The Wandering Witch Celeste

The new day greeted me with the soft top of my tent and a warm, gentle light spilling through the fabric. Morning had arrived. I sat up, stretching a little, and began to tidy up my belongings. My pillow, blanket, and a small monster repellent were carefully tucked away in the pouch at my waist. After arranging the inside of the tent, I smoothed out the wrinkles in my clothes, recalling the thought that had come to me just before I drifted off to sleep last night. 

"<>!" 

Focusing my mind, I envisioned a fruit—one that could increase mana, just like the consumables in games that players often used. As the image solidified in my mind, I immediately felt a warm sensation radiate from within me. My mana drained, about 60-70% of it, and before my eyes, a pear-like fruit appeared out of thin air. 

I reached into the pouch at my waist, retrieving the [Monocle] I had used last night, and carefully activated [Appraisal] on the fruit in my hand. 

-- Nameless Fruit -- 

Increases mana permanently by 1 – 5. 

"It's so pretty… I wonder if it'll taste good…" 

With a touch of curiosity, I took a bite. The initial taste was sour, followed quickly by a bitter aftertaste that lingered on my tongue. 

"Ugh... after using so much mana, it tastes awful." I sighed, frowning slightly. "<>!" 

I quickly used [Creation Magic] to summon a sweet mana regeneration potion, hoping it would help wash away the taste. It wasn't unpleasant, but the aftertaste and sourness would take some getting used to. Maybe if I cooked it, or simply got used to it, it might become more bearable. 

After a brief rest, I tried another bite. My mana had only increased by 1, and the second fruit didn't offer any more gain than the first one. 

"Hmmm… With the amount of mana I have right now, it's probably too risky to venture further into the forest. I should level up a bit more, just to be safe." 

I didn't know where the other people might be or what kind of monsters or beasts lurked deeper in the forest. It would be far too dangerous to charge in recklessly. 

"For now, I need more mana… and more ways to defend myself. If I want to stay safe, leveling up is a must." 

Determined, I grabbed my [Staff of Fireball] and stepped out of the tent. The sun warmed my skin as it bathed everything in a gentle light, and the sky above was clear, signaling a perfect day. As I approached the edge of the forest in search of slimes, my mind kept drifting back to the [Staff of Fireball]. 

"It's empty again... and while the slimes are weak, it's so inefficient to create a new [Staff of Fireball] every time it runs out..." I couldn't help but mutter to myself in frustration. "Couldn't I use [Creation Magic] to create skills instead? Maybe I can create a staff that amplifies my skills...?" 

Lost in thought, I'd already reached the outskirts of the forest where slimes often appeared, scattered here and there in plain view. I wasn't sure if creating skills with [Creation Magic] was even possible, or how much mana it would require. The real problem, however, was my mana capacity. 

With a new goal in mind and a clearer sense of my priorities, I began to defeat the slimes one by one. Since I wasn't using my mana for anything else, I made sure to keep creating Mana Regeneration Potions, Onigiris, and water as I went. 

. 

.. 

... 

By the time the sun began to set, the slimes appeared less frequently than they had in the morning. It seemed they had their own patterns and habits. It was so cute, and in a way, it was kind of fascinating. Since there weren't as many slimes as possible around, I decided to call it a day and reflect on what I'd gained.

I walked back to my tent and sat down in front of my own tent and began pulling out some food, water and a blanket and the monster repellent I had used last night from my pouch and placed it besides me. I wrapped myself with the blanket and started eating the onigiris as I stared into the distance. 

I defeated more slimes compared to how many I defeated the other day, and with the number of slimes I defeated, I went from level 3 to level 6, and my mana capacity increased from 90 to 132 points of mana, and along with the increase with of mana, thanks to the constant use of [Creation Magic] to create food, water, and mana regeneration potions, my proficiency in using mana and handling of mana increased and with that I could use [Creation Magic] a bit more freely and more efficiently than before. 

"It's a lot smoother compared to last time. Last time, it felt like I was running down a slope, but now it's still the same but now I am walking down a slope." 

Thanks to [Scholar] and the bits of knowledge given by Goddess Sylvara, I knew how to use mana. I took this opportunity to try and learn magic properly... I closed my eyes and tried to feel the feeling earlier when using mana, or when a large portion of my mana was used. A warm feeling started running all over my body and I felt something inside me slowly moving all over my body. 

I reach out my hand with my fist clench, and I started to imagine mana gathering at my clench fist and that mana slowly getting warmer and then a tiny fire slowly appearing out of thin air in the middle of that warm feeling and slowly getting bigger, until it reached a size similar to my clench fist. 

I open my eyes and slowly opening my fist and just as I imagine, I felt mana gathering in my now open hand, and in the middle of it a warm feeling started emanating from it, and suddenly a small fire materialized. 

"It works!... but it's a lot smaller than I taught." 

But it didn't matter. What mattered was that it proved I could use magic just like the people of this world, and if I created [Fire Magic] it would not be a problem. Though I could learn the skill myself, it felt like a waste of time, and I wanted to see, if I really could create skills. 

. 

.. 

... 

Immersed in my own thoughts, I didn't notice it was now dark. It was time to head inside the tent and prepare for another day. I couldn't stay outside like this all night; I still have other things to do. 

"I guess that's about it then. I'm sleepy, let's continue tomorrow."