The dim candlelight flickered against the stone walls of my room as I sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at my reflection in a small hand mirror. My hands trembled slightly from exhaustion, but I couldn't stop now.

I took a deep breath, focusing.

"Activate."

The moment I willed it, a familiar warmth surged through my body. My vision sharpened instantly, details becoming crisp in a way that felt almost unnatural. The world around me seemed to slow, each flicker of the candle now a gradual dance of embers.

And in the mirror, my eyes burned crimson.

I exhaled.

Step one: Test the basics.

Visual Perception Enhancement

I turned my gaze to a stray feather lying on my desk. Then, I flicked it into the air.

With my normal vision, it would have been nothing more than a blur of motion. But now?

I saw everything. The subtle shifts in air resistance, the way the feather twisted and turned in midair. My reaction speed was heightened to a ridiculous degree—I reached out and caught it effortlessly before it even had the chance to fall back down.

This wasn't just an upgrade—it was a complete rewrite of how I perceived movement.

If I used this in a fight? I would be able to read and dodge attacks with an almost supernatural level of precision.

Step two: Illusions & Mind Influence

The Eclipse vision was known for its powerful illusions, but I had no idea how potent they were in this world. In the game, illusions were just a flashy debuff, easily resisted by strong-willed characters. But here? The effects could be real.

I needed a test subject.

I walked over to the wooden chair in the corner, placed my hand on its surface, and focused.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

With a flicker of mana, I activated a simple illusion-based suggestion—one that would make my brain believe the chair was burning hot.

I hovered my fingers over it… and immediately yanked my hand back as a sharp sting shot up my fingertips.

Holy—! It worked.

Even though I knew it wasn't actually burning, my nerves were completely fooled.

Meaning, in theory, I could do the same thing to people.

I could make an enemy believe they were bound by chains, stabbed through the gut, or frozen in place—without ever touching them.

This was terrifyingly broken.

Then last but not least most broken of them.

Voidstep (Trait)

Ability: Allows the user to phase through objects and enter a personal pocket dimension. They can teleport by stepping through space itself.

Drawback: Excessive use strains the body, causing severe disorientation or temporary blindness.

(In game void step was not included. In game you only get Eclipse vision but in hidden route when player sacrifice himself he can get a ability , voidstep.)

I turned to my next experiment: my most overpowered ability—voidstep.

In the game, it had been useless because of its absurd mana cost. But now that I had it in real life?

I focused on my left hand, willing it to become intangible.

The air around my palm wavered like a mirage, and before I could even process what was happening, my fingers phased through the wooden desk as if it wasn't even there.

The desk was solid. I wasn't.

I pulled my hand back, heart pounding. No resistance. No force pushing against me. It was as if I had temporarily ceased to exist in the physical world.

But the moment lasted barely three seconds before a brutal drain on my mana hit me like a hammer. My vision blurred, and I barely caught myself against the desk before collapsing.

Damn.

So that's why it had been considered useless in the game. The mana cost was insane. If I had used voidstep on my entire body instead of just my hand, I probably would have passed out instantly.

Meaning, for now, it was strictly a last-resort move.

Step four: Overall Stat Changes.

Once my vision stabilized, I called up my status screen.

---

[System Interface]

Name: Alden Blackwood

Race: Human

Class: None (Unawakened)

Rank: E- (Increased from F-)

Mana Capacity: E-(But slightly improved)

Skills:

Eclipse vision (Active)

Illusionary Control (Basic)

Traits:

Voidstep(legendry)

---

I ranked up?

That was surprising. I was still trash, but at least I wasn't F-tier trash anymore.

It seemed that unlocking the Eclipse vision had slightly boosted my overall strength, though my mana pool was still garbage. That would be my next major hurdle—I needed more raw power to sustain my abilities.

Which brought me to the final step.

Future Plans: The Next 7 Days

I sat back, running through my options.

I had exactly one week before the academy's first official class began. That meant I had seven days to prepare before I was thrown into the main storyline.

Goals for the Week:

1. Improve my Mana Reserves – Without a bigger mana pool, my Eclipse vision was little more than a flashy decoration. I needed to find a method to increase my mana capacity quickly.

2. Train My Body – The protagonist and other main characters were monsters in terms of physical stats. If I wanted to survive, I needed to at least not die in one hit.

3. Expand My Illusion Control – If I could subtly manipulate enemies without them realizing it, I could avoid unnecessary fights altogether.

4. Gather Information – I needed to map out all the upcoming game events and figure out which ones could give me an edge.

5. Stay Under the Radar – The academy was filled with elite warriors, mages, and even paladins trained to detect demonic possession. If I acted too different from the old Alden, someone would notice.

As much as I wanted to flex my new abilities, I had to be smart. Reckless power-ups only worked for protagonists—extras like me got killed the moment we attracted the wrong kind of attention.

For now, my best bet was to play along with the expected plotline, act like the usual "annoying noble failure," and secure whatever hidden resources I could find.

I leaned back against the cold stone wall, staring at the ceiling.

"...This is gonna be a long week."