Florida Man in Magus World: Unleashing Liberty and Freedom

Meanwhile, Felix hurried toward Fate Plaza. As soon as he arrived, he found a dozen lamias, who gathered around the summon platform. They sat on their long tails, weaving bamboo fibers into baskets, trying to improve their living conditions.

The scene of industrious lamias working in harmony would have been peaceful—if not for their sudden distraction upon seeing Felix.

Several of the lamias immediately waved. Their eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Master! The mating season has just ended, but if you wish it, our bodies are ready to satisfy your needs!"

Felix rolled his eyes, unfazed by the temptation.

"Not interested," he shouted and strode past them.

He stomped toward to the rotating octahedron crystal in the center of the plaza and placed his hand on it. Instantly, the crystal lit up, and a system window popped into view. Felix swiftly navigated the menu, selecting both Diana and Jagged Beard before slamming his finger on the activation button.

*WHOOSH*

Two bright beams shot upward from the ground, and in an instant, Diana and Jagged Beard materialized on the summon platform.

Felix, however, had no time for pleasantries. Without missing a beat, he turned toward the lamias and gestured toward the newly arrived duo.

"Show them around, and under no circumstances are you to touch the gentleman!" He added quickly, "Jessica, give Diana access to my house, and notify Jiji about her mother's arrival. I've got business to handle!"

Not waiting for any responses, Felix strapped on a new jetpack and blasted off into the sky, disappearing to the northwest at high speed.

…

Felix flew like a speedrunner, breaking the sound barrier as he hurtled toward his destination: the scorched Black Forest.

Since Diana had frozen the area during their last encounter, the rockbed temperature had stabilized, making it the perfect time for his oil tycoon expenditure. The moment Felix landed, he opened his system menu and bought the second oil derrick for 10,000 years of lifespan.

As usual, a crimson beacon descended from the sky, and the mysterious 3D-printing process began, slowly assembling the derrick from thin air. The project would take some time to complete, and there were other tasks at hand.

Felix, however, didn't stick around to watch. With a burst of speed, he launched himself southward, heading toward the basilisk village near his first oil derrick.

Minutes later, Felix arrived at the village, landing roughly 500 meters from his precious oil derrick. He wasted no time. From his inventory, he ejected a large gallon of crude mana oil and doused his body with it. The thick, black liquid drenched him from head to toe.

With a deep breath, Felix exhaled a small spark of flame from his lungs.

*FWOOSH*

His entire body ignited in a roaring fire, the mana oil blazing around him like a living torch. The heat was intense, but instead of pain, Felix felt his energy surge. Automatic system notifications immediately began popping up.

<Your lifespan has increased by 1 year.>

<Your lifespan has increased by 1 year.>

<Your lifespan has increased by 1 year.>

He grinned. This was his strategy.

By burning himself with mana oil for nine days straight, and he would gather enough lifespan to purchase the coveted Chrono Gym ticket.

But standing still wasn't in Felix's nature. As the flames danced over his body, he turned his attention to the nearby basilisk village.

"Might as well be productive."

With the oil still burning him, he planned to get the basilisks involved.

A training regime with the basilisks could accelerate his progress in aura and combat skills. Perhaps he could even enhance his aura mastery while literally burning time away. His system quest wouldn't wait, and neither would he.

Felix opened the system's encyclopedia, flipping through the second 'Phoenix Breathing Manual' with focused determination. His target: the fire spitting technique.

As he absorbed the details, he absentmindedly poured another gallon of mana oil over himself to maintain the intense flames consuming his body. The crackling fire was the backdrop to his increasingly grim mood as he progressed through the pages.

When he reached the detailed breakdown of the technique, his expression darkened.

"To enhance fire spitting... I need to convert my mana into mana oil? Are you serious?!"

According to the manual, mastering the fire spitting technique required Felix to convert his mana into a liquid fuel referred to as 'Essence'—a foundational substance for advanced techniques.

To even begin, he needed to condense this essence, which cost a whopping 1,000 mana points for every single cubic centimeter of the liquid.

With his current mana pool, Felix quickly calculated that he could only produce about 20 liters of this essence liquid. Meanwhile, the fire spit technique required 1 cc of essence per spit.

At a glance, it seemed manageable. However, the kicker was the sheer repetition required to reach beginner-level mastery. He needed to perform the technique 10,000 times.

Felix rubbed his temples as he did the math in his head.

"Ten million mana points... just to hit 'beginner' in one skill?! And I've got four more skills to train, not to mention two new ones to learn?!"

The enormity of the task weighed on him. Felix could already feel the oncoming headache, and he hadn't even fully processed the stamina drain involved.

Scratching the back of his head in agitation, he decided to stop doing the mental gymnastics for a moment and flipped back a hundred pages in the manual. His eyes skimmed the section on breathing methods until he landed on a passage about essence condensation.

The text outlined the relationship between mana, aura, and essence, explaining that mana and aura circulation formed the foundation of future evolution. However, the real key to unlocking one's full potential was essence condensation—an alchemical process that fused mana and aura to produce elemental essence or, as it was called in the manual by another name, True Ki.

Felix blinked at the unfamiliar terminology. "True Ki? What is this? Some kind of martial arts trope straight out of a wuxia novel?"

The further he read, the more it sounded like a mix of fantasy and Chinese martial arts. The manual explained that essence condensation was essential for advancing not just in fire-based skills but across various elements and techniques, promising exponential power growth if mastered.

However, Felix was struck by the absurd complexity of combining mana and aura to produce True Ki, especially with a time limit hanging over his head.

"Great. Just what I needed—another convoluted system mechanic," Felix grumbled. Despite the frustration, he knew he had no choice but to push forward.

Felix sat cross-legged at the edge of the basilisk village with his eyes open. Though he appeared calm, he remained cautious, keeping an eye on the basilisks' movements while focusing on his breathing. As flames danced around him from the mana oil, he initiated his meditation, carefully regulating his breath.

"Jessica, make sure to keep pouring mana oil from my storage every five minutes. I don't want the fire to go out," Felix ordered, not wanting to break his concentration.

<Understood.>

Jessica responded in her usual monotone voice. Without delay, she accessed Felix's system inventory and dumped another gallon of mana oil on him. The fire roared to life, engulfing him in a blazing pillar that shot skyward.

For a brief moment, the entire area was illuminated, drawing the attention of the nearby basilisk villagers. Startled by the sudden inferno, dozens of basilisk warriors armed themselves with spears, bows, and crude wooden staves. Within moments, a hundred warriors charged out of the village, ready for battle. Their hisses filled the air as they prepared to confront this unknown threat.

Felix, however, was unfazed. Despite the growing commotion, he remained seated. His gaze fixed on the approaching warriors.

"Let them come if they want," he muttered under his breath, more focused on the complicated process within his body than the hostile basilisks. He took a deep inhale, slowing his heart rate, and concentrated on controlling the flow of his mana and aura.

As Felix initiated the fusion process, his mana and aura, circulating through his blood vessels, began to tremble. At first, they coexisted without issue, flowing in parallel streams within his body.

But then, with a mental nudge, Felix willed a small portion of both energies to begin mixing.

It was a delicate balance. Any misstep could cause backlash within his system.

He could feel the faint resistance between the two forces as they collided, like oil and water struggling to combine. Felix gritted his teeth, pushing harder.

Slowly, the mana and aura began to blend, forming a minute quantity of the fabled essence that the manual had spoken of.

His muscles tensed as he struggled to maintain control. The fiery aura which was surrounding his body grew hotter. Sweat mixed with the flames, evaporating before it could even bead on his skin.

The intense heat wasn't just external. He felt it internally as well, as though the very act of blending mana and aura was burning him from the inside out.

Some of the mana and aura inside Felix's blood vessels rejected the fusion attempt. The internal pressure caused a dozen tiny blood vessels to rupture, creating red, swollen patches beneath his skin.

*POP*

*POP*

Small bursts of internal bleeding spread across his body, leaving his skin reddened and sore from the failed fusion attempts. Despite the discomfort, Felix refused to give up.

With a grimace, he pulled out a cigarette and tossed it into his mouth, chewing it before the external flames could reduce it to ash. The bitter taste of nicotine flooded his senses, calming his nerves just enough to continue.

"This better work," he muttered through clenched teeth, preparing for another attempt.

This time, Felix changed tactics. Instead of blending his mana and aura in his blood vessels, he redirected them to his stomach. There, he could better control the process and expel the mixture quickly if things went wrong.

Carefully, he guided a strand of mana and a string of aura into his belly, their flow gentle but purposeful, like a steady breeze.

Once they settled in the stomach's chamber, Felix commanded them to fuse.

The two strands moved like entwined serpents, coiling around each other in a delicate dance. After a tense minute of spinning and twisting, the two strings finally merged into a single, invisible thread of energy.

Felix held his breath, waiting for the next stage.

The thread stopped moving, coiling tightly into a round shape, then slowly condensed. Within seconds, the gaseous mixture turned into a single, shimmering drop of liquid essence.

"I did it!" Felix's heart raced, but he remained calm. A sly grin formed on his face.

"One down. Next!"

Without wasting time, he directed the drop of essence up his throat. As it reached his mouth, he coated it with his flammable saliva, preparing for the next step.

The fire spit was ready to launch.

…

Unbeknownst to him, the gathering basilisk warriors hesitated. They sensed something different about the flames engulfing Felix.

It wasn't just ordinary fire. There was an ancient, primordial energy to it. They slowed their charge, watching in awe as the flames twisted and swirled, drawn toward Felix's body as if feeding off his aura.

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