I wake up on the rooftop, feeling the gentle light of dawn at my skin.

This is preferred over waking up in my own room, but it simply means the Shadow didn't bother with me.

He definitely could had he wanted to.

Anger accelerates the beat of my heart, my mana Ignites and Surges, and I ignore the pain it brings for a while. I prefer this anger over the helplessness I felt, the sensation of having my life at the hands of someone else.

Only after several minutes do I calm down. I then turn my attention to the message I have been ignoring for a while, confirming.

Congratulations! You have completed your first quest. Keep up the good work!

To earn the quest rewards, please confirm.

I confirm, the previous screen vanishes and another one appears.

You have earned:

- 1000 gold

- Passive skill

To acquire the passive, choose one from the ones offered. The offered choices are based on your performance and achievements thus far.

I look at the new screen, offering me five of these “passive skills”.

 

Adaptive Recovery (Mundane): The body becomes more resistant to the damage it sustained after its recovery. With each instance of damage, the body gradually adapts, gaining resistances to the specific elements or effects involved. Over time, this adaptation reduces the impact of similar damage types, making the user progressively more resilient to recurring harm.

Enhanced Muscular Contraction (Mundane): The muscles of the body experience more powerful and efficient contractions, improving overall strength and physical output. This enhancement increases the effectiveness of physical actions such as lifting, striking, and movement, allowing for greater force to be applied with less fatigue. Over time, the user gains improved stamina and faster recovery from strenuous physical activity.

Corrective Lenses (Mundane): Passively adjusts the eye's light reception to optimize vision in various lighting conditions. This ability enhances clarity and detail, allowing for improved sight in both bright and dim environments, as well as in fluctuating or challenging conditions. Whether it's bright sunlight, low light, or contrasting shadows, the user’s vision remains sharp and adaptive, providing better overall visibility under any circumstance.

Terra-Infused Meridians (Terrestrial): Strengthens the body's meridian system by charging it with Terra, enhancing the flow and capacity of mana. This passive improves the efficiency, potency, and control of spells, reducing fatigue and allowing the user to channel more intense magical energy with less strain. As the meridians are infused, the user gains greater resilience to magical exertion.

Breathing Efficiency (Terrestrial): The breathing process now more effectively absorbs Terra from the air, reducing the need for conventional oxygen while providing a greater source of energy. This allows the user to function with minimal respiration. The result is enhanced stamina, reduced fatigue, and the ability to maintain peak physical and magical performance with far less reliance on air.

 

Using 2 gold, a pen appears in my hand, and I spin it for a while before putting it away.

The Shop now has Terrestrial items, in addition to a long list of passives. Mundane passives range from 500 to 1000 gold, while Terrestrial are 1000 to 5000. It's pretty obvious which is higher, even from the descriptions alone.

I partially summon the display screen of my Status, the bit about my technique.

[Superhuman Techniques]

- Motion Matrix (Mundane)

Fuck.

Superhuman techniques aren't available for purchase in the Shop, so I have no way of comparing my own technique to those so called “higher rank” techniques.

Damn it, this just makes my gruesome death experience so cheap.

Ignoring the other options, I contemplate between Breathing Efficiency and Terra-Infused Meridians. Both aren't just of higher rank but also directly relate to the things I worked on under Sage.

Terra-Infused Meridians will definitely be a big help to my firepower, as long as my Surge becomes that much stronger. But I can do it. Limit Surge can finally be unleashed in its full glory!

Breathing Efficiency will make me physically stronger. There is also the bit about maintaining peak magical performance for longer. Longer Sure should be possible, I believe, to the point I wonder just how long it would be. Could it be as long as half an hour? That'd be incredible.

What'd it be? It seems to be a desicion between increasing the duration of Surge and the power of Limit Surge.

I leap my way home weighing the benefits of the two, stopping near the gate.

Sneaking out is relatively easy, but sneaking in is not an option. Security is too tight.

I waltz right in without saying a thing. It's my own mansion so the guards don't even dare question me.

Good. I'd have fired them had they did.

“I choose Breathing Efficiency,” I say and the display closes.

I freeze from the unexpected flood of pain. My lungs burn as if I breathe fire, and my brain feels as if someone forcibly hammered months worth of mental effort over mere seconds into it.

Barely ordering myself to keep standing, I tremble uncontrollably for several minutes before the pain gradually subsides.

The passive is still inactive, but I will feel it once it's complete.

I chose this one since I noticed while moving something that is pretty significant in combat.

Because of Motion Matrix, I breathe. A lot.

I move my body at an incredible speed, in a reaction time that is virtually nonexistent. My oxygen intake is crazy high as a result. I get tired very fast.

Usually, my battles end fast, but it's because endurance is my weakness. So I need to mitigate it, hence choosing to increase my effective combat duration.

I check my Status.

 

[Percival Reinhardt]
Title: Pioneer - Motion Matrix
Age: 18
Gold: 1038

[Attributes] (Stat Points: 5)
Terra: 6071
Body: 89
Mana: 100
Phantom: 2

[Mana Skills]
- Ignition (Basic)
- Manipulation (Basic)
- Surge (Basic)
- Burning (Basic)
- Body Strengthening (Basic)

[Passive Skills]
- Breathing Efficiency (Terrestrial)

[Superhuman Techniques]
- Motion Matrix (Mundane)

 

So much to do. Quests to complete, skill usage to improve, stats to increase, skills to level up. I should set my priorities and work on it.

I start with going to the training yard. As I walk, I compress my mana and channel it into the crystal, an amount as infinitesimal as I can grasp.

Once I come close enough, I hear the sound of a sword slicing through the air. Someone is already occupying the yard. I could recognize this rhythm anywhere.

I should go.

“I know you are here, Percival.” He seems to be aware of my presence, to my surprise.

Well, it's too late to leave without a word. I reluctantly enter the yard and meet Theodore, my brother.

His hair cut short, brown like mine and dad's. Grey eyes like a storm, unlike mine. There is this greed in his face, yet I see a shadow, his posture uncomfortable. He is dressed in his academy uniform, the same one I had worn until only two months ago.

Our relationship is kind of strained. We don't talk or hang out, both busy doing our own things, and I try to avoid Theo. He wants to become the next duke and is very competitive with me. Still, I know there was genuine fear when he saw me killing people, and I can't even blame. Maybe he liked Chris, and that made it even worse, regardless of the truth.

It's my fault, I know, but there's little I can do to change it now, if at all.

“I... I am sorry,” Theo apologizes, and I can see how much he struggles to speak. “I shouldn't have spoken to you like that.”

“It's fine, I am sorry for scaring you like that.”

We both apologize, but it feels shallow. We just say the thing that we need to say and move on to the next agenda. I don't think either of us will forget what happened anytime soon.

Awkward, I change the subject. “How did you know I was here?”

“I became a Detector.”

This catches me off guard.

“Since when?” I ask.

“About one month ago,” he answers, his voice carrying bits of pride. “I woke up and could just feel the mana of those around me.”

“Juliana didn't tell me that.”

“That's because even Juli doesn't know yet. I haven't told anyone about it.”

“Why?” I ask out of genuine curiosity.

Detectors can't be trained, at least not according to modern knowledge. There were countless attempts at mass-producing people that can sense mana, yet all ended up as failures. It's a talent you either have or you don't.

Although I am sure Sage knows how, but that guy is a freak. And he wouldn't even give me a hint.

Theo forms a serious expression and I feel tension creeping into air. “I wanted you to know that I have achieved something our parents couldn't, as did you.”

“I did?”

Theodore doesn't know I am a Pioneer.

“Your prized technique—”

I have more than one, though.

“—Limit Surge.”

Ah, that one.

I didn't tell him about this one as well, but I prefer that over him knowing I've been a Pioneer this entire time.

“Therefore,” he continues, “I want to duel. If you win, I will do whatever you ask me to. But if I win, you will step down as father's heir.”