A few days passed.
Arthur had awakened his mana core, which allowed him to absorb mana from his surroundings and recover quickly.
The mana core functions like an organ, refining raw mana from the outside world and distributing it through the body via mana veins. Currently, Arthur had seven mana veins, enabling him to use a body-strengthening technique he often relied on in his previous life.
Unlike him, the fake priest from before had used spells. To cast magic like that, one must receive a blessing from a deity. There are six deities in total:
The Goddess of Light
The God of Flames
The Goddess of Water
The God of Earth
The God of Air
The Goddess of Night(Darkness)
The Goddess of Fate and Fortune
The Goddess of Fortune rarely grants blessings, making her an exception. Among the remaining five, the Goddess of Light offers the most powerful blessings.
Those who fail to receive a deity's blessing can still use mana, but only for basic skills such as body strengthening, enhanced senses, fortification, minor healing and some other. However, these abilities are limited in strength and versatility compared to true magic.
In his previous life, he never received a blessing. He once thought it was because he wasn't worthy, but rather than letting that break him, he honed his physical strength instead. By the age of twenty-five, he had risen to become the Knight Commander of the Imperial Legion through sheer will and skill.
But later, the Goddess of Fate revealed the truth—he had never been granted a blessing because Clarsen was destined to join the demonic side. The gods had withheld their favor to ensure their plans unfolded as intended.
As they predicted, Clarsen used his fake grudge against the Gods for deeming him unworthy to join the dark side.
'Everything was planned from the beginning,' he scoffed, bitter laughter escaping him.
Shaking his head, he called out, "Is there anyone around? Spirits?"
He attempted to use the one blessing he had received—from Tiamuth.
And soon…
{I am here, boss!}
A small orb of blue light flickered into existence before his eyes. Arthur frowned. "You're a spirit… How can I talk to you?"
{You were blessed with the Spirit's Tongue by our liege. So lucky.}
The voice sighed in admiration.
Arthur hummed, then asked, "So… what should I do to utilize your strength?"
His knowledge of Spiritual Magic was limited. When Tiamuth was imprisoned, all those who wielded spiritual magic slowly perished, and without her blessings, people eventually forgot that power.
But the old tales spoke of spiritual mages turning the tide of disasters, moving mountains, and single-handedly standing against armies.
Now, he would see for himself just how much truth lay in those legends.
{To utilize spiritual magic, you need to raise your proficiency with water magic.}
"Why water magic?" Arthur asked in confusion. There are four elements, right? He was more interested in Earth's elements.
{The water element is the easiest to master and the water spirits are very much friendly. Take me for example. And second, this whole city is filled with Water Spirits.}
Clarsen raised his brows, 'Does the Spirit populace depend on cities?'
{Indeed. The place nearer to the volcano or hot regions would have more Fire Spirits. Open and vast lands are loved by Wind Spirits. Mountains, caves, and forests are well-liked by the Earth Spirits.}
Arthur hummed before asking, 'So to train with them, I need to change location?'
{As of now, you won't be able to converse with them even if you try to. You need to first gain mastery over your spiritual tongue by interacting with more spirits. Only then the other spirits would respond to your calls.}
Arthur's brows elevated, 'So there is that condition, huh?'
Naturally, one has to practice a single move again and again to be called the master of it, so he wasn't disappointed.
'Now, how do I know my proficiency?'
[I can help you with that.]
Arthur frowned, 'Now who are you?' This voice was feminine as well, however, along with the voice, a screen appeared before Arthur's eyes.
A blue box and black letters inside of it.
[I am an entity assigned by the Goddess of Fortune, to help you prepare and inform you about those existence who could become an obstacle in your path]
[I can track those entities who have been blessed by the other deities. I can help you track your progress. I can also prepare several kinds of maps based on your requirements.]
Arthur was still wary, 'I never asked any blessing from her.'
[Oh, this is not a blessing. I am conversing with you through telepathy. I am not connected to you, Sir Clarsen, so there is no need to be worried.]
Arthur heaved a sigh, 'What progress can you show me?'
[Great question!]
[Name: Arthur Stronghart]
[Age: 7]
[Bloodline abilities: None]
[Mana Core: Beginner]
[Spiritual Tongue: 1.5%]
[Spirit Proficiency: 0.5%]
....
[These are the things I can help you track so you can prepare accordingly.]
[In eight years, the academy would begin where all the Chosen Ones would unite.]
[My liege expects you to join the Academy and keep an eye on the Chosen Ones.]
Arthur growled, 'I ain't babysitting anyone.'
[This isn't about babysitting, Sir Clarsen. The fact is, the Demon General, and the Demon Lord would be sending their forces at the Chosen Ones, so you can always utilize the chance to slowly eradicate their forces.]
Arthur frowned...the Chosen ones, huh?
He heard that Eric, Grace, and a few others left an impactful effect on the war and played a pivotal role in the war and would be provided with another chance at life. Naturally, not because they deserved it; rather, because the deities needed them to erase the Demon Lord who could threaten their position.
'Will they have their memories?'
[There is a low chance, but yes, some of them might regain their memories of their last life. Though, it wouldn't be as clear as you...just some vague recollection.]
Although she said that, Clarsen believed things would be different. Those Gods would grant them their memories to prepare them well.
Heaving a sigh, he asked, 'You got any name?'
[Sir Clarsen can call me Lily.]
'Lame a** name...' He shrugged, before getting up from the bed.
His family was waiting for him outside.
After all, today, Arthur Stronghart would receive his blessing.
********
A/N:- Thanks for reading. Limitless mana comes from Spirits which he would be able to use slowly.