After Bell fell and regenerated, they finally started to wander off into the forest. Marc was in awe of the different creatures they encountered and was amazed by Bell's skills in cutting down rock frogs, lizards, water lizards, water ants, fire ants, ground ants, and many more. The forest they were exploring was immense, and without the assistance of the system, they would have easily gotten lost by now. Bell decided to show Marc how to obtain mana the traditional way, so he made Marc sit down.

Marc: Uh... is this safe? It's night right now, and I hear a lot of strange sounds coming from different creatures. What if we get ambushed by some big creature?

Bell, ever nonchalant, dismissed Marc's worries with a wave of his hand.

Bell: "Pshhhh, it's fine. Trust me~"

Marc: "But how can you be so sure?"

Bell, aware that he couldn't reveal the existence of the system aiding him, fell silent for a moment before responding.

Bell: "Just trust me, alright?"

Marc: "Yeah, this seems foolish."

Bell: "Well, I guess you don't want to learn how to obtain mana then..."

Marc: "Hey! Wait, fine, fine, fine..."

Bell smirked, satisfied with Marc's change of heart.

Marc assumed a meditation position and followed Bell's instructions carefully. He closed his eyes, focused on his breathing, and concentrated on the surroundings. Marc's mind was initially filled with darkness, but soon, a faint flow of mana appeared. The mana flow was thin enough to be seen through, yet it was enough to make Marc's heart beat faster with excitement.

Bell reminded Marc to stay focused and not be swayed by such a small flow of mana.

Bell placed his hands on Marc's back, trying to assist him by speeding up the mana flow. As Bell's hands touched Marc, a blue glow emanated from his hand, and the thin flow of mana thickened. Marc was surprised, but he remained focused. He was so concentrated that there were now five flows of mana surrounding him. The mana flows gradually converged towards Marc, slow but with a subtle quickening pace. A calm and relaxing sensation coursed through Marc's body.

On the other hand, Bell was shocked and amazed. Marc's real body started to be enveloped by mana, and a slow mana spiral formed around him. By the shock, Bell accidentally jumped back, but he couldn't help but feel amazed. Marc possessed an extraordinary talent for mana.

Marc's hair stood up as the mana spiral surrounding him gained momentum. He was now in a state of pure focus. In Marc's mind, the darkness dissipated, replaced by a clarity akin to still water. His breathing became more precise, his heartbeat under control. Marc was completely absorbed in the mana.

Bell, with a mixture of envy and amusement, remarked, "Tsk, I guess I'm not the only special nine-year-old around here."

Bell took a meditative position, attempting to draw mana for himself while waiting for Marc to finish.

However, to Bell's surprise, he found himself unable to access any mana. It wasn't because he lacked the ability rather, it was because Marc acted as a magnet, effortlessly attracting all available mana towards himself. Bell realized the immense potential and threat Marc possessed, yet he couldn't help but feel genuinely happy.

He was glad to have a companion with such unique abilities. With a sigh, Bell decided to wander around, absorbing mana from rock frogs since meditation showed no results for him.

After 10 minutes had passed, Marc finally woke up, feeling refreshed and light. He couldn't help but feel energized by the meditation. Looking around, Marc was confused because he couldn't see Bell anywhere. He decided to go and search for him, but he knew he couldn't simply call out or yell Bell's name, as it would attract other creatures in the forest.

At first, it was challenging, given the multitude of species in the forest that disrupted the mana locating skill.

However, with full focus, Marc managed to sense a faint trace of Bell's mana. Although it was faint, it was enough for Marc to determine the direction.

He followed the trace, hoping it would lead him to Bell. After minutes of walking, he stumbled upon a hole, and when he looked up, there was Bell stuck in a web set by a hunter spider.

Bell: 🗿

Marc: 🗿

Bell: I--

Marc: Just wait there.

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rewinding time ↩↩↩↩:

Bell was wandering off, exploring the vast forest when he stumbled upon a hole. Luckily, his instincts kicked in, and he stopped himself from moving forward. "Phew, that was close," Bell smirked, thinking that the hole was no obstacle for him, his face filled with smugness. He took a few steps back and decided to use his skill, mana leap. However, he was unfortunate and got caught up in a giant web. His whole body was glued to the web, and even his hands couldn't move.

He attempted to use various skills like cutting or dark claw, but all his attempts were hopeless since it was the back of his hand that got stuck. Bell sighed in resignation until he saw a figure resembling a kid approaching.

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back to present ------------:

Marc grabbed some rocks and threw them at the web, hoping it would break. Unfortunately, the web was strong, and the rocks only got stuck to it.

Bell: Try applying some mana to the rocks.

Marc: Oh yeah, I suppose I can try that.

Marc focused his concentration on infusing mana into the rocks he was holding and threw them at the web. The rocks still didn't provide much assistance, but they managed to scratch the web.

Without hesitation, Marc continued picking up rocks, infusing them with mana, and throwing them as quickly as he could. In the midst of his fervor, he accidentally hit Bell on the head with one of the rocks.

Bell: Ouch! (⁠╬⁠☉⁠д⁠⊙⁠) F******

Marc: Oops.

After a few minutes of unsuccessfully throwing rocks infused with mana, Bell had an idea and called for Marc to go around the hole instead.

Marc: Okay, what now? I hope you're not suggesting that I rip the web because that would just make me stuck too.

Bell: Oh, come on, you can trust me. Anyways, open your hand like this "✋" and concentrate on infusing some mana into your hand.

Following Bell's instructions, Marc opened his hand and focused his mana onto it. It was challenging for Marc since he was still new to manipulating mana, but Bell assured him that he could do it and to simply focus on directing the mana flow to his hand. Marc sighed and made another attempt. A small glow appeared on his hand, and as he continued to concentrate, the thin glow began to thicken until his entire hand was covered in mana.

Bell was a little shocked but also proud, knowing that Marc was making progress.

Bell: Okay, now focus on shaping the mana into a sharp form.

Taking a deep breath, Marc concentrated his mind on shaping the mana on his hand into something sharp. The mana slowly started to take form, now with a sharp tip. It resembled the skill "cut," but on a larger scale, as mana covered his entire hand.

Marc approached the web and began cutting it strand by strand. The web was still resilient, but the mana was enough to sever it. After a few more minutes, Bell was finally free and thanked Marc.

Bell stretched his limbs before saying, "Alright, let's go. It's almost sunrise." Marc agreed, and they were about to leave when they heard a strange noise. Slowly turning back, they spotted the looming figure of the hunter spider.

Marc: Σ(●д●)

Bell: (　☉д⊙)

The hunter spider was massive, measuring around 12 feet in size. Its fangs were fused with a potent venom, and its eight legs were poisonous as well. The spider earned its name not only because of its formidable abilities but also because it relentlessly hunted any creature it could find, never backing down until it fought to the death. Although blind, the hunter spider possessed incredibly sharp senses, and its webs played a crucial role in aiding its perception.

Bell and Marc quickly began running, but the hunter spider pursued them relentlessly.

Bell: Arghh!

Marc: Arghh!

Marc: I knew I shouldn't have come here!

Bell: Just shut up and focus on running!

They ran as fast as they could for nine-year-olds, but their speed wasn't enough. The hunter spider closed in on them and used one of its legs to slice Bell's arm.

bell in he's thought's (ugh again??!! ಥ_ಥ)

Blood gushed from Bell's severed arm, staining his body. He quickly used dark regeneration to stop the bleeding and counteract the poison.

Marc wore a shocked and worried expression, his face clouded with gloom as a flurry of thoughts raced through his mind. However, Bell snapped him back to reality, assuring him that everything would be fine.

The hunter spider stopped its chase once it had devoured the severed arm.

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CURRENT STATS

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Name - Bell Aize

Age - 9

Gender - Male

Race - Human

Attribute - Mix mana

Title - Rock Frog Absorber

Old Title - The Greatest Mage

(locked)

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Strength: 20

Speed: 16

Vitality: 25

Intelligence: 65

(locked)

(locked)

(locked)

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SKILL SETS:

(Dark Regeneration)

(Cut)

(Dark Claw)

(Mix Mana Regeneration)

(Mana Leap)

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Map:

(Ishka Village) Population: 200+

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          >More<

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