Master Of None

It struck Walker as odd that the corrupted mana would dissipate so quickly. It had literally just seemed to make itself denser trying to escape the natural mana that it was clashing with. This was similar with any mana when it faced an opposing mana that would try and balance it. But the corrupted mana dissipated and did not maintain its clash with natural mana.

Walker could still sense the corrupted mana though. It caused the other manas in the air and around the area that he had caught the corrupted jewel grub to become slightly chaotic. This made Walker understand that there was some form of flow to the corrupted mana.

When he closed his eyes and tried to track that feeling, he was sure that the corrupted mana was moving in direct opposition to the natural mana. As if it was filling spaces that there was not natural mana.

This idea was easy to understand. But it meant that there might be even more to what Walker understood. Of natural mana was just a made up form of elemental manas, then what made up the corrupted mana?

Before he could really remain focused on this, Walker remembered he still had a normal jewel grub too worry about. Without much worry, he released it and watched as it started to dig back in to the ground where it had been fleeing from the corrupted jewel grub.

There was a clear rush to hide since it wasn’t sure if a predator was still after it, but the area around it appeared to be a little greener and brighter as the normal mana flow returned. The corrupted jewel bug had a clear effect on the surrounding area too. This was due to the condensing corrupted mana.

”Maybe the corrupted mana is a form of manas I can’t understand yet. But if it is always here and is just made denser by the demons messing with it, then what would make more sense.” this idea was the clearest that Walker had.

The simple theory made a lot of sense. If the natural manas were elemental manas together, then the corrupted mana might always exist just like those. But it was such a small amount of mana that it wasn’t even noticeable. That being said, Walker came to another thought.

What if the corrupted mana was being drawn here from other places because of the demons. If it always existed, then it naturally had a place but just not here in such levels. It could always be in other places. Now with a focal point, the corrupted floating city, it was being drawn to where it could force all the corrupted mana around in one place?

This could be the goal that the demons had or not. However, they were already drawing in more corrupted mana and unbalancing the world as a whole.” This left Walker frustrated. He could only sense the manas becoming chaotic due to the corrupted mana. He couldn’t sense the corrupted mana as a whole. Even if it was life, death, time, and space all mixed up, he should be able to sense those manas within the corrupted mana.

That wasn’t the case though. Which proved that corrupted mana was something else. Something completely opposing to natural manas. ”Maybe it’s just the negative side of natural mana. Who said all natural mana works together?” Walker started to debate himself while heading back toward Genesis with his eyes peeled for another monster with corrupted mana.

Unfortunately, by the time he returned to the farms, he was proved wrong in his endeavors to find more corrupted monsters. He had been lucky to spot two in this short time. There was a lot more activity within the farms as multiple fire and earth mages worked with the farmers to clear the withering and corrupted crops. It was moving swiftly since there was not a single reason to hold back.

No one seemed to notice Walker stepping through the air as he moved, that was until a familiar harpy flew up next to him. ”Stella, it’s been a while. I figured you would be staying closer to Elise?” It was odd to see Stella out and about alone, but Walker started to realize she was there for a reason since she was beckoning for him to follow.

It only took a few moments to be brought to the expanded tamer’s guild in Genesis. It had been made much larger to facilitate the many monsters being brought to be tamed. Not to mention the many tamers that came just to begin? living in genesis. It was a thriving new city after all.

”Nice! You found him.” Elise was sitting there waiting for the two.

”So you and Stella had that planned? Is it because you heard of me leaving for a little bit to check monsters for corrupt mana?” Walker saw Elise nod. It was easy to keep track of what Walker was up to when so many people saw him moving through the city and working hard to meet with everyone that might need him.

”We were going to ask for you to come by. You are working on the same problems as us. And we also have a few corrupted monsters captive right now. They were supposed to be tamed, but that didn’t work out.” Elise had really taken a massive leap forward.

Since she had returned to the tamer’s guild after adventures with the party, she had been learning and growing faster than any tamer in the guild. Therefore, she had been promoted and was a very prominent head figure in Genesis when it came to the tamer’s guild.

It made her privy to certain information that others would not have. Specifically, about the study and capture of the corrupted monsters. Therefore, when she managed to notice that multiple corrupted monsters had spontaneously appeared within the guild, she had tightened security.

Since the guild had them trapped and kept safe, it made sense that they would want to find a solution. ”One was a rainforest caterpillar that was caught a few months ago. It was being held for a tamer that is still learning how to tame it, but that was fine. Now, we might lose it and anything else around it. The rainforest caterpillar has eaten five times the food it normally needs in a day.”

”I have seen that too. The corrupted monsters just have basic instincts. They are trying to eat and attack things for food. I assume because they are trying to heal themselves and also because they can’t be rational or follow their other similar instincts. The corrupted mana is painful to them too, so they might act erratically.” it felt that Walker was learning the same as what he already knew, but it was being proven all over again.

”Well, did you know that they can also lay corrupted eggs? It wasn’t only the rainforest caterpillar here. Its mother, the speckled butterfly laid an egg. It was not the one corrupted, but the eggs was. The mother rejected it because of this and now we have a monster born corrupted. It hasn’t hatched, but it is gathering corrupted mana.” Now this was new.

Walker stopped in his tracks. He was worried about what this might mean. ”If this continues, you expect that fully corrupted species of monster might be born. one that is basically berzerk since birth?”

”yes, that’s what the most experienced breeders say. that it might be a mutated species that is impossible to tame no matter what. We have no idea if the corrupted monsters can even exist normally or otherwise. So, we have to make a choice. Break the egg or let it live and hope that a new system user or skill to tame corrupted monsters exists. Maybe one similar to taming demonic monsters. I don’t know. But you can come check it out yourself.”

There was a pause as Stella, Elise, and Walker moved in to the taming guild grounds. Many tamers moved around trying to remain organized. Some were clearly more stressed because of the issues surrounding monsters. The risk that their beloved partners might be plagued by corrupted mana too.

This was a new fear that put stress on them and their monsters. A danger they had not faced that they couldn’t control. The only things they could do were constantly ensure that their partners were in the best of health.

”We have them isolated and contact is minimal. Only the breeders can see them along with researchers. We have no idea if there is a way for the corrupted mana to be transferred to others. We surely can’t control it either.” Elise moved toward a heavily guarded stone building. One that had been made so that monsters could not escape it. Covered in rune formations to do just that.

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