In the world the mana reigns supreme. It is the inate energy possesed by the world and it grants people powerful capabilities.
The inhabitants can only use mana when they have formed their mana core. The people who form their mana cores are called mages.
Most of the races form their mana cores at teenage . Of course the more magically inclined races like elves, celestials and draconoids awaken their mana core much quicker.
The power system of the world is based on the progression of the mana core and the progression of the mana core also depicts the power of the mages.
Every mana core stage can be further divided into uncondensed and condensed stage.
1. Black core
2. Grey core
3. Silver core
4. White core
5. Formless core : This is the stage when the mana core assimilates into the body, thus formless core doesnt havent condensed and uncondensed form.
6. Archmage : No sub stages
7. Sage: 2 substages , normal sage and origin sage.
8. Transcendent
Traits
Traits were innate abilities that revealed themselves upon awakening a mana core. They came in four tiers: Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
Iron: Basic traits, although they are rare they don't give that much advantages in fights.
Bronze: They are more rarer than iron traits , and to enter the Arcanum academy one must have at least one bronze level trait.
Silver: Exceptional abilities. A silver trait signified genius potential. Anyone with a silver trait could rise to the top in their field, leaving ordinary people far behind.
Gold: Once-in-a-century abilities. Every gold trait had historically produced legendary figures, and every possessor became famous or feared.
Elements and Mana
Mana exists in two fundamental forms: Pure Mana and Elemental Mana.
These two forms are deeply connected, yet they behave very differently, shaping how magic is learned, controlled, and advanced.
Pure Mana
Pure mana is the most basic and natural state of mana. All mana, regardless of its type, can ultimately be reduced to this form.
It is the gentlest type of mana and the easiest to control within the body. Because of this, pure mana is primarily used for body strengthening, enhancing physical abilities such as strength, endurance, and reflexes. It can also be used to strengthen weapons. Manifesting pure mana outside the body is extremely rare.
Pure mana plays a crucial role in runecrafting type of mana art . Most runes can only be carved and activated using pure mana, as elemental mana tends to destabilize most rune structures and formation. For this reason, skilled runecrafters place great emphasis on refining their control over pure mana.
The mana core of all races is composed entirely of pure mana. With the exception of some monsters, no race can safely form a core made of purely elemental mana. During core progression, awakeners absorb ambient mana from their surroundings, which is usually a mixture of pure and elemental mana. The mana core itself refines this intake, converting all impure mana into pure mana before assimilation.
Elemental Mana
Elemental mana is mana that mimics the properties of natural elements. Fire burns, water flows, wind cuts, and earth endures. Unlike pure mana, elemental mana is volatile and difficult to control, but vastly more destructive and versatile.
Elemental mana can be created by converting pure mana, and it can also be refined back into pure mana. However, awakening elemental mana requires a far more advanced mana core.
MANA ARTS
Mana Arts are the various methods through which mages manipulate mana. While every mage possesses a mana core, the way they use mana differs greatly depending on their talent, training, and affinity.
Over thousands of years, scholars have divided all known mana arts into four major branches:
Elemental Mana Arts
Elemental Mana Arts are the manipulation of elemental mana after converting pure mana into one or more elemental attributes or directly manipulating the elemental mana of nature . They are the most widespread form of magic and the foundation of combat magic throughout the world.
While most mages are born with an affinity for a single element, talented individuals may possess multiple elemental affinities. However, mastering more than one element is significantly more difficult, as each requires different methods of control.
Elemental Mana Arts consume more mana than enhancement techniques but possess far greater destructive potential.
Enhancement Mana Arts
Enhancement Mana Arts focus on strengthening rather than creating.
Instead of releasing mana outward, practitioners circulate mana throughout their bodies or equipment to improve physical performance. These are of two types body enhancement and weapon enhancement. Both elemental or pure mana can be used to perform this mana art.
Runic Mana Arts
Runic Mana Arts are the study of runes and artificial magical structures. Unlike other mana arts, which rely on direct manipulation of mana, Runic Mana Arts use carefully constructed rune patterns to store, channel, amplify, or automate magical effects.
Most rune systems require pure mana for activation, as elemental mana is generally too unstable and causes rune formations to collapse.
Runic Mana Arts are divided into several specialized fields.
Runecrafting
The creation and engraving of magical runes onto objects. Runecrafters produce enchanted weapons, armor, artifacts, tools, communication devices, medicines, potions and other countless utilities.
Spellcraft
The construction of spells using rune sequences. Rather than relying solely on instinctive mana manipulation, spellcraft allows mages to create repeatable, highly refined magical techniques with predictable results. Complex spells often require extensive rune formulas. With spellcraft a mage with no elemental affinity can use the element by just using a rune , thus this branch makes runic mana arts very essential in combat. Large-scale spellcrafts designed to affect an entire area are called formations. They are usually used for large scale defense , attacks, mana gathering , teleportation, sealing. Powerful formations often require multiple runecrafters working together.
Deviant Mana Arts
Deviant Mana Arts are all mana arts that cannot be classified as Elemental, Enhancement, or Runic. Rather than following established principles, these arts manipulate mana in unique and often mysterious ways. Many deviant arts originate from rare bloodlines, unique traits, ancient inheritances, or personal enlightenment. Some are so uncommon that they have only a single practitioner at a time.
Although these branches are studied separately, many advanced mages combine multiple disciplines to create unique fighting styles.
MONSTERS
Monsters exist across the world in every environment—forests, mountains, deserts, oceans, and even near human settlements. Unlike awakeners, monsters are born with mana cores rather than awakening them later in life. This difference has major consequences after their death.
When an awakener dies, their mana core collapses along with them. A monster's core, however, remains intact and can be extracted. These monster cores and the power of monsters are graded under the Order System, ranging from First Order to Eighth Order, coressponding to the power system of intelligent races.
Monster cores are highly valuable. They are most commonly used to accelerate the growth of a mana core in awakeners, though this is only possible if there is proper mana synchronization between the core and the user. This practice is one of the main reasons nobles and wealthy factions are far more powerful than commoners ,monster cores are expensive, and only those with resources can afford them.
However, over-reliance on monster cores is dangerous. Continuous absorption of foreign mana can lead to mana poisoning, a severe and often fatal condition that damages both the mana core and the body.
Beyond core progression, monster cores are also used in alchemy, runecraft, weapon forging, artifact creation, and various other applications. Entire industries depend on a steady supply of high-grade cores.
While monsters can appear almost anywhere, there are special zones known as dungeons. These are areas where monsters do not simply exist, they rule, breed, and grow stronger. Dungeons function as colonies, producing monsters at a far greater rate than the natural world.
Dungeons were originally created by the Abyssal Dragon during its war against the world. They were designed to organize and sustain its monster army, and were spread across continents for strategic control. Each dungeon is led by a boss monster, the strongest entity within, which commands the lesser monsters inside.
Because monsters inside dungeons continuously grow and multiply, dungeons are far more dangerous than ordinary monster territory.
Dungeons are classified based on the strength of their boss monster:
C Grade – Boss is a 3rd Order monster
B Grade – Boss is a 4th Order monster
A Grade – Boss is a 5th Order monster
S Grade – Boss is an 6th Order monster
CalamityGrade- Boss is an 7th Order monster
When the Abyssal Dragon was defeated by the Golden Dragon, the war ended. The Golden Dragon later disappeared, and most believe it perished as well. However, the dungeons remained. With no master to command them, they became independent breeding grounds, worsening the monster threat rather than eliminating it.
To deal with this growing danger, the profession of adventurer emerged. Their original and primary role was dungeon clearing. Over time, as their numbers grew, adventurers began taking on other missions such as monster suppression, escorts, exploration, and special requests. Despite this, adventurers are not free mercenaries they can only accept missions issued through the Adventurers Guild.
Adventurers Guild
The Adventurers Guild was founded shortly after the war, through treaties agreed upon by nearly all major powers involved in the conflict. Its sole purpose was to manage dungeons and prevent another world-level disaster.
The guild operates across all continents and remains strictly neutral in political conflicts. No kingdom, empire, or race officially controls it. Even dragons avoid direct conflict with the guild, fearing that doing so would shatter the fragile unity left behind by the war and ignite another global catastrophe.
A major reason for this neutrality being respected is the presence of sages backing the guild. Officially, more sages are affiliated with the Adventurers Guild than with any single nation. If raw influence is measured, the guild stands as the most powerful organization in the world.
The Adventurers Guild officially classifies adventurers based on their combat strength and the difficulty of missions they are capable of completing from F to S rank. Rank advancement is tightly regulated to prevent unqualified adventurers from taking on missions beyond their ability.