The mana filling this world can be broadly categorized into three types: mana that flows through the mana circuits within one's body and belongs to them; mana in its natural state, belonging to no one; and mana that flows through another's circuits, becoming theirs, much like the first type.
Typically, mana is used from the first and second categories.
Those who rely on physical strength use the mana within their bodies to enhance themselves and their weapons, while mages use their own mana as a core to draw in natural mana and manifest spells.
One cannot interfere with another's mana.
While this is the established theory in the Hunter industry, it's not entirely impossible.
There are Traits that allow interference with an opponent's mana flow, or instances where mages with significant differences in mastery can partially interfere with that flow.
But that's as far as it goes.
While it's possible to disrupt an opponent's flow and make mana usage difficult, there's no known method, not even a Trait, that allows one to use another's mana as their own.
But then, ta-da.
“I guess there are no absolutes in this world after all.”
The new name for mana absorption, which had been '???', was Gluttony (貪é£).
The moment the sealed ability awakened, the mana flowing into its heart became even clearer.
And then.
A conviction solidified within me: I could interfere with a mana flow that was clearly someone else's.
“Let's share it, a little.”
The moment I decided to claim it, the torrent of mana, which had been flowing relentlessly towards a single point, split into two.
“Oh...!”
A dark, gloomy mana, completely different from the existing mana, seeped into my body.
I wasn't sure if this was because it was mana used by a monster, or simply a unique characteristic of the Kraken.
But one thing I did know.
“…The amount is absurd?”
A calamity-class monster.
And that my current body couldn't possibly handle the mana of a Kraken, a creature of unparalleled size.
“Hoo.”
With every breath I exhaled, black mana flowed out with it.
The surging mana began to put a strain on my body.
At this rate, my body might break down from the inside, or in the worst case, explode.
There was only one way to resolve this.
“I'll have to use as much as I draw in, won't I?”
I pulled out the spells that came to mind, just as they were.
「Fire Rain.」
A colossal downpour of flames, incomparable to before, rained down.
「Frozen Bird.」
Piiieeeek-!
A bird, easily four or five times larger than before, soared through the air.
「Hurricane.」
Multiple tornadoes, threatening to tear everything around them to shreds, made the clone's body convulse.
「Shock Wave.」
Pajijijit-!
With the addition of lightning coursing through the ground, it truly became a painting.
The end of the world.
It was like the struggle of a lone blue bird flying through it, and a survivor desperately trying to overcome it.
“…Even with all this, it's still gathering mana?”
Despite several high-level spells striking it, the creature merely glared at me as if to kill me, never dropping its guard, continuously gathering mana.
Its appearance, enduring all sorts of damage, seemed to say:
'Once this is complete, you will surely die.'
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The three hearts, pounding and sucking in mana, roared even louder.
“......”
It seems its preparations are almost complete.
Defense... doesn't seem to hold much meaning.
The amount of mana is similar between us, so I could probably offset it, but what comes after is the problem.
[Time Remaining: 01:11]
In 1 minute and 11 seconds, my stats will plummet by half.
Even with my current body, handling this much mana is difficult; if I weaken further, the outcome is obvious.
I'd be consumed by my own abilities and die before it could even do anything.
So what I need to prepare now isn't a defense, but an attack.
I need an attack that can pierce through the breath it's so confident in, and even shatter that tough body.
Simply spamming high-level spells won't be enough.
Then I'll have to load a spell even higher up the chain...
Suddenly, I recalled a collective spell, manifested by dozens of mages from the Magic Tower pooling their mana together.
At least that scale should be enough to alleviate the strain on my body and pierce through its breath.
“Hmm.”
As I recalled the spell I'd seen before entering the Kraken's interior, its mana array and incantation clearly appeared in my mind's eye.
Was it called the Thunder God's Spear?
While its destructive power matched its name, given the immense amount of mana invested, its form was incredibly crude.
Well, I suppose it was a reasonable compromise for them.
A collective spell requires so many mages to coordinate perfectly.
To pay attention to the detailed aspects, they would all have to envision the exact same form in their minds, which is practically impossible even if all mages were twins born from the same mother.
The overflowing mana gradually began to cause me pain.
At the same time, a sense of omnipotence surged, as if I could do anything with this mana.
The Ice Bird, which had shown a certain degree of autonomous action earlier, and the Thunder God's Spear.
These two most impressive things, combined with the overflowing mana, brought a single form to mind.
Not merely a spear held by a thunder god, but the Thunder God itself, wielding a spear made of lightning.
“…This could be interesting?”
I recalled the time before I got married, when Han Ju-hee and I were still getting to know each other.
Even then, she was obsessed with magic, and because I was a good listener, she would chatter on and on about various things until she was exhausted.
Among the stories I heard then, the most memorable was about magic before it became an established law or academic discipline, as it is now.
“'Magic was freedom... or something close to creation,' she had said.”
She admired the mages of that era.
Come to think of it, back then, she used to showcase her own unique spells and forms that others didn't know.
I don't know why she became a mage who only pursues efficiency, no different from other mages, now.
Anyway.
The magic system before everyone recorded and followed the most efficient forms created through delicate mana arrays and magic circles drawn with lines each holding distinct meanings, was said to be quite different from today's.
Squares, triangles, circles, stars, and so on.
In the past, even a single Fire Ball would have had a different shape depending on the caster, they say.
Current magic pursues extreme efficiency through a standardized method.
So what was magic like in the past? There was much more room for the caster's creativity to be expressed in every corner.
“Romance.”
Yes.
Just using magic brought immense joy, and deciding what spell to use, and what form to sculpt it into.
Weren't the mages of that era the kind of people whose hearts pounded just thinking about it?
“Might as well give it a try.”
Let's borrow the romance and wisdom of the ancient sages and create something magnificent.
Wasting mana?
Why would I think about something like that?
I'm practically siphoning mana directly from the Kraken; it's overflowing.
“The first thing I need to do is...”
Gather the mana filling my body and change its attribute.
Since I need to sculpt a Thunder God, the attribute to change it to must, of course, be electricity.
Pajijik!
Pajit!
An enormous mass of mana, dyed golden, sparked and illuminated its surroundings.
The lightning-attributed mana swelled even larger than the 3-meter Kraken clone.
“This isn't enough.”
I continuously poured mana into its interior, which was incredibly flimsy despite its increased size.
Kuruuurung-!
Only after compressing it beyond its limits, again and again, until it felt impossible to contain any further, did the massive mass before me finally begin to satisfy me.
“The materials are ready...”
Now it's time to sculpt the entity that felt like it would explode, releasing immense currents, if touched.
The form I would sculpt it into was already decided in my mind.
The God of Thunder.
A single form that naturally came to mind whenever that epithet was heard.
Abundant hair and beard, dignified eyes, and arrogant pupils set within them.
A colossal physique.
A thin piece of cloth draped over a sculpted, muscular body, almost unbelievable for a human.
Add clouds that instantly transport him anywhere, and finally, a long spear shaped like lightning in his hand...
“Oh, it's identical.”
The Greek and Roman mythology comic books I enjoyed as a child.
Zeus, looking as if he had just leaped out of those pages, lay on a cloud in an arrogant posture, as if looking down on everything.
Referencing mere comic books for the form of a god?
Some might think that, but I'd rather ask:
If gods exist in this world, has anyone truly come face-to-face with one?
Even the Saintess of the Vatican, who serves God, only heard his voice, never saw his form, they say.
“The form isn't really important.”
If a god truly exists, confining it to a single form is disrespectful in itself.
For an omnipotent god, form is merely a shell to pass a fleeting moment.
What's important, perhaps, is whether the characteristics of a god are truly alive and breathing within it.
Therefore, I recalled.
The dignity of Zeus, the supreme god of Olympus, and his lecherous nature, going wild at the sight of any woman.
Even his fickle heart, changing moment by moment.
The moment I perfectly manifested the Thunder God, Zeus, both inside and out, as I had envisioned him in my mind.
My vision began to turn red.
[WARNING! WARNING!]
Soon, a red message window appeared, repeatedly flashing the word 'WARNING'.
“What is this?”
[Abnormal divine possession detected via an irregular route.]
It was then.
『The scent of the human realm, after so long, is still foul. Yet, it is also true that a flower blooming beautifully in such a foul place is all the more tempting to pluck.』
“......?”
That the god-shaped spell began to babble on its own.
Pajik!
With a small crackle, the spell before me vanished.
『You are more noble than any flower I have ever plucked.』
Soon, the voice was heard again, from behind me.
The lightning spell, Zeus, had arbitrarily latched onto Juyeon and was evaluating her face.
“…What in the world just happened?”
Just as I thought, 'This truly is like the god I envisioned,' confusion filled me at the words and actions a mere spell should not be capable of.
“Kukakakakakakak-!”
Along with the Kraken clone's maniacal laughter, an immense wave of mana was transmitted.
“Damn it...!”
I hastily turned around, and a dark blue mana was being fired towards me.
A colossal mana cannon that seemed capable of obliterating everything it touched without a trace.
Biting my lower lip, I gathered as much mana as possible and conjured a shield before me.
「Aegis.」
An ice shield instantly unfurled.
A wave of mana poured over it.
Kwaaaaaah-!
The sturdy shield seemed to momentarily block the mana wave, but then.
Kwajik!
It soon couldn't withstand the surging force and began to gradually shatter.
“…I'm screwed.”
Because I had used all my mana for the spell just moments ago, I had nowhere near enough mana to erect a shield.
Jjeojeok!
Jjeojeojeok!
Kwaang!
The shield, which had barely held on, finally shattered into pieces and scattered, and just as I was about to erect a new shield to buy even a fleeting moment.
From behind me, a chilling voice, one that made every nerve in my body stand on end just by hearing it, spoke.
『How dare a worm-like creature attempt to harm my flower.』
Pajit!
A single golden beam of light grazed past my right ear.
“......”
A single beam of light that seemed incapable of killing even a mouse.
The result it brought forth was astonishing.
Not only did it completely erase the mana surging like an angry tide, but it also pierced through the Kraken clone's chest.
“Gyaaaaaahk!”
The creature's agonizing scream, having suddenly lost a heart, filled the hall.