Thunder rumbled in the distance as lightning briefly illuminated the sky, rain pelting against the apartment window. The smell of books filled the air, surrounding me with shelves crammed with every text on magic imaginable,with the occasional novel. My desk was buried under towers of books, and I sat in the middle of it all, staring intently at what seemed like my hundredth book on the subject.
Wheels glided across the hardwood floor, coming to a halt at a board cluttered with notes and theories—magic theories.
"I've looked at the same thing over and OVER again! Why can't I seem to figure it out?" I muttered under my breath, frustration evident as I tapped my pencil against my chin, desperately hoping for the answer to reveal itself.
I'd been stuck on this theory for what felt like centuries—this vampire's magic, a power I couldn't quite grasp. A few months ago, a group of elite hunters cleared a dungeon, the footage of which had been broadcasted. The battle was brutal, with only two of them surviving, but the vampire's magic, his mastery over mana was far more captivating. Watching the footage, I felt a mixture of awe and jealousy. This vampire, so effortlessly manipulating mana, seemed to have unlocked something beyond my reach. I couldn't figure out how he was doing it. How could he make mana flow so fluidly, so naturally, and what was he doing that made it different from anything I had ever learned?
Mana was always just a tool, used when activating skills, something everyone knows. But now? Now, I wasn't so sure. Ever since gates and hunters had become a part of the world, mana had become as common as water. Every class required it, some more than others. For example, tanks didn't need mana as much as they needed stamina, and their consumption rate was much lower than mages, who required vast amounts of mana for their skills. But even tanks needed mana
most high-level tank skills consumed it, even if in smaller amounts. And mages? They knew mana was important, but not in the way I was thinking.
Mana was abundant, so easy to obtain
through mana stones, potions, and gear. Most mages raised their mana with the help of guilds, and as a result, they focused more on developing high-level skills, skills that consumed large amounts of mana but could be refueled with mana potions costing anywhere from 100 to 1000 gold. It didn't seem like much at first, but over time, the cost added up. That's why mages had become so rare, only called upon when absolutely necessary. It was easy to think that this was how it should be, I mean let the tanks and damage dealers take care of the monsters, and then let the mage deal with the boss right? But in dungeons, nothing ever went according to plan. There was always the possibility—no, the certainty that something could go wrong, something that could wipe out the entire party. Like that vampire dungeon.
Mages had become a luxury, not a necessity. They were too costly, and in smaller guilds, other damage dealers or archers could take their place. But what about when you faced a monster that couldn't be affected by physical attacks? What then? Without a mage, the party was left vulnerable.
Mana was so much more important than anyone realized. It wasn't just a resource; it was a force that could change the entire battle. But if that was true, why had no one noticed it? Why had no one ever
truly tried to understand it?
I have been studying for years to unravel the mysteries of mana. Countless theories, experiments, failures. But I had hit a roadblock. Then I saw it the vampire's attack. Vampires used blood for their attacks blood spears, blood spikes, you name it, but what this vampire did was different. The blood was simply the medium. What he was really doing was manipulating mana to control the blood, not through skills but through raw power.
Mana moved, not consumed.
If this was true, it could mean the end of mana limitations. Mana was everywhere, always accessible. But how? How could you move something so invisible, that even air seemed more visible? I had learned to be efficient with mana use, but what the vampire was doing was on another level. I had read everything
from memoirs, books, scrolls—but nothing came close to explaining what he was doing. He wasn't consuming mana, he was manipulating it. And that was far more difficult than it sounded.
I stared at the apple on my desk, taking a deep breath.
"Alright, apple. You helped humanity discover gravity. Maybe you can help me discover something even better."
I extended my hand toward it, holding my breath, my focus sharp.
Silence. Embarrassing silence. The kind I had come to expect after months of fruitless attempts. Still, I pressed on. I closed my eyes, feeling for mana not through skills, not with external tools, but just with me, my own understanding. My anticipation grew. My grip on the chair tightened. I imagined a string, weaving through my fingers, floating as I had with telekinesis. I tried to imagine it wrapping around the apple, gently moving it.
A minute passed. I opened my eyes. Nothing. The apple sat motionless. I let out a sigh and slumped further into my chair, tugging at my hair in frustration. What was I doing wrong?
I picked up my phone, scrolling through the articles on the dungeon. My mind wandered as I read, the words blurring together. Eventually, I felt thirsty. I headed to the kitchen, my slippers muffling the sound of my footsteps. At the sink, I filled a glass with water, still reading through the screen. Just as I took a sip, my phone pinged—a notification.
[Another Sealed Dungeon at Lyx Square]
I instinctively tapped the article to read more.
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**Another Sealed Dungeon at Lyx Square**
A sealed dungeon has been spotted in the middle of Lyx Square, on May 15, 2039, at approximately 2:45 PM. The dungeon has caused chaos for nearby locals, who are now fleeing the area, urging others to do the same. An association official is on the way to assess the situation.
What are these sealed dungeons, and why do they keep appearing? Will the hunters be able to handle this one too? After the tragic results of the last sealed dungeon raid, most hunters are unwilling to take the risk, which could lead to even more devastating outcomes.
---
I scrolled further, hoping for more relevant information, but found none. The sealed dungeons were still a mystery, only unlocked when certain conditions were met. Dangerous conditions. Even if the dungeon was sealed, the break timer still ticked down. This was the second "sealed dungeon" to appear, and I knew that if I missed this one, I might never get another chance. The last vampire gate had also been a sealed dungeon, and it had provided a breakthrough in my research.
I hesitated, weighing the risks. Go into the dungeon and potentially find something valuable, or stay safe and miss out? Before I could make my decision, my phone rang. It was Secretary Cranky.
I pressed the answer button.
"I need you to come to the association right now."
In the background, I heard chaos.
"Alright," I said, already heading toward the door.
"And I won't tak—huh?" he started.
"I'll be there in 10," I interrupted, hanging up before he could finish. I locked the door behind me. I'd listen to the meeting before deciding whether to join the raid or not.
As I stepped outside, I spotted a hand waving at me. My driver. I quickened my pace, and when I reached the car, he opened the door for me. "Mr. Min wants us to arrive pronto, so I'll be speeding," he said, before I had a chance to respond. The car surged forward, and I braced myself against the unexpected force.
Ping-ping—my phone buzzed with notifications about the current dungeon. I skimmed through the updates, only to find that they were all saying the same thing: more details would be released once we got to the association. From the looks of it, that wouldn't be long. As I gazed out the window, I saw cars lined up in traffic, desperately trying to flee the city. Panic was in the air. People didn't know where to go, but they knew they had to go.