The Glitched Mage-Chapter 34: Mana Beast Island Part 1

The first thing Riven noticed as he stepped through the teleportation gate was the heat. Thick, stifling, and oppressive, it clung to him like a second skin. Within seconds, his shirt stuck uncomfortably to his back, a sheen of sweat already forming across his arms and neck.

He squinted against the harsh sunlight, his vision momentarily overwhelmed by the brightness. Slowly, his eyes adjusted, allowing him to take in the new environment.

As Riven's vision cleared, the vast jungle stretched before him - dense, untamed, and humming with mana. Towering trees with twisted roots loomed overhead, their thick canopies casting dappled shadows across the uneven forest floor. The air buzzed with the sound of unseen creatures, rustling leaves, and the occasional distant roar that sent smaller beasts skittering deeper into the undergrowth.

He didn't waste time.

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Riven stretched out his senses, feeling for the strongest mana signatures around him. The island pulsed with raw, untapped energy, but one source stood out - deep, immense, and powerful. Farther than the others.

That's where he needed to go.

Without waiting for the rest of his group, Riven turned sharply and headed straight for it.

"Hey - Riven!" Lucenya's voice rang out behind him, surprised.

Riven moved swiftly through the thick jungle, pushing past tangled vines and massive leaves. The mana in the air was suffocating - thick, pressing against his skin like an unseen force. Each breath carried the raw energy of the island, an almost tangible presence surrounding him.

System, locate the mana beasts.

[[ Locating mana beasts… ]]

His vision flickered. The vibrant jungle dimmed slightly, replaced by a crimson overlay. Shapes emerged—red silhouettes dotting the landscape, pulsing with the essence of living creatures. Some small, skittering across the ground, while others lurked in the shadows of the trees.

Above him, something massive shifted.

Riven's gaze snapped upward just as a wasp-like creature the size of a cat glided through the humid air.

For a moment, he froze.

The sheer wrongness of it was unsettling - its grotesquely elongated body, the unnatural shimmer of mana radiating from its wings, the way its many black eyes reflected the light. It hovered with an eerie grace, its stinger long enough to skewer a man in a single thrust.

A fireball flared to life in Riven's palm.

Whatever this thing was, it wouldn't be alive much longer.

Riven didn't hesitate. He flicked his wrist, and the fireball shot forward with a sharp hiss, curving midair as it locked onto the massive wasp's shifting form.

The creature reacted instantly, its wings buzzing in a furious blur as it veered sideways. But the fireball adjusted just as fast, twisting in the air like a homing predator.

The wasp screeched - a sharp, chittering noise - before the flames engulfed its body. A burst of heat and the acrid scent of burning chitin filled the air as it plummeted to the jungle floor, twitching violently before finally going still.

[[ Mana Beast Defeated ]]

[[ Common Mana Core Acquired ]]

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Riven barely glanced at the notification before stepping over the corpse. The wasp was nothing but a minor obstacle - far from the real prey he was after.

The deep mana source he sensed earlier still pulsed in the distance, powerful and unmoving. He pressed on, quickening his pace as he weaved through the dense underbrush, his heightened senses on high alert.

More red outlines appeared in his vision.

A cluster of smaller mana beasts scurried in the shadows - snake-like creatures coiling around tree branches, reptilian beasts slinking through the foliage. Some watched him warily, but none dared to attack. They could sense it. The difference in power.

Smart.

Then, a sudden rustle from above.

Riven barely had time to react before something lunged at him from the treetops.

His instincts flared. He ducked, pivoting sharply as a massive clawed limb slashed through the space where his head had been just a second ago.

The creature landed with a dull thud, the ground trembling under its weight.

Riven took a step back, eyes narrowing as he took in the beast before him.

A predator.

It resembled a panther, but larger - easily twice the size of a normal one. Its sleek, black fur shimmered faintly, lined with glowing streaks of violet mana. Long, curved claws dug into the dirt, and its yellow eyes gleamed with an unnatural intelligence.

The panther-like beast let out a low, rumbling growl.

Unlike the wasp, this one was strong.

Stronger than the second-years he had fought before.

Good.

He was hoping for something like this.

Riven exhaled slowly, shifting his stance as another fireball ignited in his palm. The beast tensed, muscles coiling beneath its sleek hide, ready to strike.

Then-

It moved.

Faster than anything Riven had fought before.

In the blink of an eye, it vanished from sight, blurring into the dense foliage.

Riven barely had a second to react before his instincts screamed at him - behind!

He twisted just in time, narrowly dodging a set of razor-sharp claws that carved through the space beside him. The wind from the strike brushed against his skin, sharp enough to sting.

The beast didn't pause. It spun, already lunging again, its fangs bared.

Riven dropped low, sweeping a leg out to knock it off balance. But the creature was too agile, leaping back before his strike could connect.

It's fast.

Sensing that no one was near, Riven summoned his shadows and they instantly flared around him.

The moment his shadows surged, the air around Riven shifted.

Dark tendrils coiled around his arms and legs, reinforcing his movements, sharpening his senses. He didn't have the raw speed the beast did, but he didn't need it. His shadows would close the gap.

The panther-like mana beast circled him, its yellow eyes flickering with wariness. It had sensed the change.

Good.

Riven moved first.

He lunged forward, shadows propelling him faster than before. The beast reacted immediately, twisting its body mid-air to avoid his attack. But Riven wasn't aiming to strike - he was testing.

Learning.

Another fireball flared to life in his palm, but this time, he didn't throw it.

Instead, he let it hover.

Then another two flaming orbs appeared.

Three fireballs circled Riven, their intense heat warping the air around him. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow as he channeled mana, the strain creeping into his mind with each flickering orb. Maintaining them simultaneously demanded focus, but he held steady - his gaze locked onto the panther-like beast before him.

The beast hesitated for only a fraction of a second before vanishing again.

This time, Riven was ready.

The moment it blurred into motion, one of his shadows lashed outward, intercepting it mid-dash. The tendril barely grazed the beast's flank, but it was enough.

A flicker of surprise crossed its glowing eyes.

Got you.

Riven's fireballs snapped forward in an instant.

The first exploded in front of the beast, forcing it to twist away from its original trajectory. The second curved around, boxing it in from behind.

And the third-

Riven directed it downward.

The moment it struck the jungle floor, the explosion sent dirt and debris flying, knocking the beast off balance.

Riven capitalized.

His shadows surged, wrapping around the creature's legs before it could recover. They coiled tight, locking it in place.

The beast let out a furious snarl, struggling against the binding.

Riven's body thrummed with dark mana, the energy coiling around his arms like living tendrils. He channeled his shadows, molding them into elongated, talon-like claws that gleamed with an eerie sheen. With a swift, precise strike, he brought them down onto the beast's neck, slicing through its tough flesh with ease.

The beasts head toppled to the floor and Riven drew back in his mana. He sighed as he flicked the beasts blood from his arms.

[[ Mana Beast Defeated ]]

[[ Rare Mana Core Acquired ]]

"Nyx, come here," Riven commanded, wiping his bloodied hands against his shirt with little care.

In an instant, shadows swirled at his feet, twisting into a vortex before solidifying into the familiar form of Nyx.

She glanced at the fallen beast, a flicker of amusement in her dark eyes. "That was quite the fight," she mused.

"I need you to move unnoticed and gather as many common mana cores as possible," Riven instructed, his tone firm. "I'll be focusing on the stronger beasts."

Elder Thorne had made it clear that the one with the most cores would win, but Riven wasn't just here for the competition. This was a rare chance to test himself against creatures far above his current level - an opportunity he refused to waste.

"As you command, my king." Nyx bowed swiftly before vanishing into the jungle, her form dissolving into the shifting shadows.

Riven exhaled, pulling the Rare Mana Core from his inventory and turning it over in his palm. It was larger than he expected - smooth, crystalline, and pulsing faintly with mana. Light refracted off its edges, casting brief glimmers in the dim jungle shade.

[[ Rare Mana Core ]]

[[ Can increase mana if absorbed ]]

His eyebrows lifted slightly. So these could directly increase his mana? If he collected enough, he might be able to reach his second mana circle sooner than he had anticipated.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

That made this hunt even more worthwhile.

He tucked the core back into his inventory, his gaze shifting toward the deeper part of the jungle - the source of the overwhelming mana presence.

The aura pressing against his senses was unlike anything else on the island so far. Heavy. Almost suffocating.

Whatever was waiting ahead was powerful.

And he was going to kill it.