Chương 9: Try to use mana

For a split second, I panicked. I practically leaped out of the pool to stop the decoloring process. But it was too late - it now looked exactly like a regular bathtub. The mystical blue glow had completely vanished. What happened? Did I seriously just suck the pool dry? I checked my stats. Without me noticing, my mana had surged to 953/???. That's when the meaning of those question marks finally clicked. It seemed I had no upper limit on how much mana I could store.

For anyone else, because they have a fixed capacity, they can only absorb mana up to a certain threshold regardless of how long they soak. Take Jullius for example, as I recall his maximum mana is about 260. Even if he bathed while completely depleted, he could get about four full recharges out of this pool. But here I was, having drained the entire thing in a mere fifteen minutes. I wondered... what would happen when Jullius returned and saw his mana pool bone-dry? … Actually, I probably didn't need to worry.

First, the existence of this pool is a secret to most; he can't exactly make a public scene about it. Second, he just received the Holy Mark, and it's perfectly logical to assume that awakening the Mark consumes significantly more mana than usual. Who would ever suspect that a timid, obedient servant would dare to commit such a bold act behind the back of the family's future head? Still, I needed a plausible excuse for ditching school early.

I quickly rinsed off with hot water, dashed back to my room, and dove under the covers - doing my best impression of someone suffering from a severe illness. Half an hour later, Jullius returned. He dropped by my room to check on me, but seeing me "sick," he only looked mildly annoyed rather than suspicious. The moment he left, I sprang out of bed and splashed myself with cold water to cool down before starting a workout right there in the room.

Right now, I was overflowing with mana, but aside from using it to read other people's stats, I hadn't found any other use for it. It felt like a massive waste. I really need to research how to actually utilize this mana of mine. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. There are several ways to use mana. The most straightforward is using it as a medium to manipulate natural phenomena, in other words, magic.

Another common method is using mana for physical reinforcement, granting the user superhuman strength. Jullius's skills fall into this category. I remember asking him what mana felt like during my first isekai, and he described it as "like having a current flowing throughout your entire body." As I performed some basic resistance exercises, I tried to sense if there was anything unusual within me. Hmm. Nothing. Perhaps Asher Griffin's body truly possessed zero talent for mana control.

Honestly, I was pretty disappointed. Not having a single useful combat skill for myself was going to be incredibly inconvenient, not to mention making it harder to build credibility with others. But it is what it is. I'll just treat this like playing a game on "Hard Mode." Since I'd completed my mana-absorption mission much earlier than anticipated, I spent the next two days focused entirely on eating, sleeping, working out, and letting my body recover. Jullius had almost zero time to care about my absence.

He was buried under a mountain of visits and celebratory banquets as news of the Griffin family's young master receiving the Holy Mark spread like wildfire. However, when the debut day finally arrived, he evidently felt the lack of a "mediocre shadow" by his side - the kind that usually made his own extraordinary brilliance stand out - and summoned me to escort him to the Cathedral.

"Not everyone has the honor of stepping foot into the Cathedral today. You should be grateful to me for this." Jullius remarked as we sat in the carriage en route to the ceremony. I nodded.

"You're right." Jullius continued, "Even though you'll only be standing among the audience, witnessing this firsthand is a rare privilege." I thanked him respectfully once more.

"Yes, I am in your debt, Young Master."

"..."

"..." Jullius suddenly stared at me, his brow furrowing.

"You've been acting a bit... off lately, Asher."

"... Is that so?"

"Usually, you're more talkative. You don't just give me these half-hearted reactions." Ah. The Asher of the past was accustomed to sucking up to this young master at every turn. Yet, now that the young master had received the noble Holy Grace, I wasn't showering him with praises like everyone else, and it had caught Jullius's attention. But what can I say? Just looking at that arrogant, childish face in front of me was becoming an unbearable nuisance. Asking me to cheer for him? That's a tall order.

So, I offered a casual excuse.

"Please forgive me, Young Master. My health hasn't been great these past few days." Jullius narrowed his eyes.

"Asher... don't tell me..." I remained silent, waiting to see what theory he would conjure up.

"... Don't tell me you're jealous of me?"

"..." Well. It seems I gave his tiny brain way too much credit.