“I know humans are not magical creatures and have never come into contact with mana before. But for the sake of time, please try to feel my mana as I use the Heal spell.” Jayce explained. We stood next to the first patient who was in terrible shape. His body was completely bandaged; according to Jayce, this man came back from a battle and his entire body was covered with cuts and injuries.

I nodded in silence and felt nothing for this man. I already knew this was just an illusion. None of these people were real. The second room was simply a place where the humans were given an opportunity to use their newly-acquired spell. After digging through my memories, I understood why I never came across a hospital ward in my past life. Only those who chose the Heal spell would see this illusion.

Jayce put down his notepad and grabbed the poor man’s arm. Then, after a brief glance at me to make sure I was paying attention, he used his spell.

Contrary to one’s expectations, there was no visual response. There were no bright lights suddenly appearing and the man did not suddenly start feeling better. The process was long and tedious. I stared at Jayce’s hand and remembered the words I first heard after consuming the Time Pearl. My body has returned to its original state.

I have lost my sensitivity to mana. If I wanted to understand how Jayce was using his spell, I needed to focus. Only then could I feel the strange tingling energy flowing out of Jayce’s hands and seeping into the patient’s body.

I calmed down and let my body get used to this feeling. Fortunately, there was more than enough time to do so. The healing process was a long one. According to the information in my mind, the Heal spell worked as a guide. The user would use his mana to guide the target’s body into healing his injuries. It would divert the flow of nutrients to the healing cells and even encourage the body to use its reserves to heal the wounds. At the same time, the mana itself would turn into a source of nutrients for the wounds.

I quickly got familiar with Jayce’s actions. Heal was the most basic spell of the Healing element. It was not hard to understand its process.

“Did you get it?” Jayce asks with a tired expression. He took out a couple of small pearls and tossed them into his mouth.

“Yes.”

“Really? Then, let’s move on to the second patient. This time, you will be doing the healing. I will assist you if needed.”

The second patient was in much better shape than the first one. Only his torso was wounded. It was clear that Jayce treated the hardest patient for me and left the easier one for me to practice on.

I grabbed onto the unconscious man’s arm and like Jayce, used the Heal spell. I instinctively knew how to use the mana in my body. From the moment I entered the tower, the magical energy present there started entering my body, slowly building up. It was not a harmful energy; on the contrary, the more mana one had, the healthier they were.

I felt this familiar feeling of manipulating this invisible energy. It felt warm and welcoming but at the same time, left behind a cold and empty feeling as it left my body.

Nevertheless, I directed my mana into the man’s body and following the instruction of the Heal spell, pushed it toward the injured part of his body. Then, responding to my will, the mana started to disperse and escape from my control. It got to work by itself, understanding what I wanted it to do.

There were no magic formula or chants required when casting a spell. A spell was simply the use of mana that will respond to the desire of the user. As long as enough mana was supplied, anything could be achieved.

‘Heal him… Close the wound on his chest…’ I thought silently.

My mana responded and a few minutes later, I let go of the man’s hand. Jayce nodded in approval. “Well done. It is your first time, but you successfully healed him. Are you sure you never used mana before?”

“Did I ever say I never did?”

“No… Anyway, eat these, and then, we’ll move to the next patient.” Jayce replied and handed me a couple of beads. They were the same ones he consumed after healing the first patient.

I revealed a faint smile. ‘Low-quality mana stones… I would like to keep these for myself, but I don’t think Jayce will approve. Restoring my mana naturally will take too long…’

…

Two hours later, I collapsed on the floor, completely exhausted. It was finally over. All ten patients have been healed; they still needed to rest but under their bandages, their wounds have turned into scars.

“How do you feel?”

“I’m good. Tired but I should be fine after recovering my mana.” I answered while tossing a mana stone in my mouth. The cold stone melted as soon as it came into contact with my tongue and soon, completely disappeared.

Jayce smiled faintly. “Look, the door has already appeared. You can move to the next room when you are ready.”

“We did not have much time to talk but when you reach the first floor, make good use of your spells. It is the first time I am seeing someone master the Heal spell so easily. Your affinity with the Healing element must be quite high and you should be able to secure a place among the front liners. Use your power for the greater good and defeat the tower. Not just for humans but also all the other races.”

“…”

‘What was that? A lecture about morals? I don’t remember ever receiving anything like that before.’

I shook my head. “Don’t get the wrong idea. My affinity with the Healing element is extremely low. The only reason I could heal these people is that I already know how to control my mana. Besides, I have no desire to fight at the frontline. That’s the reason I chose [Heal] as my first spell. I won’t be fighting myself but as long as they survive, I would not mind healing the front liners.”

“That is good enough…” Jayce fell silent. I felt his eyes piercing through me; it was extremely uncomfortable.

“Your behaviour and attitude tell me that you must already have a plan for what is going to come. I don’t know how much you know, and I am not allowed to disclose much information about the tower. The one thing I can say is: do your best to clear the tower. Do not be fooled by the fact that you can live peacefully in the tower.” Jayce said with caution. He briefly glanced at Levi before averting his gaze.

I was intrigued by his words. What did he mean by that?

“I will keep your words in mind.” I plainly replied. Regardless of his warning, I was not going to change my plans because of the opinion of one individual. Jayce was just a stranger I met two hours ago.

We both fell silent. I rested for a few minutes before eventually leaving for the third room. I did not say a word to Jayce and neither did he.

He watched my departing back and muttered something. Unfortunately, I had already walked through the door and did not hear him properly.

Jayce closed his eyes as the entire Room 2 started shaking. In the end, he was just an illusion, the remnants of soul who was appointed as an instructor for the newcomers of the tower.

“That human. I don’t know what’s on his mind, but he does have potential. Hopefully, he won’t be short-sighted and will contribute to the conquest of the tower. The peaceful life of the cities can be attractive, but people rarely look at what lies beyond that. There is no free meal in this world and sadly, a deceased person like me cannot reveal the fate of those who perished in the tower.”