"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, damn. What do you mean I'm now a mana reaver?!"
[You Know What Mana Us, Right?]
"Not entirely sure, but I guess I do. The concept was in one of the games by FlutterVision. They explained it as life's essence or something similar."
[I'll Leave It At That, For Your Small Mind]
[...And You Also Know What A Reaver Is, Right?]
"Yes," he was slightly confused, dragging his reply with uncertainty at the edge of his voice. "I definitely know what a Reaver is, and I'm not one. I don't steal!"
[Well, There You Have It!]
[Mana Reaver]
Eric sat down by the bodies, staring at the system's screen, wondering how or why exactly he was selected for this. In the space of a few moment since he woke up, he'd grown to like the system for it's attractive concept. But at the same time, he hated the way it already had everything preprogrammed for him, and how he jad little choice in the decisions he's taken and will likely take in future.
'Like, what the heck does a mana reaver even mean?'
'How do I steal mana?'
[Questions For The Timeline]
[Here Are Your Stats Like You Requested]
*Chime!*
[DISPLAYING STATS]
NAME: Eric Abyss
RACE: Human
RANK: Mana Slave
TIER: 1 — (Mana Unit Consumed: 0/3)
AWAKENING: None — (Mana Unit Consumed: 0/100)
HP: 10/10
EP: 8/15
MP: 1/5
STR: 10 (+10) => 20
AGI: 10 (+30) => 40
EDR: 5
DEX: 10
WILL: 2
LUCK: 100
MAGIC: (LOCKED)
EQUIPMENT: NONE
SKILLS: Killer Dash (Rank E)
[!HUNGER LEVEL: 89%]
[!YOUR HUNGER GROWS!]
...
[CONSUME MANA BEFORE LIFE FORCE DRAINS AWAY]
[YOUR HUNGER GROWS]
"Can you f--king slow down for a second?"
[Host Wants Explanation...]
[Mana Must Be Consumed Before Host Can Proceed With Anything]
[HUNGER LEVEL: 100%]
[!YOU ARE NOW VERY HUNGRY!]
[HP: 8/10 (Reducing Drastically)]
[!CONSUME MANA OR YOU DIE!]
Eric swallowed a lump in his throat. The system he was once amazed with has suddenly become overwhelming and he doesn't seem to be getting the hang of anything going on right now. It was obvious the system was trying to break him and then force him to do this queer things it's requesting.
'How am I supposed to consume Mana from dead people?'
'Is this really a fictional world I'm in now?'
'All I know about mana was from comics and animations, but even then it's nothing compared to what the system was putting me into.'
'Consume mana?'
[Yes. Consume Mana. In Other Words, Consume Life Force...Or Your Life Will Be Forced Out]
[Host Must Consume 3/3 Mana To Increase Their Tier]
[Stats Upgrade Too Is Imminent, As The Mana Reaver System Deem Fit]
"Huh? An upgrade?"
'Interesting.'
Eric's gamer curiosity kicked in as he realized this was an only way to receive an "awakening." And he knows he really needed that as it stands. The stats he was looking at right now was not so impressive to him and even so, his Health Point (HP) is reducing by the minute followed by his Energy Point (EP). His head was becoming light and even his arms are becoming too heavy to carry on his own.
'I guess I have no other option but to consume whatever mana the system is referring to.'
"How...Do I consume this—this—uhm, mana?"
[Bend Close To The Dead And Draw A Long Breath]
[Their Life Force Will Be Absorbed By You]
"Huhhh. Where's it coming from when I do that?"
[Host Must Do As Instructed]
[Host's Health Critically Low]
[HP: 3/10]
Eric flopped down, dizzy and lightheaded beside the bodies of the three dead hunters. With his bloody hands, he dragged the body closer and raised it up a little so he doesn't have to bend all the way.
'Now, I get to even suck the life force from these filthy scums.'
'I hope I'm not allergic to scum energy.'
And without haste he took a very deep, sharp breath a total of three seconds before dropping the body down with a disgusted shove, putting on his best cringe face. He waited, waiting for what never came.
"Now what?"
Suddenly, something otherwise invisible started to move right in front of him as the space between him and the dead hunter warped with some strange aura. A long wave of mist flowed out of from the the body of the dead hunter though the mouth, straight at Eric in his kneeled position. Unwillingly, Eric opened his own mouth and took it all in and immediately he did that, his head jerked backwards and his face was looking straight up at the twilight sky. He closed his eyes in inexplicable pleasure, a sweet sensation spreading out from his chest down to the rest of his body. A low hum escaped his lips as a testament to this strange but enjoyable pleasure he was feeling with the whole of his being. He stayed that way for a couple of minutes before snapping out of his mana-induced cloud nine. His pupils blazed red for a short moment as soon as he opened his eyes again.
Instantly, he bounced up with renewed strength and jumped on the other two hunters, repeating the same process as with the other hunter. A quick deep breath, a short feeling of tingling sensation and he was on to the next. He stayed to enjoy every bit of it when he was done with the third body.
'What is this? What is this?'
'This feeling...'
'Can there be anything sweeter?'
'What is this feeling?!!!!'
*Chime!*
[Mana Consumed: 3/3]
[TIER: 1 — (Mana Unit Consumed: 3/3)]
[AWAKENING: None — (Mana Unit Consumed: 3/100]
"Hell no. Stop right there, system. What do you mean 3/100 mana consumed? You mean I can't awaken until I've consumed a hundred mana?"
[Host Is High-key Stating Facts]
"Huh, nice. So...what you mean is I have to kill a hundred people before I awaken?"
[Not Necessarily]
"Okay then. Hit me up with how it's possible to consume mana without killing people. I remember you telling me I'll awaken once I consume the mana from those filthy three. What's happening now? Are you lying to me?"
[You Clearly Saw The Bar Displaying 0/100 For Awakening. Your Gamer Knowledge Escaped At That Moment Or What?]
"Huhhh... Hehe," he scratched a non-existent itch on his head while smiling foolishly.
[There Are Other Ways To Consume Mana But I Will Explain In Due Time]
"Oh?" Eric was lost for words, his eyes stung from staring too much at the notifications. "I should get my night glasses," he said as he sniffed.
[If I Intended To Blind You I wouldn't Use A Slow Technique Like The Blue Light From A Screen]
"Thanks for telling. Go on with your messages. I'm pretty bored at this point, to be honest."
[Mana Consumed: 3/3]
[LEVEL UP ACHIEVED]
[Tier: 1 => 2]
[STAT POINTS HAS BEEN ENHANCED]
"Oh. My stats have been upgraded?" Eric was at least happy to hear something good about the system after the failed awakening he so much expected.
[+20 STAT PTS TO BE SHARED ACROSS THE STATS SELECTED BY THE SYSTEM]
[+10 STAT PTS TO BE ADDED TO STATS AS SELECTED BY THE HOST]
"Oh, I finally get to do something for myself? Very good. Not that giving me just 10 points while you take 20 is a good deal, but I'll cook with it."
"Also, I remember I have 50 points yet to be added to my stats. Now, let's see where to put it. Man, these stats are awful, even for a beginner."
[DISPLAYING STATS]
NAME: Eric Abyss
RACE: Human
RANK: Mana Slave
TIER: 2 — (Mana Unit Consumed: 0/15)
AWAKENING: None — (Mana Unit Consumed: 3/100)
HP: 10/10
EP: 7/15
MP: 5/5 (+10)
STR: 20
AGI: 40
EDR: 5
DEX: 10
WILL: 2 (+10)
LUCK: 100
MAGIC: (LOCKED)
EQUIPMENT: NONE
SKILLS: Killer Dash (Rank E)
[!HUNGER LEVEL: 20%]
"Huhhh... I have so many questions."
[Save It For Later]
[MP: 15/15 (Upgraded)]
[WILL: 12 (Upgraded)]
Eric was dumbstruck. The manner in which the system added the points didn't sit well with him.
"Why would you share 20 pts across just two pretty useless stats? What happened to HP? Or Strength? Even Dexterity would have been a better deal."
[Remember, As The System Deem Fit]
[You Have 60 Pts In Total To Add Yourself. Why Bother About My 20 Pts?]
[And Those Stats Are Not Useless. Your Mana Points (MP) Is Pretty Much Your Powerhouse For Skills And Abilities]
[Without MP, You Wouldn't Be Able To Use Your Skills, For Example, "Killer Dash." Notice How 4 MP Was Deducted After You Use Skill Cash Twice? Exactly]
[If You Had Tried To Use Skill Dash Again After Your Gauge Read 1/5, It Wouldn't Work, Since Killer Dash Costs 2 MP. But Now That The MP Limit Has Been Upgraded, You Can At Least Use Killer Dash 7 Times Before Your MP Runs Out]
[MP Restores Automatically, But Faster When You Rest. The More Stress You're Into, The Slower It Restores. It Can Also Be Restored By Upgrading The Limit. The Bar Fills Back Up Instantly, No Matter How Low It Was]
"Okay then, point made. What about the Willpower upgrade? What do I need Willpower for when I'm facing dimwits such as these dead bunch?" He kicked one of the bodies in the gut, snapping the neck into an eerily awkward angle.
[Oh, You Have No Idea. You Will Need As Much Willpower As You Can Muster After Your Transmigration]
"There you go, withholding information. Tsk."
[Here's A Free Piece Of Info...]
[Amount Of Mana To Be Consumed Varies and Is Different With Each Tier. Tier 1 Required You Consume 3/3 Mana For A Tier Upgrade, Hence The Change In Tier Level To Tier 2]
[Tier 3 Requires 15/15]
"So, there's a mini mana consumption bar for tier upgrade and there's a wider one for Awakening."
[Accurate. Tier 2 Requests You Consume 15/15 Mana Before A Tier Upgrade. You Can't Change Tier Levels Without Consuming Mana]
"And how the hell am I supposed to kill 15 people just for their mana? That's some serial killing shit right there."
[Host Hasn't Consumed The Mana From The Last Source Here]
[Mana From Beast Slowly Seeping Away. Host Must Consume]
"Oh, shoot. I think I forgot that one."
Eric rushed over to the dead beast laying lifeless on the ground a few feet from the dead hunters. From Eric's knowledge about beasts which he was taught along with the other kids at the Motherbase during training, this beast is known as a Velocryx. A formidable predator of small animals, extremely fast, able to climb trees, and is even a good swimmer. It has razor sharp teeth scattered all over its mouth which it uses in snatching animals who couldn't withstand its speed. It steals from nests and caves of other animals, snatching the weaker targets and making away with them before the stronger ones could get it. Lately, their kind has been creating some kind of discomfort to the colony as they have been sighted close to residential areas, which was strange enough since they tend to live deep in the woods where there are lots of prey. The three hunters must have been on the Velocryx's mission which led them to mistakenly shoot Void after missing target. Also, they must have gone back a second time for the hunt and successfully killed the beast before Eric interrupted them.
Eric grabbed the skinny legs of the beast, dragged it closer and repeated the same Mana sucking process he performed against the hunters.
A second later, a faint red energy started flowing slowly out of the beast, and into his stomach through his mouth.
A deep tremor ran through his body as his eyes glowed deep red. The tingling feeling he enjoyed from the mana sucked from humans was absent in the beasts' mana. Something started swirling uncontrollably in his stomach, creating a painful upset that lasted for a few more seconds before coming to a stop. All along, Eric was on his knees and his eyes were closed in pain, but as soon as the swirling in his stomach stopped, he jerked his head up forcefully and yelled. A beast-like sound escaped his gut, deep, guttural and full of fury.
[Beast Mana Successfully Consumed]
[TIER: 2 — (Mana Unit Consumed: 3/15)]
[AWAKENING: None — (Mana Unit Consumed : 6/100)]
"Surprise me. Why does one beast count as 3 mana units?"
[An Average Beast Is At Least 3 Times Stronger Than An Average Human. Also, The Amount Of Mana Unit Gained Depends On The Kind Of Beast The Mana Was Consumed From]
[The Velocryx Will Grant You 3 Units, But A Thornslug Which Is Way Weaker Will Only Give One Unit After Mana Consumption. There Are Also Beasts Who Are Not Up To One Unit, Like The Tonguelings. You Have To Consume Two Or Three To Make Up For One Mana Unit]
"Oooh. That's some info there."
[It's My Pleasure]
[There Are Also Beasts That Can Bestow Upon You 6 Mana Units Upon Consumption But I'm Afraid You Are Not Strong Enough To Kill One Of Such]
'Hmm. Nice enough that I don't always have to kill humans to consume mana and get an upgrade. Beasts are a very good alternative.'
[Also, Beasts Give A Stat Upgrade Depending On The Beast Consumed]
[STAT POINT HAS BEEN ENHANCED]
[AGI: 40 (+5)]
[EP: 6/15 (+3) — You Need To Find Rest To Regain Lost EP]
[Velocryx Is A Beast Adept In Speed And Stamina/Energy, Hence The Selected Stats Upgraded]
"Woah. Beasts are sure some cool stuff, huh? They can even upgrade my stats? Why is mana from humans an option in the first place?" Eric beamed, his expression bright.
[Beware. Human Mana Fills... But Beast Mana Does The Opposite]
"What does that mean?" Eric was alarmed.
[Beast Mana Grants Stat Upgrade, Contains More Mana Than Human's Mostly, And Makes You Extra Strong For A Short While]
[However, Only Human Mana Can Fill Your Hunger]
"There's the hunger again. Can't I just eat something normal when I'm hungry? Why do I have to consume humans?!"
[You Can Eat Something Normal But It Will Only Fill Your Human Cravings. The System Has Claimed You And You Have Become A Mana Reaver. A Mana Eater. So, Nothing Can Truly Satisfy That Hunger Except MANA]
"I'm really sick of this. You mean I have to kill people so I don't die? Does that sound right?"
[I Don't Determine What Sounds Right]
"Fair enough. But what do you mean by Beast Mana doing the opposite of Human Mana."
[Beast Mana Once Consumed, Makes You Strong But It Also Makes You More Hungry]
[Because It Uses Up The Human Mana You Stored]
"So, what you mean to tell me is--"
[Exactly...]
[YOUR HUNGER GROWS]
"Hell no!"