Life Of A Nobody - as a Villain

— At 5:00pm it was finally time for him to learn some magic. Myra took care of that aspect, she taught him elemental magic and how to control his mana usage. Since shadow and darkness magic were somewhat similar at the beginning, her knowledge was a big help in better understanding of his element.

 He pulled that stunt in awakening on a whim easily, since he was basically surrounded by shit ton of mana, so converting that into his element was easy, but now even trying to get a wisp of black smoke looked like a hard job to him. As the author of that novel explained, during awakening when someone is surrounded by a high density of mana, they would have an easier time learning about their element and trying to use it. 

It was like when you drop someone in the middle of the ocean, even if he didn't know how to swim, he'll flap his hands nonsensically and somehow still manage to come to the surface at least once. But if you put that same person in a small swimming pool, his feet would touch the ground before he could even flail around a little, and would never learn how to swim. 

The same is the case with Rio now, since he had no control over mana or no knowledge about it, he couldn't utilize the thin amount of mana present in the air. That's what he needed to learn now. How to sense mana, absorb it and channel it through his body. 

After awakening, a person's body undergoes a transformation that renders it suitable for containing mana. It becomes a vessel capable of holding and utilizing it. However, the capacity and absorption rate of mana within the body vary depending on an individual's rank.

For those with a low rank, their body can only accommodate a limited amount of mana. Their capacity is relatively small, and their ability to absorb mana from the surroundings is even slower.

As a person's rank increases, so does their mana capacity. Their body becomes more adept at channeling and storing mana within their being. With a higher rank, individuals can hold and manipulate large amounts of mana, allowing for more potent spells and abilities.

The absorption rate of mana also improves with rank. Higher-ranking individuals possess a heightened ability to draw in mana from their surroundings, replenishing their own reserves more efficiently. This enables them to recover their mana more quickly during intense magical fights and engage in prolonged spellcasting without becoming depleted.

Myra began her lesson on mana and its flow circulation within the body. She explained the importance of understanding how to absorb and feel the presence of mana within oneself.

"Mana is the essence of magic, a powerful energy that flows through everything in this world. As an awakened individual, one possesses the ability to harness and manipulate this energy to their own will."

She continues, "First, let us focus on the concept of mana centers. Many refer to it as the sea of mana or elixir field or in simpler terms dantian. It is a space within your body where mana gathers and resides. After awakening, you may feel a sensation of emptiness or hollowness in this area, located near your heart."

Myra gestures towards her own chest, indicating the approximate location. "This mana center serves as a reservoir for the mana you absorb from the environment. It is here that you can store the mana within you."

"As you work towards advancing in rank, it is essential to understand the significance of increasing your mana capacity," Myra begins. "The mana capacity of your dantian, or the sea of mana within you, plays a crucial role in your advancement."

 "From F rank to A rank, one of the primary focuses is expanding the mana capacity of your dantian. This can be achieved through various means, including consistent mana absorption, specialized mana cultivation techniques, and training exercises that stimulate the flow and expansion of mana within your body. As your dantian expands, it allows you to hold and manipulate larger quantities of mana."

"After reaching A rank, one needs to form their mana core, separate from dantian, where they can store even more mana. That's how you reach the limit rank. The process to reach S rank differs even more, but that's for the future.

Now try to channel the mana like I taught you. Let it move within your body, try to sense it, feel it in your veins, once you do that, then try to control its direction. Have it move slowly towards your heart, but not into it, send it lower, into your mana center. When you learn to control the mana within you, that's when you proceed to control the mana around you. Continue this process until you feel you can do it in your sleep. This should become a habit so much so that with every breath you take your mana should be replnished a little."

"Imagine your blood is a river and mana is a boat, currently it is sailing along the flow, moving constantly with the path it was fixed upon, floating on the waves. Now try to separate the two, try to see them as two different entities, a gap between the boat and the river. That is where your will comes in. Command the mana within you, focus your mind solely on that, and see where that mana takes you. The more familiar you are with your own mana, the easier it gets to learn elemental magic. 

Now imagine the feeling you had during your awakening, what did you think when you were using your element for the first time. What did you feel when all your mana turned into darkness, was it something you wished for, was it something you could control, imagine that darkness, imagine that feeling and let it happen."

In all of his training, Myra was the only one who practically went easy on him, she didn't force him to push his limits or keep trying till he dropped dead. Well it was because of how forcing him to use elemental magic could be harmful, as his mana could go berserk, hurting him in the process, since he had no control over it. But still she was still being friendly and nice, except when she came to wake him up in the morning. 

— After one hour of playing around with his magic, where he just have to sit around and close gis eyes, comes the shitty part that he hates. His physical training, after all not everything depends on magic, once he lost his mana, only his fighting ability and reflexes would save him. There were many ways to stop someone from using their mana, a simple void spell, null magic, antimagic cuffs, some sepric runes, some formations or artifacts- any one of them could make someone powerless. So physical training has always been a part of Arcadia. There are no simple mages who can't fight at close range, well there are, but those idiots will die soon if they don't learn their lessons. 

This is why even awakeners try to learn aura as that would make them even more stronger and guarantee their safety. As they say if you stay in the fight long enough or struggle hard enough, some Gods might like your willpower or pity your strength and bless you with something that can actually save your life -so everyone wants to be an all rounder, hoping to stay alive long enough. Always trying to win the favor of the Gods, who simply don't give a fuck... 

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A/N - Theories about rank up & mana/aura/other stuff will be explained over time. Little by little , can't drop all the info at once. 

Next chapter he's getting his ass kicked.