"Mana Control has reached level fifteen, potential evolution paths are being unlocked..."

  "Advanced Mana Control, Spherical Formation, Linear Formation, Concentrated Spherical Formation."

  My sword skill remained at level fourteen. I haven't felt any improvement today. I was confident that my sword skill would be the first to reach level fifteen.

  I should ask Grandma about this tomorrow... First, let's analyze the options—I have to choose one.

  Advanced Mana Control sounds like a direct upgrade to my current mana control—I like that.

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

  Let's rule out the second and third options. It's now between Advanced Mana Control and Concentrated Spherical Formation. The first sounds like a better choice if you like to control mana for a variety of attacks, and the second is my signature skill: creating spheres and concentrating mana inside them to make them more powerful.

  I don’t know if the system is unfair enough to restrict 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 is definitely better.

  "I need to decide... I'll follow my instincts."

  Afraid of losing flexibility, I chose the last option.

  "Mana Control has evolved into Concentrated Spherical Formation."

  I took a deep breath and, with both excitement and fear, decided to test my new skill.

  "Let’s try making an ice sphere first." The process felt smoother—it took much less time and was easier overall. I added concentrated mana to the center of the sphere, and again, it was faster. I poured in more mana than my previous limit, and there was no problem. It’s a huge improvement—the skill has become very useful.

  "I’m scared… let’s test if I can still make other shapes of mana..." To my surprise—and relief—I can. The problem I notice is the time: it hasn’t improved at all; it’s still the same.

  I try making different concentrated spheres, and I can immediately feel the difference. Holding three was impossible before. Now, I can hold two without much mental effort, and with three, I need to focus nearly my entire mind. If I use two concentrated and two normal spheres, I can barely move, but at least I could use them in battle.

  After about thirty minutes of testing all sorts of things, I can conclude one thing: my ability to control mana in non-spherical shapes remains the same—no increase, no decrease—which is good if I want to train other shapes in the future. As for the spheres, now I can use them as attacks or distractions while I get close to my opponent. It's become a skill to seriously consider in combat.

  I wonder, why hasn’t my sword skill improved?

  Quick Step is two levels away from reaching fifteen, and Enhanced Senses needs four more.

  I must ask my grandmother tomorrow. I hope I don’t forget.

  "Grandma, can I ask you something before we begin?" She was almost ready for our daily session. She looked at me for a moment and nodded.

  "My sword skill should have reached level fifteen yesterday, based on recent increases, but I haven't felt any improvement. Do you know if I need to do something else?"

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  "Level fourteen already? That’s fast. Kid, your skill hasn’t leveled up for a simple reason—you haven’t infused it with mana or Imra. For any skill to evolve to level two, it must be combined with mana or Imra. It’s a basic requirement. There are exceptions, but for such a basic skill, it's mandatory."

  "I see… What do you recommend I use?" I don’t know which is better. I have plenty of mana in my body for an Amethyst-level, but on the other hand, I don’t have any skills based on Imra. I’ve never trained it directly.

  "That’s a hard one. Mana is really useful in some cases, and the same goes for Imra." She took a few minutes in silence, thinking.

  "Use your Imra. It's the best choice for you, Maki. You have an enviable mana pool, but you're already training mana-related skills. On the other hand, you've never used Imra for anything. It’s always good to have a variety of skills for different types of combat. You’ll understand in time."

  "Got it, Grandma. How do I use it?"

  My grandma isn’t a weapon fighter, but she explained everything she could with great detail. With her years of experience, this kind of thing is easy for her. Teaching a beginner just a bit is simple.

  "I see. I need to focus on my aura and try to coat my swords with it. I think I get the theory. I’ll try it this afternoon." I want to try now, but I must respect my training schedule.

  "Yes, it’s not easy, but you’ll master it somehow. If you struggle too much, ask your father—he coats his axe with Imra."

  "I will. By the way, Grandma, I already got a level two skill."

  "WHAT?! YOU WHAT?! Which skill?" Her eyes widened like plates and she looked shocked. Why? My sword skill is almost level 15—it’s not strange for the others to be close too.

  "The skill is Mana Control—it evolved into Concentrated Spherical Formation." I proudly formed two spheres right then and there, one normal and one concentrated.

  "You idiot child! Why didn’t you ask us before choosing?" It’s the first time I’ve heard a hint of anger in her voice. I had never seen her like this.

  "I had to evolve it on the spot—the notification came without warning." I try to excuse myself from her anger. It didn’t quite work.

  "Maki, don’t be dumb. You can just look at the options without choosing right away. If you focus on storing the notifications, they disappear and can later be recalled into your mind." She looked at me with disappointment in her eyes—like I was a dumb kid. I had forgotten what that felt like.

  "I didn’t know, Grandma. No one told me. I made the choice out of fear that I wouldn’t be able to evolve it later." I put on my best sad, ashamed kid face. Being a kid has its perks.

  "Don’t act like a child. You’re just making excuses—we both know your mindset isn’t that of an eight-year-old." Crap, she saw through me.

  She let out a long sigh and looked at me, resigned. "It doesn’t matter, Maki. I don’t know if it was a good or bad choice, but you followed your instincts—and you can trust those. At most, we can only give you information and help you choose. We don’t know which skill is best for you either."

  "Let me just say this, kid—your mana skill is excellent. Those spheres formed quickly and are packed with mana. They should be able to kill a Rank 1 monster with weak defenses in one hit. That’s really impressive."

  "Really? That’s good to know. Thanks, Grandma."

  We talked a little more about the skill, then continued training.

  My routine was the same as every day—it was time to practice with my swords. I sat down and focused my Imra through my body toward my swords. I needed to feel them as extensions of my arms.

  After a few minutes of concentration, I could feel my aura taking the shape of the swords. Right now, it only covered the hilts, and the layer was as thin as a leaf.

  After about three hours of training, I managed to increase the thickness to two leaves—but it was still as fragile as glass. I hadn’t managed to coat the full blades, only about 20%. Not bad for one day.

  "I’m not practicing Quick Step today—this aura manipulation is way more exciting." Some exceptions are worth breaking the schedule for.

  Seven hours total spent trying to coat my swords, and I finally did it. Halfway through, I gave up on the thickness and went back to just one leaf layer.

  I moved slowly to avoid losing concentration. Any sudden motion could break the coating. I spent the next hour swinging my swords slowly, trying to get comfortable. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have better control.

  As I focused for seven hours on coating my swords, a question came to mind—why am I so good at improving my skills?

  All those hours sitting gave me time to figure it out—I have a lot of free time to train. Grandma said something similar.

  If I train seven hours and someone else trains one hour a day, I’m doing a week’s worth of training in a single day. The difference is massive. If someone needs to practice a skill for seven months to raise it, I could do it in just one month if I train seven times harder.

  My mind ends up tired every day—I hope this won’t cause problems later. If I start feeling burnt out, I’ll reconsider the schedule.