Sanctuary: Safe Haven

"Just will your mana into your hand and direct it to become water; you have a great affinity for it, so you should be able to summon it without a problem."

It didn't even take Canna ten seconds for a water ball to appear in his palm.

"Now, here is the difficult part. You directed it into a ball with your mana; now exert more and change it into an arrow. Imagine an arrow made of water." Canna focused, and after a few seconds, he successfully changed the shape to an arrow.

"As long as you can imagine it, your mana will shape it for you. Now, let's focus on mana density. Throw that water arrow at the wall."

Canna did as he was commanded, and the moment the water arrow reached the wall, it turned into a splash, making the wall wet.

Mortem did the same, and the moment his arrow struck the wall, the section where it hit shattered to pieces, leaving a resounding crack.

"Mana density. The best way to describe it is like a knife and a knife sharpener; you refine the knife, removing the impurities, making it sharper. The same with mana. After taking its form, you have to increase the quality of the mana inside the shape."

Canna could only achieve this on the fourth try, his water arrow slightly denting the dungeon wall.

"Luckily for us, this is the perfect place to train; this dungeon is supplied with mana. We can easily regenerate our mana reserves here after just a bit of rest."

Half a day passed like this, with Mortem instructing Canna on making efficient water arrows and other shapes with water.

During a break, Canna sat back, catching his breath. His mind wandered to the memories of his past life and the immense shift his life had taken. From a world without magic to one where he was training under a powerful undead. The dreams he had during his sleep came back to him, vivid and surreal, filling him with a renewed determination to master his new abilities.

Once Mortem saw that Canna was capable enough, he took it up a notch.

"Now, let's put it into practice. I'll summon skeletons, and all you have to do is destroy them as fast as you can."

Canna nodded furiously, eager to see if he could destroy things with what he had learned.

Mortem summoned three skeletons, which were instantly destroyed as fast as they were summoned with multiple water arrows.

Mortem kept summoning more and more skeletons until Canna's mana reserves were exhausted.

While resting to replenish his mana reserves, Mortem explained the power rankings for humans and monsters.

[Human Power Rankings]

- D Ranker

- C Ranker

- B Ranker

- A Ranker

[Transcendent Stage]

- Low Transcendent

- Mid Transcendent

- Great Transcendent

- True Transcendent

After the transcending stage, there are still three more ranks:

- SAINTS

- DEMIGOD

- COMPLETE DEMIGOD

[Monster Power Rankings]

- Low Rating

- Medium Rating

- Intermediate Rating

- High Rating

[Calamity Stage]

- Low Calamity

- Mid Calamity

- Great Calamity

- True Calamity

After the Calamity stage, there are still three more ranks:

- DISASTER RANK

- CATASTROPHE RANK

- APOCALYPSE RANK

Canna quickly spoke after Mortem's lengthy explanation.

"You must be one hell of an enemy, Mortem. You're a low calamity rank after all. How do you even get to a higher rank?"

Mortem nodded and went on to explain.

"Although I am a low calamity, a human with a lower rank than me and enough skills can still kill me. It's common knowledge that humans are unrivaled in power growth. Some theories state that because humans have short lifespans, they tend to grow faster in terms of power. Some long-lived races prefer to take their time.

Elves, for example, reach maturity at 500 years old and spend much of their youth studying nature magic. Only after 500 years do they explore the world and level up."

"Although magic can be used to extend someone's life, the best I know of a human reaching is around 458 years old. That's why some humans copulate with other races to preserve their legacy, pass on their knowledge, or have a chance to alter their race. Beastkins are a prime example of this."

When Mortem judged that Canna was following, he answered his second question.

"Ranking up is both the easiest and hardest part. All you have to do is kill another creature, harvest their mana core, and absorb it. It's easier in the early stages, but once your rank reaches a Saint Rank, you can only absorb the mana core from Disaster Ranks and above. The title 'Disaster' isn't for show. Any beast or monster that has reached the 'Great Calamity' rank is a powerhouse.

They wouldn't be called a great calamity if they weren't."

Mortem used a skill to summon a high-ranking skeleton to prove his point, just one step away from the calamity rank.

"This skeleton is one step away from being a calamity. Do your worst, master; I assure you it will be one heck of a punching bag."

Canna happily obliged, eager to test how hard it was to destroy a high-ranking beast.

He first summoned three water arrows and fired them consecutively at the skeleton's neck and shoulders. When the arrows hit, Canna grimaced; the parts that got shot didn't even show signs of damage.

He then tried to slash the skeleton's head with his dagger, a move he would soon regret.

The moment the dagger made contact with the skeleton's head, Canna's whole body shook violently, followed by a cracking sound. His wrists were instantly broken from the simple exchange. It took only four seconds for Canna's excited mood to turn into excruciating pain.