From the knowledge, a staggering realization had crystallized within Adrian’s mind.
It wasn’t rely about understanding mana; it was about controlling it.
He now understood that while direct, forceful interaction with mana, as in traditional spellcasting, was one path, there was another, far more subtle and profound thod.
By manipulating certain invisible pathways and by pulling on unseen threads within the fabric of reality itself, a will strong enough could truly interact with mana and harness its full potential.
This wasn’t magic in the conventional sense of conjuring fire or ice; it was a fundantal dominion over the very essence of magical energy.
This had been the missing piece and an ultimate key.
A profound sense of purpose settled over Adrian as he closed his eyes, his will reaching out to probe the ambient mana.
He felt it, a vast, intricate network of energy, responding to his inner command.
He could feel everything aligning, the new theories locking into place with his expanded perception. A genuine, triumphant smile spread across his face.
With a ntal command, the ground before him shimred, and from his [Inventory] materialized a collection of minerals, tals, and specialized tools, including a large runic engraver.
The formation he envisioned was akin to a teleportation array, but not the one that allowed a grand jump.
Rather, it allowed for instantaneous, short-range spatial displacent. Specifically, displacent across the barrier itself.
The core concept involved creating paired nodes outside the Corrupted Lands, linked to the ones within it.
Matter and energy could then be shunted instantly between them, bypassing the physical barrier entirely.
Crucially, these mirrored the function of the formations governed by the Association. It was only a pity that they had no clue how it ca to existence.
But Adrian was about to replicate that fundantal principle, and then surpass it.
With every detail etched into his mind, he picked up the Runic Engraver. It felt substantial in his hand, resembling a high-tech hand drill. Adrian pressed it to the earth and began engraving.
***
The work was painstaking, a delicate dance between precision and speed.
Each centiter of the ground demanded complex, interwoven patterns and symbols. Even with Adrian’s augnted speed and intellect, the sun had begun its slow ascent, painting the sky in hues of orange and gold, before he had reached even 20% completion.
Soon, figures began to erge from the distant quarters. They gathered to watch from a respectful distance.
They didn’t dare disturb him and their murmurs were hushed.
They could only watch with amazent as he worked with an almost supernatural efficiency, his movents fluid and precise.
Adrian moved with a focused intensity, calculating the most optimal thod for mana flow, ensuring every curve and line was perfect, all while subtly implenting a grander ambition he intended to keep secret for now.
Sotis, he paused, his gaze fixed on a small imperfection in the earth, and with a focused burst of will, he reshaped the very ground, ensuring the design faced no obstruction.
Hours blurred into one another, the rhythmic hum of the engraver the only constant.
It was only by the dead of night, when every last soul in the settlent was deep in slumber, that Adrian finally concluded the first stage of the engraving.
He stood back, his eyes sweeping over his handiwork.
The intricate patterns stretched for hundreds of ters across the ground, a sprawling tapestry of interwoven lines and symbols that seed to pulse faintly in the moonlight.
It was a work of art and a testant to his vision and relentless effort, but he was just getting started.
He quickly tried to locate a crack, just wide enough for him to slip through on the invisible barrier.
The remaining cracks, he noted, were much higher, almost 80 ters above the ground.
"I need to get to the other side to complete the engraving stage," he thought.
Before beginning with this phase, he had slowed down the mana blockage chanism he had previously installed.
This allowed the barrier to continue its healing process, albeit at an incredibly sluggish rate.
He had initially put the blockage in place because, without a proper formation, he couldn’t afford to let the barrier close up completely.
He needed the constant influx of beasts to continue training his people. But now, he was about to create a far superior thod for controlled access.
"I could go for a jump..." Adrian mused, eyeing the height of the barrier. "...but."
"Equip power suit," he willed.
In an instant, the nano-tal, responsive to his ntal command surged, encasing his body in its familiar glowing sheen.
It stopped just below his eyes, forming mask.
Then, with another ntal command, the soles of his boots began to glow with a soft light blue, illuminating the cracked dark earth beneath him.
Just then, Adrian launched himself into the sky.
He didn’t waste a second, expertly maneuvering himself through the crack he had discovered.
Once on the other side, Adrian wasted no ti. He imdiately resud his work.
The task of setting up the nodes on this side of the barrier was significantly faster, now that he had gained considerable experience.
He carefully placed smaller, auxiliary nodes at various strategic locations within the imdiate forest, primarily for his own rapid traversal and future needs.
But Adrian wasn’t done with doing that until another full day had passed.
Now, the final and most critical stage remained: the Mana weaving.
This required sheer concentration, a direct application of his powerful will, to rge the physical engravings with the invisible currents of mana.
It was an arduous, mind-bending task, but Adrian pushed through, his brow furrowed in intense focus.
Finally, after several hours of fusing and connecting the threads, with a soft hum that resonated deep within him and all the intricate diagrams he had painstakingly etched into the earth began to glow.
A brilliant blue light erupted from the ground, bathing the night sky in an otherworldly radiance.
Adrian stood up and a deep breath escaped his lips as he wiped off a bead of sweat from his forehead.
He watched, srized, as the intense glow persisted for a full minute, an undeniable beacon of unleashed power.
Then, slowly, the light began to recede and dwindle until with a final flicker, it vanished completely.
The engravings themselves disappeared from the spot, leaving no trace, almost as if all his monuntal efforts had been wasted.
But that wasn’t what happened. Adrian could still feel it. There was a powerful hum beneath the earth, only he could her. The formation was active. He was successful!
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