Unrivaled in another world

[: 3rd POV :] 

The battlefield had grown quiet—an eerie, solemn calm that followed destruction.

Daniel stood among the ashes of a once-living inferno, his foot crunching over the charred remains of molten feathers and obsidian shards. 

The nest that had been built atop it was destroyed, and now the mana vein… it was fully exposed.

It was like a radiant glow, cold and pale like starlight reflecting off ice, shimmered through cracks in the stone.

As Daniel stepped forward, he crouched slightly and pressed his hand to the surface.

The moment his palm touched it, the ground beneath him softened and then crumbled, revealing a breathtaking sight.

The White Mana Vein.

It spread beneath the summit like a buried river of frozen light.

Glimmering filaments stretched through the earth like spiderwebs made of snow and diamond, pulsing gently with life.

The mana vein shimmered with a colour that wasn't just white—it was pure.

A swirling overflown of silver, icy blue, and translucent crystal danced along its surface like a living aurora.

Even the air around it gleamed.

Every breath Daniel took felt cleaner, cooler… potent.

He reached out again and let his fingertips brush across its surface.

It was smooth, cold and Perfect.

He exhaled slowly, a genuine sense of awe blooming in his chest.

"…It's like touching living crystal," he whispered.

The energy that poured from it wasn't wild or violent—it was calm, ancient, refined.

It was like a lullaby from the world itself.

"System," he asked softly, still mesmerised, "just… what exactly is mana?"

He was curious to know about the essence of mana. 

A brief pause followed before the reply came.

[: Mana is the essence of all creation, Host. It is the invisible thread that binds reality, existence, and power together. :]

[: Just as the body needs blood and the mind needs thought, the world needs mana. It fuels all life, whether it is physical, spiritual, or magical. :]

[: And more importantly, it is the currency of all exchange. When a being casts a skill, channels a spell, or uses a trait, they are offering mana to reality in exchange for effect. :]

Daniel's eyes glowed faintly as he processed the revelation.

"…So everything I've done, every ability I've used, was possible only because I had mana to pay for it?"

[: Exactly. You have simply never run out. Because of your physique and your unnatural recovery, you've never needed to think about it. But mana is always the price. :]

Daniel chuckled to himself.

"Guess I've been throwing power around without understanding the bill."

He stood upright, gazing deeply into the heart of the glowing vein, its light dancing across his eyes.

"Then how do I absorb it? What's the method?"

[: Simple. Place your hand upon the vein and still your thoughts. Feel its rhythm. Let its essence become one with yours. It will flow naturally into your core. :]

[: Do not force it. Do not dominate it. Mana, like all living forces, must be respected. :]

Daniel didn't respond.

He closed his eyes and slowly knelt before the shimmering vein, placing both hands on its surface.

It was colder now, almost like ice, but beneath that cold was warmth, like the heartbeat of a slumbering dragon.

He slowed his breath.

Inhale… Exhale…

His body relaxed.

His mind quieted.

And then… it began.

Tiny pulses of light slithered from the mana vein into his fingertips—gentle at first, like tendrils of mist, then gradually more defined, more vibrant.

He could feel it.

The mana didn't burn.

It didn't tear or overwhelm.

It merged with him.

It seeped into his bloodstream, flowed into his bones, threaded through his spirit like silk pulled through a needle.

His body accepted it and welcomed it.

Daniel's hair fluttered upward, lifted by invisible currents as his body began to glow faintly, lines of pale silver light etching across his skin like sacred inscriptions.

His breathing deepened.

Every second, he grew stronger...not just in power, but in harmony.

With the world. With its energy. With mana itself.

A slow smile formed across his face.

"…So this… is what absorbing mana feels like?'' He questioned. 

As Daniel absorbed the mana vein, he remained motionless with his hands pressed against the surface of the White Mana Vein.

The flow of mana was endless, yet it was refined, ancient, and full of purity.

Like starlight distilled into essence, it coursed through him with growing intensity, intertwining with every inch of his being.

And as he continued to absorb it, something stirred in the System.

[: Absorption Detected... Calculating Advancement Progression :]

[: Mana Core Absorption... 1%... 10%... 27%... 49%... 75%... 91%... 100% :]

[: Condition Fulfilment for Rank Advancement: 100% Complete :]

[: Congratulations, Host. All conditions to Rank Up have been fulfilled. Commencing Rank Advancement Process. Please remain still. :]

Daniel's eyes flickered open, glowing silver-blue from the sheer density of mana flowing through him. The air grew dense, shimmering with condensed spiritual energy.

Then, it began.

The ground trembled, not violently, but rhythmically, as if it resonated with the pulse of the mana itself.

All at once, mana from the surroundings rushed toward him, not just from the vein below, but from the atmosphere, from the stones, from the sky itself.

It flowed into him like rivers returning to the sea.

[: Initiating Rank Advancement: From E-Rank to D-Rank :]

A spiralling vortex of energy formed around Daniel, not destructive but graceful, elegant, divine.

It was as if the embodiment of mana, the very spirit of the world, had acknowledged him.

The swirling streams of silver, pale blue, and crystalline white danced around his body, coiling like dragons in celebration.

And they were happy.

Happy to be part of him.

To be claimed, absorbed, and reborn through him.

They fused not just into his body, but into his soul, his spirit, his will.

There was no resistance, no agony or burden.

There was only warmth and cold, a harmonious contradiction of sensations.

Like the first breath in winter and the touch of sunlight on snow.

But then, there was a light, a pure, blinding white, that erupted from his body, surrounding him in a cocoon of brilliance.

His figure was lost to the glow, like a divine being undergoing rebirth.

His hair danced like flowing silk in the windless void, his aura climbing higher and higher, tearing through invisible thresholds that once defined mortals from the extraordinary.

[: Congratulations, Host. You have advanced to D-Rank. :]

And then the light vanished.

The swirling winds of mana faded where silence came. 

Daniel stood tall in the aftermath, his eyes slowly opening, now gleaming with renewed brilliance.

He exhaled, and the breath left a trail of mist behind.

His aura was still, but immense like a calm storm held beneath porcelain skin.

He clenched his fist experimentally, feeling the quiet power coursing through every fibre of his being.

"...This feels different," he murmured, a soft smile touching his lips.

There was no doubt that he had grown stronger and was becoming perfect. 

He turned his gaze skyward, the storm clouds above seeming to part before him, the sun breaking through in thin golden beams.

And somewhere deep within the land, the world itself whispered in quiet recognition, a new force had risen.

[: Congratulations, the Host has ranked up from E to D and due to the effects of Endless Potential, 1250 Stat points have been added to each stat :]

[: Congratulations, you have received a gift bag for ranking up :]