I finished my training with my grandmother and headed home to have breakfast. My status looks like this:

  Maki: 8 years old. – Advanced Amethyst.

  SKILLS:

  Sword Reinforcement (II) – level 2

  Enhanced Senses – level 13

  Lightning Step (II) – level 2

  Concentrated Spherical Formation (II) – level 2.

  I don’t know when my status changed to Advanced Amethyst; I’ll have to ask tomorrow during training.

  When I reached the dining room, I was surprised to find someone sitting there waiting for me.

  “How are you, son? Was training good?” My father wore the same smile as always, but his eyes looked a little worn, the dark circles beneath them deeper than last time.

  “Good, Father. Everything has gone wonderfully, like every day. Are you okay? You look tired.” I didn’t want to sound disrespectful, I just wanted to show my concern.

  “Yes, son. Things have been improving these past few days; the last few weeks have been quite hectic.” He lowered his gaze to his plate and then looked back at me. “Your grandmother told me about your skills, almost all of them are already Rank II, right?”

  “Yes, Father. I’ve been working hard these past weeks, and I’m starting to see the results.” His comment triggered something in my mind and I remembered the change in my status while I was walking here. “Father, I noticed something today. My rank went from Basic Amethyst to Advanced. Why?”

  “Didn’t your grandmother explain it to you? When you obtain three skills at Rank II, your status updates automatically while you’re sleeping. An Advanced Amethyst at only eight years old, that’s impressive, son. You’re the pride of House Vichag.” My father puffed out his chest proudly.

  So there are certain conditions to update your status, and it happens while you’re sleeping. Important information—I need to keep that in mind.

  “I don’t know if I can be called the pride of House Vichag yet, Father. It’s too early for that.” I wasn’t trying to be humble; to be the pride of this house, I need to give back much more than I’ve received.

  My father chuckled softly. “You remind me a lot of your mother when you speak—very mature despite being a child. Not only do you resemble her physically.”

  While we ate and exchanged questions about our daily lives, I learned about the situation in both villages.

  In Talar, the village where I live, there aren’t many issues because we have enough guards to maintain full patrols along the entire border. In Mancor, the other village, things are different—there aren’t enough guards to cover every point, which is why my family members go there every day to help.

  Each village is surrounded by a perimeter made of wood and stone, which helps protect the citizens. A Grade One or Two monster isn’t much of a problem; it would take them some time to break through the perimeter, enough time to receive reinforcements and control the situation.

  The real problem lies in the vegetable and fruit fields outside the perimeter. Guards must patrol those areas daily and clear out monsters; otherwise, villagers could die during their daily work.

  As I tried to think of a solution—something that felt impossible—my father made an unexpected proposal.

  “Maki, do you want to gain battle experience?” I hadn’t expected that question. How could a child just over eight years old help?

  “What do you think, son? Even though you’re eight, you’re an Advanced Amethyst. As long as you don’t end up fighting a particularly strong Rank Two monster, you won’t have problems. Of course, you’ll be accompanied by someone of Sapphire rank, so there won’t be any danger. But if you don’t want to go, that’s fine too.” His words made me reconsider everything; he was right.

  My father clarified my doubts immediately; I didn’t even have time to ask. For someone so cheerful and carefree, lately he’s been able to read situations and act accordingly.

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  “Can you give me a little time, Father? Two or three days will be enough. I do want to gain experience fighting monsters, but I need to raise my last skill to Rank II first. When that happens, I’ll be ready to go.” According to my father and grandmother, I won’t have any trouble fighting Grade One monsters. Honestly, I think so too; I just need a safety net for emergencies, and my Enhanced Senses skill might be my most important survival card.

  He waved his hands side to side in a sign of refusal. “Don’t rush, son. It was just a proposal; it’s entirely up to you whether you want to go or not. Don’t pressure yourself if you don’t want to.”

  His actions made me smile. No matter how serious the topic, he’s always himself.

  “Father, I do want to go. I just need to feel a bit safer. I also feel close to obtaining a skill related to concentration; I’ll work hard to get it in these two or three days.” I’ve felt slight changes—my intuition is warning me about something new.

  My father scratched his head, looking confused. “A concentration-related skill? Those are quite difficult to obtain. I never got one.”

  “You don’t have one? Isn’t that a basic skill for any fighter or mage?” I was genuinely surprised.

  I could see him rubbing his chin as he focused on his answer. “No, I never managed to get one. It can be considered a basic skill, but not everyone obtains one. It’s not as easy as you make it sound.”

  “I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.” I’m sure he’s hiding something; his eyes give it away.

  We both finished eating almost at the same time. My father said goodbye and hurried out, having spent more time than planned talking with me.

  As I returned to the training room with my daily snacks, I began thinking about the proposal.

  “If I want experience, there’s a knot of conflicting emotions inside me. On one hand, the excitement of fighting monsters for the first time in my life and helping my family; on the other, the fear of dying in battle. Maybe if I obtain that concentration skill, I can calm this fear…”

  I need to stop talking to myself while walking; someone might think I’m going crazy.

  Back in my training room, I began training my concentration skill. At the same time, I put on the blindfold and moved around the wooden obstacles, slowly starting to feel their positions.

  If I walk slowly, it’s almost impossible to trip or hit myself. I can “see” the objects around me a little, though I don’t know what to call this ability to perceive without my eyes.

  The problem comes when I start running or moving quickly; my “vision” can’t keep up with my body’s speed. I hope to fix that when my skill evolves.

  My grandmother was also surprised this morning. I can now differentiate how many energy spheres she forms around me, even though the diameter is still small—about eight meters in total. We practiced by moving her spheres while I tried to intercept them with mine, a wonderful exercise for both Enhanced Senses and magic control at the same time.

  “I should skip Lightning Step training today… I don’t like changing my routine…” I throw an internal tantrum at myself. I honestly like being very organized in my life, but circumstances don’t always allow it.

  I continue training my concentration while moving between the wooden obstacles, increasing my speed with each movement.

  After a few hours, my head starts spinning and I feel a dull pounding in my brain. Using both skills at the same time consumes more concentration than expected.

  The day ended without obtaining a new skill. I feel it’s very close; just a little more and I’ll acquire it.

  As for Enhanced Senses, I managed to gain one more point in the skill. I only need one more level to reach level fifteen and evolve it.

  The next day, I talked a bit with my grandmother while we practiced. Now that I can feel her mana around me, I can devote some concentration to casual conversation for a few minutes while she gradually increases the difficulty.

  “Have you made a decision, Maki?” I was a bit taken aback by my grandmother’s question.

  “A decision? About what, Grandma?” If this were a cartoon, there’d be a big question mark over my head.

  “Don’t play dumb—about going to fight monsters. Your father consulted your mother and me before making that proposal to you. At first, we thought it was reckless, but after analyzing it, we didn’t see it as such a bad idea.”

  “Oh, about that… my answer was yes. I’m just a bit confused by the feelings in my heart. I’m excited to help and fight, but at the same time, I’m afraid of something unexpected happening and losing everything I’ve achieved.” The fear of death is always there.

  “Little one,” her voice grew much softer and more compassionate. “We won’t let you die, nor will we let you be seriously injured. Maybe a few hits and bruises would be fine.” Her small laugh afterward gave me the reassurance I needed.

  “Having fear is the first step to becoming brave. Facing deadly situations even while afraid makes you a hero. You’ll never stop feeling fear, Maki. You’ll always face situations where enemies could kill you; you just need to learn to live with it and harden your heart.”

  Her words left me stunned. I hadn’t expected that kind of motivation at a moment like this. I didn’t realize it then, but those words followed me throughout my life, making me stronger in moments when fear tried to consume me.

  “Thank you, Grandma. I’ve found a new flame in my heart. You always say the right words at the perfect moment.” My ignited heart wants to use this emotional fuel to crush monsters.

  “I’ll always be here to help you, little one.” She came closer and gently patted my head, her soft smile making me smile back.