Not all abilities were created equal.
As not all Gods were created equal.
Floating in the infinite abyss, Ivan pulled out the leather book. He opened it and looked at the pages.
When he mistakenly prayed to the Endless Astral Overseer, there was a strong desire to live and survive the threat of the two men.
However, that was not all.
As the Gods could feel the most prominent desire, they could also feel the subtle desires underneath that push the prominent desire upwards.
What did he want?
Long ago, in his rural town near the edges of the Ergo Continent, there was once an iridescent tree. It shone brightly with prismatic colors that exuded terrific mana and strength.
It was the town's treasure.
And they would do anything to keep such a mystical existence alive.
However, dirty noblemen had came to the town in order to take the tree away from their grasps.
"Do you not know what this is? It's a tree that was made by the concentrated essence of the World Tree. Do you not realize what this means? A tree like this only sprouts every few dozen years due to how rare the essence cultivates around the Ergo Continent. We simply must have it!"
The protectors of the town tried their best, but the noblemen managed to get their way and overwhelmed them with superior magic.
In the end, what was left was a mere stump of what once was.
"I was powerless to protect something that my people treasured," Ivan gritted his teeth.
Never again.
He never wants to experience that ever again.
To never experience such a thing--
"I must become the strongest in order to be able to protect everyone."
He knew the naivety and foolishness of such a dream. Protecting everyone was impossible, but he still drew his breath and walked that path.
Whether it is foolish--it did not matter to him.
This was his ambition.
The underlying desire that the Endless Astral Overseer perceived within that moment of selfishness.
That is why it granted him a tool to forge that path.
[Mana Genius]
A type of accelerated learning within the field of magic.. It was much different from Grace's personal skill to summon blades, as this was not a skill that can be manifested but rather utility to assist Ivan in learning at a faster rate.
"It probably won't be able to be improved unlike manifestation techniques."
A passive skill was not uncommon, but many of the skills can be lackluster due to the ritual not only being imperfect but the sincerity and desire being lackluster as well.
But this is the skill that I needed. All this time, I've struggled improve and hone my skills due to my lack of ability. Ivan mused.
Now, however, he was ready.
To change his fate.
~~~
The training halls were particularly abundant today. This was because the duel between Ivan and Eavahn and the duel between Grace and Albert had gained traction and the rumor spread rather quickly all throughout the years.
However, the majority of the audience today was the first-years.
Ivan walked alone, entering one of the arenas. Standing quietly, he calmly waited as Eavahn walked through the great number of students with a slight scowl on his face. On his side was a sheathed sword.
"I didn't think it'd be this popular," he said truthfully. "But I guess that means there will be more eyes to witness your defeat." He grinned arrogantly.
Ivan narrowed his eyes.
He had a general gist of what this guy was trying to do. Though however obvious he wanted it to be, the subtle climbing of the ladder was his intention.
He's confident in himself. Does he have something up his sleeve? Ivan thought. He shook his head as he looked at the boy.
Outside of the arena, spectators began to rumble.
"Start!"
"Start!"
"Start!"
"Start!"
Eavahn smirked, looking around before his eyes landed on Ivan.
"Let's get started, shall we?"
"I was thinking thing," Ivan responded.
Usually duels would have a person in between them start the fight, but none of that was used for this. Instead, it was as if their hearts were intertwined. The single next beat deciding their judgement.
Swoosh!
Their bodies flung forward. After they had closed in on each other, Eavahn swiftly unsheathed his sword, his blade traversing from his hip to the neck of Ivan's.
Quick... Ivan thought. Ducking down, avoided the swing of the iron that would have injured him. Outstretching his hand forward, Ivan began to charge a spell.
Mana began to take form, turning into a small sphere of water on the palm of his hand.
Water bullet!
A basic technique that could be taught anywhere. And it is what Ivan knew how to use best--the most basic of techniques.
"Tch!"
Eavahn backed away, narrowly avoiding the water condense into a straight line and push towards his chest. He held the hilt of his sword tightly, analyzing Ivan's intentions. Once a strong silence was all that could be discerned, Eavahn applied pressure.
Swish!
Swish!
Ivan dodged, leaning back. He narrowed his eyes, noticing that the speed of which he drew his sword was much slower than now. Before, the way the blade was swung could not be underestimated. But, looking at it now--it was much slower.
Could it be? He thought.
Eavahn's technique wasn't anything remotely special.
[Quick Draw]
A power imparted to him by a God of Swiftness, it allowed for each unsheathe of the blade to be 2x faster than regular. However, that meant that every single swing needed to be intentional.
Everything must have a purpose!
Eavahn jumped up, his face lighting up with fury. He sheathed his blade, time seemingly lasting for an eternity.
Faster! Eavahn thought, unsheathing his blade. The blade was swung once again and Ivan felt the sharp metal cut through his academy uniform and drawing blood from his chest.
Agh... He drew back, touching the center of his chest. His face was contorted into a grimace as he looked at Eavahn as he landed back on the ground.
"Yield."
Ivan now had a small gist of what his ability was.
The speed in which he unsheathed his blade--that's his technique. His sensitivity to mana was now at a level that was almost unnatural, so he was able to briefly see the surge of foreign mana course through Eavahn's arm as he unsheathed the blade.
A passive ability.
If that's the case... A flame appeared in his hand.
I'll target the blade! His body, now surging with confidence, did not hold back. He flew forward, mana entrancing his fingertips. Eavahn gripped his blade tightly, beads of sweat cladding his face.
Badump!
Does he know? Eavahn pulled himself to the side, narrowly avoiding a bullet of fire.
"Too late," Ivan appeared where Eavahn had landed, preemptively reacting to his sudden movement. It was the same tactic that he had saw Alice pull in order to pull victory to her side.
Before Eavahn could dodge, Ivan caught the blade, the metal slightly drawing a slither of blood from Ivan's palm. At the level in which he was at he could not melt the iron, however, he could make it so the blade could not be wielded.
Fwoom!
Fire entranced the blade, traveling from one end of the blade to the other. The fire swayed violently and Eavahn was forced to pull back. Ivan threw the iron blade away, his eyes soon drawing towards Eavahn.
There was no need to prolong the duel than it was needed.
"You lose."
Eavahn's eyes stared into Ivan's cold gaze.