The banquet has ended.
Ention stayed at the mansion for another week after the banquet before leaving for Utrein Castle with Zent.
I kept a close eye on Ention's every move. However, he simply went about his business quietly, occasionally handling some work and resting.
What surprised me was that he didn't have sex with Elaine even once during his stay at the mansion.
'Could he have a mistress hidden away in Utrein Castle?'
It's not entirely impossible. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for him to avoid Elaine.
'Ention didn't punish Baron Jukai.'
Ention generously forgave Baron Jukai's rudeness. It wasn't really a serious offense, after all.
'I've made my presence known at this banquet.'
Among the vassals, those interested in money approached me directly. They could smell the money. I dealt with them sincerely. Even if they might be useless later, it's necessary to be friendly with them for now.
'And the Helbrit ducal family is suspicious of Yuria.'
During the banquet, a total of 12 people sought out Yuria. Eight of them were commoners, merchants, or mages. Their goal was the dishes Yuria had made.
They tried to recruit her, but she refused all of them. Three even proposed to her. Four were nobles. Three of them, upon seeing Yuria's beauty, asked her to become their mistress. Of course, Yuria refused.
The last one was a noble sent by Helios. He asked Yuria various questions about her background before leaving. Yuria handled it well. Helios might feel something is off about Yuria, but he won't be certain.
'I can ignore the Helbrit ducal family for now.'
What I need to focus on now is money.
Currently, I've amassed around 20 billion nerl. The cosmetics sold much better than I expected.
The Mana Awakening Potion costs 40 billion nerl. I've saved up half of that. Greed is starting to grow in my heart.
'I should sell perfumes to the merchants.'
If I sell all the perfumes I currently have, I can make around 5 billion nerl. If I bring in more perfumes, I could make even more.
'Ah, the Mana Awakening Potion! I'm really looking forward to it!'
***
=====
[Name: Seong Eugene]
[Level: 35]
[Stats]
[Strength: 23]
[Stamina: 23]
[Agility: 22]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Vitality: 30]
[Available Points: 56]
=====
I glanced at my stats and put them away. That wasn't important right now.
I took something out of my inventory.
A transparent glass bottle. Inside it was a faint blue liquid. The Mana Awakening Potion.
"I-I finally got it!"
I was able to gather money much faster than I expected in the world of "Baekhwan." Yuria's help was significant. If she hadn't given me various pieces of advice, it would have been impossible to gather 20 billion nerl in just three months.
Yuria assassinated over 10 merchants and nobles during the process… but, well, whether they lived or died wasn't my concern. What's important is that I've obtained the Mana Awakening Potion and brought it to the real world.
I openly purchased the Mana Awakening Potion from Matap. There was no reason to hide it. I deliberately flaunted my wealth.
"Hmm~ Look at this color~"
I carefully caressed the bottle of the Mana Awakening Potion. Honestly, there was no need to be this careful. The bottle itself is enchanted with magic, so it won't break even if dropped from the second floor. Unless this were the real world.
"There's only one thing I'm worried about. What if, like the Illusiter, its effectiveness diminishes in the real world, and I fail to awaken my mana…."
If I fail to awaken my mana, I'll be really pissed. What I'll do when I'm pissed… even I don't know.
I was about to open the bottle but hesitated.
'Wouldn't it be better to analyze this with modern science and mass-produce it?'
But I quickly shook my head.
According to Matap, the herbs used in the Mana Awakening Potion are extremely rare, and they undergo a magical refining process. Additionally, completing the potion requires the work of one top-tier mage and two high-tier mages.
'Even if I could analyze the ingredients, it's impossible to make.'
There are mages in the real world, but they're different from the mages in fantasy novels, so it's impossible.
I let go of my pointless attachment and opened the bottle.
Pop!
The cap flew off, and a refreshing scent wafted from the bottle. I sniffed the Mana Awakening Potion. No matter how much I sniffed, I didn't get tired of it. I wanted to rub it all over my body.
"I'm drinking it! I'm no longer a mana eunuch!"
I opened my mouth and covered the bottle's opening. I couldn't let a single drop go to waste. I started gulping down the Mana Awakening Potion.
'It's cool and sweet! It really tastes like a refreshing drink!'
Gulp! Gulp!
The way it went down was amazing.
"Oh?"
I could feel the Mana Awakening Potion in my stomach. My stomach felt unusually cool. Soon, the potion began to spread throughout my body. My arms, legs, and head. It swept through every corner of my body before disappearing.
"Wow. Wow…!"
I felt a faint foreign substance throughout my body. But it wasn't a bad feeling. I quickly got used to it, and it no longer felt foreign. It felt like it was something that should naturally be in my body.
I knew what this was.
"This is mana…!"
I couldn't not know. It was what I had longed for so much.
The Mana Awakening Potion worked perfectly in the real world. I had awakened my mana.
[Conditions have been met.]
[Mana stat has been unlocked.]
A notification appeared before my eyes. It was a notification from the Play Life app. It was rare for the notification to appear before my eyes instead of on my smartphone.
"Really?"
I quickly checked my smartphone.
=====
[Name: Seong Eugene]
[Level: 35]
[Stats]
[Strength: 23]
[Stamina: 23]
[Agility: 22]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Vitality: 30]
[Mana: 1]
[Available Points: 56]
=====
It was real.
The mana stat had appeared. It seemed I could increase my mana stat.
"As expected. The Play Life app never disappoints."
It was good that I didn't recklessly spend my points.
I was about to use my remaining points to increase my mana stat but stopped.
'Wait. My mana stat is currently 1. What does that even mean?'
I still don't fully understand how to control mana, but I have the Yeongcheon Style trait. As my Yeongcheon Style level reached 7, I naturally learned Yeongcheon Ki Gong.
Using Yeongcheon Ki Gong, I strengthened my body with mana. I clenched my right fist. To the naked eye, my right fist looked no different, but it was strengthened with mana.
'If I punch the air with this….'
I hesitated.
The faint mana I felt inside me disappeared. A mana stat of 1 was nothing.
'I'll use all my points on the mana stat!'
=====
[Name: Seong Eugene]
[Level: 35]
[Stats]
[Strength: 23]
[Stamina: 23]
[Agility: 22]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Vitality: 30]
[Mana: 25]
[Available Points: 2]
=====
The moment my mana stat reached 25, I felt a clear difference.
The small, faint mana inside me now felt significantly stronger.
I used Yeongcheon Ki Gong again to control the mana and strengthen my fist. I punched the air.
Bang!
A shockwave erupted, and the recoil sent me flying backward. I hadn't expected that at all.
'What, what is this power?'
It was beyond my imagination. Who would have thought that punching the air would create enough recoil to send me flying? No wonder awakened hunters are treated so seriously.
'…But that just used up more than half of my mana.'
It's not permanently gone. Think of it like a game. In games, when you use a skill, mana disappears, but it regenerates over time. It's not that the total mana is gone.
The same applies here. Mana regenerates over time. Using Yeongcheon Ki Gong, I can recover mana even faster.
'Huh? Is it because of my mana stat? It's easier to control now compared to when my mana was 1.'
Perhaps the mana stat doesn't just represent the amount of mana. It might also include mana control or natural mana recovery.
This hypothesis is quite plausible. Vitality also affects semen production and ejaculation control, after all.
'This is fun.'
I started controlling the mana inside me in various ways.
Then, a funny thought occurred to me. It was a bit stupid, but… I was already acting on it.
I took off my pants and pulled out my magnificent member.
I focused mana on it. It began to harden as it became erect.
"Haha! A mana-enhanced dick! This is what you call a mana rod."
I thrust my hips.
Bang!
"Guh?!"
My upper body folded, and my knees hit the floor. The moment I punched the air, the recoil and shockwave went straight to my dick.
My mind went blank. I couldn't think of anything due to the pain I had never felt before. Drool dripped from my open mouth.
A man stood before me. He was wearing a black robe, with a pale face and a black hat. He silently looked down at me.
'F-Fuck. Complete Recovery!'
In my dazed state, I activated the skill.
The pain disappeared.
The man before me also vanished. It must have been a hallucination. There's no way the Grim Reaper would appear in the real world.
As I checked my body, I was surprised. The mana I had used had been restored. It seems Complete Recovery also restores mana.
"I need to learn how to control mana."
I contacted Jin Se-young.
Jin Se-young thinks of me as a once-in-a-century genius. Even if I suddenly told her I had awakened my mana, she wouldn't question it.
'Being a genius has its perks.'
***
People usually want to try out new things when they get them. Even if it's not something they necessarily need.
And that's exactly how I feel right now.
Having just awakened my mana and learned how to use it from Jin Se-young, I wanted to immediately experience its power by using it.
Hunting monsters in an E-rank dungeon?
'Those guys are so weak I could take them out in an instant even without mana.'
Using mana on E-rank monsters would be an insult.
D-rank monsters require entering a D-rank dungeon, which would take a lot of preparation. It's a bit dangerous to go alone, and forming a public party would take time. So that's out of the question.
'I have the Play Life app.'
[Current Play Activities]
[•Vampire Detective]
[•The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated in a Count's Family]
[-]
Vampire Detective. It's a convenient world in many ways. I bring modern items from this world and sell them in the "Baekhwan" world.
'There's no competition for me in the Vampire Detective world.'
The Vampire Detective world has no monsters. It's not suitable for mana-based combat.
The "Baekhwan" world, on the other hand, is too dangerous. Monsters exist, but I have to consider the worst-case scenario. What if I get killed by a monster? I won't be able to enter the "Baekhwan" world again. I won't be able to meet Yuria. And I won't be able to achieve my goal of gathering as many Mana Awakening Potions as possible.
'There's no need to take dangerous risks in the "Baekhwan" world. Dying there would be a huge loss.'
Fortunately, I have a third slot for play activities. I don't need to test my mana in the "Baekhwan" world.
The world I'm entering has already been decided. My goal this time is simply to use mana, but I've also gathered minimal information and prepared accordingly.
'It's just the tutorial. I'll only do the tutorial and then come back. I'll also grab some mana potions while I'm at it.'
Anything beyond the tutorial would be too much.
And the potions that increase mana. Isn't that exactly what I need right now?
I opened the Play Life app and selected the pre-determined creation.
[You have selected "Gods of Atlantis."]
[There is a world penalty.]
[No avatar settings are available.]
[An avatar will be generated.]
[Starting the game.]
"Hello, citizens of AL-401 Earth. I am the Star Spirit of AL-401 Earth. You may call me AL."
***
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