My Bugged System Made Me Too OP!-Chapter 47: More attuned

The forest around him remained silent.

His senses were still extended outward, spreading gently through the surrounding area.

Even now, he couldn’t detect the presence of a single mana beast nearby.

Not even a weak one.

The absence of life in the area was still strange, but at the same time, it gave him some reassurance.

Since he hadn’t sensed any mana beasts in his surroundings, he wasn’t particularly worried about being attacked while absorbing mana.

Still...

He had chosen to sit on the tree branch instead of remaining on the forest floor.

Just to be careful.

Even if a beast suddenly wandered into the area, being a few meters above the ground would give him more time to react.

It was a small precaution.

But one Noah didn’t mind taking.

After settling himself properly, he focused his mind inward.

His breathing gradually slowed.

The world around him faded slightly from his awareness as his attention shifted toward the mana drifting through the air.

Then slowly...

He reached out, and began to pull.

The thick yellow wisps of mana in the air responded almost immediately.

Thin streams of golden energy began sliding slowly through the air, floating toward Noah’s body like glowing mist.

One by one, the strands of mana approached him.

Then they touched his skin.

And entered.

The moment the first stream of mana flowed into his body—

Noah shivered.

A strong wave of warmth spread through him instantly.

It started from the point where the mana entered and rapidly expanded through his body.

The sensation was intense.

Almost overwhelming.

Yet strangely pleasant.

Unlike the previous time he had absorbed mana inside his room, this experience was completely different.

Back then, the thin strands of mana had entered his body slowly.

One at a time.

But here...

The mana was abundant, seeping into almost every part of his body at once.

The sensation was far more intense than before.

His muscles twitched faintly as the mana spread through them.

His veins felt warm.

His chest rose slightly as the energy surged deeper inside.

Despite the overwhelming influx, the feeling wasn’t painful.

It wasn’t uncomfortable either.

It was simply... like standing beneath a waterfall of warm energy.

The sensation made his body tremble slightly.

Soon, tiny beads of sweat began forming along Noah’s forehead.

His breathing deepened as he focused his mind on guiding the mana.

All of the energy flooding into his body needed to be directed properly.

Otherwise it would simply disperse.

Carefully, he channeled everything inward.

Toward the center of his chest, where his mana core rested.

The moment the incoming mana reached it—

The small yellow core responded immediately.

It began absorbing the energy rapidly.

The core pulsed faintly as the mana poured into it.

The constant influx caused the small crystal-like structure to swell slightly.

Not physically in size, but in density and presence.

The more mana it absorbed, the brighter its internal glow became.

Energy continued streaming toward it from all directions.

The pressure inside Noah’s body grew stronger.

Sweat began sliding slowly down his temples.

Yet despite the strain, a smirk slowly appeared on his face.

The sight would have looked strange to anyone watching.

A young man sitting quietly on a tree branch, drenched in sweat and smiling slightly to himself.

’It’s hard channeling this much mana into my mana core...’ he thought.

Fortunately for him...

His mana core did most of the work automatically.

Once the energy reached it, the core began refining the raw mana on its own, filtering and converting into into stable mana that could be stored inside his body.

Because of this natural function, Noah didn’t have to personally refine every strand of mana entering him.

If he had to handle that entire process manually, he probably would have collapsed already.

Even so...

Handling this much mana at once was still difficult.

He didn’t try to draw any more mana toward himself.

Instead, he focused entirely on the mana that had already entered his body.

He channeled them into his affinity orbs, converting them into elemental mana before moving them across his body again.

Guiding it all properly required intense focus.

Yet Noah didn’t allow himself to hesitate.

His jaw tightened slightly.

’It doesn’t matter how difficult it is...’ he thought, a slight frown appearing on his face. ’I won’t waste this chance!’

If he failed to refine it properly now, much of that precious energy would simply disperse and vanish from his body.

And Noah refused to let that happen.

*

Several minutes later.

Noah examined the state of his mana core, noticing that something about it had changed.

The core appeared slightly larger than before, and the glow radiating from it had deepened.

The mana stored inside it felt denser, more concentrated.

Earlier, when the massive influx of mana first entered his body, the core had swelled rapidly as it absorbed the raw energy.

For a brief moment, the pressure had been almost overwhelming.

But Noah had successfully completed the refining process.

All of the chaotic mana had been filtered through his affinity orbs and compressed within the core.

Now the structure was stable again, and the energy stored within it felt far richer than before.

Satisfied with the result, Noah slowly withdrew his awareness from within his body.

His breathing steadied.

Then he opened his eyes.

A long, low exhale escaped his lips.

The moment his gaze focused on the world around him again, he immediately noticed something strange.

Everything looked... different.

The forest appeared clearer than before.

The shapes of leaves, the movement of branches, even the faint sway of grass on the ground below—all of it seemed more vivid.

It wasn’t that his eyesight had suddenly improved.

Rather...

His perception had changed.

He could feel the subtle movements of mana drifting through the air around him.

It was like an invisible current flowing gently through the forest.

Noah blinked once before slowly scanning the surroundings.

’Since my mana has increased greatly...’

His fingers twitched slightly as he extended his hand outward.

’I feel more attuned to the mana in the air.’

He stretched his palm toward the open space before him.

Even without actively trying to absorb it, he could faintly sense the ambient mana drifting past his skin.

Noah’s lips slowly curved upward.

A smirk formed on his face.

The change might not seem obvious to others.

But to him, it was clear.

His connection to mana had deepened.

And that meant his power had grown.

’Status.’ he thought.