New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 958: Benefits Of Mana

Aapo raised his hand, catching Alexander's attention, and Alex nodded at him.

"What's the point of me doing this, sir? I am not a mage. Mana control will do nothing for me."

Alex smirked back at him.

"Is that what you think?" he asked, walking over to the Finn.

"Sir, with all due respect, what would mana help in my case? I fire a rifle, and what I hit dies. No mana involved," Aapo stated, his skepticism clear in his voice.

"Tell me, Aapo. Inside the game. Do you use magic-infused bullets?" Alex asked, stopping in front of him.

Aapo nodded, confused about what this had to do with now.

"And do you make those yourself? Or do you buy them?"

"I have them fabricated by a gnomish technomancer. My character, Simo, has no mana at all. I have a different stat that replaced it. It's called focus."

This took Alex slightly aback. He knew many players with special classes had started getting new stats and new skills, but it was the first he heard about one called focus.

But his point still stood.

"Tell me, Aapo. Do you think you could mimic the focus stat on this side? Or would you need the help of the system?"

Aapo shook his head.

"From my understanding, the focus stat only makes my gun more accurate, and eases my spotting of a target in a multiple enemy scenario. I think good training would give me the same advantages. But I don't understand where you are going with this..."

Alex grinned.

"So the stat is useless out here. Let me tell you what isn't useless. Mana. Mana has multiple uses. You can use it to make magic, which is the most glaring use. But it has other benefits," Alex said, pulling out a pocketknife.

This made Aapo slightly uncomfortable, given the proximity of the weapon to his body.

But Alex only smiled, flipping the handle towards him.

"Take the knife."

"I would rather not," Aapo replied, starting to sweat.

"Take it. Stab me, Aapo. With all your strength. You won't hurt me."

The Finn was getting increasingly uncomfortable, as Alex inched the knife handle ever- closer.

Eventually, Alex lost patience and pulled his hand forward, putting the pocket knife inside it, as he closed the fingers around the handle.

"Stab me. You don't need to worry about me. I heal fast," Alex said, smiling wide.

Aapo began trembling as he shook his head no.

"I couldn't, sir. I can't willingly hurt another person..."

Alex's smile disappeared from his face, as his eyes became cold.

"Tell me, Aapo. If someone came after you, wanting to take your life, would you fight tooth and nail to stay alive? Or would you just lie down and let yourself get killed?"

"It isn't the same, sir. You are asking me to hurt you."

Alex imagined that the man needed a little incentive to do as told, so he suddenly let his mana pressure mount on Aapo.

As the mana pushed into the man's mind, he started feeling like a beast was glaring at him, and when he looked into Alex's eyes, he saw pure malice.

His mind played tricks on him, as he saw what he was sure were horns of shadow growing on his forehead. The pressure grew and grew before Alex's lips parted for a whisper.

"If your life were at stake, would you just stand there in fear, or fight to survive? Because I don't need cowards in my guild. Cowards deserve death."

As the last word escaped his mouth, Alex forced another surge of mana out, knowing full well it would send Aapo's mind into hallucinations.

And it did.

The Finn saw Alex's maw open, and rows of jagged teeth go toward his throat, as the black eyes glared into his very soul.

In a moment of panic, Aapo thrust the knife forward, letting out a scared yelp, until his hands couldn't go further. He had closed his eyes on instinct, refusing to see the gush of blood that would inevitably come from stabbing a man in the stomach.

But the mana pressure soon vanished, as quickly as it came, and Aapo opened his eyes, wondering why he couldn't feel the warm blood dripping on his hands.

Looking at Alex, he saw the man grinning at him, a tinge of pride in his eyes.

"Good. You at least have some survival instinct. But you proved my point."

Looking at his hand, Aapo saw the pocket knife pushed into Alex's clothes, the blade bent at ninety degrees, as if he had slammed it into a metal sheet.

It did not even damage Alex's clothes, and Aapo's face went blank.

"How?" he muttered, pulling his hand back and looking at the bent blade.

"Mana," Alex responded, taking the knife from the man's hand.

"Like I said. It has many uses: fortification, empowerment, magic, and enhanced sensing. There are so many ways you can use it. The mana coursing through your body, which entered as a natural process from the gaps to the other world, just isn't as strong as mine.

"So the blade couldn't wound me. With enough control, you can make your body harder than any metal on Earth. You can even make yourself stronger than any competitive bodybuilder or faster than even the fastest sprinters.

"With a good control over mana, you could make your own bullets, and ensure they are strong enough to pierce even the hardest materials or hides. This is why mana control and mana sensing are important. Do you get it now?"

Aapo looked at Alex with astonishment, realizing why he always seemed so confident.

Of course, Aapo was aware he had become stronger already. He could lift more weight than before and move faster when he focused, but he never would have thought it would reach that

point.

To think that someone could use mana to become superhuman like this. He knew people in the game were doing it. But to believe it could happen on this side as well?

That was beyond his wildest thoughts.

"Will you play the game now?" Alex asked, breaking his train of thought.

Aapo shook his head vigorously. If that was the result of harnessing mana, then he needed in.