After delivering all the metal scraps to Leyla, Edward went back to his room to study the tome about magic he had picked up in the Damkinan library. Leyla was already captivated by all the prospects the runes and raw materials had opened, and she had been more than happy to be left to her own agenda.

　　Edward opened the book and started to read. Before talking about magic, one must know about mana. All magic relies on mana, without mana there will be no magic.`

　　Well, ok that sounds like pushing an opened door.

　　Mana is tricky to perceive, it is very fickle and doesn`t interact much with the matter surrounding us. However, there are exceptions to this rule, for example, if the mana`s quantity is tremendous or if it is channeled properly through a rune or a spell.`

　　Yes, the tome presenting runes was stating that the runes were a way for mana to interact with reality.

　　As mana is volatile, it is difficult to cast a spell using ambient mana. One usually absorbs the mana inside its body or in an external container before being able to use it. The main way to obtain mana is done through meditation. The speed of absorption is relatively slow but it can not be underestimated as it accumulates through the years with regular practice. Don`t make the mistake to underestimate accumulating results over long period of time.`

　　I don`t know the life expectancy of Damkinans what do they mean by long? Does it require years of practice?

　　For those who are in a hurry and who are wealthy enough, an alternate possibility is to absorb mana directly through a container like a mana crystal. Be aware that absorbing a large quantity of mana quickly will result in side effects especially if you are not used to manipulate large quantity of mana. Side effects may include a sensation of time slowing down due to the acceleration of one`s senses. Your body won`t be able to follow your senses and this mismatch will result in a sensation of being trapped in one`s own body, as if time had stopped.`

　　Wait a minute&This is exactly what happened to me when I injured those Bloodmaws with my daggers. I felt like time slowed down around me although I wasn`t able to move. Does this mean I already have mana?

　　Depending on the mana quantity, absorbing mana while outstripping one`s limits can leave you trapped in such a state for what will feels like hours, days, or longer. This goes without saying that such a state isn`t recommended for your own sanity. Moreover, as the amount of mana you attempt to absorb that way is outstripping your limits, your body won`t be able to hold it all, and a large part will be lost. As mana crystals take a lot of time to grow, such an use for them is beyond wasteful.`

　　It looks like the author has a beef against the ones using such methods.

　　More concerning, exposure to an intense mana concentration can result in uncontrollable mutations. This last part, however, is very rarely encountered, as most people are wise enough not to overstep their limits to this scale.`

　　That part about mutations is also worrying, but I don`t think it applies to me. I was trapped in a time stop for a few minutes at most and not anything comparable to hours.

　　Edward stopped a moment to process the implications.

　　Damkinans were mostly a race comprised of mages. They tried to make use of a biological weapon to create an army at one point in their war against whatever was threatening them. Of course, they must have used spells to modify the Bloodmaws into what they are now. So Bloodmaws have mana on top of their blood essence, and the daggers can absorb that. But I can`t absorb their mana with the regular way of absorbing their power through one`s aura.

　　With what I saw in Agripin, mages are known only in legends. People are using aura rather than mana to gain power. Which, means I must be one of the rare people with mana in my body.

　　I also know that some runes need a certain quantity of mana before activating. Back then, I always thought that Adrien didn`t make it to the teleportation mural in time. But what if he made it, but it didn`t activate because he didn`t have any mana?

　　The first time I used the teleportation mural I was put out of commission, but on the next use, I was feeling much better. Is it because my mana increased?

　　Gosh&that must have been horrible for him. Seeing me vanish, trying to do the same thing, only for it to fail&It could have happened to me as well. I had just injured a Bloodmaw before using the mural, but if I hadn`t picked the daggers, I wouldn`t have had any mana, and the teleportation mural wouldn`t have worked for me either.

　　But I did give him one of the daggers though. I guess I will never really know if he managed to reach the mural and it didn`t activate, or if he was killed before that. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

　　To think that your life can depend on such small variables which you aren`t even aware of at the time. I need to gain more knowledge, I know that the wilds are not fully explored, but I still need to get basic information so that I can survive as an adventurer. Gob閘iard sounds more and more like my next destination. As a town, they should have more knowledge about this world.

　　Edward gazed in empty space for a few minutes, he needed that time to regain his bearings. He then continued to read the tome.

　　Mana can feel like either particles flowing around you or as a stream of energy depending on its behavior. To sense it, you will need to regularly practice mediating exercises with your attention focused on your surroundings. Such a process can take some time, and that is why it should be taught as young as possible. This way, when the children are old enough to learn magic, they already have their own mana and are ready to practice.`

　　Okay&tell me I`m old while you are at it.

　　But I already managed to perceive auras, and I can even see them directly through my eyes. This should help me with sensing mana. Curiously, meditation is focused on the external to sense mana instead of the internal to sense one own`s aura.

　　And this tome isn`t mentioning aura at all. I still don`t know the differences between the two.

　　Once you have enough mana. You will need to learn how to control its flow inside your body. Just like blood, mana has its own circulatory system. By performing the right incantation while simultaneously circulating one`s mana in the right way it is possible to make the mana react and interact with our reality, this is what is more commonly known as casting a spell.`

　　Simultaneous tasks seem like a pain already. But if it is to cast magic, I suppose it is worth it. Learning how to manipulate and use mana seems a lot trickier than to use aura. No need for years of practice, you just need to absorb the blood essence of a monster and a few weeks of practice. I can already see a reason while people would prefer to use aura rather than mana.

　　Edward continued to read further in, the book was presenting the meditations exercises in more detail. This was the core of the tome`s content. Usually, one should be able to sense mana before having absorbed any mana. A case like Edward was exceptional, only rich families sometimes used mana crystals to accelerate the development of their kids. But even then, they first let the kids familiarize themselves with the meditation exercises first and used the crystals in moderation to avoid undesirable side effects.

　　Edward wasn`t feeling at ease doing meditation in the guard barracks. He was still sharing his room with Bertrand, even if the latter was on guard duty right now. There was no guarantee he wouldn`t come back while Edward was still meditating. Besides, Edward was currently in the guard`s dormitory and there were several guards regularly entering and leaving the building. It wasn`t the best place to do something like meditation.

　　So instead, Edward decided to go on a stroll. He didn`t go to Vipin Forest, as that would be dangerous to enter a trance-like state while being unguarded, so he decided to settle in the plain beside Agripin.

　　While in the plain, Edward was still visible by the guards protecting Agripin and patrolling on the wall, but he was far enough to avoid being disturbed.

　　He was already familiar with meditation, so he calmly closed his eyes and emptied his mind. He let his thoughts run their course until all that was left in his mind was the calm of a lake without wind. This time, he let his attention drift towards the outside, sensing his surroundings. Even with his eyes closed, Edward still had his aura and thus was able to sense what was going on around him. He wasn`t able to sense any mana yet, but he didn`t get impatient and let things run their course.

　　After several hours of meditation, Edward caught something strange at the edge of his perception. It was as if something was there, and yet when he was paying more attention to check it, he didn`t sense anything. As time went by, the feeling became clearer. In his aura range, he was able to sense small dots floating nearby. The dots were moving in strange patterns seemingly unaffected by the wind as if standing in a separate reality overlapping with this one. From time to time, one such dot was disappearing only to reappear at the same place several minutes later or in a completely different location. Edward wasn`t even sure if this was strictly speaking the same dot of mana or simply another one.

　　So, this is what mana looks like. This wasn`t too complicated, but at the same time, I`m already familiar with meditation and perceiving aura has become natural to me.

　　While in meditation I usually focus internally on my aura, rather than on my surroundings. And I never felt something like that when I used my aura to scout around. But then, when I`m scouting, I`m usually focused and not in an empty state of mind. With how elusive mana is behaving, I would have subconsciously dismiss it as a product of my imagination.

　　Then again, this whole process took me what, three, four hours? I refuse to believe that I am the first non-magician who discovered it. There must be others who should be able to sense mana. But sensing mana in itself is not sufficient to cast a spell, and I doubt mages would want to give away their secrets for free. Maybe, that explains why magicians are so rare nowadays.

　　Since I`m now able to sense mana, I`m curious if I can sense mine. After all, I did absorb some mana from those Bloodmaws.

　　Edward focus on the inside of his body, attempting to find the same motes of mana he had felt floating in the air.

　　This&It has the same elusive nature as the mana from outside but it feels more like a stream rather than dots roaming around.

　　Edward was able to sense the mana inside of him, flowing slowly in some sort of complex circulatory system adjacent to his blood vessels. The feeling was very distinct from his aura.

　　His aura felt like a part of himself as if it was his life made manifest. His own will expending from his body to interact with the world, turning his biddings into reality. However, although mana was flowing inside his body, it was still ethereal, as if it was both here and not here at the same time. Edward could control his aura easily but he had no idea how to influence the mana stream inside of him. While his aura seems to result from his body, an integrant part of him, mana seemed more as if his body was attuned to it rather than the reverse.

　　Okay, it seems like it isn`t that simple. I still have work in front of me before I can even master my own mana.