New Eden Live to Play, Play to Live

e. And don rush it. Just a little at a time! ” The old man instructed.

Astaroth did as told. He sucked in a bit, let it rotate twice to be sure, then sent it to his mana lobe. He repeated that action many times until he felt like he was saturated. Two other notifications rang.

*Ding!*

*You have learned passive Mana breathing*

*Ding!*

*You have learned active Mana Siphon*

”I think my mana is full, sir. ” Astaroth declared, deciding this was enough. But before he could stop.

”Don stop taking mana in. ” The man instructed.

”This time, send it to your body. Send mana to every fiber, every cell, and every atom of your being. Again, just a little at a time. Don rush it. This is the most dangerous part. ” He added, fully focused on Astaroth.

Again, Astaroth did as instructed. He kept at it until his body felt like an atom bomb.

He felt energized, like he could split a mountain with one punch. A little after, it started hurting.

His body felt like it was dipped in hot water. Slowly, the pain got worse and worse. At some point, he felt like he was in a bath of lava.

Like his flesh would melt away at any moment.

”Argh! It hurts! ” He suddenly yelled in pain.

”Keep going! You
e almost there! ” The old man encouraged.

”AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!! ” Astaroth yelled again, feeling like he was bursting.

And suddenly.

*Kacha!*

He heard a sound like chains were bursting. His whole body released all the mana accumulated inside it, and then he hurled.

*Blergh*

Thick black mucus was getting discharged from his mouth nonstop. It kept going for a few minutes.

The stench coming from the stuff was rancid. As soon as Astaroth stopped throwing up the gunk, the old man burned it with flames. The stench soon disappeared.

Astaroth lay on his back, sweating profusely, breathing roughly as if he had just fought for 2 days straight. And then a notification came.

*Ding!*

*You have accomplished Body Cleansing*

”What is body cleansing? ” He thought out loud.

”It is the art of purifying the body through mana purge. As your body takes in mana, it also gathers impurities stored in it. It would eventually reduce your mana affinity and control, resulting in smaller mana capacity and weaker magic. ” The old man explained.

”That is why you must purge it every time you upgrade your mana lobe. Every time you cleanse your body, the mana you accumulate becomes purer, thus resulting in stronger spells and less wasted mana. Do it every time you upgrade your mana lobe. ” He added.

”Now, if you don mind, lets get you out of here and cleaned. You reek and you need to go sleep too. Its already well into the night. ” He added, before turning around and walking towards the tunnel.

The road back upstairs was arduous, as he felt utterly exhausted. Astaroth didn even ask for any more tips or lessons. He just walked straight back to his alcove, stopping only shortly on the way, to have a dip in the river.

Once he got to his alcove, he just laid down on the cot and stared at the ceiling. He looked at his status window again.

Status:

Name: Astaroth

Race: Ash Elf

Level: 3 (30/60)

Stats:

HP: 80/80 MP: 180/180 Stamina: 100

Mana Regen: 1/second in combat, 5/second out of combat

Strength: 3 Agility: 3 Constitution: 3

Intelligence: 3 Wisdom: 3

Attack Power Str: 15 Attack Power Agi: 15 Magic Attack Power: 15 Healing Power: 15

Luck: 0 (Stat unaffected by Level up and free points)

Available stat points: 2

Available skill points: 2

Physical Condition: Normal

Mental Condition: Normal

Equipped gear:

Beginner clothes

Next, he checked out every skill description.

Passives:

Mana Lobe Lvl1: Your mana lobe is freshly created and can store a small amount of mana. +100 mana capacity.

Mana Control Lvl2: You have grasped the fundamentals of mana control. Keep practicing. 4% mana cost reduction.

Perfect Mana Sense: You have an immaculate ability to sense mana. Its like you were born to do this. Can toggle actively to notice mana flows.

Mana Breathing Lvl1: You have learned how to absorb mana through breathing. Mana regen 1/second in combat, 5/per second out of combat.

Body Cleansing Lvl1: You have done your first body cleansing mana purge. Mana flows more easily into you and it is purer. Mana capacity +50, Spell power +10%, HP +50.

Actives:

Propel: Launch an item in your hand or nearby with a strong wind controlled by mana. Base mana cost: 10 (Scales with the weight of the thrown object)

Ignite: Use your mana to ignite a flammable surface for 30 seconds. Base mana cost: 10 (Scales depending on material)

Mana Siphon: You can turbo charge your mana breathing to one breath, to restore a large amount of mana (25%). Side effect: nausea.

Looking at all that, he smiled. Even though he was sure that he was behind every other player on leveling, he knew he had a solid foundation from which to grow.

Astaroth was sure he could make up for the tardiness, eventually.

So he turned to his side and closed his eyes. Tomorrow was a big day for him, too.

He had to learn the way of the blade. He logged off and ate. Alexandre then took a shower just to stay clean, and rested for a few hours, before logging back in.