Seeing the symbol of Infinity next to his Lifespan, Potential, and Energy stat was just too stimulating for Ash. It was the same kind of feeling a person might experience when suddenly seeing an unimaginable amount of money credited to their bank account.
Ash was happy, there was no doubt about that, but even so he was far more curious about the reason why these values had become infinite.
Also I noticed that now its not the [Mana] stat rather [Energy] stat....
The change appeared small at first glance, but the implications behind it were certainly not small.
Ash immediately understood that such a shift must hold a deeper meaning, and because of that his curiosity only grew stronger. After all, understanding oneself clearly was often the first step toward gaining an advantage over any future enemy.
Although it was often said that curiosity kills the cat, Ash was not a cat, and even if the truth was dangerous he still wished to know it. Thus, without hesitation, he activated his Eye of Omniscience and attempted to see if he could uncover the reason behind it all, hoping to witness the truths hidden behind those infinite symbols.
And indeed, he did witness many things.
After his comprehension of the Rune of Truth reached 1%, his Eye of Omniscience had received a tremendous boost.
Such amplification occurred with every Rune once it crossed the threshold of 1% comprehension.
Furthermore, Ash himself had also received a significant enhancement because he had managed to comprehend all Runes to at least that minimum level.
Returning to the present moment, the flood of information soon allowed Ash to understand the reason behind several aspects of his current state.
However, even with that enhanced perception, he only managed to clearly grasp some things, while countless other details simply rushed past his understanding like distant stars moving across the night sky.
Even so, he was able to roughly piece together the main reason behind them.
His Potential was infinite, which was not surprising to him at all, because Ash had already instructed this during the formation of his body that he wanted his potential to be infinite. And his new body, race and bloodline was the main reason behind it.
Meanwhile, his Lifespan and Energy were the byproduct of the First Light of Creation and the Runes that had fused into the very foundation of his existence.
His energy source, which was the embryonic form of a universe resting quietly within his heart, did not contain mana.
In fact, there was no other recognizable energy present inside that universe except Dark Matter, or rather what could be more accurately described as Void Energy. Void is very very rare attribute and only Heaven’s chosen ones got the chance to get that attribute.
However, even that discovery was not the most surprising realization that came to him.
What truly captured Ash’s attention was a far greater understanding he had glimpsed while trying to find the reason behind his Infinite Energy.
He had learned that a Universe, or rather a cosmos, or any vast ecosystem that contains celestial bodies and hosts life, does not function randomly but instead operates according to an immense governing principle known as the Concept of Energy Dynamics.
The idea felt strangely familiar to him because it closely resembled the Law of Conservation of Energy that he had once studied during his life on Earth.
According to the Concept of Energy Dynamics, energy cannot be created from nothing and it cannot be destroyed into nothingness, but instead it simply transforms from one state into another while always continuing to exist within the greater cycle.
Because of this principle, when a mage uses mana to perform magic, the mana itself is not truly consumed in the absolute sense. Instead, the magic circle or spell formation converts that mana into a specific form of energy, for example fire energy, allowing the spell to manifest and take shape within the physical world.
After the fireball travels forward and releases its destructive force, the energy that formed the spell does not disappear. Instead, once its structured form collapses, it gradually dissolves back into natural energy and disperses into the surrounding environment, slowly blending back into the world’s natural flow.
Later, the mage who used that mana can meditate or practice breathing techniques to absorb that same natural energy from the environment again, gradually restoring the reserves that were previously used.
On a smaller scale this process appears simple and almost ordinary, something that most practitioners of magic would naturally accept as a basic rule of their craft.
However, Ash had now understood that the same principle governed the Universe and the cosmos on a scale that was almost impossible to comprehend.
The Universe constantly distributes its natural energy to the countless things and races that exist within it, allowing them to grow stronger, develop civilizations, and continue evolving through endless generations. At the same time, whenever those beings release spells, unleash destructive attacks, or eventually perish, the energy that once sustained them slowly returns to nature, restoring the balance that had been temporarily disturbed.
It was an enormous cycle that never truly stopped.
Energy was borrowed.
Energy was used.
Energy was returned.
And the Universe continued moving forward without interruption.
There was another detail Ash had learned as well, something that made the entire system even more fascinating.
Every Universe possessed its own unique energy signature, a subtle yet unmistakable identity embedded within its natural energy.
Because of this, a Universe could easily distinguish between energy that belonged to it and energy that came from an external source, which allowed it to recognize intruders that did not belong within its system.
And this was precisely where Ash’s situation became extraordinary.
Ash possessed his own universe within his heart, and that universe followed the same Concept of Energy Dynamics.
This meant that whenever Ash used energy from his inner universe and released it into the current Universe he existed in, the surrounding Universe would not recognize that energy as its own natural energy. Because of that, it would not disperse it into the environment for other beings to absorb and recycle.
Instead, the energy would remain subtly connected to Ash’s inner universe, and his inner universe would naturally pull the energy back toward itself, reclaiming what originally belonged to it. This process would happen in an instant, which was beyond Ash understanding.
In essence, Ash could release energy freely, use it as much as he wished, and eventually reclaim it again through his inner universe, creating a continuous and self sustaining cycle of use and recovery.
An almost endless loop.
Damn, the principles governing the universe are truly grand.....but this Concept of Energy Dynamics is really fascinating. If somehow I manage to master it completely, would it allow me to convert one type of energy into another? For example, converting fire energy into ice energy, or lightning energy into something entirely different? If that becomes possible, then I would not need to worry about affinities at all, because any energy could simply be transformed into whatever form I require...
Ash felt a quiet sense of excitement as that possibility formed within his mind, because the implications behind such mastery were far greater than they first appeared.
But which Rune contains this concept?
At the moment it was still difficult for Ash to determine the exact answer with certainty, although he had a rough guess that the Concept of Energy Dynamics might be connected to the Rune of Balance, the Rune of Stability, or perhaps the Rune of Harmony, since each of those Runes carried aspects related to equilibrium and the natural flow of existence.
As for his infinite lifespan, the reason behind that was somewhat different.
Because a universe existed within his heart, and due to several unknown mutations that had occurred during his transformation under the influence of the First Light of Creation, his lifespan had also fallen under the influence of the same Concept of Energy Dynamics. Which he did not know if it was even possible? Because he has no understanding of Energy Dynamics.
But as long as the energy within his universe continued to circulate and sustain him, his lifespan would not naturally decrease with time, because the Life Energy maintaining his existence would simply continue cycling within the closed system of his own universe.
In other words, time itself would not gradually erode his life in the way it did for ordinary beings.
Of course, even after understanding all of this, Ash was still aware that there were many other aspects behind his infinite lifespan that he did not fully comprehend yet.
One of the most mysterious among them was his Soul, and when it came to that particular aspect, Ash had to admit that he did not understand a single thing he saw through his Eyes.
"But wait!! Does that mean my energy now carries a unique signature? So if I use it, won’t the Universe know about me?"
Ash spoke as a trace of caution appeared in his eyes, because the thought itself immediately made him wary. Just moments ago he had learned that every Universe possessed its own unique energy signature, which meant anything foreign could easily be recognized as something that did not belong.
Ash was now wary of everything, after all he was not truly considered a native of this Universe. His power came from a completely different source, and the universe within his heart was something entirely separate from the one he currently resided in.
But Ash did not dare to release even a trace of his energy without confirming anything first. He needed time to master his body and understand his abilities properly, because the last thing he wanted right now was to accidentally become the enemy of the entire Universe.
But how do I find it out??
****