Chapter 125 : Supreme Skill : Peerless Mind Forging

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The Mana Crystals in front of him were changing, and their color turning to a milky white. Sora relaxed his control over the Crystals, and the now free energy didn't fall or dissipate. It kept on hovering.

'The power it holds is the same as before... However, I can feel a will inside these crystals. And this will responds to my mental power.' He thought, as he tried commanding the crystals using Mental Power. Feeling the obedient energy, he was satisfied with the result, and read one of the notifications he received.

[Your [Mana Evolution] supreme skill has developed a new effect]

[Effect 5: Autonomous Mana: By absorbing Mental Power, mana gains autonomy, sensing and acting on the user’s intent.]

‘A new effect? This is amazing… I barely unlocked a sub-effect before, even with all my elemental mastery,’ he thought, recognizing that creating a new supreme skill effect was no small feat and certainly not what he’d expected from this experiment.

‘This is only the beginning. Let’s see what else it can do. But I’m still not at the level where I can use solid mana to fuel my skills.’ Recognizing the limitation of his body, he already had a solution in mind.

Sora raised his hand, and the new energy form liquefied itself on its own before slowly re-entering his body, creating something close to [Condensed Mana].

Focusing, he released this new energy and summoned his strongest element, the [Elemental Nexus].

The process was similar to what he was doing in the past, but the result was entirely different. Used to seeing a cluster of chaotic [Spatial Element] with various properties and incredible might, he watched the new form of his [Elemental Nexus].

The [Elemental Nexus] pulsed quietly, changing forms effortlessly with each thought. It could disappear, hiding itself in the surroundings. Reappearing, it could cover his body like armor, or morph into a shield at his will. The possibilities seemed endless, as if the [Elemental Nexus] could read his mind, reshaping itself to bring his intentions to life.

‘I’ll test [Elemental Nexus] more later. It’s time to move on,’ he thought, giving the element a mental command to protect his body, then directing his attention on the next experiment.

Creating more [Autonomous Mana] with crystallized mana and mental power, he continued until he reached an amount he was satisfied with, stopping as he felt the process consume an unhealthy amount of his Mental Power.

He refined the mana into a liquid form that felt stable and drove it toward his head.

‘Since I began using Mental Power, I’ve sensed my brain holding me back. I’ve never refined it like the rest of my body, and I’ve never figured out how to enhance it.’

Splitting the [Autonomous Mana] into several groups, he directed each with a specific purpose, holding his breath. ‘This could fail miserably, but I can’t delay it any longer.’

At his command, the mana threads began to move. In 'The Zone', he sensed every detail perfectly. One strand of mana entered the blood vessels of his brain, proceeding slowly and with precision, starting the delicate work of refining it. He used the gentlest technique he knew to ‘temper’ his brain, carefully nourishing each area, trying to avoid harm to any part.

Just as he felt the thrill of success from the first round of brain forging, a searing pain exploded in his head, and everything went dark.

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Netsu and Hiyoko sensed a sudden change in their [Soul Link] and immediately gathered in a low-gravity zone near their master’s training area. The intensity of the gravity surrounding him made them pause—entering this area would put them in danger.

“Big Sister Hiyoko, stay here,” Netsu said, concern in his voice. “The gravity’s too intense close to Master. I’ll go check on him and be back.”

Hiyoko nodded, recognizing that another step forward would mean her end.

Preparing himself, Netsu fortified his body with layers of protection and pushed his fire to its highest intensity. With all his strength, he launched himself forward like a missile, piercing through the dense gravity as he closed the distance to his master.

Upon reaching Sora’s side, Netsu’s heart pounded in panic at the sight of him lying motionless on the ground. He reached out to lift him, hoping to get him out of this dangerous zone, only to see a strange energy enveloping Sora’s form appear between his wings and his master.

‘Isn’t this… Master’s [Elemental Nexus]?’ he thought, eyes wide. ‘Maybe… he’s just pretending to sleep?’ Netsu tried contacting him through the [Soul Link] again, hoping for a response.

But as the moments passed, the lack of response and the protective aura around Sora made him realize that his master was truly unconscious. The [Elemental Nexus] continued to shield him, leaving Netsu, under the crushing pressure, helpless, watching over Sora, uncertain of what else he could do.

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While Sora lay in deep unconsciousness similar to a coma, his mana continued its work, carefully tempering and refining his brain. Another cluster of mana moved in tandem, tending to his energy-depleted cells. This wasn’t healing—no damage had been done—but rather a nurturing process, enriching every part of his mind with astonishing efficiency.

As the mana worked its way through his brain, it restructured, optimizing every pathway, for peak performance.

Unexpectedly, the final cluster of mana gathered and formed a small, concentrated bead.

This newly formed bead nestled in his mind and began to pulse in sync with each wave of mental energy. The pulses sent energy surging through his brain, creating new connections and reinforcing existing ones. Sora’s brain no longer felt constrained by its original limits; it had transcended its physical boundaries.

Finally, as the last wave of mana completed the tempering, the bead sent a final, powerful surge through Sora’s mind, sealing the transformation.

Sora’s eyes blinked open as he sensed something pulling him back from 'sleep', and everything around him seemed sharper and clearer than before. He stayed where he was, just taking it all in, feeling like he was seeing the world in a whole new way.

Right away, he noticed Netsu nearby, watching over him with worry in his eyes. Sora felt a twinge of guilt; he hadn’t told his familiars what he was doing, and they’d clearly been concerned. To ease Netsu’s worry, Sora sent a wave of healing energy and boosts to the phoenix who was in a poor state. Netsu looked up in surprise, relief evident on his face.

Together, they went to find Hiyoko, who had stayed calm, trusting Sora’s ability to come back from the dead. After spending some time with his familiars, Sora checked his system panel to see what he’d missed.

His eyes opened wide as he read the final notification.

[Supreme Skill Unlocked: Peerless Mind Forging]

[Peerless Mind Forging (Supreme Skill)]

A unique Skill created for a supreme genius who forged his reforged his brain without losing his mind.

Description : This Supreme Skill allows the user to endlessly refine his mind.

Effect 1: Mind Forge – The user's mind core will use mana to generate mental power.

Effect 2: Devouring Will – The user can devour external mental power, permanently increasing its own mental power capacity.

Effect 3: Psychic Hold – The user generates a domain of mental power.

Effect 4: Astral Body – Allows the user to project their consciousness outside their body.

Warning: Supreme Skills cannot be affected by anything lower than Supreme level skills, including Innate skills, Special skills, or Racial Skills.

Reading the skill description, Sora couldn’t help but smile, a thought rising in his mind. 'This has been bothering me for a while now… With this, my main weakness should be history.'

He still had one task ahead, but he hesitated. 'Should I try this skill first, or continue with my original plan?'

Even if he was not planning on stopping with the creation of [Autonomous Mana] and [Peerless Mind Forging], Sora still took the time to test his new Supreme Skill.

'The skill seems to use my extra mana to passively generate Mental Power... But what’s this pulsing thing in my brain? It wasn't there before.' Curious, he concentrated on what the system called a 'mind core.'

He watched as regular mana entered the core, then emerged as mental power. This new energy flowed to the edges of his mind, forming what appeared to be a dormant protective shield.

'This is incredible… everything is automated.' He was amazed, watching the core absorb mana, convert it, and create a mental barrier around his mind. It was more than what he’d hoped for, a perfect system that strengthened his mental defense without any effort on his part.

Once his mental defense was fully formed, Sora noticed that the extra mental power change direction. 'The excess seems to be nourishing my mind, improving the quality of my mental power with each cycle,' he realized, pleased with this effect.

Eager to explore further, he activated [Psychic Hold], feeling the mental power extend a few dozen meters beyond his body.

Disappointment hit him as he realized his mental power capacity was limiting the range of this skill. Still, within that range, he sensed an intense level of control over everything around him. It reminded him of the "Zone" state, with each movement and presence within the area under his influence.

'Anyone with weaker mental power would be forced to submit here…' he mused, considering the potential.

He moved on to the next ability, [Astral Body]. With a small effort, he projected his consciousness outside of his physical form, leaving his body sitting cross-legged. Hovering freely, he found that he could activate any skill relying on mental power but lacked access to mana.

Testing the effects, he floated above Netsu and Hiyoko, observing them without being noticed. 'This could be fun,' he thought, watching his hand pass through them. Leaving his body and familiars far behind, he tested his range, discovering he could travel up to a thousand kilometers, restricted by his mental power capacity once more.

Satisfied, he returned to his body, opening his eyes just as the [Elemental Nexus] he had summoned the day before floated beside him, transforming into a portal. With one step, Sora passed through, appearing above a vast sea of monsters.

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