Birds and insect sounds created a natural tune that filled the background. The ground was mostly empty, covered only with grass or small shrubs. Every few meters apart stood a towering tree trunk.
It was still early in the morning, but even so, the forest was noticeably darker, about 60% less bright compared to the open grass fields. Peter followed Joseph’s lead, observing how all the trees combined to form a vast umbrella, allowing very little light to reach the surface.
Once in a while, they came across mushrooms growing on tree roots.
“Try using your Mana Sense to survey our surroundings,” Joseph urged, stopping near a common shrub. They had walked barely four minutes into the forest, so it was unlikely that they had already found the herb they were searching for.
Peter nodded and willed his skill to activate. This time, instead of looking inward, he focused outward. It was not an easy process by any means. This was his first try, and it took some minutes of peaceful silence until he succeeded.
His eyes widened in amazement. Everywhere he turned his gaze, he saw nothing but a multi-coloured fog. It was a chaotic scene. Fog moved randomly in various directions, following some unknown principle.
So that’s what mana looks like, huh? he wondered, struggling to capture anything meaningful. It took a bit of focus to recognise shapes again through the colourful spectacle. The trees, mushrooms, and shrubs were all filled with mana. Yet, there was a distinct difference between the mana present inside them and the one lingering in the atmosphere.
There was a flow to mana in living beings that the mana in the atmosphere lacked. Peter stared as shades of blue and brown mana rose from the roots into the trunk of a tree, flowing in a steady rhythm.
“A beginner mistake,” Joseph remarked from his side, and his comment pulled Peter out of his reverie.
“W…what?” Peter asked, confused.
“The skill is called Mana Sense. What do you think it means?” Joseph chuckled, his experienced eyes full of mirth. Seconds passed as Peter gave the question some serious thought. What could he be implying?
“The ability to sense mana?” He gave the textbook answer, wondering what mistake he could have possibly made.
“Mhm. Then tell me. Why were you trying to see mana?” Joseph asked, leaning down to his level as he ruffled his hair with his battle-hardened palm.
Joseph gave him an amused smile, yet his vigilance never wavered. His sword hand remained on the pommel of his weapon, ready for any danger.
Wait… what? Because you told me to?... Oh. Sense, not see.
“Was that wrong? Was I not supposed to see it?” Peter asked hesitantly, touching shrub leaves with his fingers while looking back at him with curious eyes.
“You could, but it’s inefficient. The skill never said you needed your eyes to sense mana. It could be your ears, nose, eyes, but most importantly, your soul.”
“Just now, when you used your skill, your eyes glowed. In comparison, I’ve been using the skill since we entered the forest.” Joseph pointed at his oceanic eyes. He made a fair point. Peter had been looking at it the wrong way.
Peter silently nodded. Indeed, why should I limit myself like that?
Joseph continued, “Each sentient soul is a mana furnace. In fact, all the mana you see in the environment was once expelled from beings when their mana pool reached saturation.”
He pointed at the shrub in front of them. “You already know how to do it. Think about it. How did you sense mana inside yourself? You couldn’t have used your physical senses.”
“Take the same approach. Only this time, look outside,” he encouraged, patting Peter’s back.
Taking a deep breath, Peter opened and closed his palms before focusing on the shrub. Seconds turned into minutes, but there was no success.
“Mhm. Try a different approach. Look inside first, and slowly shift to outside,” Joseph mused, deciding to stay patient.
Peter followed the advice, starting with something he was already familiar with. He closed his eyes-
“Keep them open,” Joseph interrupted, speaking from decades of experience.
Peter obeyed, keeping his eyes open while simultaneously looking inward. His mind recalling memories from his meditative training. The effort took longer than expected, and he stumbled slightly as the conflicting sensory input disoriented him. A steady hand on his back kept him from falling to the ground.
“Good. Take a minute to get used to dual vision. I know it feels like having eyes looking in two different directions at once,” Joseph said. The hand on Peter’s back rose to rest on his shoulder in a reassuring pat.
“The pressure will decrease once you start looking outside. It’ll be like suddenly being able to see heat in your surroundings on top of your natural vision,” Joseph explained, with a gentle smile and proud gaze.
Following his advice, Peter shifted his focus outward, using his mana sense to perceive the environment beyond himself.
True enough, the experience was much easier compared to attempting to see two different places at once. His normal vision remained unchanged, while his mana sense added an additional layer atop it. Unlike before, he no longer had to concentrate intensely to recognize the proper shapes of objects as his perception felt more natural now.
Both visions complementing each other provided Peter with a much easier view while revealing an additional layer of his vicinity.
“Congratulations. You’ve passed one hurdle,” Joseph said, offering another round of pats.
Peter sighed internally. Why does everyone like patting kids so much?
Still, he caught something in Joseph’s words.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
“Just one?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“We still need to work on expanding your mana sense past your visual boundaries. I can perceive in every direction at once using mine,” Joseph explained. “But that’s enough progress for today.”
With that, they resumed walking, the pair exploring deeper in the ancient woods.
“Let’s focus on what we came here for. Using your skill this way consumes mana faster, so turn it off when your mana pool reaches 50%.”
Peter nodded. Given the amount of mana he possessed, he could keep the skill active indefinitely without worrying about depletion. His natural regeneration restored 10% of his mana pool every hour, 279 per hour, far exceeding the amount required to sustain the skill.
“What kind of herbs are we looking for? How will I identify them?” he asked before mentally facepalming.
I was so excited about visiting the forest that I forgot to ask something this basic, he grumbled at his oversight.
“I was wondering when you’d ask that,” Joseph laughed aloud before explaining, “Some plants are much better at circulating mana than others.” Joseph continued. “This allows them to gain certain properties. These plants can be used as reagents to produce various potions.”
He explained further, “An herbalist or an alchemist would have specialised skills to identify such plants. Sadly, neither of us has any such skill, so we have to get a little creative.”
Peter listened diligently, understanding the need for an inspection-type skill that could be used not just on herbs but on people, animals, and monsters.
“Such plants or plant products would glow like a beacon in our Mana Sense. I usually sell them to merchants when they visit to collect our recently harvested crops-…” Joseph suddenly stopped, pointing ahead with a frown on his face.
Did we find one already? Peter wondered, scanning the area for any glowing beacon he might have missed. His eyes followed the direction Joseph was pointing toward. Among the tree roots protruding from the ground, he noticed tiny movements. With a desire to investigate further, he pushed more mana into his vision.
A small creature, barely two feet in length, was nestled there. Soft white fur covered its entire body, and a tiny horn jutted from the middle of its forehead. In Peter’s Mana Sense, the horn glowed brightly.
“A horned rabbit,” he muttered under his breath, a gasp of wonder leaving his lips. While Peter was busy studying the creature from afar, Joseph had already picked up an uneven pebble from the ground.
Without hesitation, he aimed with precision and threw it with a flex of his muscles. Before the pebble even made contact, Joseph was already in motion, dashing toward the creature in a blur. His movements were completely silent as he closed half the distance in an instant.
The pebble struck the creature’s belly, sending it rolling backwards from the impact. Disoriented, it struggled to regain its footing…but it was too late. Joseph was upon it. His sharp sword remained sheathed.
With a swift strike to the head, the creature went limp.
Peter quickly closed the distance to stay near him.
“That was brutal,” he remarked, his gaze fixed on the lifeless body.
“What are you talking about? That was a quick kill,” Joseph replied with confused eyes, picking up the creature without hesitation.
Right. I should get used to this, Peter thought, resolving to harden his heart. Life in this world wouldn’t be so easy. Joseph wasn’t brutal, Peter had a weak heart due to his past life. He had hardly killed anything besides mosquitoes and houseflies.
Shifting his focus, he inquired, “Was that Shadow Step just now?” Joseph had crossed close to 6 meters in the blink of his eye, showing superhuman agility.
“Yes, and the pure effect of 62 agility points,” Joseph replied, placing the creature into the bag he carried. Turning towards Peter, he explained, “We’ll bleed it once we get home. I don’t want to attract predators with the smell of blood.” With that, he resumed walking, and Peter followed.
As they moved through the forest, Peter kept his eyes open, scanning for any herbs that glowed like the horned rabbit. Sadly, the outskirts lacked enough atmospheric mana for the growth of such herbs.
“Why are you trying to sell these herbs to the merchants?” Peter decided not to limit his gaze to the bottom. “I don’t think anything we can find in the outskirts would amount to much. We’re not low on money, as far as I know.”
Joseph scratched the back of his head, considering his words. Averting his eyes from Peter, he blushed with embarrassment. “I’ll tell you, but only if you promise not to tell your mother,” he offered, in a quiet voice, unlike his usual nature.
Peter raised an eyebrow but nodded. “My lips are sealed.”
“In a few months, your mother and I will have been married for fifteen years. I wanted to buy something for her to mark the occasion.” Joseph murmured, a charming smile adorning his lips.
Peter blinked in surprise. “That’s… that’s very romantic of you.”
“You know how your mother is,” Joseph sighed, “she keeps tabs on every single coin in our household. She’d notice if some of it suddenly disappeared.” That much was true, Peter nodded, fully agreeing with him.
“She also keeps the books for almost everyone in the village. If I bought something from them, she’d know right away,” Joseph lamented, shrugging his shoulders.
“So, I decided to exchange some wild herbs to get something nice for her from the merchants.” He strongly added, a determination in his eyes.
A comfortable silence settled between them.
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate the effort,” Peter insisted, muttering softly in support of his father’s romantic efforts.
Joseph nodded gratefully before speaking, “We don’t need to find something too precious. A bunch of uncommon grade herbs would be plenty to exchange for a good enough present.”
…
They walked for another half an hour before coming to a stop.
“That’s enough. We’ll move sideways now and try our luck. Tomorrow, I’ll go deeper with some other people, I don’t want to take any risks with you.” Joseph said, finally unsheathing his sword.
The blade was clean and well-honed, its faint sheen catching the dim light that filtered through the trees. The grip, wrapped in worn but sturdy leather, fit Joseph’s hand like a second skin.
The crossguard was plain, unadorned yet solid, showing no signs of rust or neglect. A few shallow nicks along the fuller hinted at years of service, but the edge remained sharp—ready. Joseph devoted a good amount of time caring for his trusted weapon.
At the pommel, a simple iron cap bore the slightest shine where Joseph’s hand often rested. He spoke while surveying the surroundings, “Since I brought you with me to help you practice, let’s divide our roles.”
Peter nodded. “Okay.”
“Our chances of encountering a predator are low, but I’ll keep watch as we move sideways without going deeper.” Joseph assessed their vicinity, determined to protect his son from any sign of danger.
Peter listened intently, fully cooperative with his father’s plans.
“I won’t point out any herbs I find unless you fail to notice them for five minutes,” Joseph warned, as this trip was also meant as a training session for Peter. “You’ll use your Mana Sense to gather herbs until you’ve drained 80% of your pool.”
“I understand.” Peter’s gaze swept over the landscape as they moved past thick and thin tree trunks alike. Minutes passed before he finally spotted his first herb.
Twisting vines clutched the gnarled roots like grasping fingers, their dark green leaves webbed with silver lines. As the wind passed, they shivered, releasing a faint, spicy scent that tingled in the air.
“I remember your mother telling me that you’re learning about important herbs from her. This is a fairly useful one. See if you recognise it,” Joseph said, sitting down by the roots and carefully collecting the herb.
“Ironbind Creeper is a parasitic species of vine. When ground into a paste, it fortifies bones, making it a popular remedy for faster healing of broken bones.” Peter answered, remembering the detail from the book he read two weeks prior.
“Chewing the raw leaves grants temporary resistance to fatigue, though excessive use can cause restlessness,” Peter explained, opening the bag he carried to allow Joseph to place the herb inside.
“Good. We won’t be selling this one. Too useful and too common,” Joseph insisted as Peter closed the bag.
They moved on. Over the next three hours, they found two more herbs. Peter spotted one of them hanging from a large boulder.
Delicate tendrils stretched from the cracks in the stone, their petals translucent like frozen glass. They caught the sunlight just right, refracting it into a halo of shifting colours, as if the plant itself drank in the light and turned it into magic.
The last herb went unnoticed by Peter. Joseph had to point it out in the end. It was a single stalk that stood amidst the tangled shadows below a particularly ancient and rotten tree, its petals shut tight.
With their search complete, they made their way to their home.