of chips. A perfectly preserved bag. Not punctured, and the chips inside haven’t broken into those tiny crumbs you always end up licking off your fingers.

And the last one is my truest treasure. It’s been stored within another box that I paid an honestly ungodly amount of shards to have crafted, just to keep the item inside perfectly preserved and chilled at the required temperature.

Yes. A cheesecake. From Earth.

I take it out, deciding to eat it first, and reaching into the box, I also pull out a fancy silver dessert fork. The ones made of manabloc still don't have that satisfying clang against your teeth or that lovely silver shine.

Only then do I begin to read through the four classes I’ve been offered.

Primordial Weaver (Upper Pristine)

A class granted to individuals capable of harmonizing multiple energies with an ease that others can’t hope to match. Weavers weave primordial energies alongside raw mana to further imbue the distinct properties of those primordial energies directly into their skills, reaching heights conventional mana users cannot achieve. Maybe one day it will be your turn to achieve something unseen in this universe.

You bend all that you control to your absolute will. With your extraordinary capabilities, you have begun mixing your primordial energies with your mana and redistributing them with ease. You have acquired [Redistribution], [Manifestation], [Weave], and [Eclipse], skills whose true potential has yet to be fully revealed, allowing you to achieve feats that others consider impossible. You have more than 2 low pristine passives. Have 3 powerful traits. Have forcibly evolved your traits up to their limit of 5 possible strengthenings. You have multiple skills over level 80. Have become an Absolute Candidate through a system quest. Faced and killed a Champion-grade being on your own. Gained your entire mana pool's worth of mana through redistribution more than 1,000 times. Have woven constructs most at your level are incapable of perceiving. Have been using primordial energies and mana simultaneously to create effects neither could achieve on their own. Received teachings and techniques from an immensely talented kinetic user, and received mana control teachings from one of the greatest talents this universe has ever seen.

Due to your unique constitution, your mana and primordial energies have become an inseparable part of your being in a way few can claim.

Dominion Juggernaut (Unique Pristine)

A class specializing in brutal combat by augmenting oneself while violently interfering with others. Dominion Juggernauts are an unstoppable force bringing absolute terror to every battlefield they walk, leaving few beings capable of standing against them in single combat. You’ve turned your body into a weapon that poses far more danger to your enemies than to yourself. Upon selecting this class, your baseline mana will drop to 1, but your ability to siphon ambient mana and the active mana of your opponents will be incomparably increased, along with gathering Primordial Kinetic and Thermal energies. All shall fear facing you in combat.

You have modified your body extensively beyond what should be biologically survivable. You have directly faced Champions and overwhelmingly superior opponents in combat and survived. You have participated in battles with or personally slain opponents of Champion grade. Have a mana stat exceeding 2000. Have Mana Manipulation over level 85. Have more than 2 low pristine passives. You have showcased exceptional skill in enduring and channeling raw mana and primordial energies. You have turned your opponents' abilities against them more than 10,000 times. You have pulled ambient mana equal to the size of your mana pool more than 1,000 times. Have evolved at least one trait to have 5 possible strengthenings. Have a trait at its 3rd strengthening. Where your body was not enough, you created a vessel to carry your might. Implanted a Champion-level heart into your body and learned how to endure and handle the full output of said heart. Have become an Absolute Candidate through the system quest. Reached S rank in Beyond. Carry a pure fragment. Have participated in multiple Beyond quests and in the Last Elf replica eradication quest. Have won two tournaments.

Your physique alone allows you to enter leagues that should be otherwise impossible. Mana and primordial energies bend to your will even when ripped directly from your opponent, proving your terrifying talent for adaptation in battle.

Empyrean Heir (Unique Pristine)

An advanced class following in the footsteps of a clan that once held a divine bloodline. Utilizing the unique Empyrean frequency, dissonant with the established laws of the current mana system, the Empyreans might rise once again with you at their lead.

Your domination of mana wavelengths and your ability to focus energy are extraordinary in a way that very few can mimic. You have Empyrean Ichor with a purity of 30% or more. Have an Empyrean skill at level over 70 or more. You have witnessed a proficient user of Empyrean Mana create powerful Empyrean constructs, guiding you down the path of the Empyreans. You have acquired Empyrean Ichor and strengthened it to the third stage. Have Preeminence Eyes at the third stage. Witnessed and traveled with the help of an ancient Firmament. Have used Empyrean Ichor to forcefully evolve your trait into Mana Vessel, pushing your body far past its limits. You have learned how to harness your Empyrean Ichor as a deadly weapon. You have directly interfered with the system multiple times in ways far beyond your level. You have been given A Warning. Aided in the revival of a godking. Aided a tutorial imitation in escaping the bounds of the tutorial. Have multiple active skills over lvl 80. Have more than 3 low pristine passives. Have become an Absolute Candidate through a system quest. Have fought and killed a Champion on your own. Have fought in battle against multiple Champion-grade beings and won.

Embracing the Empyrean bloodline, you have purified its lineage to push your limits. Ignorant of where this path ultimately leads, you head closer to the day where a Divine Heart might beat in your chest, ascending you to the status of a Demigod.

Mana Primarch (Unique Pristine)

A class never before witnessed by those who seek absolute mastery over mana and its flow. A Primarch’s very thought, and their mere presence, forces all mana to bend to their command. Possessing a mind uniquely forged to endure the devastating strain, they seize control of their own mana and the mana of their opponents. One day it might be you who will be granted that which the system has never granted before.

Your mind and sense of self, should they continue to grow, might one day match the most powerful minds in the system. You have multiple active skills over level 85. You have more than 3 low pristine passives. You have Preeminence Eyes at the 3rd stage. You have evolved your trait and gained Mana Vessel. Beyond all logic and sense, your Constitution remains lower than that of the average tutorial attendee after one day on the first floor. You have leveled [Mana Manipulation] from level 0 to over level 85 in under 5 seconds. You have undergone an unbroken period of thought acceleration equivalent to more than five years. You have two active skills at level 88. You created a Scalar Beacon.

A new message pops up out of nowhere.

Reconfirming the preceding five achievements.

Achievements confirmed.

Additional confirmation required. Contacting one of the Rulers presiding over this cycle of the Tutorial to obtain verification.

Verification confirmed by The Ruler of Diligence.

Secondary confirmation required.

Verification confirmed by The Ruler of Wrath.

Then, as if nothing happened, the notifications continue.

You have channeled 3 times your mana pool in under 1 second more than 100 times. Have released the entirety of your mana pool in under 1 second more than 1,000 times. Have participated in battle against 3 or more Champion-grade beings. Have killed or greatly contributed to the killing of more than 3 Champion-grade beings. Became an Absolute Candidate through a system quest. Reacquired [Mana Manipulation] multiple times. Have a mana stat exceeding 2500. Have Mana Vessel. Have Preeminence Eyes. Carry an Empyrean skill at level 70 or over. Outpaced and outgrew a newborn wyvern, matched it in combat, and killed it. You’ve gathered ambient mana multiple times your body's mana pool, more than 1,000 times. Studied under one of the greatest mana users in the history of the system. Mastered and modified Mana Cycling.

You have accomplished feats that those of your era in the System will never again witness. Your mana pool defies logic, far surpassing even the greatest, while your body has been fundamentally rewritten by raw mana, forever scarred and changed at the deepest level of your being. Through sheer determination, unyielding focus, and a mind unlike any other, you rule over all mana.