Chapter 16 – Skill Merge

The others were asleep or tending to their wounds by the low fire, but his tank was empty, and he refused to stay defenseless.

He sat cross-legged on the damp stone, facing the roaring mist of the waterfall. He closed his eyes and brought up his three tools: Concentration, Controlled Breathing, and his newly gained Focus.

First, he engaged Concentration. The thunderous crash of the falling water faded into a dull, distant thud. Next, he locked his chest into the strict, four-second cycle of Controlled Breathing. Finally, he used Focus. He narrowed his mind down until only the blue specs existed in front of him.

He targeted a cluster of the humming blue static floating in the mist and took a deep, manual drag of air.

The raw mana pulled down his windpipe. Easy, now, Jake thought, carefully guiding the mana down towards his container.

This time, the energy didn’t burn his lungs to pieces, but the blue sparks got stuck at the back of his throat. They vibrated wildly, refusing to move down into his body. It felt like trying to swallow dry sand.

Jake choked, his eyes watering behind his lids, but he clamped his jaw and held the breath inside his chest. He refused to spit it out.

The lungs can catch it, he realized, his teeth grinding as Pain Resistance dulled the irritation. But it isn’t moving. My blood doesn’t know how to carry it to the container.

He turned his focus deeper inward, mapping the internal stress of his own heart with Tension He used Controlled Breathing to forcibly drag his heart rate down, slowing his pulse to a near-dead stop—one cold thud every few seconds.

He held the compressed air, matching the frequency of the trapped mana to the sluggish, heavy beat of his blood. Slowly, the wild vibrations smoothed out. The jagged blue sparks finally dissolved through his lung tissue, trickling into his veins like cold water.

A tiny drop of energy sloshed into his empty mana container.

It worked, but it was incredibly tedious. The moment he exhaled, the remaining static scattered. He had to start the entire process over again.

Jake spent the next three hours in the dark, manually engineering every single breath. He drew the raw static in, caught it with Focus, slowed his heart to dissolve it, and pumped it into his core. His throat turned raw. His chest throbbed from the constant, unnatural pressure, and his brain felt completely fried from the intense mental strain.

By the fourth hour, his body began to automate the loop. His blood naturally opened up to receive the filtered energy. The transition from his lungs to his core turned into a smooth, continuous line.

Breathe in mana, bring it to the core, absorb it.

A sharp chime finally cut through his focus.

[Skills Combined: Concentration + Controlled Breathing + Focus]

[Skill Gained: Meditation (Active) — Lvl 1]

Effect: Filters and synthesizes ambient environmental energy through the respiratory system to actively replenish the mana container. Passive mana regeneration is increased by 50% while stationary.

Integrated Skills (Retained):
Concentration
Controlled Breathing
Focus

Jake opened his eyes and let out a long, thin breath. The cold, heavy fatigue in his mind instantly began to lift as the blue static in the mist began flowing smoothly into his chest without a fight.

Finally, he smiled.

He noticed immediately that his mastery for the Skill had dropped from almost 25% straight down to 13%. Was that good, or had he shot himself in the foot? He had no idea.

Regardless, more mana was cause for celebration.

“What are you smiling for?” Sloane plopped down beside him. “It’s kind of creepy.”

“I just unlocked something.”

“What?” She looked at him as if he was some sort of strange creature. “Just from breathing and spitting?”

“It’s called Meditation,” he said. “It allows me to regenerate mana faster.”

She sat up straight. “Wait, that sounds pretty awesome. How do I do that?”

Lyle and Susan had picked up on their conversation and shifted closer. They reminded him of naughty puppies trying to get closer in hopes of obtaining a morsel of his food.

Jake wondered if he should tell them. His heart was telling him no—why should he? He had worked hard to get to where he was while the others wanted to benefit from it by doing nothing.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

However, it was his head that told him that the stronger his neighbors were, the more chances they had at surviving this place.

Especially with goblins right on their doorstep.

Sighing, he tried to put it into words. “The air is full of a faint static: mana. You have to isolate it, breathe it into your lungs, and then convert it into your mana container. Once it’s in, you need to refine it so that it doesn’t wreak havoc within.”

Sloane shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and held it. A second later, as Lyle and Susan watched, she coughed, exhaled, and opened her eyes. “Nothing. What the hell do you mean static? I don’t feel anything. Also, what the hell is that description? You suck as a teacher.”

Jake scratched his head. “How else am I meant to explain it?”

Sloane got up with a groan. “Fine, wizard, keep your secrets.”

“Says you,” Jake shot back.

Regardless of if what he had said stuck with anyone, Sloane was quick to do her own thing. Maybe just knowing that mana existed in the air had helped her. She began swinging her sword at the edge of camp, her brows knit tight with the realisation that tonight may be her last.