“Mana Control reached level fifteen; possible evolution paths are opening…”

  “Advanced Mana Control, Spherical Formation, Linear Formation, Concentrated Spherical Formation.”

  My sword skill remained at level fourteen; I didn’t feel any kind of improvement today. I was confident that my sword skill would be the first to reach level fifteen.

  I’ll have to ask my grandmother about this tomorrow… first, let’s analyze the options and choose one.

  Advanced Mana Control sounds like a direct upgrade to mana control; I like that.

  Spherical Formation and Linear Formation seem similar, just focused on different shapes. My doubt is: will I still be able to create other mana shapes if I choose one of them? I hope so, because the last one, Concentrated Spherical Formation, really catches my attention.

  Let’s discard the second and third options; it all comes down to Advanced Mana Control and Concentrated Spherical Formation. The first sounds like a better option if you like controlling mana for different kinds of attacks, while the second is my signature skill: creating spheres and compressing mana inside them to make them stronger.

  I don’t know if the system is too unfair and would limit me to only making spheres for the rest of my life if I choose the last option. If that’s the case, then the first option would be better.

  “I need to decide… let’s follow my instincts.” Afraid of losing flexibility, I chose the last option.

  “Advanced Mana Control has transformed into Concentrated Spherical Formation.” Excitement and terror burned inside me, and I immediately decided to test my new skill.

  “Let’s start by making an ice sphere.” The process felt smoother, took much less time, and was easier. I added concentrated mana to the center of the sphere, and the process took less time; I added mana beyond my previous limit without any problem. It’s a huge change—this skill has become very useful.

  “I’m scared… let’s see if I can make other mana shapes.” To my surprise and relief, I could. The problem I noticed was the time; it hasn’t improved at all—it’s exactly the same.

  I tried creating different concentrated spheres and immediately noticed the difference. Maintaining three concentrated spheres was impossible before; now I can handle two without much mental effort, and with three I need to focus almost my entire brain. If I use two concentrated and two normal ones, I can barely move, but at least I could use them in a fight.

  After about thirty minutes of testing all kinds of things, I reached a conclusion. My ability to control mana in non-spherical forms remains the same—no increase, no decrease—which is good in case I want to practice different shapes in the future. As for spheres, I can now use them as attacks or distractions while closing in on my opponent; they’ve become a skill worth considering in combat.

  I wonder why my sword skill hasn’t increased.

  Quick Step is two levels away from reaching fifteen, and Enhanced Senses needs four more levels. I need to ask my grandmother tomorrow; I hope I don’t forget.

  “Grandmother, can you help me with some questions before we start?” My grandmother was almost ready for the daily session; she looked at me for a second and nodded.

  “My sword skill should have reached level fifteen yesterday according to my assumptions based on recent increases, but I didn’t feel any improvement. Do you know if I need to do something else?” My grandmother’s expression was hard to read; I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

  “Level fourteen? That was very fast. Child, your skill didn’t level up for a simple reason: you haven’t added mana or Imra to your skill. Any skill needs to be combined with mana or Imra to evolve to level two; it’s a basic requirement. There are some exceptions, but for a skill this simple, it’s mandatory.” Reality hit me like a bucket of cold water.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “I understand. What do you recommend I use?” I don’t know which option is better. I have plenty of mana for an Amethyst-level fighter, but on the other hand, I don’t have any skills based on Imra and have never practiced it directly.

  “That’s difficult. Mana is very useful in certain cases, and the same goes for Imra.” My grandmother stayed silent for a few minutes, analyzing the situation.

  “Use your Imra; it’s the best choice for you, Maki. You have an enviable mana pool and are already practicing several mana-related skills. On the other hand, you’ve never practiced your Imra with any skill. It’s always good to have varied skills for all kinds of fights; you’ll understand in the future.” I decided to follow her advice; she’s rarely wrong, and her words make sense.

  “I understand, Grandmother. How do I use it?” I want to start practicing, but I have no idea how.

  My grandmother isn’t a weapon fighter, but she explained everything she could in detail. With her years of experience, these situations are easy; teaching a beginner a little isn’t difficult.

  “I understand. I need to focus on my Imra and try to wrap my swords with it. I more or less have the theory in my head; I’ll try to apply it this afternoon.” I want to test it right now, but I have to respect my training schedule.

  “Yes, it’s not easy, but you’ll master it somehow. If you have too much trouble, ask your father; he wraps his axe with Imra.” That’s right—my father often fights using his Imra.

  “I will. By the way, Grandmother, I already obtained a rank II skill.” I puffed out my chest, showing off my new achievement.

  “What? WHAT DID YOU SAY? Which skill?” My grandmother’s eyes went wide as plates as she looked at me in shock. Why? My sword skill is almost level fifteen; it’s not strange if my other skills are around the same level.

  “The skill is Mana Control; it evolved into Concentrated Spherical Formation.” With great pride, I created two spheres on the spot—one normal and one concentrated.

  “Idiotic child, why didn’t you ask us before making the decision?” It was the first time my grandmother spoke with a hint of anger in her voice; I had never seen her like this.

  “I had to evolve it at that moment; the notification arrived without warning.” I tried to excuse myself to calm her down, but it didn’t fully work.

  “Maki, don’t be foolish. You can simply look at the options without making the decision right away. If you focus on storing the notifications, they disappear and you can bring them back into your awareness later.” She looked at me with disappointment in her eyes, as if I were a stupid child. I had forgotten this feeling.

  “I didn’t know, Grandmother; no one explained it to me. I made the decision out of fear that I wouldn’t be able to evolve it later.” I put on my best sad, embarrassed child expression; being a child has its advantages.

  “Don’t act like a child. You’re just making excuses like one; we both know your mindset isn’t that of an eight-year-old.” Damn, I was exposed.

  My grandmother let out a long sigh and looked at me resignedly. “It doesn’t matter, Maki. I don’t know if it was a good or bad choice; you followed your instincts, and you can trust them. In the end, we can only give you information and help you choose—we don’t know which skill is best for you either.”

  “Let me say this, child: your mana skill is also excellent. Those spheres formed quickly and contain a good amount of mana. They should be able to kill a rank-one monster with little defense in a single hit; that’s very impressive.”

  “Really? That’s good to know. Thank you, Grandmother.”

  We talked a bit more about my skill and then continued training.

  My routine was the same as every day; it was time to practice with the sword.

  I sat down and focused my Imra within my body until guiding it to my sword. I needed to feel the sword as an extension of my body, as if my arms were longer.

  After a few minutes of focusing, I could feel my aura starting to take the contour of the swords. At the moment, it only covered the hilt, and the layer was as thin as a tree leaf.

  After about three hours of practice, I managed to increase the thickness to that of two leaves, though it was still as fragile as glass. I hadn’t managed to coat the entire swords—only about twenty percent—but that’s great progress for a single day.

  “I won’t practice Quick Step today; manipulating aura like this is more exciting.” There are exceptions to skipping the schedule.

  Seven hours in total practicing coating my sword, and I finally managed to do it. Halfway through, I gave up on thickness and returned to the thickness of a single leaf.

  I moved slowly so as not to lose concentration; any sudden movement could make me lose the entire coating. During the next hour, I balanced my swords and moved slowly until I felt comfortable. Maybe tomorrow I’ll gain better control.

  While focusing on coating my sword for seven hours, a question came to mind: why am I so good at improving my skills? Sitting for so long led me to a conclusion—I have a lot of free time to train. My grandmother said something similar.

  If I train seven hours a day and someone else trains one hour a day, I’m doing a week’s worth of their training in a single day; the difference is enormous. If some people need seven months to rank up a skill, I could do it in one month by training seven times more each day.

  My mind ends every day exhausted; I hope this won’t cause problems in the future. If I ever feel that fatigue limits my actions or thoughts, I’ll start questioning my schedule.