My Bugged System Made Me Too OP!-Chapter 46: Sweet mana

Noah pulled his hand away slightly, his gaze still fixed on the trunk.

But the strange sensation inside him hadn’t disappeared.

If anything, it remained just as present as before.

After focusing on it more carefully, Noah realized something.

The pull didn’t actually feel like it was coming from the tree itself.

It was close to the tree, yes.

But the feeling wasn’t centered within the trunk.

Instead, it felt like it was coming from somewhere around the tree.

Almost like the source was hidden somewhere nearby.

Noah slowly turned his head.

His eyes scanned the surrounding ground carefully.

He crouched slightly and extended his senses further outward.

His awareness spread across the immediate area, brushing against the earth, the air, and the surrounding vegetation.

Yet...

Nothing.

No unusual mana signatures, or even strange fluctuations.

Just the normal background flow of mana in the forest.

Noah clicked his tongue softly in annoyance.

"Tch."

He looked around again more carefully.

Still nothing.

The tree in front of him appeared completely ordinary.

Just a normal trunk rising from the ground, with several branches and clusters of green leaves rustling softly in the breeze.

There were also a few small fruits hanging among the leaves.

Nothing that stood out in the slightest.

Noah straightened slightly and looked around once more.

As his gaze swept across the sparse forest around him, he slowly noticed something else.

Something that hadn’t fully registered in his mind earlier.

His eyes narrowed.

’That’s strange...’

He focused his senses again, spreading them out further this time.

Yet the result remained the same.

He couldn’t sense any mana beasts nearby.

Not a single one.

Normally, even in calmer areas of the forest, there would at least be some faint presence of beasts wandering around.

It could either be small creatures or powerful predators lurking deeper in the woods.

But here...

There was nothing.

Even the sky above them was empty, with no bird or even insect flying there.

The silence was almost eerie.

Noah frowned slightly.

’Should I just head back...’ he thought.

He glanced once more at the completely ordinary tree in front of him.

’This is pointless.’

Noah remained standing there for a few moments, staring at the tree in front of him.

Then he slowly shook his head.

’This dense mana in the air...’

His gaze drifted across the surrounding area again.

’Am I really just going to walk away from it...?’

Even now, he could still clearly feel the thick mana drifting through the air around him.

Compared to the faint strands of mana in his small room back home, the difference was almost unbelievable.

In his room, the mana in the air had always been thin and scattered.

But here...

The mana was so thick that it almost felt tangible.

Each breath he took seemed filled with it.

The energy brushed against his senses constantly, like an invisible mist surrounding his body.

The thought alone made his throat tighten slightly with anticipation.

He exhaled slowly.

’Might as well absorb a little of it...’

His eyes flicked upward toward the tree above him.

The thick branches stretched outward several meters above the ground, forming a comfortable resting spot among the leaves.

If he sat up there, he would be out of the way and able to focus properly.

His lips moved faintly.

"Electric Overcharge."

The moment the words left his mouth, lightning sparked violently around his body.

Normally, the electric charge from Electric Overcharge would spread across his entire body, coating him in crackling currents of energy.

But this time...

Something different happened.

Instead of spreading outward in every direction, the lightning sparks rapidly flowed downward.

The energy gathered around his legs.

Within seconds, his leg became coated in what looked like a crudely formed boot of lightning.

Jagged sparks flickered constantly along its surface.

The energy hummed faintly as it pulsed around his leg.

The sight would have looked strange to anyone watching.

But Noah only nodded slightly to himself.

This was something he had discovered recently.

While he had been fighting the large rat earlier, Electric Overcharge had finally leveled up.

Once it reached the next level, Noah quickly realized something new.

He could now concentrate the electric charge in a specific part of his body instead of letting it spread across his entire body.

Before, the electricity would automatically coat his whole body.

That made him faster and stronger overall, but it also drained his mana very quickly.

Now, however...

He could direct the charge wherever he wanted.

By doing that, he could drastically reduce the amount of mana the skill consumed.

And it was also far more efficient for certain actions.

Noah bent his knees slightly.

The lightning crackling around his leg flared brighter.

Energy gathered rapidly beneath his foot.

Then—

He pushed off the ground.

The lightning sparks erupted violently as his leg propelled him upward.

The burst of electric force launched his body into the air with surprising speed.

The ground dropped away beneath him in an instant.

Wind rushed past his ears as he rose toward the tree’s thick branches.

A moment later—

Noah landed on one of the larger branches.

The branch shook slightly from the sudden impact.

He staggered forward a bit, his arms instinctively spreading out to keep his balance.

For a brief second, it looked like he might slip.

But he quickly steadied himself.

His feet adjusted against the rough bark beneath him.

The lightning around his leg slowly faded as he regained control.

Noah exhaled slowly.

A small breath of relief escaped his lips.

"Good..."

The branch beneath him was thick and sturdy.

More than capable of supporting his weight. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Leaves rustled softly around him as a light breeze passed through the tree.

Now that he was properly balanced, Noah slowly lowered himself down.

He sat on the branch comfortably, and then crossed his legs in a calm lotus position.

The moment he closed his eyes, the sensation returned.

The thick mana in the air brushed against his senses again.

It was even more noticeable up here.

His lips curved slightly.

’Come to me...’ he thought. ’You sweet mana.’

The mere thought of absorbing such dense mana made his throat tighten with anticipation.

Noah almost felt like he was salivating.