Why the fuck mana/ monster/ power cores?

[NotaNuffian]

I was writing my work when this question hit me.

Why the fuck mana/ monster/ power cores?

I get that slime somehow got a core as a statement to say that they have a weakness.

Google AI spat out generic "because magic misuse merged into malignant marble"

Reddit blamed the chinese and then told wannabe writers like myself to stuff it about the question.

https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/irmi7g
But why the fuck mana core? If I recall correctly, it all started for me in Shirlatoon's Monster and Supreme Magus and now I found myself writing about collecting radioactive gallstones.

 

[LesserCodex]

I always assume it's because a reward is needed, if you don't have mana/monster/power cores then instead you just drain of their vitality or energy or something else.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I always assume it's because a reward is needed, if you don't have mana/monster/power cores then instead you just drain of their vitality or energy or something else.

No.

What I am trying to say is why the appearance of a core in monsters?

As for rewards, monster hunter has already shown that leather, sinew and bones make good rewards.

Also, draining life force sounds vile, I prefer to consume the meat and innards instead.

 

[Tempokai]

Basically, as far I understand it comes from the literal interpretation of dantian. Sure, it's energy stuff doing flowy thing, but in those who lack the inherent understanding, like beasts, it becomes a physical lump of energy that fuels their entire being.

Ever seen humans with cores? They're either spiritual or something like that in every story ever. Those who lack the soul or spirit have that dantian physical. When human is killed, there's no "core" because it was spiritual to begin with, but when beasts are killed they have it physical. It's just an interpretation of dantian, again.

And finally, slime cores is just a gameplay balance that got interpreted as the lore. They don't have that deep lore as far I understand, just a DnD gimmick that become popular enough to be everywhere.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Basically, as far I understand it comes from the literal interpretation of dantian. Sure, it's energy stuff doing flowy thing, but in those who lack the inherent understanding, like beasts, it becomes a physical lump of energy that fuels their entire being.

Ever seen humans with cores? They're either spiritual or something like that in every story ever. Those who lack the soul or spirit have that dantian physical. When human is killed, there's no "core" because it was spiritual to begin with, but when beasts are killed they have it physical. It's just an interpretation of dantian, again.

Same as what the redditor who blamed everything on the chinese.

What my question is "why", is there any other explanation other than "it's the chinese's xianxian BS fault" that resulted in the birth of monster cores?

And finally, slime cores is just a gameplay balance that got interpreted as the lore. They don't have that deep lore as far I understand, just a DnD gimmick that become popular enough to be everywhere.

The slime core actually made more sense if you compare an ordinary slime to an animal cell.

The nucleus is the core and mitochondria is the powerhouse of cell.

 

[3guanoff]

I always regarded cores as fuel cells. They are often coupled with mana pathways. Hence, in my mind, this would mean ordinary cells are ill-equipped to handle mana. Thus, they require that the mana be contained in a core and guided through properly isolating channels.

One decent world-building explanation I have seen is that mana is originally poisonous. Even monsters who allow it to leak into their bodies cannot withstand too high a concentration, thus they keep the majority of it isolated in a core.

As for why the core is spherical, I believe spheres have some mathematical property related to surface area that is advantageous. Someone once explained to me why they are an ideal shape, but my middle school math could not keep up.

 

[Alski]

As for why the core is spherical, I believe spheres have some mathematical property related to surface area that is advantageous. Someone once explained to me why they are an ideal shape, but my middle school math could not keep up.

Only thing i can think of would be that spheres have the most volume to surface area.

 

[3guanoff]

Only thing i can think of would be that spheres have the most volume to surface area.

that sounds about right.

 

[Tempokai]

Same as what the redditor who blamed everything on the chinese.

What my question is "why", is there any other explanation other than "it's the chinese's xianxian BS fault" that resulted in the birth of monster cores?

Yeah, duh. Just look at the Conan the Barbarian and so on, the classics of the western fantasy, and there's no mention of any mana spheres and so on in them. Either you do magic, or you don't. There's no "magic sphere embedded in the human", and if there's ones it's usually amulets of great power or so on and so forth artifacts that are crafted externally.

The inner magic is pure Asian thought. Taoism and Buddhism is all about flow of energy and rites and whatever. There's a big reason to make something figurative into literal when that figurative has been on the continent for millennia+ years.

Before I even opened a xianxia story in 2010s I never encountered the "energy core" type of storage in the western and my local country fantasy stories. It's xianxia and wuxia that created it, and therefore you aren't finding any new version of "does this BS originate from other place than India or China" because it is the source of that idea. Sure, it got interlinked with the western ideas of mana and so forth, but the core idea—dantian in the body—is from China fiction.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Yeah, duh. Just look at the Conan the Barbarian and so on, the classics of the western fantasy, and there's no mention of any mana spheres and so on in them. Either you do magic, or you don't. There's no "magic sphere embedded in the human", and if there's ones it's usually amulets of great power or so on and so forth artifacts that are crafted externally.

The inner magic is pure Asian thought. Taoism and Buddhism is all about flow of energy and rites and whatever. There's a big reason to make something figurative into literal when that figurative has been on the continent for millennia+ years.

Before I even opened a xianxia story in 2010s I never encountered the "energy core" type of storage in the western and my local country fantasy stories. It's xianxia and wuxia that created it, and therefore you aren't finding any new version of "does this BS originate from other place than India or China" because it is the source of that idea. Sure, it got interlinked with the western ideas of mana and so forth, but the core idea—dantian in the body—is from China fiction.

Dammit.

The chinese xianxia do be ruining everything as I penned "mana core" as one of the prize for killing and gutting a monster.

 

[RepresentingDesire]

I was writing my work when this question hit me.

Why the fuck mana/ monster/ power cores?

I get that slime somehow got a core as a statement to say that they have a weakness.

Google AI spat out generic "because magic misuse merged into malignant marble"

Reddit blamed the chinese and then told wannabe writers like myself to stuff it about the question.

https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/irmi7g
But why the fuck mana core? If I recall correctly, it all started for me in Shirlatoon's Monster and Supreme Magus and now I found myself writing about collecting radioactive gallstones.

I think of it as some kind of respiratory organ through some means, that as well functions as a type of cellcore

 

[NotaNuffian]

I always regarded cores as fuel cells. They are often coupled with mana pathways. Hence, in my mind, this would mean ordinary cells are ill-equipped to handle mana. Thus, they require that the mana be contained in a core and guided through properly isolating channels.

One decent world-building explanation I have seen is that mana is originally poisonous. Even monsters who allow it to leak into their bodies cannot withstand too high a concentration, thus they keep the majority of it isolated in a core.

As for why the core is spherical, I believe spheres have some mathematical property related to surface area that is advantageous. Someone once explained to me why they are an ideal shape, but my middle school math could not keep up.

Basically the idea that magical circuits exist in living creatures is because these creatures adapt and grow a new something to deal with the new spicy component in air instead of ignoring it like how we ignore 70% Nitrogen.

Be cool if we can harness said Nitrogen for something.

I think of it as some kind of respiratory organ through some means, that as well functions as a type of cellcore

The main answer is that it can be what ever the author wants because it isn't real.

I was asking why it exist and if its existence is solely the fault of chinese xianxia.

Fun fact, I had seen the mana core being in/ or is the heart, located at the brain or even at the stomach.

Why shouldn't it be located at the rectum? Where the Japanese thought the soul is at?

 

[RepresentingDesire]

Why shouldn't it be located at the rectum? Where the Japanese thought the soul is at?

Aren't slimes based upon bacteria?

 

[NotaNuffian]

Aren't slimes based upon bacteria?

Probably.

Also, you used the wrong quote from me so I was particularly pausing at the relation between rectum and slime

 

[RiceballWasTaken]

What I am trying to say is why the appearance of a core in monsters?

its basically their version of a heart and to justify it, it would be more beneficial to these mana based creatures to have a core rather a heart like humans.

 

[Cipiteca396]

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GemHeart

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PowerCrystal

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SoulJar

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MineralMacGuffin

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BodyToJewel

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MysticalJade

These seem to be the relevant tropes. I ran out of time, but you could look through the Mythology and Real Life example folders to find the answers to your questions.

 

[RepresentingDesire]

Probably.

Also, you used the wrong quote from me so I was particularly pausing at the relation between rectum and slime

Of course it's anatomy because bacteria have no rectum, only cytoplasma and the gogli-apparature or whatever the english name is.

 

[melchi]

No.

What I am trying to say is why the appearance of a core in monsters?

As for rewards, monster hunter has already shown that leather, sinew and bones make good rewards.

Also, draining life force sounds vile, I prefer to consume the meat and innards instead.

Is it less vile to capture a monster, store it in a ball for who-knows-how-long. Then turn it in to the professor who give you a candy of unexplained orgins to feed to your strongest version of the monster to level it up?

 

[LuoirM]

Well in my world the core was not the weakness but an item good for sell, mostly because that one specific enemy is an Android and need a power source I guess