The Fairy of Uriphenia
The last fairy in existence, protecting something called the Trinket of Destiny. But in reality, it was just an earring—albeit one with extraordinary power.
It possessed many abilities that the novel didn't bother to elaborate on, but among its various powers was one I knew all too well: mana reservoir. The earring absorbed and stored a massive amount of mana, but the most remarkable aspect was that the stored mana would be converted by the trinket itself to match the wearer's signature. And that was the game-changer everyone overlooked.
The reason someone can't instantly refill their mana pool is because the mana core must first purify and convert atmospheric mana to the user's unique signature before transferring it. That process takes an agonizingly long time—well, at least it feels that way when you're in the heat of battle.
But consider this for a moment: what if there existed something that stored an immense amount of mana, and that very mana was already converted to your signature? With something like that, you could instantly refill your mana pool, and the mana core wouldn't even need to purify it since it had already been processed. The mana would flow through the core like water through a channel.
"One hour," I muttered, scanning around for something the novel had described that the protagonist encountered. But it was proving more difficult than I'd anticipated.
Curse it!
I kicked a branch in annoyance and watched it sail freely through the air.
But then...
"Gruu."
Damn.
The branch landed squarely on the head of a sleeping Crenox I hadn't even noticed until now.
It was a tiger-like creature, but this one had a mana core embedded in its forehead, blazing red eyes, and fur that literally radiated heat.
Damn it, this was most likely a tier 3 mutated beast.
There are two types of mana beasts in this world: Mutated and Evolved.
Mutated beasts are more common in these parts. These creatures were once unable to wield mana—not that they lacked the ability, but rather like humans who must awaken at some point, these beasts would eventually awaken their mana-wielding capabilities and transform into mana beasts in the process.
Evolved beasts, on the other hand, are creatures that possessed the ability to wield mana from birth, making them the more dangerous of the two types.
But I am weak. That's an undeniable fact.
I may have sword skills drilled into me from childhood, but at the end of the day, I'm still level one. Even a level three would struggle to kill a tier 3 mutated beast, let alone someone at my level.
The creature rose to its feet, then regarded me for a moment, gauging whether I was a threat or dinner. Based on its next move, dinner it was.
It lunged forward with incredible speed, flames trailing behind it, igniting the grass in its wake.
Sigh.
'It's been a while since I used this.'
I manifested my old, worn-out sword from my spatial ring and dashed toward the creature. The academy hadn't issued us weapons yet, but just like in the novel, that would probably happen on the first day of combat class.
Swish!
My sword tore through the air the moment the creature got close enough, but its next move left me stunned.
It opened its mouth and tried to clamp down on the blade.
Realizing what it was attempting, I skidded to a halt, twisting my body slightly to change the sword's trajectory. However, in doing so, I left myself open, and by the time I realized my mistake, it was already too late.
The creature's claw sank into my shoulder and I grimaced in pain. I twisted and swung my sword once more, this time aiming for its hind leg, but the moment my blade made contact, it began glowing red-hot. I quickly realized the danger and hopped back.
Damn it.
I can't hurt it with my sword since the blade can't withstand the beast's intense heat.
But I also can't waste too much time here. What do I do?