I really started to wonder about this system and his absurdity after the fifth fabric straps I had obtained from cutting the sheets with the blade I crafted before.

- What I'm almost sure is that there's some kink of intent monitoring system in place. Not surprising if I believe what the voice said on, what I think is admitting, reading all my memories...

The first strap, just like the bevel on the blade, come off abruptly from the rest of the fabric after the fourth stroke. And considering the blade isn't that sharp was absurd on itself.

What took me by surprise was that the second time didn't go the same way. I was thinking of what meaning the number four would have for this "crafting system", and I noticed that even after the fifth stroke of the blade the fabric didn't tear off.

Concentrating again on the cutting motion after the fourth time the strap came off...

- Okkeyyy... I'm definitely on something now...

Continuing to experiment established that surely when I concentrated on the action I was doing, the "final product" appeared after four interaction. That maybe can explain why the bed frame was destroyed after the fourth kick.

While if I thought about anything apart of what i was doing, the final result obtained abide with the normal physics rules. The strap was cut anyway but, like one would expect from a hasty crafted blade, it required an enormous different amount of effort.

- But now that I "crafted" what needed, I can start the other experiment.

Coiling one tissue strap around, what I decided will be, the handle of my blade took only a minute. Then, with a better grip, I took a deep breath and centered myself to try not to shake.

Unlike the four action rule that seems in act for crafting, it took only a swift and decise swipe of the blade to make a deep but small cut on the back of my left hand. I know it's was a risk, albeit a calculated one. But, trying to stay away from any major blood vessel and taking account of the situation, it seemed a passable idea.

The fact that that I had a scar from a previous job on the same spot is also a factor I believe.

Anyway the cut behaved like a normal cut should be, so I wrapped one of the fabric like a bandage thanking the first aid lesson taken in school.

- Menu!

NameRaceAverageHumanHPMP99/102100AtkDefDexWis10+510+11010Exp30/100

- Interesting, the HP loss is expected, but also changing in Atk, Def and Exp...

Yes, the experiment to see if the HP dropped when hurt gave result and, apart from the flash of pain at the beginning, was worth it. The other change as byproduct of it are as strange as well accepted.

- If I assume that the Atk change is due to the blade in my hand, than the Def must be the bandage? And the Exp?

I sat down on the mattress, that was on the floor in a corner, and started remembering everything I had done since the last menu check.

- If this system is really so linear and "easy" than the only explanation that I can think off is the crafting.

Well assuming that every "item" that I crafted was worth 10 Exp point was a leap of faith, but I was willing to take it. To verify the other stats I was a little stumped of what to do. The most common way in every media to use MP was obviously magic but how?

- Mmmm... there's still the card of meditation but will it help?

Still mumbling to myself I took a tentative lotus position that, I must admit, was new to me. I never tried meditation or even yoga. I read really a lot about the philosophy and the mind state behind some kind of meditation technique, but it was all theory for me.

I tried to empty my mind and be in a state similar to using my peripheral vision... To be one with the universe... Ok I must admit the reason I was never able to meditate before was because of my excessive focus on...

- Maybe I can use it.

I was, as long I was able to remember, a very mindful person of myself, but also of the things happening in my surroundings. Maybe because I was too much self-centered, or the various bad things that happened in the past...

- I'm not like a genius that can memorise with a glance or a super alert spy who can spot trouble... I'm just more egocentric...

- Anyway if I could use my self-consciousness to focus on, when I meditate, maybe it can be done.

I never did it like that before because it only took me on a self-loathing trip.

- Concentrate, concentrate... What's mana supposed to be? A kind of energy is my guess but how? Is there an organ like a new liver that stores and create it? Is all in my mind?...

When I started to feel the familiar feeling of my derailing thoughts I start to feel a strange sensation. Just like when a light fever's beginning, a sensation like a hand compressing my head's blood vessel.

I slowly opened my eyes and what awaited me was a strange blue tinge in my vision. In the same moment I started to think of the strange beauty of this hue it disappeared.

As the light blue hue vanished, I start to put myself in the same state of mind of before. Concentrating on the feverish sensation I got while "meditating", but this time I kept my eyes open. What I hoped was to see the moment the "mana" appeard, and if there was some kind of clue to prove some of the theories I speculated.

Well keeping my eyes opened and unfocused while concentrating on meditation proved to be really difficult. And together with the increasing self-crippling doubts about my debatable behavior...

Still after what I judged to be ten minutes, the hue reappeared. Like a flickering light it abruptly ended, but it proved that even with open eyes it still can form. The couple of seconds didn't give me time enough to analize any peculiarity in this "mana", but the fact in itself could have been a proof of something.

- Menu!

NameRaceAverageHumanHPMP100/102100/100AtkDefDexWis10+510+11010Exp30/100

- Ok, so if the change in MP display, from 100 to 100/100, is related to my meditation then...

Then it was possible that meditation could influence mana, and maybe the fact that the blue hue disappeared almost instantly was because the mana was already at its max value. But the HP was full again...

I start scratching my bandaged hand thinking about all this whole situation, and how I was dangerously starting to immerse myself into it. Than I noticed that the bandage felt suddenly dry, I knew the wound didn't bleed much to begin with, but before the mana experiment it still felt a little sticky.

Uncoiling the bandage revealed a perfectly closed wound, and in its place a small scar. Even the blood on the fabric was more like fine powder than dry a stain. After a couple of hit on the wall the fabric returned practically clean like before.

- Well this will surely make a wonderful ad for cleaning product...

Trying to escape the "reality" of that new absurdity wasn't really helping... Another mystery to add to the growing list, first of all was obviously understanding what was happening, but a gut feeling told me it would take time to find the possible answers.

- Anyway, before giving myself an headache, better start to see how to deplete MP. Now if meditation refill it almost all stories on mana say it's the fuel for magic so let's begin.

I have to admit that the idea of magic was attractive, not at the level of when I was younger, but still exciting.

- The most "basic" thing I can think of is fire, but how to proceed? Chants? Formulas? Hand gestures?... Fire! ... Flame! ... Rapid oxidation! ...

I must tell that if any of that worked, especially the last, it was going to be a real surprise. Assuming the simplicity of the whole system, maybe it was like the monitoring intent of crafting?

Concentrating on the wanted result... Not even a small spark...

Concentrating on the image of a flame and thinking of the simplified process that's fire itself... Still no result...

Concentrating on both image and process and speaking "Flame!" aloud... Not even smoke...

- Wait, fire need fuel only air isn't enough, and if mana/MP is really the fuel of magic...

Concentrating like before and trying to reproduce the same meditating sensation was really difficult, but the reward was huge. Even better than discovering that speaking wasn't really needed.

A flame, big exactly like I imagined, appeared on my right palm. Red, high like my index finger and dancing like a candle flame. For a moment I really found it the most beautiful little thing in the world. But the brief lapse in concentration proved fatal for my little flame.

I believe the first to be cut was the mana feed, than the concentration on the flame itself. Still I can consider this time to be a full success.

-Menu!

NameRaceAverageHumanHPMP100/10256/100AtkDefDexWis10+5101010Exp30/100

Having no reference on the normal consumption of magic I was going to go by my old rule and consider my first attempt average. My rule was always to consider myself the embodiment of common, so it was my rule of thumb, my compass.

Still it was worrying that with my MP I could only materialise two flame, maybe it was because my method was wrong, but that need to be researched more.

Not knowing the time I still had in this room, or if the time flow was different, like in some game, was another doubt for the list...

- Anyway seeing it as limited is the best course of action. In the end, at the start of this absurdity, after three time I didn't respond the voice forced the hand of choosing this avatar.

So after meditating and confirming it really recover my MP, the light blue hue around me stayed active for around five minutes, I started all the other experiment. Well the fact that meditating for whole five minutes was a success was pretty weird.

Water was as almost easy as fire, a little gush of crystal clear water appearing out of air, from every test, proved that the intended phenomenon manifested wherever I imagined. Also there was no need for hand gesture or pointing.

That leaved me with the same amount of mana consumed as before, so to start I meditated again. This time I tried to do it while standing. Even if it needed me to close my eyes again and drop the blade, in the end the aura reappeared for the same rough time.

- I really miss a watch... Whining, about something I can't do anything about, really didn't change...

Leaving my inside joke aside, the other most famous element I knew were earth and air, maybe wood and metal considering chinese's one.

The trial and error continued for a while, with break to recover MP, and gave me enough clues to form a theory. A shaky one but a theory nonetheless, for me it was going to be valid until someone proved otherwise.

My theory was:

Mana or MP is the fuel for magic phenomena;

Concentration, on the wanted result and point where manifest, is necessary;

Knowledge on the wanted phenomen, it's real composition ecc., is needed;

Concentration similar to meditation, to move the mana maybe?, is necessary;

The range and shape of manifestation is limited but can be increased with more fuel consumption.

When I was trying to make soil appear I stumbled on a huge problem, different from fire and water, earth is composed of a myriad of different things. Even excluding the organic elements it's not only a kind of mineral. So I was unable to wrap my head around it and nothing materialized as the result.

But thinking about mineral made me recall the memory of two really famous carbon's allotropes, diamond and graphite. I didn't think I was going to remember all the various thing I had seen about that, but whatever they did to me made my memory like that of a machine.

- Wait maybe I'm in a machine now... @#%& why can't a minute pass without a new doubts appearing like mushrooms...

Remembering what I knew about diamond and graphite really helped creating it.

- So if I can't male a living out the gig of magic I can always start selling diamonds or pencils. Roughly cut yes, needing polishing yes, but still diamonds.

This take me to the "shape" bit of the theory, when the first bit of graphite and diamond appeared they were unshaped lump of material. Imagining a cylindrical shape for the graphite was fairly easy compared to the roughly "table cut" diamond.

With air I met the same problem, apart from being only able to see a faint glimmer, normal atmosphere have lots of elements in it. But my hope was that I was able to create a little bit of oxygen at least. Air composed of oxygen alone is pretty dangerous, but also useful for the same reasons.

Making any organic compound was hopeless, every try ended being a failure so no wood element.

Metal, on the other hand, was almost easy. Well iron was and, after giving myself a migraine, even steel aluminum. Gold was as difficult as iron...

- With silver in the second place... ... ... Ok I couldn't resist, don't judge...

I was really tired if I was starting to make face-palming jokes. Thinking about it, I really felt mentally tired, like after an all-nighter at work or during my old school days.

But before trying to sleep I put the sorry remain of the bed frame leaning on the door. My hope was that, if somebody opened it, at least I was going to wake up hearing the falling metal.

Well checking my status before sleep seemed a sensible idea, so facing the mirror...

- Menu!

NameRaceAverageHumanHPMP100/102100/110AtkDefDexWis10101010Exp80/100