Free Web NovelChapter 10: Two Level Ups At Once
Now the explanation seemed obvious.
’The mana is protecting the fist.’
The concentrated mana wasn’t there to increase the force of his attacks. It was reinforcing the point of impact. Every time he struck something, his fist absorbed tremendous force. Without additional protection, the bones in his hand should have shattered long ago.
The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
Mana improved the quality of the body. Improved muscles became stronger and faster, while improved bones became harder and more durable. Naturally, durability should increase alongside strength.
Which raised another question.
’If the Spell also increases durability, then why are my muscles being torn apart?’
Alex frowned as he considered the question. There was still something missing from his understanding. He could almost feel it sitting just beyond his reach.
Whatever he was overlooking wasn’t a small detail. It felt like one of those simple realizations that completely changed how a Spell was used. If he figured it out, Body Reinforcement Spell would become far more effective than it currently was.
Alex began activating and canceling the Spell repeatedly. Mana surged through his arm before disappearing again moments later. He watched every reaction closely, trying to spot something he had missed before.
Time passed without him noticing.
"It’s time. We should move."
Emma’s voice pulled him out of his concentration.
Alex looked up and saw her standing nearby. He knew she was right. Staying in one place for too long was dangerous, especially if monsters were tracking the scent they had left behind.
Still, the feeling that he was close to a breakthrough refused to disappear.
"Give me two more minutes. I think I’m close to figuring something out," Alex said.
Emma studied him for a few moments before nodding. "Alright, but only two minutes."
Alex immediately returned his attention to the Spell. Sweat slowly formed along his forehead as he focused harder than ever. He activated the Spell again and carefully observed how mana spread through his arm.
Then he finally saw it.
’Eureka!’
The answer was so simple that he almost laughed.
The muscles in his arm weren’t all the same size. Some were large while others were much smaller. Yet every time he used Body Reinforcement Spell, he flooded his entire arm with a roughly uniform amount of mana.
That meant larger muscles naturally absorbed more mana while smaller muscles absorbed less. As a result, the larger muscles received a much greater enhancement than the smaller ones.
An arm wasn’t a single muscle. It was a machine made up of many muscles working together. If some muscles suddenly became far stronger than others, the entire system would fall out of balance.
The stronger muscles would pull harder. The weaker muscles wouldn’t be able to keep up. Under enough stress, the imbalance would damage the arm itself.
It was like a machine whose gears were suddenly rotating at different speeds. Sooner or later, something would break.
In his case, that something was his muscles.
Excitement surged through him as he immediately began experimenting. This time, instead of distributing mana evenly throughout the arm, he carefully adjusted the flow. Smaller muscles received proportionally more mana.
The goal wasn’t equal mana.
The goal was equal enhancement.
Actually accomplishing that proved far more difficult than understanding it. Fortunately, Alex could sense his mana directly. Whenever mana touched a muscle, he became aware of its size and shape, allowing him to estimate how much energy it required.
Even with that advantage, fine-tuning mana to such a precise degree was incredibly difficult. Every tiny adjustment required concentration, and dozens of adjustments had to be maintained simultaneously.
Alex quickly realized that trying to do this during a fight would be far more difficult than doing it while standing still. For a brief moment, he considered increasing his Mind stat since it would improve his mana control and make the task easier.
Then a better idea occurred to him. Instead of spending valuable stat points, he directed mana into his head. The mana spread through his brain just like it spread through his muscles whenever he used Body Reinforcement Spell.
The effect was immediate. His thoughts became clearer, his concentration sharpened, and he felt as though the world around him had become easier to process. At the same time, he noticed that his vision had improved slightly, his hearing had become sharper, and even his sense of smell had grown stronger.
The scent of blood lingering on him and Emma suddenly became unpleasantly intense. Alex shook his head and forced himself to ignore it. Right now, he needed to focus on the Spell.
With his concentration enhanced, controlling mana became noticeably easier. The dozens of tiny adjustments that had previously strained his mind now felt manageable. It still wasn’t easy, but it was no longer overwhelming.
’As expected, it worked,’ Alex thought with a faint smile.
Carefully, he guided mana throughout his arm. This time, he adjusted the amount flowing into each muscle according to its size. Larger muscles received ’relatively’ less mana while smaller muscles received more, allowing every muscle to receive an equal enhancement.
Once he was satisfied, Alex flicked his finger with all the strength he could muster.
The movement was sharp and powerful, yet the finger was not damaged.
Alex immediately inspected his hand and arm. There was no pain, no tearing sensation, and no sign of damage. Previously, even small tests performed at full power would have strained his muscles, but this time everything felt perfectly normal.
His heartbeat quickened.
Alex stood up and activated Body Reinforcement Spell at full strength. Mana surged through his body as he threw a punch into empty air.
A loud burst echoed through the area as the punch displaced the air. The force of it was enough to make Emma turn around in surprise. Alex ignored her reaction and immediately checked his arm again.
His muscles weren’t torn. Not even slightly.
For a moment, Alex simply stood there staring at his arm. Then excitement surged through him as the significance of the discovery sank in. This wasn’t a small improvement or a minor optimization. He had fundamentally improved the way Body Reinforcement Spell functioned.
As if responding to his breakthrough, a notification appeared before him.
[Body Reinforcement Spell has leveled up. Level 3 → Level 5]
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