VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 1

VOLUME 10: CHAPTER 1

As promised, after Lark had used up all of the monster corpses brought by the dwarves, he proceeded to teach Anandra the Seven Gates of Mana.

“This should be far enough,” said Lark.

They’d just arrived at the heart of the forest nearest the capital. It was two hours away by foot from the barrier, and around half an hour from the nearest village. Unlike the Endless Forest, the trees in this area were fewer and relatively smaller.

“Pitch your tents over there,” said Lark to the Royal Guards accompanying them. “Keep a distance of at least two hundred meters. No matter what happens, do not enter this area unless I call for you.”

It was a command telling them not to guard him and simply be on stand-by. Still, knowing how powerful Anandra and the King were, the Royal Guards readily accepted their orders.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

After the Royal Guards left the area, Lark sat on a boulder. He said to Anandra, “Let’s start.”

Lark snapped his fingers and cast a simple sound barrier in the area. Immediately, the sound of the tree branches creaking from the wind, the leaves rustling, and the chirping of birds vanished.

“Before we proceed with the Seven Gates,” said Lark in a low but clear voice. “It’s prudent for you to know first the Theory of Mana Saturation.”

It was the first time Anandra had heard of such a theory. Respectfully, he stood and listened to Lark as he continued with his explanation.

“Unlike demons, a human is born with an imperfect body incapable of perfectly storing mana,” Lark began his explanation. “Humans have a mana pool, sure, but they’re nothing but aggregates – lumps of mana – that had been forcefully compressed and temporarily stored inside the body.”

“The demon race, on the other hand, is born with mana cores capable of perfectly storing the mana they’d gathered throughout the years,” said Lark. “Some scholars say that this is the reason for the demon’s longevity, while some say that this is the reason for their bodies that are far stronger than that of a human’s.”

Back in the era of the Magic Empire, the human race performed extensive research on the anatomy and physiology of the demon race. In his pursuit of immortality during his younger years, even Evander Alaester cooperated with those lunatic researchers as they dissected the bodies of demons.

Although they were unable to pinpoint the exact reason behind the longevity of the demons, the researchers of that time were able to study their cores extensively.

“Just think of it this way,” Lark decided to simplify things for his disciple. “The mana pool of a human is akin to a wooden pail with several small holes. No matter how much water you store inside, it would leak out. It would eventually run out of water. On the other hand, the mana core of a demon is akin to a metallic pail without any holes. A very large one at that, capable of storing massive amounts of water on its own.”

Lark raised his index finger. “Then, this raises the question: if the wooden pail is littered with holes, how is it possible for humans to maintain a constant amount of mana stored in their bodies? Based on my prior words, the wooden pail should have run out of water by now, right?”

Anandra nodded his head. He replied, “It’s because humans are capable of absorbing the mana in their surroundings, Master.”

It was a concept Lark had taught Austen and George before. Anandra was glad that he listened on that topic.

“Exactly,” said Lark in a satisfied voice. “The ability of humans and demons to harness the mana in their surroundings and make it their own is comparable. No, personally, I believe that the ability of us humans is a bit superior.”

“Mana Saturation, a phenomenon commonly known as Mana Overload,” said Lark, “is a phenomenon wherein the mana being absorbed by someone exceeds what their mana pools or cores are capable of storing.”

“The mana overflows, and the place where it is stored grows accordingly to accommodate the extra mana inside a person’s body,” said Lark. “Some call it a Breakthrough, some call it Enlightenment, while some call it an Awakening. Personally, I call it an Expansion.”

“It’s a natural adaptive process present on humans and demons alike. Unfortunately, due to the imperfect mana pool of humans, Mana Saturation is a phenomenon that is hard to achieve, even for high-ranking magicians.”

“So, this begs the question,” said Lark. “If the wooden pail is littered with holes, how do we fill it with enough water to make it overflow?”

Lark paused, and silence befell the two of them. Anandra pondered deeply on this question. Although the topic was quite complicated, it was fortunate that his Master, King Lark, made it easy to understand even for a non-magician like him.

Lark raised two fingers. “There are two ways. First is to use an external force – a mana stone or something similar – to overflow the body with mana and forcefully expand its pool.”

It was the same technique Lark always used whenever he expanded his mana pool.

“But this technique carries the greatest risk,” said Lark. “It requires an in-depth understanding of the flow of mana. It’s a technique that could kill you the moment you make even the slightest mistake. And even if by chance you survive, you’ll be a cripple for life.”

Had Lark’s other disciples heard of this, they would have been utterly terrified. On the other hand, Anandra remained calm and composed despite hearing such horrifying things from Lark.

“This brings us to the second method,” said Lark. “The Seven Gates of Mana.”

Lark created an image using mana. The solidified mana took on the form of an oversized gorilla beastman. Anandra recognized him. It was General Urkawi – the leader of the Third Legion of the United Grakas Alliance.

Seven thumb-size clumps of mana started forming on the image of the beastman. One on the head, two on the upper chest, two on the middle abdomen, and two on the upper thighs.

“Each of these,” said Lark as he pointed at the clumps of mana. “Represent the gates of mana in a human body. Although I haven’t conducted extensive research on them yet, I believe the locations in beastmen are the same.”

Anandra stared intently at the seven clumps of mana. He was amazed that he’d managed to understand all of the concepts so easily until this point. His Master was truly good at simplifying things for his disciples.

“Most humans have all of these gates closed,” said Lark. “Since these Gates can harness and absorb great amounts of mana on their own, I believe it’s our body’s way of protecting itself. A way of preventing our body from being overloaded and collapsing, just like loose soil eroded by a raging river.”

“But remember,” said Lark. “It is a gate. Although mana from our surroundings easily enter, the mana inside us are also capable of leaving as easily. This is the reason why the Seven Gates of Mana isn’t the best method of expanding a person’s mana pool. Since the Gate doesn’t discriminate between external and internal mana, it is much harder to make the water inside the pail to overflow.”

Lark sat comfortably on top of the boulder, placed his elbow on top of his leg, and rested his chin on his palm. He said to Anandra, “You must be wondering. If the Seven Gates of Mana is so defective, why bother learning it? If it isn’t as capable as the first method in expanding a person’s mana pool, then why use it?”

“The answer is simple,” said Lark. “If the mana is capable of exiting the body as easily as it enters, then all we need to do is use up the mana before it vanishes completely.”

Anandra remembered that time when they’d fought with General Urkawi. According to his Master, that beastman General had opened three out of the Seven Gates. He was a monster that had earned the nickname ‘The Immortal Beastman.’ As easy as breathing, General Urkawi continuously used all of the mana he’d been absorbing from the surroundings to strengthen his body. Each and every second of everyday, his Gates remained open.

After learning the mechanics behind how the Gates worked, Anandra realized how amazing that beastman was.

“You probably wouldn’t be able to expand your mana pool with this technique,” said Lark. “But there wouldn’t be a need to do that as long as you’re capable of using the Gates subconsciously. Fortunately, you’re blessed with such a strong body. I’ll suffer a severe backlash if I forcefully open the Gates in this body, but it should be different for you, my dear disciple.”

In his previous life, Evander Alaester was not only blessed with a massive mana pool incomparable to what he had today. He was also blessed with a powerful body capable of opening all seven gates. Coupled with the Sword of Morpheus, powerful Unique Magic, and several other artifacts, he’d managed to reach the pinnacle of strength back in his previous life.

Lark planned on not only expanding his mana pool further on. He also planned on opening some Gates once his body reached its full potential. Unfortunately, despite being a Marcus, his current shell did not possess a powerful physique. It should be possible later down the line, but it would be difficult to achieve, even for Lark.

‘I wonder if he’ll be able to do it too,’ thought Lark as he gazed at Anandra. ‘Before I died back then, Kubarkava managed to open his seventh gate of mana.’

Aside from him, Kubarkava ‘The Dragon Devourer’ was the only person Lark knew of that had managed to open all Seven Gates. Achieving such feat basically made him a creature that inhaled and exhaled mana, a creature closer to the essence of mana than any other existence.

Opening six gates render a human capable of destroying thick iron walls with their bare fists, while opening all seven gates render a human capable of destroying the scales of a Dragon with just a single strike of their fist.

Still, no matter how powerful the Seven Gates was, it had a glaring weakness: the moment the user was cut off or isolated from his immediate surroundings, it would also cut off his nearly unlimited supply of mana. This was the same weakness Lark exploited to defeat General Urkawi of the United Grakas Alliance.

Following the same principle, Lark decided to conduct the training here in the forest instead of the Training Grounds. Although all things contain mana within them, living beings contained the most mana within their bodies. The trees surrounding them, the root-blanketed ground, and the creatures living in this forest were no exemptions.

Using a mana stone to increase the ambient mana in the surroundings was also an option, but Lark deemed that creating such an artificial environment would defeat the training’s purpose.

“Do you remember what other people call the phenomenon of Mana Saturation?” said Lark.

Anandra replied, “Enlightenment. Some also call it a Breakthrough or an Awakening.”

“Don’t you wonder why they call it that?”

Lark took out six iron spikes from his bag. Each of them was around eight inches long, and small runes were engraved on their shafts.

Lark pointed one of the spikes toward Anandra. Its sharp tip glimmered at the touch of the morning light.

“Only those who’d surpassed their limits, those who’d broken through insurmountable walls would call it an Awakening or a Breakthrough,” said Lark. “Pain and suffering – everyone needs to go through this hell before they could achieve these things. Even geniuses are not excluded. Although this training we’ll be conducting today is basically a shortcut, it’ll carry the same pain the so-called ‘Enlightened’ ones experienced. Using these spikes and the runes engraved on them, I’ll forcefully open six out of the seven gates. They’ll remain open for only a short duration, but the sensation – the feeling – should be more than enough to guide you to eventually open them on your own.”

One of the gates was located at the head. It was one of the reasons why there were very few humans who’d managed to open all seven gates even after this technique was invented.

“It’ll be excruciating,” said Lark. “The pain might even kill you. There’s also the chance of your body breaking and you becoming a cripple.”

Anandra’s commonly expressionless face turned serious. He said in a voice full of conviction, “I’ll live through the pain. Do not worry, Master.”

Lark was satisfied with that answer. He felt no hint of fear or hesitation within Anandra’s voice. It was as though his disciple did not fear death at all.

For a moment, Lark was reminded of the ‘Dragon Devourer’ once again. His strongest disciple in his previous life. Although he was rowdy and uncouth, unlike Anandra, the Dragon Devourer also did not fear death or pain. He was a foolish disciple who did not back down even after making enemies out of an entire tribe of Red Dragons.

“Very well,” Lark cast a simple gravity spell, and all six spikes started hovering in the air. “Clench your teeth. If it’s too painful, feel free to go on a rampage. I, your Master, shall accompany you through the entire process.”

The moment Anandra clenched his teeth, all six spikes shot toward him, striking the places where the gates were supposedly located. Blood spurted out, and Anandra staggered several steps back. Still, he remained standing, without even a groan escaping his mouth.

The runes engraved on the spikes glowed. Pain, far greater than the one he’d felt when the spikes impaled him, started coursing through his entire body. It was the pain from forcefully opening the Gates. It felt like an invisible hand was gripping his flesh and bones from the inside, before twisting them and ripping them apart. And as though it wasn’t enough, the moment the Gates started opening, Anandra felt all of his mana leaking out of his entire body. He almost vomited from the nauseating feeling of suddenly losing most of the mana in his body.

The Gates started opening wider, and the amount of mana leaking from his body increased even further. Anandra’s vision dimmed, and he started losing strength in his body. With sheer will, he remained conscious and standing, despite the excruciating pain that seemed to rip his body from the inside out.

Anandra realized why Lark refused to teach him the Seven Gates until now. Had he learned this technique two years ago, he would have been turned into a cripple in an instant. In the worst-case scenario, he would have immediately died.

“That sensation,” said Lark as he watched from atop the boulder. “Remember it. This sensation will be your guiding light until you fully master the technique.”

The runes engraved on the spikes glowed brighter. The excruciating pain increased twofold.

Anandra finally fell down to his knees. His vision blurred, and the world around him started spinning.

“I’ll do you my best to ensure you won’t die,” said Lark. “So, hang in there and do your best, my beloved disciple.”