I rented a private training room and stepped inside, the door closing behind me with a soft hiss. The air was still, dense with the faint hum of mana reserves built into the walls. Perfect for focus.
Taking a steady breath, I rolled my shoulders and began my preparations.
First—Mirror Veil.
A ripple of glasslike filaments spiraled around me, splitting my outline into shifting fragments of light. My reflection blurred, fractured—three afterimages moving just a heartbeat behind my own. It didn't enhance my power, but it would throw off an opponent's aim.
–50 MP
"Not bad," I murmured, watching the illusion shimmer before fading.
Next, I extended a hand. Flash.
A glowing sphere materialized in my palm, swelling until it burst into a blinding wave of light. The brilliance flooded the room—but my eyes remained untouched.
–30 MP
The afterglow faded, leaving motes of gold hanging in the air. I dropped to a seated position, closing my eyes as I began circulating mana through my core and limbs. The familiar rhythm steadied my breath, drawing my focus inward until my MP bar crept back up.
Once full, I moved to the next spell. Nova Flare.
Particles of radiant light shimmered around me, spiraling into a dense orb that pulsed with heat. The sphere contracted, then detonated in a burst of azure brilliance. A three-meter ring of scorched stone smoldered at my feet.
–150 MP
Sweat traced the line of my jaw. I inhaled slowly, resuming Mana Circulation, then layered in Mana Sense and Harmonic Resonance.
The shift was instant.
The world dimmed—not darker, but calmer, the edges of everything glowing faintly in a cool blue monotone. I could feel the furniture, the walls, even the hum of mana lines woven through the floor. Every current of energy pulsed like a heartbeat, alive and distinct.
Minutes blurred by. When I finally opened my eyes, the spectral vision remained, superimposed faintly over reality.
Curious, I cast Mirror Veil again. Through the new lens, I saw it differently—no vessels, no density. Just pure mana woven seamlessly into shape. Hollow, perfect, artificial.
So that's what an illusion really looked like.
I began moving while maintaining the sight, testing my balance, pushing my endurance. Thirty minutes later, the strain hit, but I'd held it longer than expected. Enough for now.
Time for the older spells—the ones that had become skills.
I extended my hand.
Lux.
Five orbs of soft white light drifted from my palm, hovering silently behind me like tiny moons.
–50 MP
Next: Lux Hastae. I thrust my hand forward.
Nothing.
–40 MP
Odd. A partial drain meant it hadn't failed entirely. Turning, I saw it—four white orbs still floating, and one now transformed into a spear of golden light.
So that was it. Hastae wasn't separate—it was drawn from Lux itself.
I caught the spear, the warmth humming through my fingers, then pressed the edge against my arm, nicking the skin. One Lux orb floated forward, bursting into white radiance as I whispered:
Lux Particulae.
The cut sealed instantly.
I froze, blinking. "They're… connected?"
Normally, spells stood alone—each bound to its own incantation. But these? They were evolving links in a single system. Light becoming form, form becoming purpose.
I tried to reverse it, to turn the spear back into an orb. Nothing. Forward only, never back.
For hours, I repeated the process—summoning, transforming, refining. My control deepened. I found my limit: thirty Lux orbs at once. Every five could fuse into a radiant spear on command.
Experimenting further, I cast Nova Flare and Flash simultaneously, weaving them through the floating orbs. With careful flow control, I managed to stabilize it all. Balance and rhythm—those were the keys.
When I finally turned to Photon Step, my pulse quickened.
I whispered the incantation under my breath. My body dissolved into pure light.
The next instant, I was across the room.
It worked—but only barely. Controlling the movement mid-flash demanded perfect synchronization with ambient mana. Even a minor frequency drift sent my trajectory askew.
Again. And again.
For hours, I moved—light to shadow, flicker to gleam—until every cell in my body remembered the rhythm.
By evening, I stepped out of the training room drenched in sweat, lungs burning, but smiling.
At the dining hall, the smell of real food hit me like nostalgia. I devoured a steaming plate of stew, the warmth sinking deep into tired muscles.
Back in my room, I pulled up my status screen.
New Skills Acquired
– Mana Sense [All text in red — the system couldn't determine the nature of the skill]
Unreadable fragments filled the description. Not an error—just proof I'd touched something beyond my current tier.
– Harmonic Resonance
A faint smile tugged at my lips. Two new additions, and both hinted at things I barely understood. The system couldn't read them—meaning they weren't bound by the usual rules.
As for Photon Step, it still didn't appear on the list, but I could use it chantlessly now.
It wasn't just a movement skill anymore.
It was freedom—pure, blinding freedom.
Traps, illusions, ambushes—it wouldn't matter. I could pass through them, faster than thought.
Tomorrow, I'd face the obstacle course.
And this time, I wasn't just ready.
I was light in motion.