Chapter 276

Volume 2 Ch 19: Mana

She picked up the spoon and sipped the thick soup in small mouthfuls. The warm liquid slid down her throat, bringing a little warmth with it.

Her manner of eating stood in stark contrast to his. It was elegant, restrained, and slow.

But her gaze kept straying back to Ryan across the table.

In this world, Mana was not some miracle born from nothing.

Mana was, in the end, a form of energy, and the conservation of energy was just as much one of this world’s underlying laws as gravity or kinetic force.

It followed certain fundamental rules.

The most essential of those rules was this: Mana could not be created from nothing, nor could it vanish into nothing. It could only be transferred or transformed from one place into another.

Casters, whether Elf or human, were in essence porters and converters of Mana. They drew in and refined Mana from the surrounding environment or from energy stored within themselves, guided it, shaped it, then communicated and resonated with the elemental spirits of nature to release Magic.

And the upper limit of how much Mana a living being could contain and use was not simply a matter of how large the bucket was.

A more fitting comparison was a circulation system, like blood rushing through veins.

Mana flowed and cycled through specific channels inside the body.

The upper limit of such a system did not merely refer to the total amount of Mana the body could temporarily store at a given moment. More importantly, it referred to the system’s throughput and speed.

For someone whose Mana circulation system was broad and efficient, the total amount of Mana flowing through the body per minute would far exceed that of someone who merely had a larger storage capacity but narrower channels. Even if the two had similar total Mana reserves in a static sense, the former would have an overwhelming advantage in sustained casting, high-intensity output, and recovery speed.

The difference in throughput per minute would accumulate into an enormous gap over the course of real combat.

That was why the casters of the continent had developed different areas of emphasis.

Iruya was an Elf and an orthodox mage. Her understanding of Mana leaned more toward total capacity and precise control.

Most elven Magic depended on the deep reserves of Mana accumulated through long lifespans and on exquisite resonance with the natural elements. It emphasized achieving the greatest effect with the least expenditure, or else releasing vast spells capable of altering the terrain itself through complex rituals and prolonged preparation.

Orthodox elven mages like Iruya, or those human imperial mages devoted to positional warfare and devastating bombardment, all pursued Mana reserves as deep as the sea.

What they needed was the ability to unleash, in one burst or in a few successive bursts, Magic on a scale great enough to alter the entire course of battle. The core of their tactics lay in a decisive, destructive strike built through preparation.

By contrast, many martial-magic professions across the continent—Magic Swordsmen, Holy Knights, Battle Mages, and the like—built their Mana systems somewhat differently.

Beyond total Mana reserves, they placed more emphasis on Mana circulation efficiency or instantaneous output.

A powerful physique was not only the basis for swinging weapons and enduring blows. It also supported more efficient energy conversion and Mana generation.

A Magic Swordsman who had undergone rigorous training might possess a Mana flow rate and regeneration speed far beyond that of a traditional mage with the same total Mana reserves. That allowed them to continue using highly practical combat Magic and techniques that did not individually consume much Mana, and to do so for long periods at high intensity, without collapsing into Mana depletion after only a few advanced spells like a traditional mage might.

They might be unable to instantly call down a meteor, but they could make Mana flow as naturally as breathing, allowing them to continuously enchant their weapons, accelerate themselves, cast protective spells, or unleash small-scale impact Magic throughout prolonged, brutal close combat.

A strong physique was not merely the foundation of martial skill. It also provided a solid energy-conversion platform for this high-load Mana circulation system.

Naturally, such intense energy metabolism had to be accompanied by enormous day-to-day consumption. That was why high-rank Magic Swordsmen and knights often had astonishing appetites. They needed to draw in sufficient energy from food in order to sustain both bodily function and the operation of their Mana circulation systems.

Ryan’s current way of eating fit very well with the traits of a magic warrior whose Mana circulation system had been activated at high intensity, perhaps even one currently undergoing reconstruction or expansion.

Only... that appetite seemed even more outrageous than the appetites of the famous high-rank Magic Swordsmen Iruya knew of.

Was it because the consumption from that Ancient Dragon Gospel ritual had been too terrifying?

Or was it because the Gospel itself was remaking and driving his body in a manner that was both more efficient and more greedy?

Iruya ate her vegetables in small bites, her eyes drifting to Ryan’s hand as he steadily and rapidly dealt with the food in front of him, then to his calm profile, and finally to his chest, where beneath the cloth of his clothes lay hidden that black and ominous scale.

A thoughtful glimmer passed through her violet eyes.

Ryan seemed not to notice her gaze at all. He simply kept working through the food before him in an orderly manner.

Another meat chop on the bone was dismantled, lifted, chewed, and swallowed.

He picked up his glass and took a drink, then used the napkin to wipe his mouth. When he raised his head again, his gaze met Iruya’s searching one. His gray-blue eyes were as calm as ever, with only that faint ring of gold at the edge of his pupils flickering quietly beneath the dining room lights.

“It doesn’t suit your taste?” he asked, just as yet another empty plate was removed and replaced by a fresh one piled high with roast meat and sausages.

Ryan lifted his glass, took another sip of water, then wiped the corner of his mouth with the napkin. He raised his head and looked at Iruya. There was no particular emotion in his gray-blue eyes, only that faint golden ring at the edge of the pupils, which seemed strangely bright beneath the lights.

Iruya shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing.” She set down the spoon and looked at him with her violet eyes. “What about you? After eating this much, do you feel any change in your body?”

Only then did Ryan properly examine how he felt.

It was true. The amount he had eaten today had already far exceeded what would once have been his limit, yet that hollow craving deep inside his body had not completely faded. It had only eased somewhat.

What was stranger still was that the food did not feel as though it was falling into his stomach the way it used to, bringing him a sense of fullness.

Now, once the food went down his throat, it seemed to be intercepted and digested halfway as it passed near his chest, leaving behind only a faint current of warmth that spread into his limbs.

Especially at the location of the scale on his chest—even through his clothes, it seemed faintly warm to the touch. Earlier, he had assumed that was only an illusion.

“Now that you mention it,” Ryan said, setting down his fork and pressing his hand absently over the cloth above the left side of his chest, “it does feel a little strange. My body feels hungry, as if it’s constantly craving something. But the food doesn’t seem to make it all the way to my stomach. It disappears halfway there.”

Iruya thought for a moment, lightly tapping the tabletop with one finger. “Could it be related to the Magic you used in the bathroom earlier? You used Water Magic to clean everything.”