“Level 10!” Derek let out a satisfied sigh as he checked the glowing status window in front of him. He slumped down tiredly onto the cold cave floor, his body aching from the constant fights. His muscles burned from exertion, and his knuckles were scraped raw from the relentless combat. His body was once again marred with cuts and bruises.

On the plus side, he had finally killed enough crabs to hit level 10, what he could only hope to be the next milestone.

The merwoman had already applied the green salve on his injuries, the cool, soothing sensation spreading across his battered skin. Derek leaned back, letting out a deep breath as the medicine began to work its magic. The pain dulled, and he could feel the familiar tingling as his wounds began to heal.

He glanced up at the merwoman, who stood silently nearby, watching him with her usual unreadable expression. Derek stared at her for a moment before willing the system notifications to open up. He had heard many during the fight and he couldn’t wait to take a look at them. Considering that he was offered additional skills at level 5, he hoped there would be more at level 10.

[Ding! You have gained experience points]

[Ding! You have leveled up]

[Lvl 9 > Lvl 10]

[Ding! You have gained Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Intelligence +1 and Wisdom +1]

[Ding! You have gained 1 free stat point]

[Ding! Congratulations on reaching level 10. You can now choose one class skill to learn]

[Mana Barrier: Form a shield around yourself or allies using condensed mana. This barrier absorbs a portion of physical and magical damage, providing temporary defense.]

[Mana Bullet: Fire a concentrated projectile of condensed mana toward your target. Deals moderate magical damage and can be used at range.]

[Mana Surge: Temporarily gather your mana in the area of choice and amplify its potency, increasing the power and effectiveness of your mana-based attacks or abilities. Can enhance a specific skill or body part, such as fists for combat, creating a focused surge for a limited time.]

Bingo! Derek grinned. He was correct. This time it was not basic skills, he was instead offered three class skills. Finally! He had been waiting for this. It was not fair that they had all been dumped into a new world with magic and yet offered very little guidance on how to use it. Thankfully, at least now he had some sort of a starting point.

Derek examined the skills carefully, weighing the options in his mind. Each of them seemed powerful in its own way. Mana Barrier offered defense, something he hadn’t really focused on but knew could be useful in tougher battles. He’d already taken a lot of hits, and having a shield could buy him time in critical moments.

Mana Bullet offered a ranged attack, something that could keep him out of immediate danger. He imagined being able to hit enemies from afar, especially if they were too fast or dangerous to fight up close.

He was not going to lie. This was very tempting, especially considering he had already developed a half-baked version of it shooting out of his eye. If he actually learned the skill, he would finally understand what he was missing and what he needed to do to improve. He would learn a lot.

Then there was Mana Surge—the ability to enhance his own strength and attacks. This felt more in line with his current hand-to-hand combat approach. He could envision his punches, already deadly, becoming even more powerful when infused with mana. This could give him a brutal edge in fights.

His mind was made up.

Derek selected Mana Barrier.

Sure, Mana Surge was probably the best option for him at the moment. Considering his fighting style so far, it would quickly increase his attack power. Heck, it could even make the difference between him getting out of this place alive and not. But… So what? What was the point in him getting out alive if he was going to be killed by anything and everything on the outside?

This new world was the rest of his life. Derek’s guts screamed that he needed to start investing long-term and he always listened to his guts.

Both Mana Barrier and Mana Bullets were emission type skills where mana shoots out of him forming a barrier or a bullet. This was just a boiled down version. There was probably more to the skills than that.

Derek didn’t really care about that right now. He had already partly figured out how to shoot out rays of mana as an offensive technique. It might be a really small headway but he did not want to waste this chance on that. He was confident if he kept trying more he would eventually get there.

Instead, selecting Mana Barrier allowed him to both learn a new technique and help get more insights into the other one. He might even end up learning two skills at the cost of one. So for him it was a no brainer. Mana Barrier it was!

As soon as Derek selected Mana Barrier, a surge of energy pulsed through him. His body reacted instinctively, mana swirling around him like a protective shell for a moment before dissipating. He felt the skill settle within him, a new layer of power at his command.

[Ding! You have selected the class skill: Mana Barrier.]

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Derek took a deep breath, feeling the comforting weight of the new ability. He thought that just like before when he learned the language skill, knowledge would be crammed into his brain this time too and perhaps he might be able to instantly master it. However, that was not the case.

While he now knew how to do it, execution was going to be all him. It would probably take time and practice to fully master it, but even now, he could sense the potential for protection and defense, something he had sorely lacked up until now.

The merwoman observed him, her cold eyes glinting as she studied his reaction to the new skill. Derek wondered if she knew what had just happened, if she could sense the change in him. But as usual, she remained silent, enigmatic as ever.

Shifting his focus back to the skill, Derek muttered to himself, testing the feel of it. "Mana Barrier..." He closed his eyes and focused on the flow of mana in his body, trying to call forth the barrier.

Slowly, he could feel the mana shifting and seeping out of him from all over his body, pooling into an invisible force around him. A faint shimmer appeared in the air, surrounding him like a protective bubble.

Satisfied with his first attempt, Derek opened his eyes and nodded. This was going to be useful, especially when the next wave of monsters inevitably came. However, there was still a lot for him to learn and absorb.

The skill actually helped him less than he thought it would. While the execution of the skill was straightforward enough, he had little to no control over it. He could follow his mana flowing out of his body somewhat but even that was with the help of the skill.

It was as if there was a black box in between the start and end of the skill. He knew nothing about this black box. If mana seeped out of his body, then what was holding it in place in the defensive formation?

He needed to practice more.

He summoned the Mana Barrier again, this time focusing more on how the mana flowed from his core. He watched as the shimmering protective bubble enveloped him, faint but solid enough to offer some protection. The barrier lasted for all of 30 seconds before quietly dissipating.

Again.

Studying the process intently, he repeated the whole thing again and again. He was able to conjure the barrier a total of five times when he realized he had run out of mana. Mana consumption of this skill was definitely better than Water Fist but it still sucked. How should he go about increasing his mana capacity?

Derek pulled up his status screen.

[Status Screen]

Name: Derek Blake

Class: Mage

Level: 10

Rank: Novice

Race: Human

Affiliation: Earth

Health: 100/300

Mana: 50/350

Strength: 24

Agility: 26

Endurance: 19

Intelligence: 27

Wisdom: 24

Free stat points: 0

[Skills Unlocked]

Core Skills: Mana Barrier, Mana Manipulation, Water Fist, Water Manipulation, Wave Shift

Auxiliary Skills: Focus, Meditation, Swimming

***

Derek examined the attributes and rubbed his chin. So far he had been investing his free points in strength and agility. This was fine because it helped him in his fights so far but now that he had reached level 10, perhaps it was time to start investing more in other stats.

This meant that he also had to make some choices. Was he going to go down the strength route or was he going to go down the magic path?

Derek let out a deep breath. In all honesty he did not mind the hand to hand combat but he gazed at the puddle of water collected at the corner of the cave from the dripping ceiling. He was not ready to give up on the water. Maybe making a decision at the moment would be too hasty. He wanted to see how things progressed.

Derek thought about it for some more time before laughing. Who was he kidding? He wanted to go on a pure mage path. Wielding water as the extension of himself excited him more than anything. He snapped out of it and closed his eyes. It was time for practice.

He was slowly recovering his mana naturally and in the meantime he started his meditation technique where he mentally visualized the flow of mana and the execution of the skill again and again.

With every inhale, he imagined gathering more mana, and with each exhale, he directed it outward, envisioning the Mana Barrier solidifying around him, shimmering faintly.

As the minutes ticked by, Derek could feel his control improving. Each time he summoned the barrier, it felt a little easier, as if his mind and body were aligning with the magic. After a while, he opened his eyes and stood up. His health was full and his injuries were healed, it was time to go hunting again.

Derek only had to take a few steps when the next wave of crabs appeared in front of him. This time though they were bigger and were of a darker shade. “Perfect. Time to test out the new version.”

Before the crabs reached him, he quickly tugged at his mana and pulled all the floating mana specs to his right hand. This was better than gathering mana in his eyes since his vision was not affected this way. He could also feel the mana specs empowering his hand, ready to burst out.

Derek forcefully brought as many as he could to his index finger tip and then pointed it at the crabs like a finger gun.

Bang! A blob of mana shot from his fingertip, streaking through the air like a miniature comet. The blob collided with the nearest crab, hitting it with a satisfying crack as the energy burst on impact. The crab reeled back, its shell cracked, and Derek watched as it struggled to steady itself.

“Looks like it works!” he muttered, a grin spreading across his face. Finally, a ranged attack that worked! The potential opened up his mind to new strategies he hadn’t been able to use before.

He gathered his focus again, feeling the mana pool within him. He channeled it into his fingertips one more time, this time drawing slightly more, envisioning a continuous stream instead of a single shot.

The mana gathered and condensed, growing hot against his skin as he pointed it toward the advancing crabs.

With a swift exhale, he let the energy loose. A series of mana blobs fired in rapid succession, each shot hitting the same crab with precision. He managed to get out three mana blobs in succession and by the time the third one hit, the crab completely shattered and chunks of it flew in different directions. Two out of crabs were out of commission just like that.

He did not want to fully bottom out his mana reserves so he stopped with the skill testing and rushed forward to pummel the rest in person. His fists were still tingling from the mana surge, and although he did not circulate his mana anymore, he could feel the residual energy amplifying his strikes.

The nearest crab lunged at him, pincers raised. Derek sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the snapping claws, and drove his fist down into the creature’s exposed shell. A satisfying crack echoed through the cave as his blow sent it skittering back, momentarily stunned.

Using the momentum, Derek pivoted to the next crab, dodging an incoming swipe. He unleashed a flurry of punches, each one fueled by the remnants of his mana, cracking through the crab’s armor until it collapsed under the force.

By the time the last crab fell, Derek’s breaths were coming in heavy pants. He took a step back, scanning the battlefield strewn with the remains of his opponents. The combination of his newly refined mana attacks and raw, close-range power had been devastating, far more effective than he’d expected.

Derek allowed himself a small smile, feeling the weight of both exhaustion and satisfaction. For the first time since shit hit the fan he felt as if he had yanked back an ounce of control over his life. He walked forward ready to smash the next wave of crabs when suddenly the merwoman hissed.

“If I were you I would take a short break, my liege. Your next battle would be your true test.”