He zoomed his vision in and out, searg for particles that matched what he knew about water. But it was challenging. The water particles seemed almost ent, far too sparse to provide any meaningful results.

  Frowning, he pulled a gourd from his iory. Using his mana, he extracted the water inside, suspending it in the air as a small sphere. He could force water out of tainers like this, but what he really wanted was to analyze it.

  'How do pyers summon water from thin air?' Sora thought, staring at the orb in frustration. Summoning elements was a on skill, but he wao know what made it possible—and why he couldn’t replicate it.

  Maybe the amount of water still wasn’t enough. He grimaced and pulled out ten mourds, emptying eato the sphere until a rger ball hovered before him.

  Fog his [Mana Eyes], Sora zoomed in, adjusting his view to examihe particles at their smallest level. He studied their structure, the way they ied with one another. He wasn’t sure if this was the "right" way to create water, but it was a starting point.

  Alright, he thought, let’s try to move it.

  He extended his hand, trying to trol the water. He could feel the mana around it, pressing in, encing it to shift. But every time he tried to shape it, the particles slipped through his mental grasp. It was like trying to catch smoke in his hands. The mana responded, but the water itself refused to ply.

  Frustrated, he trated harder, trying again and again to manipute the particles. Sometimes they would tremble, sometimes they would ripple, but they never fully moved acc to his will. He could trol the water’s movement by pushing it around with mana, but it didn’t feel natural, and he k wasn’t what the summoners did.

  Sora spent hours repeating the process, adjusting his mana flow, shifting his tration, and experimenting with every possible teique he could think of. His focus greer, each failure fueling his determination.

  With every attempt, he began to notice more about the particles—their iions, the way they g together, and how they respoo different types of mana flow. Yet, despite all his attempts, he still couldn’t grasp the key to true manipution. He’d mao suspend the water and force it to move, but he couldn’t trol it at the core.

  This… isn’t the right way, he realized. But he wasn’t about to give up. He khere was something, a method that he hadn’t discovered yet.

  Watg the water flow iorus receptacle made of mana, he had another idea.

  He split his attention, using part of his mana to guide the water ihe torus, while another part of his mana began to mimic the water flow.

  "Alright, let's try this," he muttered, eyes narrowing as he sent his mana into a soft, flowing rhythm. He made it smooth, adaptable, like water effortlessly filling every crevice of an imaginary torus. He recreated the exact same flow.

  Almost immediately after achieving such effect, he felt a rea. It was subtle, but undeniable—a resohat made his mana feel… different, as if it reized something deeply familiar.

  "Iing," he murmured, sensing the mana shift. It wasn’t just mimig water; it was transf, being fluid, more responsive. He felt his [Mana ization] ki, guiding the ge further. His mana wasn't merely an imitation anymore; it was taking on the essence of water.

  As he tinued, he could sehe potency of this mana-infused water—it was denser, strohan any water he’d seen before. This is different... More than just water, he thought, fasated by the energy beh the surface. This was no longer simple H?O—it was a force that could actually impact his enemies.

  "With this… it’s not just water. It is made from mana... It's on a whole new level," he said softly, almost to himself, watg the mana-water pulse with power.

  He focused further, feeling the nature of this mana-water: it was soft but impossible to press, flowing seamlessly yet maintaining its form. He experimented, making it pulse faster. As he did, he felt the temperature rise when he accelerated the particles.

  "Heating up, huh?" he remarked, intrigued. Slowing the particles, he sehe water cooling, turning calm and almost icy. "It’s all about the speed of the mana particles…"

  The realization hit him—he could trol this mana-water in ways he’d never imagined. Each maniputiht a new insight, a new uanding of what he could do. "This is… the way. Maybe this is how I open the door to [Mana ization]" he said, feeling a surge of excitement as the transformed mana pulsed in his hands.

  Each step brought him closer, the boundaries of elemental trol unfolding before him.

  Sora's curiosity grew with eaew discovery. If this 'water' is really as potent as it feels, he thought, what it actually do?

  He trated, shaping the water into a thin, high-pressure stream, direg it toward his arm. The surface rippled with an almost hypnotic fluidity, but he ks force held the potential to cut, maybe even pierce.

  "Let’s see just ho you be," he whispered, pushing the stream forward.

  As the water met his skin, he felt a slight sting—a surface-level scratch that, had it been any ordinary water, would have felt like nothing more than a spsh. But this wasn’t ordinary water. It bore the weight of densed mana. He narrowed his focus, increasing the pressure even further.

  The stream bit deeper, leaving a fine, red line on his forearm. His [Adaptive Regeion] fred to life, sealing the scratch almost immediately, but the sight made his heart race. "Not bad," he murmured, flexing his fingers. He could feel the potential within this water.

  Enced, he increased the iy, sending the stream crashing into his palm with the force of a whip. This time, it left a deeper mark, stinging as his regeion fought to keep up. "You're no joke," he said, fasated.

  He pressed the mana further, imagining it as a razor-thin bde. As it sshed across his skin, the force created a small cut—a shallow wound that his body once again began to heal. But in that moment, he felt the mana’s raw, destructive power.

  There’s so much I do with this, he thought, as he realized the versatility of this new skill.

  Sora tered himself, letting his mana shift as he explored the properties of each element. First came [Fire], bzing to life around his hands as he focused on its raw iy. The heat spread through his fingers, growing hotter until fmes danced across his skin. It took an hour of stant tration to finally feel he’d captured its essence.

  He directed the fmes toward his arm, letting them burn his skin. Pain surged, but [Adaptive Regeion] worked instantly, cooling and healing him as he pushed the fmes even further.

  , he buried his feet underground, letting his mana transform into [Earth].

  The energy grew heavy, f earth-like substahat had higher density as he increased his trol. He could ie that 'Earth' into his body, making him heavier, f an almost stone-like texture along his other arm, or de to form stones and more.

  He spent the hour adjusting, feeling the weight ay settle. When he felt ready, he ched his rock-hardened fist and smmed it against his leg. The sound of something breaking resonated.

  Spikes formed around him, levitating briefly before they were 'attracted' to his body. The impact was violent, causing him even more pain, but his body healed quickly, the sensation leaving him with a satisfied breath.

  He moved on to [Wind], f bdes of invisible pressure that shed across his body. Each gust was like a razor-sharp edge, cutting into his skin. It took time to trol the flow, to make it fast and deadly. His focus tightened as he absorbed the air's esses slig precision. Thousands of tiny cuts formed, only to disappear as [Adaptive Regeion] took hold, repairing him tinuously.

  Then came [Lightning]. Sparks crackled to life, rag along his arms iic bolts. It was fast, uable, aruggled to tain its energy, to trol its dire. Another hour passed, and he allowed a bolt to strike his leg, muscles spasming from the shock. The pain was intense, as his beed the damage just as quickly.

  He attempted [Light] and [Shadow] , feeling mana strain as it tried to adapt, but couldn’t quite hold either form. The elements were elusive, almost out of reach, his mana g the subtlety to capture them fully.

  'Not yet', he thought. Perhaps he’d gain the ability at a higher level. Spad time manipution were even worse—there was no respo all, as if his mana itself did not uand what he was trying to attempt. He ughed quietly, knowing it was an impossible reach… for now.

  Settling ba the ground, he bined all five mastered elements at once, allowing them tet him simultaneously. Water drilled relentlessly into his skin, fire bzed over his arms, and lightning bolts crackled around his shoulders. Above, jagged earth spikes rained down, while wind bdes carved at him with vicious precision.

  Kara watched in stunned silence, disbelief filling her eyes.

  Through [Soul Link], she felt his agony. His life force fluctuated wildly, each element bringing him close to the edge of death, only for [Adaptive Regeion] to pull him back, even stronger. Every pulse of his growth echoed in her, heightening her own strength. Who would push themselves like this? She couldn’t fathom it.

  A notification fshed before her:

  [High Mana ption Rate Detected][Warning: At current mana usage, Time Space capacity will be depleted within 24 hours.]Kara’s ay spiked as she gnced back at Sora, his body nearly obscured by the chaos of the elements. He was drenched i, bleeding out, his muscles trembling, his focus unwavering as he absorbed the relentless assault.

  “What the hell??” she muttered, both in awe and disbelief. But she could feel his determination through their bond. There was no stopping him—he would push himself, whatever the cost, and she would feel the power building within her as well.

  mimou