5. First Skill

To the north, beyond the stone stage, a riverbed came into view, with a stream winding through it.

The river was about five meters wide. Shiro silently stared at the water, which appeared strangely bluish-white. The banks were lined with sizable rocks, and the surface of the river lay another two meters below ground level.

“Hmm, before I descend from here, I should probably check my skills first. Can’t tell what’s down there.”

Though a little uneasy, Shiro began searching for a place to sit.

He tapped the stone bridge and crossed it. That was his motto.

Along the cliff’s edge, a stone wall stood, its inner side carved into steps, just right for sitting. Shiro moved to that spot, deciding to take a moment to check his status and skills.

Magic existed in this world. It operated using “mana” stored within the body. What could be done with magic was called a “skill,” and the more skills one possessed, the more capable they were.

The list of one’s skills, as well as one’s physical condition—health, mana, attack power, and so on—was known as “status” (＝ condition).

In this world, regularly checking one’s abilities through status was essential for survival. The mechanics were identical to those of an RPG—except here, it was real.

No VR-style user interface floated in view. So Shiro thought he’d need some method to call it up. He considered, then, that the standard move would be to check his status first.

—Using that word in reality feels oddly embarrassing, though.

Shiro thought that as he said aloud, “Status.”

“……”

—Nothing happened?

A flicker of unease crossed Shiro’s mind.

“Shiro, just saying ‘Status’ won’t do anything, you know?”

“Huh? Really? So what do I do then?”

“Status checks are a type of magic, so you need to use mana. If you really want to check it manually from the start, you should begin with your own mana perception.”

“Ah, I see. So what if I don’t do it myself?” Shiro asked.

“Having a mana-displaying magical tool lets you check your status just by touching it. Unfortunately, we don’t have one here.”

Mitoka continued.

“First, try to feel the mana flowing inside you. Your body’s been converted since you arrived in this world, so mana should already be present.”

“That’s right… a new body, huh? I do feel lighter somehow. It’s a shame I can’t see myself in a mirror. Wait—am I still the same shape?”

Shiro suddenly buzzed with excitement but forced himself to calm down and focus on sensing the mana.

“Wasn’t it supposed to flow like blood through the veins?”

“Exactly.”

Recalling his own design, Shiro closed his eyes like during meditation and tried to feel the mana within. He remembered the mana source was supposed to be the heart.

After a moment, he noticed something warm—something he’d never felt before—flowing through his body.

——‘[Mana Perception] Level 1 acquired.’

A sudden, unfamiliar voice announced in Shiro’s mind, different from Mitoka’s.

“Whoa, first skill unlocked!”

“Congratulations, Shiro.”

“Ah, thanks. So, what’s next?”

“You need to learn how to control that flow of mana—make it move at your will.”

"Manipulating mana, huh. In a VR system, sensations like this—ones that don’t exist in the real world—can’t be implemented, so actually experiencing it feels strange."

Shiro said, impressed.

He decided to try and reshape the flow of mana as if it were a viscous fluid, experimenting with different approaches.

After about thirty minutes, Shiro thought he finally felt a slight ability to move the flow of mana—

"Can’t get it to move. No, I don’t even feel like I’m moving it at all."

Shiro frowned, confused.

『Shiro, manipulating mana is less about "moving" it and more about shaping it according to your image. Think back to your design.』

"Oh, right. That’s it. The correct way is to model the mana like 3D modeling—pour it in and shape it?"

The moment he thought that, mana surged within his body.

――『【Mana Manipulation】Level 1 acquired』

"Whoa, I did it!"

Shiro shouted in delight, just as an announcement echoed through the air.

――『First use of manipulative magic detected. Mitoka’s version update process completed.』

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