The sun shined in my eyes, waking me from a restless sleep. With a start, I jolted upright, my heart racing as I tried to make sense of where I was. Instead of the hollow shell of the massive lifeless tree where I’d sought shelter the night before, I saw the clear blue sky stretching endlessly above me.
Where's this? I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the confusion. A sense of unease settled in my chest. Where am I? I took a deep breath of fresh air, the scent of wildflowers filling my lungs, and tried to assess my situation.
A dull ache in my side drew my attention. Lifting my shirt, I saw only a faint, barely noticeable scar where a deep gash had been just yesterday. The deep gash that had been there yesterday was now almost completely healed. My fingers, too, looked perfect, as if yesterday's injuries had been but a bad dream.
Relief washed over me, mingled with bewilderment. How had my wounds healed so quickly? I flexed my fingers, marveling at the smoothness of my skin.
In the distance, a dark forest loomed, its shadows deep and foreboding. Closer to me, the plains stretched out, dotted with wildflowers and the occasional rock formation. The contrast was striking: serene plains against the ominous forest. But my situation was more absurd than the scenery. Before I could understand the situation, a new screen flashed before my eyes.
2nd Quest — The Trial of Skills
Survive, Thrive, Kill.
At least one kill is required to move to the third day. The Quest will update with a suitable monster for you to improve your skills.
Starts in 00:27:42 Minutes.
Tokens Secured: 2
The quest was quite personal from what I could understand. What twist would it include? I currently have three system skills, with mana manipulation— likely being targeted.
My stomach grumbled loudly, reminding me that I hadn't eaten in hours. It must have been some dungeon shenanigan that transported me while I slept, there was no other explanation.
Thankfully, my food bag was here too. I reached in and pulled out the last of my provisions: a crusty roll of bread and the last bundle of wrapped jerky. It wasn't much, but I ate quickly, savoring every bite despite their meager offering. The food was dry and unappealing, but it was enough to stave off the hunger pangs for a little longer.
As I chewed, a new shimmering screen suddenly appeared, startling me. It hovered in the air, displaying a new interface with a ranking system. I stared at it, slightly apprehensive.
Competition Rankers
Name — Pillar — Year — Tokens
* Kael Ryker — Valerian — 2nd Year — 11 tokens
* Elara Thorn — Ascendent — 2nd Year — 9 tokens
* Seraphine Vale — Obsidian — 1st Year — 9 tokens
* Marik Draven — Valerian — 2nd Year — 8 tokens
* Talia Moon — Mystical — 2nd Year — 8 tokens
* Orion Black — Merchant — 2nd Year — 8 tokens
* Arin Lyra — Obsidian — 1st Year — 7 tokens
* Freya Star — Artifier — 2nd Year — 7 tokens
…
My eyes immediately drawn to the two Obsidian students in 3rd and 7th places: a girl named Seraphine Vale and a boy named Arin Lyra.
Scrolling further down, I found myself at 97th:
97. Nova — Obsidian — 1st Year — 2 tokens
Kael Ryker, the top ranker, had amassed 11 tokens, significantly ahead of everyone else. Elara Thorn and Seraphine Vale both had 9 tokens, but Kael had logged more, securing his lead.
The top three names glowed in their respective pillar colors, their achievements seeming almost unattainable. They must have faced countless challenges to earn those tokens. In 7th place, Arin Lyra had 7 tokens—a solid performance but still a ways off from the top. The rest of the top 10 were scattered across different pillars, but first-year obsidians secured two spots.
Obsidian students sure as hell are little monsters. How did they manage to rank so high? Thankfully, I'm at the bottom of the barrel. No one should come to find trouble with little old me.
As I absorbed this new reality, a distant roar echoed from the dark forest. My heart pounded in my chest, and I quickly packed up my things. This was no time to dwell on rankings.
2nd Quest — The Trial of Skills
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Survive, Thrive, Kill.
Kill the monsters in the Mistshade Willow Forest. At least one kill is required to move to the third day.
Token Secured: 2
I looked at the vast forest and started walking toward it. Checking my pocket, the golden token was no longer there, but the green medallion remained.
My sword blade was chipped from yesterday's fight, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t fix. Constructing a mana thread, a small burst of mana flowed into the blade, restoring it to its pristine condition. This sword might not have many features, but it was worth borrowing for ten points.
But there was another thing that made me perplexed. There was no level change as I had hoped from the previous fight. If there was anything wrong, I wasn't sure. But I felt robbed of my battle. Killing a monster above five levels should be enough to level up a lvl 0 human, but I wasn't. Frustration welled up within me, but I tried to push it aside as I checked my status.
Name: Nova
Titles: Traveler, Heroic
Class: —
Level: 0
Status:
Stamina: 71 / 80
Health: 96 / 100
Mana: 129 / 130
Note: 100 is the usual standard for level 0.
Stats:
Strength: 6
Vitality: 5
Dexterity: 9
Constitution: 6
Spirit: 7
Mind: 5
General Skills:
Myriad Languages of the World ( Legendary ) Lvl 2
Identify ( Unique ) Lvl 6
Mana Manipulation Lvl 7
The last few days of Mana filter and swordsmanship training had increased my Mana Manipulation level to 7. However, the lack of progress in increasing my base level gnawed me.
There was no answer coming so I moved on from the topic. No point in dwelling on it. Instead, I changed my focus to the skills. After the fight, I had found a relatively safe spot inside the hollow trunk of a dead tree and slept there after yesterday's exhaustion. The fight highlighted one of my significant faults in spatial perception, but I was sure I could break through it.
The battle had clearly shown me how much my spatial awareness was lacking. The enemy's movements were often a blur, and my reactions lagged behind, leading to several close calls. But the biggest problem was my inability to sense anything that wasn't moving. The stillness of the surrounding area left me blind to the terrain, and this was becoming increasingly problematic.
Thankfully, during the clash, there had been a fleeting moment of clarity, a glimpse of how to elevate my spatial perception. This morning, that feeling was more substantial—I was almost sure I could achieve it.
I activated my spatial perception, feeling the familiar mana pattern enveloping my mind. The area around me extended up to ten feet now, an improvement from the previous six. The sense had become clearer after pushing its limits in the last clash.
However, it still only tracked motion, and I was determined to find a way to get a complete picture of my surroundings within those ten feet. The feeling was there— I just had to shape it.
Drawing from my training in Mana Manipulation, I knew imagination played a crucial role in altering patterns. I decided to approach it from a different angle, recalling my old highschool class representation of space in planes and axis. I needed to visualize this knowledge, to embed it into my skill.
First, I imagined the Y-axis running from front to back and the X-axis along the sides. I took a deep breath, focusing on these imaginary lines. My heart beat steadily, a rhythm that matched my growing concentration.
Walking added movements to my spatial perception, so I sat down, crossed my legs, and closed my eyes. The cool ground beneath me and the gentle breeze brushing against my skin helped me center myself. My breathing slowed, becoming rhythmic and calm. I visualized the axes in my mind, seeing them as glowing lines intersecting with me at the core.
As I concentrated, I tried to expand these lines, imagining them stretching outwards, covering the entire ten-foot radius. My body relaxed further, sinking into this mental exercise.
Slowly, the rough outline of a grid began to form in my mind, patches of a crisscross plane emerging from the void. I tried to extend my awareness, pushing the limits of my spatial perception. Each intersection point overlapped a piece of the environment around me, slowly representing the area around me.
As the map of my surroundings was constructed in my mind, I felt the strain increasing. Pushing the boundary to three feet was already challenging, and I had to stop at the five feet mark. It was definitely less distance than before, but it was more detailed. I could sense the rough outline of the ground beneath me, each rise and dip in the terrain becoming clearer.
The mana flow inside my body became smooth. Sweat trickled down my temple, but I didn’t stop. There was no way I was going to fight monsters without any upgrade.
I decided to stay in this state for five minutes, focusing intently on expanding my perception. A familiar ding echoed in my mind, signaling a new development as I opened my eyes.
ding
Would you like to learn the rare skill [ Spatial Perception ]?
I paused, the notification drawing my full attention. Unlike the first time, there was no shock, only a keen anticipation. I mentally confirmed the alert, eager to harness this new skill's potential.
ding
Congratulations, skill [ Spatial Perception ] acquired.
This time, the skill effect was immediate. The difference was substantial. The strain I felt had lessened considerably—
ding
Congratulations! You have used the rare skill [ Spatial Perception ] for the first time.
Spatial Perception Lvl 0 -> Lvl 1
— And I could almost see five feet without any loss.
Finally, I opened my eyes, feeling both exhausted and exhilarated. Though limited to five feet, the detailed awareness of my surroundings was a significant improvement. I stood up, stretching my legs and feeling the slight ache from the prolonged focus.
I rolled my shoulders and swung my sword in a few testing arcs, feeling the enhanced spatial awareness meld with my movements. My mind was clearer, the surroundings within my five-foot radius vividly etched in my consciousness. I could sense the rough outline of the ground beneath me, each rise and dip in the terrain becoming clearer.
[ Mana: 126 / 130 ]
This new level of spatial perception, though still in its infancy, was a valuable tool. I knew that with practice, I could expand this awareness further, eventually covering the entire ten-foot radius with the same level of detail.
Another roar echoed, and for a moment, it felt more substantial than the previous one. Uh, did gaining Spatial Perception just upgrade the monster I had to fight?