Timeless Hunter: Blood Of Old-Chapter 29: Mana Veins

It didn’t take long for the two of them to take out the monsters surrounding them. Then they climbed back to the top floor room.

Tonight they planned to rest, tomorrow he would help her hunt a suitable beast for her last beast soul.

Akaris closed his eyes and activated his mana, during their fight his skill had malfunctioned.

He didn’t even know that was possible but it happened. When he tried to use his mana it felt slow.

It was as if it was stuck along the way and he was forced to push it through. He frowned since he had no idea what’s happening.

" System, why is harder to control my mana now?" He decided to ask the all knowing system even though he doubted it would answer.

What it could tell him seemed to be quite limited, contrary to his expectations the system actually answered.

( The player has overdrawn his mana veins by forcefully pumping his body with mana without a proper skill.)

It suddenly clicked, the way he was using his mana to enhance his body was damaging to his mana veins, whatever those were.

He wasn’t supposed to do that, then he remembered the kobold using a similar technique.

If that was true then wouldn’t monsters who were born in a world with mana know that? Or perhaps they did it as a last resort seeing how strong he was he didn’t know.

What he did know was that he should probably stop doing it but then he wouldn’t be as strong as the other monsters.

He looked at Oriana and told her what he found out. She nodded like she understood and indeed she did.

" I guess that makes sense, everytime I do that my body itches and lately the effectiveness of my skills have lowered."

She extended a mana claw and slashed the wall. She drew a large gash but he noticed the tip of the claw was chipped.

"Normally they should be strong enough to even pierce through iron at this level but they’ve been growing weaker instead.

I couldn’t figure it out before, thanks." She grinned at him and he shook his head.

" So you’ve noticed but it never crossed your mind to ask the system?" His question made her pause.

She turned around and ignored him, Akaris turned back to his current problem, enhancing his body with mana was damaging him and he didn’t know if the damage was permanent or not.

So he figured he should stop but he still needed a way to enhance himself somehow. He wondered if he could create a skill.

He managed to create mana arrow, perhaps he can create another. A physical enhancement skill perhaps.

He remembered how he created mana arrow, he infused the arrow with mana until it couldn’t take it and shattered, perhaps..

’ What the hell are you thinking Akaris, there must something else you can do.’ unlike Oriana he was more agitated.

She had the physical attributes of a beast, he didn’t, without mana enhancement he would be much weaker and slower than his opponents.

Yes he was an archer whose fighting style is mostly long range but as evidence by the past, enemies can get close, dangerously close.

However noatter how much he wracked his brain he couldn’t figure it out. The only application of mana he can learnt was just infusing it into things.

He needed to find another way but it was easier said than done. He doesn’t have any examples to work with.

He decided to use his existing skills as some sort of blue print. He started by activating mana arrow.

He felt his mana move inside him and he closed his eyes and concentrated, using his high spirit he tried to track it movements.

What he saw made him understand why using his mana in such a brute mana would harm his mana veins.

Inside his body or rather in what felt like another dimension inside his body were blue veins.

His mana flowed through them in a specific manner drawing an intricate pattern. The pattern was intricate and quite complicated.

He was able the track the mana through them, he tried to make it go faster but failed. The veins wouldn’t allow it to.

He cancelled mana arrow and his mana dissipated into thin air, Oriana watched all of this with interest.

Akaris opened his eyes, the patterns formed by the mana veins must represent a skill, if he wanted to create a new skill he would need to learn how to create mana veins.

He had no idea how to do that yet, then he checked another skill and felt a wave of information flood his brain.

He activated hawk eyes and watched the mana flow through another set of mana veins.

The pattern formed by the veins was many times more complicated, the number of veins were so many he couldn’t even count them.

Small and overlapping forming a layered pattern that he couldn’t comprehend. The pattern for mana arrow was complicated enough but this.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to achieve anything by watching this stupidly complicated pattern and gave up.

He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, he learnt something but it was useless to him right now.

He couldn’t form his own mana veins, infact he had no idea how mana veins are even created or what they’re made of.

Perhaps they’re made of mana, he couldn’t be sure. He looked outside and the sun was about to rise.

He had spent hours looking at the mana veins without even noticing the passing of time.

His mind felt exhausted and he chose to take a shot nap, Oriana woke him up as the sun rose from horizon.

" It’s time." She told him, today he was helping her get her last beast soul. He woke up and took his weapons then checked his status before they left.

Name: Akaris Cronos

Race: Human/ ???

Level: 9 ( 99%)

Class: N/A

Free stats: 0

Strength: 18

Agility: 27

Perception: 39

Endurance: 16

Vitality: 23

Will: 57

Spirit: 50

Innate traits: Eyes of Cronos (??????)

Awakened skills:

Hawk Eyes- level 9 ( 99%)

Future sight- level 1 ( 85%)

Inspect- Level 2 (40%)

Adaptation - level 10( 2%)

Mana arrow- level 7( 60%)

Echoes of old- level 1( 17%)

Indomitable will - level 1 ( 2%)

Gained skills:

Archery- Level 12 ( 30%)

Hand to Hand combat- level 7( 60%)

Spearmanship- level 1 ( 14%)

Swordsmanship- level 8 (70%)

Axemanship-level 2 (23)

Titles:

Child of mana

Giant slayer

Echoes(1/1)

Artefacts

- Quiver Of the endless forest F+

His will had actually increased by 21, he was glad it did or he might not have been able to control his mana at all after damaging his mana veins.