Beyond the Well

“Greater than the gods?” I parroted in disbelief.

“Of course!” Runa exclaimed, raising both her hands in the air. “We have been the playthings of gods for far too long. Their large mana capacities keep ordinary people shackled, having to obey their every whim. By absorbing the mana from the well, we can increase our mana a hundred…no, a thousand-fold! We’ll finally be able to surpass the gods, no longer beholden to their commands!”

I was stunned. Not with awe, of course. I was amazed Runa could say something so stupid. Although I figured she was a bit crazy, I didn’t expect her to be a lunatic obsessed with overthrowing other people. People that, I might add, pretty much never interfere with anything unless some sort of major event occurs.

“You do realize the gods aren’t considered gods because of their mana capacity, right? People are considered gods when they reach the pinnacle of their skill.”

Runa rolled her eyes as if she’d heard this argument many times before. “You believe that the gods are strong because of technique?”

“I wouldn’t say only technique, but yeah. That’s a major factor.”

“Then how can they create a hurricane strong enough to destroy a country? How can they part the sea in two? Everyone knows the story where the Chairman split the moon. Are you saying he was able to do it without an excess of mana? Tell me, how is that possible?”

I…had no answer to her questions. It wasn’t that I believed her, I just simply didn’t know. The gods tended to keep their techniques hidden, though it was rare to talk to a god anyway. Most of the stories had likely been embellished over the past few million years.

However, what Runa said did have a kernel of truth. More mana did make things easier. Your body would naturally be stronger and less easily fatigued. You could pour more mana into your skills and brute force certain results if you didn’t have the technique. Of course, the difference could be made up by training your skills, but mana did give a substantial head start.

Maybe that’s why I’m humoring her. “Well, if what you’re saying is true, how would you absorb the mana from this place?” For a brief moment, I thought I saw Runa smile devilishly.

She pointed towards the well. “All you need to do is jump in there.”

And…now I’m back to doubting her. “...you’ve got to be kidding. Why would I jump into a mysterious white light?”

“Hey! Don’t look at me like that. The well is full of mana waiting to be used by the dungeon. So, all you need to do is jump into it and you’ll absorb the mana yourself!”

How do you even know that? I thought to myself. I was about to voice it too, but–

“Well, those without the strength to defeat an amalgamation would likely die jumping into that.”

“So, that’s why you had me fight the amalgamation alone?”

“Exactly! I’m glad you understand!” Runa slapped my back. It stung quite a bit… Huh, is this…? It has to be.

“Is that well the reason why you have an insane amount of mana?” I wasn’t completely sure since it seemed far-fetched, but if it was true, then it would explain why Runa was so knowledgeable.

“Oh?” Runa smiled, her eyes sparkling. “Why do you think that?”

“I thought it was strange from the beginning. Normally, I can sense a person’s mana. However, with yours, I was unable to sense anything. Since you are an Expert-class skill holder yourself, there can only be two reasons. First, you can mask your mana, but I would’ve noticed something change when you fought those beasts. So, it can only be the other option: you have more mana than I can perceive. That with your reaction to the amalgamation, this place, and the amount of mana flowing out of your body when you touched me convinced me.”

Runa stood still for a brief moment. Then, she clapped. “I’m impressed you noticed so much, though I shouldn’t be surprised with how you took down that amalgamation. You’re completely correct!” That was the first time Runa had ever given me a straight answer. “So, do you want to get stronger or not?”

Honestly, I didn’t really care if I was the strongest or not. Being a god never really interested me. I was rather content with my lifestyle. However, if these dungeon inspections were going to have more amalgamations, I needed to be at least strong enough to take them on without risking my life. So, there was only one answer I could give.

“Sure, it won’t kill me, right?”

“You’ll be fine!” Hey, that’s not an answer…well, whatever.

I walked down the steps, drawing closer to the well. The human-like figure on the side looked over for a second before turning back towards the well. I wasn’t sure what the figure saw with no eyes.

Looking over the ledge, I tried to get a peak at what was in the well. However, all I could see was the white light, as if nothing else existed. A leap of faith, huh. That’s how it is then.

“As they say, Bonsai!”

I vaulted over the ledge before being absorbed into the white light.