He wasn’t going to actually cast the Skills in the middle of the village, but he could still move the mana within him as if he were going to. It was an inefficient way of practicing, but it was better than standing around doing nothing. Michael tried dividing his mana, as he did when trying to achieve dual casting. It was still his highest priority. He stopped just short of forming a Mana Sphere and repeated the process. In the meantime, he attempted to move the other half of his mana as if he were going to activate a Mana Shield. As he expected, he failed successively, but he didn’t let that demotivate him.

This also gave him the opportunity to properly feel the changes caused by his Circle’s existence. He could clearly feel the way the mana moved within him and interacted with his horned, scaled self in the spiritual realm. It moved through his pathways in a set pattern, which was different for every Skill.

Mana Sphere, Mana Shield, and Mana Wave are probably spells instead of just Skills.

Even though they were starter, F-ranked Skills, the way they moved the mana within him stood out. Of course, he wasn’t sure if that applied to every Skill and he was simply incorrect. Either way, after becoming a First Circle Mage he could finally feel it. He was much closer to being able to empower or modify them as needed. Tairy would likely guide him in doing that as well. He continued to train.

After finding something to do, time went by much more quickly. He arrived in front of Sullivan mere moments after feeling that he was making solid progress. With some regret in his heart, he offered the bag with the three heads. The chief took it with his carefully crafted smile on his face. He looked inside the bag, more likely for show than anything else, and nodded. Meanwhile, Michael could feel the numerous gazes on him. It seemed like he hadn’t gone unnoticed; he had been the one who changed Sullivan’s behavior for the first time. The others seemed to be expecting something to happen this time as well. Sullivan spoke.

“You have completed my task. Here is your reward. Your next task will be available twelve hours from now.”

The tall dark elf waved his hand, covering Michael in a blue glow. A notification appeared in front of the man.

[Your Rank within Bluestone Village has gone up: Low-Grade Villager à Villager.]

[Your current Rank has perks: food and water.]

It was a simple change, but a quite important one. He now had access to food, water, and even shelter, since Tairy had decided to house him. If he had been left to scavenge for food on his own, his cooking skills would not be up to par. This was finally starting to look more like a Tutorial, apart from the deadly danger posed by every fight. Michael asked about new clothes, earning a nod from Sullivan, and was about to turn around, but the look in Sullivan’s eyes stopped him. The elf spoke.

“You are now free to use the resources offered by our village. The requirements to do so will change over time.”

The latter sentence was spoken with emphasis. Michael immediately realized that the chief was trying to warn him. He didn’t know why Sullivan was acting differently around him – it likely had something to do with his secret – but he stopped to consider the village chief’s words. He immediately thought of the worst-case scenario, reaching the answer in an instant.

The Rank needed for food and water will increase over time.

Looking into Sullivan’s eyes, he felt certain of his conclusion. The dark elf waved his hand. Their conversation was over. Michael turned around as he considered the implications of this. It was terrible news for almost everyone in the village, especially the new arrivals. To think that he had almost thanked the Tutorial for getting easier.

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Fuck.

The people who had only completed their first quest were likely feeling safe, just as he previously was. There were also those who weren’t fit for fighting, either for physical or mental reasons. Even if they were getting food and water somehow, from having a Villager share with them and whatnot, as the Rank requirements increased, the resources would become more precious. Completing the quests and going out to fight was the only way to rank up, based on what Michael knew. There were many people who would not be able to risk their lives day in and day out like that.

The System was pushing them toward continuing to fight for their lives instead of getting used to a peaceful lifestyle within the villages. Since this was a Tutorial, there had to be some point in doing so. Was the world outside the Tutorial Zone truly so cutthroat? Michael frowned as he left the town hall. He took a deep breath.

Calm down. I’ll handle that when the time comes. For now, I have access to food and water, and Tairy is going to help me master my abilities.

He had to focus on the here and now. He couldn’t go crazy thinking about what was to come. So long as he did his best, he would find a way out. He already possessed greater abilities than the average person in the Tutorial, mostly due to his bloodline. He couldn’t let this advantage go to waste. He walked back to Tairy’s house, spotting another two Mages leaving with a frown. He spotted the wizard standing beside his stone block as he reached the courtyard.

“Good, you’re here,” Tairy promptly pointed at the block, “Sit down.”

Michael did as asked. The moment he sat cross-legged on the stone dais, however, it was as if the world had changed entirely. The glow from the mushrooms seemed to intensify, but it wasn’t blinding. The colors became more vivid, details became clearer, the very air changed. Tairy’s voice was heard much more clearly when compared to before.

“I enchanted this stone seat. It will help you concentrate. Your immediate goal is to acquire the Meditation Skill since you already have enough mana to form a second Circle. Third Circle isn’t too far away either. Now, pay attention.”

Michael focused on the wizard’s words.

“Acquiring Meditation is a much more individual process than other Skills. The amount of time it takes to acquire it also varies significantly. Use the stone’s enchantment to achieve the pinnacle of your mental state, and try to feel every movement of the mana within you, through both your body and mana pathways. Listen to your heartbeat, feel your muscles and the blood rushing through you, observe your mana in its purest form. Once you reach your mental, physical, and spiritual apex, and become capable of drawing in mana, you’ll unlock the Meditation Skill.”

Michael tried to follow the instructions to the best of his abilities. The sounds of people walking and talking, the dark elves going about their business, the creatures outside the village. He tried to let all of that be lost in the wind, concentrating all of his attention on his inner self. For some time, he simply failed. It was difficult to focus on something so much. The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came.

Again.

He attentively watched his own breathing, feeling the air entering his lungs and the flow of blood throughout his body. Then, the feeling escaped him. Another failure.

Again. Until I succeed.

For the third time, he tried not to concentrate on drawing in mana, but instead on reaching his apex, as Tairy had told him. He dismissed his very thoughts and sense of identity. Instead, like a child just learning something new, he looked at his mana. The way it rippled and revolved around his Dragonheart even when idle. It was fascinating. He tried moving it as if he were about to create a Mana Sphere. He watched it leave his heart, both in the physical and the spiritual realm, and form a specific pattern. He stopped himself. The pattern was unmade and the mana returned to his Dragonheart.

He went beyond watching his mana. Every physical and bodily process, from the flow of blood to the contractions of his muscles, was captured accurately. Even the workings of his organs weren’t ignored. He simply perceived all of this for an unknown amount of time. Slowly, very slowly, he felt his state be disturbed. Once the delicate balance was broken, he did not manage to recover it. He was dragged out of his mind. He opened his eyes to a System notification.

[You have made progress towards acquiring a new Skill.]

He let out a small smile. Quite frankly, he wasn’t even thinking about acquiring a Skill. He simply reveled in the new world that was shown to him. The Skill was a mere side objective. He heard Tairy’s voice from next to him, making him look over. The wizard was sitting on a chair that had mysteriously appeared. Had there even been enough time to grab a chair from within the house? Tairy’s words shocked him, however.

“Ten hours, huh? Not bad at all. In fact, that’s really good for your first time. You’ve got serious talent, kid. I thought you were just your special trait, but I admit I was wrong.”

Michael nearly jumped in place.