The second bolt came closer but Samuel didn't move.
It struck twenty meters in front of him. The shockwave rolled over the plains, flattening grass, tearing loose stones from the ground. Blue-white arcs danced wildly through the air, uncontrolled, violent—
He stepped into them.
The mana bit at his skin, crawled over his arms like living electricity. War Vessel reacted instantly.
[Body hardening process: 0.1%]
[Body hardening process: 0.2%]
His body swallowed it.
Samuel exhaled slowly, eyes half-lidded.
"Alright… let's see. The more the better right?"
The clouds above churned like a living ocean. Mana currents spiraled upward in visible streams, being pulled into the storm's core. If the ground level felt dense, the sky must be suffocating.
He bent his knees. Compressed mana gathered in his legs, dark blue fading toward black.
Then he jumped.
The earth shattered beneath his feet.
He shot upward like a released arrow, wind screaming past him as the temperature dropped sharply. Fifty meters. One hundred. Two.
Lightning flashed across the clouds in branching veins.
Samuel twisted midair and kicked off an invisible current of compressed mana, redirecting himself higher. His body felt light—too light. The storm welcomed him like prey entering a predator's maw.
He grinned.
"This is better."
The first aerial strike hit him directly.
A bolt speared down from above, faster than thought. It caught him across the shoulder and chest. For a split second his vision went white. His muscles spasmed violently, heart stuttering.
War Vessel activated at full output.
[Body hardening process: 0.2% —> 0.8%]
[Body hardening process: 0.9%]
Regeneration surged. Burned flesh restored. Microfractures sealed. His body adapted mid-fall, nerves dulling against electrical overload.
Samuel clenched his jaw and forced mana outward, forming a thin reinforcing layer over his skin.
Another bolt.
This one from the side.
It struck his ribs and detonated. The sky disappeared. His body convulsed.
He tried to gather mana—too slow. The storm was faster and pulsed above once, as if irritated.
Then the real strike came.
Not a wandering bolt. A core discharge or like It descended for judgment. The mana from the storms area, likely some kilometers wide, all gathered in one place, it compressed to an thunder bolt from pure mana. It pulsed another time and then an dark blue bolt the size of an giant tree got released.
For a fraction of a second, Samuel understood.
"I might've—"
Impact.
Sound ceased.
Light swallowed everything.
His reinforcement shattered instantly. The adamant layer cracked. Regeneration lagged half a heartbeat too slow.
And Samuel went limp.
His body fell from the sky like a broken doll, smoke trailing behind him as gravity reclaimed what arrogance had borrowed. Thunders as if they licked blood, kept shooting bolts at full power at him, till the mana storm passed.
—
He woke to rain.
Cold droplets tapping against his face. Mud beneath his back. The storm had moved on, rumbling in the far distance.
For a moment he didn't move.
Then he inhaled sharply.
Pain flooded in—deep, internal, bone-deep exhaustion. Not catastrophic. Not permanent.
But close.
"…Heh."
His voice was hoarse.
He pushed himself up slowly. Muscles trembled. His skin was marked with branching, faintly glowing lines—residual lightning scars that faded as he watched.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
[Body hardening process: 6.2%]
[New Skill Acquired: Mana Resistance (A) – Level 1/60]
[Mana Resistance (A) leveled up! Level 1/60 → 5/60]
[Intimidating Aura (C) Leveled up! Level 28/30 —> 29/30]
Samuel blinked.
Of course.
He let out a quiet laugh, coughing once.
"So that's how you want it…" He rolled his shoulder experimentally. It hurt. Good. That meant he'd survived properly. „Looks like you can't overestimate yourself with just one S-Rank skill…" Looking toward the retreating storm, his chocolate brown eyes narrowed slightly.
"Next time," he murmured calmly, standing despite the trembling in his legs, "I'm staying longer."
He laid his head back in the neck and let the cool drops, shower him with pure nature. His shorts were burned, no pulverized into particles, and from the tip of his dragon dripped the rain.
His long curly wet hair reached towards the mid of his muscular and scarred back, clinging dark brown to his robust skin. Sam's eyes were closed and the drops fell gently onto his face. It smelled of rain, wet earth, burned ground and a little bit of flowers.
With an impulsive head shook, did Sam focus and concentrated on the present.
„An A-Rank skill…straight after obtaining it?" he mumbled and opened the transparent blue overview of the new gained ability.
—— Mana Resistance (A) ——
Level: 5 / 60
The body has repeatedly been exposed to foreign mana through damage, overload, and environmental stress. As a result, it has begun adapting on a structural level. Mana attempting to enter, coat, influence, or erode the body encounters increasing rejection and friction.
This resistance is automatic and passive.
The body does not distinguish between hostile and beneficial mana. All external mana is treated as an intrusion.
Each level slightly increases the resistance.
—————
"Hmm." Sam stroked his wet hair out of his face while closing his eyes for a short second. "So no heal spell for me?" he chuckled and closed the tabs. He started spinning his own mana, letting the water drip from his body.
Suddenly, his new S-Rank skill activated. His mana began spinning faster and faster until it collapsed into thick strands, compressing more and more before exploding outward again.
Boom.
Sam's body rippled for a moment as if a bomb had exploded inside him. It continued several more times. A gruesome sound escaped his mouth, and he had to support himself by leaning on his knees.
[Body hardening process: 6.2% —> 10%]
[Skin is now passively infused with compact mana]
Spitting some blood, Sam shook his head. His skin felt powerful, like pressed metal—yet still elastic and soft. Letting himself feel it for a few moments longer, he took some steps forward, his naked feet making a creamy sound on the wet mud beneath him.
With searching eyes, Sam looked for his bag, but as expected, it was nowhere to be seen. With a shake of his head, the young man continued his journey.