Chapter 17: The Mana Equation
Mana Regeneration offered lasting combat power. Reidar’s current regeneration speed was good, but improving it by 24% would mean faster recovery between and during battles.
The advantage with this was that it worked with all the mana he spent, whether from skills, traits, or whatever, at least based on the perk description. Reidar noticed the descriptions were often vague and general, which opened the way for interpretation. That could always be wrong, though.
<So this or the others...>
He still had to check the remaining ones.
Lingering Effects intrigued him too. He hadn’t tested whether his elemental skills applied status effects, but the notification suggested they might. Longer burn durations from fireballs could turn close fights into easy victories.
<I need to test my skills more thoroughly, as I might not need them now. This could be powerful or useless right now, so I think I will pass on this.>
Arcane Resilience offered something entirely different. Converting mana into armor would give him 144 additional armor points with four perk points invested, and it would leave 2 free ones. His current resistances now came from his S.H.I.E.L.D. attribute and any equipment he found, which amounted to none right now.
<This is something that would be useful now that I don’t have any armor, but it also looks like a waste given that I think I should focus more on powering up things related to my trait and increasing the advantages I get from it.>
Arcane Leech by far seemed the most interesting option. Converting damage into mana could create a feedback loop—the more he fought, the more resources he gained for fighting.
<I would get a flat 25% mana conversion based on the damage I deal. This would work well and could make me nearly self-sustaining in combat. It should also work well with arcane potency, and it would leave me a free perk point to invest into something else.>
There was also another advantage: his spells right now, despite not being efficient, consumed little mana. A single spell ranged around 10-5 mana points per cast, and that was with Reidar trying to avoid powering them up too much. The reason was that low proficiency meant greater waste when powering up the skill with more mana based on what he noticed during his battle at the gas station, but if he put just the minimum amount of mana, the waste was reduced to the bare minimum.
Reidar did some quick math. If the effect triggered and he did 100 damage points, he would get back 25 mana points, which meant enough to summon another Rift-Sprite. That was just one attack, after all.
Reidar weighed his priorities. He needed to find his family, which meant travel, exploration, and unpredictable situations. Raw power was less important than versatility and endurance. He couldn’t afford to run out of mana in the middle of a fight or while fleeing overwhelming odds.
<Focus on sustainability and efficiency. Save the raw power for when I find better gear or higher-tier skills.>
The decision solidified in his mind.
<Arcane Leech and Arcane Potency, it is then. Time to invest in the long game.>
So, Reidar put 5 points in Arcane Leech, cramming all the perk slots. He then invested one perk point in arcane potency, which would make his spell 4% stronger. It wasn’t a lot more, but he knew the more he increased the mana inputted into the skill, the greater this 4% effect would be on the final result.
—[«STATUS»]—
Name: Reidar Miller
Level: 11
Health: 150
Mana: 600
C.L.A.S.P.: 665 / 4300
Available Attribute points: 0
Skills: Summon Rift-Sprite Squad, Fireball, Aqua Pistol, Stone Bullet, Wind Blade
Equipment: Improvised Spear
Proficiencies: Basic Combat
Attributes: (S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.5), (A.C.U.M.E.N.: 6), (F.L.A.I.R. : 1), (F.L.I.P.: 2)
Minions: #N/A
Survival Points: 15,600
Trait: Skill Sharing
Perks: Arcane Potency (1/6), Arcane Leech (5/5)
Perk Points: 0
Titles: The Early Riser, The First Killer, The First Apprentice, The Pioneer, Creature Slayer IV, Rift-Sprite Hunter IV, The Exterminator
Profession: #N/A
—[«END»]—
The changes were immediately reflected in his status.
<Now I just need to find Mom and Dad.>
Reidar was close to Creamont, so it made more sense to go check on them first.
All the power in the world wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t find his family. They could be anywhere now, lost in this changed world—probably facing the same dangers he had. But his parents were older; they wouldn’t have it easy.
As for Martha? She’d never leave Marcus’s side to try to level up, so it was unlikely she was in danger for now.
<They should be awake by now.>
Reidar stood and shouldered his spear. The forest stretched in all directions, offering countless paths and hiding places.
He had the tools now. Magic, summons, and enhanced abilities that would help him survive whatever horrors this new world contained.
The question was whether he could reach them before the speeding up monster evolution made travel impossible. This wasn’t the only problem. His home In Kingsgate was far, much farther than Creamont was compared to his current position.
<I bet the distances increased even more.>
Reidar could not forget what he had seen before reaching the gas station. The road literally stretched before him, as if it was growing. A sense of vertigo washed over him.
How do you measure distance when the world fails to hold still? And what about Kingsgate? Was it still where he’d left it? Or had the earth stretched his family farther away with every sunrise?
The sun was almost done setting at that point.
<I need to find a place to hide.>
Night would bring new dangers; his summons would last for 30 minutes. They could protect him while he slept, but it also meant he had to wake up every 30 minutes.
Reidar checked his mana reserves one last time and summoned five Wind Sprites as scouts. The creatures arose silently and awaited Reidar’s orders.
"Search ahead for threats," he said. "Stay hidden and report back if you find anything dangerous. I will follow you."
The sprites nodded and vanished into the undergrowth, and Reidar set off deeper into the forest.