Chapter 42: Mana Channeling

Hey, Ai, when Hunters usually fail Tabulization, the only way they can use their Magic is by figuring it out manually, right?<Yes, what about it?>

Exactly how difficult is that?

<I do not know, that is difficult to quantify using what little existing information there is>

<However, before Tabulization was invented, only approximately five to seven percent of Hunters were capable of using their Magic with any real effectiveness>

<The rest either only used physical combat, or did not fight at all because they were too weak>

Okay, then safe to say that it’s pretty tough.

<I suppose so>

<What brought this on?>

Since you can hear all my thoughts, shouldn’t you already know?

<I have learned to tune out any thoughts that are not directed at me, since you took issue with that>

<I do intend to process all your thoughts whenever you are in a dire situation, such as during a Dungeon raid, just to be safe>

Oh, cool. Thanks, I appreciate that.

Anyway, to answer your question, I’ve been thinking about this...I’ve been lying and saying I figured out how to use Devour and Drain by manually channeling my Mana, so a thought occurred to me, what if I actually start experimenting with manually channeling my Mana?

<Oh, that is an interesting idea>

<I do not know what could happen>

<I believe it is unlikely that you will discover any new Skills or abilities>

<But if nothing else, you may be able to cast your existing Skills more efficiently>

Okay, that’s not bad. Sounds like it’s worth a shot, at least. Let’s see here...

I closed my eyes and focused, feeling the sensation of the Mana flowing through my body. I do feel a slight sensation of its flow a bit when I cast my Skills, but nothing beyond that, I’ve never really focused on it before.

Alright, I think I’ve got it, I’m locked into this sensation...now, let’s try to control the flow. Nice and slow, I can’t get impatient, I need to take this step by step.

Hm, based on the way it feels, I think the flow of Mana starts in the solar plexus, and then flows in a swirling pattern through my torso. From there, it branches and spreads out across my limbs and head.

The flow goes straight down my arms and legs, into my hands and up along my fingertips. It flows straight up my neck too, but the flow through my head feels a lot more complex, like a maze.

Its highly concentrated around my brain, a fair bit around my eyes, and then my mouth, nose and ears.

Okay, I think I’ve got it now.

I’ll keep focusing on the flow, steadily familiarize myself with how it feels.

Alright, I understand it now...the way my Mana flows when I use my Skills, it’d be incredibly difficult to pull that off manually.

It would probably take years to be able to cast my Spells more efficiently manually than I can by chanting.

Still, it may be worth working on in my free time.


Hey, Ai, do Hunters who have gone through successful Tabulization work on manually casting their Magic?

<A few do>

<A retired Ace Hunter revealed that focusing on channeling Mana while casting Spells helped them cast faster and with more power>

<They gained a greater level of versatility with their casting>

<Furthermore, eventually, they were able to cast their weaker Spells purely manually, without chanting>

<As a result, they were able to cast Magic freely, upto a certain amount of Mana>

<In other words, instead of their Spells being restricted to their set formats, they were able to cast their Magic in whatever forms they imagined>

Interesting...that sounds pretty damn useful. How common is that?

<Not very, a decent number can cast weaker Spells without chanting, but they still require chants for their more powerful Spells>

<There are a handful of Mages who can cast their Magic freely, including high level Spells, without any chants, they are considered prodigies>

<All of them are K-Ranked or above>

<So, having a high Power Level or Mana Level, is likely a key factor in being able to channel Mana manually>

Then, I won’t be able to pull this off until I reach the level of K-Rank or Ace?

<Not necessarily>

<Since your case is unique, the rules may apply differently to you>

<To be more specific, the way in which the Sinner System stabilized your powers is a bit different to the Tabulization process, so the rules that apply to you may be a bit different to the rules that apply to other Hunters>

Cool, in that case, I might as well keep working at it. Even if I am too weak right now, it certainly won’t hurt to have a head start by the time I am strong enough, if that’s the case.

Alright, I think I’ve got a good feel for how my Mana flows through my body. Now, for the tough part...controlling the flow manually.

Huh...okay, this is pretty tricky.

I am feeling slight shifts in the flow of my Mana, but it’s more like I’m disrupting the flow instead of channeling it.

Calm down, take it easy, nice and slow...no, that still doesn’t feel right.

I’m trying to channel the Mana flowing through my right arm, but I can’t get it to flow the way I want to, it’s more like a jolt around the spot I’m focusing on, like when you hit your elbow against something.

Hold on...maybe I need to control the flow from start to finish, maybe it isn’t working because I’m only focusing on one area.

Okay, let’s try this again...focus on your solar plexus, then channel it through the swirls of energy flowing through to my right arm, and-...crap, I messed it up!

Right as I channeled the flow into my elbow and began to transition it through my forearm, I lost control.

That said, it was working...it was definitely working!

Let’s try that again, slower this time...there we go, that’s it, keep it nice and steady. There we go, it’s flowing through my arm now, it’s past my elbow, going down my forearm.

It’s into my hand, flowing through my fingers, gathering in my fingertips...as I felt an increasing pressure in my fingertips, I unleashed the channeled Mana, which burst out, the flow of the Mana across my body going back to normal as I opened my eyes and sat up, a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, before glancing down as my stomach rumbled.

Huh, why do I feel so hungry? Does channeling Mana manually make me hungrier?

<I do not think so>

<It is more likely because you have been doing this for three hours>

I’m sorry, what?

There’s no way, what’s the time-...holy shit, you’re right. How the fuck did three hours go by?!

Eh, whatever.

Ai, the thing I just did, what kind of effect does it have?

<It was simply a small burst of pure Mana>

<It is unlikely to be a viable weapon, physically it is no more powerful than blowing air out of your mouth>

<And Magically, such a small amount of Mana is unlikely to do any damage>

<Of course, I cannot say for certain until you use it on a target, but it does not seem like it would be an effective attack>

Well, that’s disappointing. Might as well test it out on myself and check, I guess...

I concentrated on the flow of my Mana again, channeling it though my right hand as I placed my fingertips across the middle of my left forearm, the Mana flowing through my fingers and gathering in my fingertips.

Alright, now to just fire it out and-...f-fuck!

Fuck, FUCK, SH-SHIT, that...th-that really fucking hurt, damn it! What the hell was that?!

Ow, my arm feels so sore...I don’t think anything’s broken, but there’s a stinging pain throbbing around my forearm. I think it’s starting to subside, but it still hurts a lot.

Seriously, what just happened?

<Facinating>

<It would seem I was mistaken, this is certainly a viable weapon, and potentially quite a potent one, at that>

Oh? I’m listening, elaborate-...ow.