William is a full-on Walker now, and his Emblem no longer restricts the powers of the System. They both functions for the sake of their benefits. So it makes sense to use skills without a visible System, and that's what William is going through at the moment. There is no obstruction from the System, but by this definition, it should be easier, right?

It's not wrong to assume it, but as with starting anything new, William is struggling to move the Vectors according to his will.

Like this, he has to figure out the method of how to actually succeed in controlling his Annihilation Vectors, and that's the thing that Roman wants from him the most. He didn't voice it before, hoping to see William try his first steps on his own.

He is forcing William to go through the motion of going through something that the majority of the Walkers go through at an early stage. In fact, there are few like him who do the same in the hope to reach the Academy and they aren't that far away.

It was the cause of his questionable smirk, to see the potential that William as a Walker has. Let's call it a hunch of a Walker, who had seen some stuff of the world, and the one that worked with the Academy for a long time. Any Rank 7 knows their stuff, and Roman isn't any different. On the other hand, he is quite experienced in guiding others, since the Academy does that all the time. Though, only for those that are worthy of its benefits and talent, of course.

An hour later, William is in the same position, trying to move the Vectors of his pinky finger in his claw.

It barely moved in all this time as the connection that he has with his Vectors is very slim. The case of using the Touch of Vectors is very tough indeed, making him unable to continue much more than that. All he was able to do, is to take a break every half an hour, so his Vectors wouldn't strain his head more than they should.

It's the case of the cycles, but Roman doesn't explain anything to him in this amount of time. This causes William to get some familiarity with his flow of Vectors, and much inspiration and understanding enter his mind.

It took him another hour of his tries until he feels a better connection and the flow of Vectors start to change. The pinky finger starts to decay and sway as if it's on the brink of destruction and change.

William closes his eyes, remaining focused on his connection, rather than his vision. The finger keeps swaying, while his mind begins to imagine a normal finger of the human hand.

“Smooth, without a sharp point.” he assumes the picture and feels the call of the Mindless Eyes that takes his vision and control.

This goes on for a couple of minutes until the feelings of the Mindless Eyes no longer make his mind uncomfortable. It dissipates, so he opens his eyes.

“Great. One finger is done. Let's do the rest.” William cheers, as his pinky claw finger assumes a more smooth manner, becoming smaller and without any sharpness. It is also slimmer and unlike the rest of the fingers. The color also seems dense and Vectors seem different in their density too. They appear to take this shape well, and no uncontrollable state is within this finger at all.

Roman smiles as he sits cross-legged and observes whatever William has just done. “He is a fast learner for sure. Those kinds are well received by the Academy. I didn't make the mistake of accepting this reward at all, Heheheh. This boy has obvious potential to go far within the Ranks, and his disposition... and Emblem... I don't know what that is, but it could be something big. Bigger than even Tom Hough would imagine with his research.” He thinks to himself, and his gaze never leaves William.

Another hour follows, and William is sweating in a try to get the 3rd finger done. He is focusing his full attention on his middle finger, which is his main focus at the moment. The ring finger was surprisingly easier, but doing more than 2 seems to be a limit on his mind or control. Either of these things is something that William is very familiar with so his struggle goes without question.

“Tshs...” he grunts in displeasure, losing his connection, and his whole appearance of the human fingers changes back to a claw. Whether he fails with his control, all his progress disappears. However, it makes every following attempt easier, since the 1st finger is done, the 2nd too, while the 3rd is easier to follow next. All he has to do is to focus and remain at this pace, and sooner or later, he will succeed.

“Good enough try. How about...” Roman says, noticing his lack of stamina.

“... I am seriously done... I am beaten. Begone.” William fell to his back, facing the ceiling without any regard for Roman's comments. He feels much better after switching off his Emblem.

“Are you?” Roman walks to his location and appears beyond his vision. Appearing all so big from this perspective, he indeed looks like a giant.

“I am.” William sights, not wanting to consider his next words at all.

“I bet you have another Skill in yourself.”

“Wanna bet I don't?”

“Are you testing me, boy?”

“I guess I will do the second one...” William mutters, and couldn't help but curse the morning sun in his mind.

Scowling or not, today, he feels like a completely broken person.

But a person who accomplished a lot today. He feels like one of those people, that couldn't touch anything for the sake of not worsening anything else.

“W-what should I do?” he asks Roman above him.

“Inner Enchantment.”

“Why that?”

“Because I said so. Figure it out on your own. It's your skill.”

“Ahhhh...” With a big painful moan full of unwillingness and difficulties, William takes a seated position. His Emblem is long gone, but it will soon return.

“Don't worry. This one is relatively easy to follow through the motion of the Mindless Eyes. You will figure those effects much better than the Touch of Vectors that isn't all that easy for you I suppose.”

“So much for some rest...”

“Am I hearing some complaints?”

“So what if you do? I will do it, alright? Everyone is the same for god's sake. I swear I will repay this dept one day... one... day.” William says in agitation, while Roman couldn't help but chuckle.

In the end, William is forcing himself to return to his training. Regardless of his tiredness or stressed mind, he goes through the second movement of the Skill.

This time, it's for the Inner enchantment, which isn't something he is familiar with. Not even the meaningful voice of the Mindless Eyes told him much about it in the past. William couldn't imagine what was up with that. Does enchantment mean something magical, or something else? He doesn't know or care. Even the word Inner doesn't ring a bell. It could have something to do with the inner body. His insides?

His focus is disturbed by Roman, who takes a stance of an instructor. “Focus on the skill's name. It's unlike the work with Vectors, so some things are different. Repeat the Skill's name inside of your mind, or murmur it slowly until you get a hint of the call. Then, use that chance, to form a full connection on the call, until the skill is activated. That is the first step that a newbie like you has to go through.”

“Tsh... Alright. I can only try at this point.” William begrudgingly replies, folding his legs to cross legged pattern. After a couple of minutes of rest, he returns, but by Roman's comment, he isn't supposed to summon his Emblem. William doesn't know why that's the case, but he doesn't question that.

“Inner enchantment? Inner enchantment, Inner enchantment....”

He murmurs below his nose, while he hears that murmur what Roman says in a couple of moments. It even surprises William, who tried this with barely any effort put into it, and here he is, hearing it so fast.

It changed his laidback and tired mind quite quickly, causing his mind to jolt up to focus. With a sharp following pain in his mind, he straightens his posture in a single moment, hoping to follow this call. Closing his eye is the first step, so he focuses on his mind and that call.

Then, there is a sudden echoing voice he hears for the first time.

“Inner enchantment... activated.”

Swoosh!

William's Emblem doesn't explode, but it starts to emit tiny, intangible Vectors, which appear fast and with very little meaning. They travel around his body, causing his body starts to glow. It's like some sort of barrier. The similar one that Mi-Yung used in the Institution of Emblems a couple of days ago. The flow of this glow travels through Vectors that are unlike anything before. The Emblem, on William's arm, is the core of it, making this Skill appear different from his Claw. For once, it's not crimson color, but somewhat lighter. Like shimmers of the sun, with light that is yet to turn too bright.

The activations of the Inner Enchantment jolt William's body that much more, as he feels something strong. The flood of energy, adrenaline, strength, stamina, and everything else becomes 10 fold better than before.

He opens his eyes, while his headache, aching feelings, and numbness dissipate to nothingness. Looking at his hand, he sees no claw but a distinct layer of something around his whole body. It's not the same everywhere, since the core of these layers is coming from his right arm. It definitely resembles armor in all senses of its purposes.

“What is that? Enchantment means strengthening and defense?”

“You didn't know?” Roman says, smirking at William.

“No.”

“Then you have a whole lot of surprises ahead of yourself. Inner Enchantment isn't a skill I have, but wish I could have. Though, at this point, I have something similar, or even better. However, that doesn't matter in this conversation. There are a lot of Skills that grand some form of strength, defenses, and body functions. Like Mi-Yung who is quite an example. Her strengthening has already reformed her body many times, and even without the Emblem, she is stronger than 100 men.”

“Oh? So that's why?! She has some form of physical enchantment...” William cries out in surprise, while his whole being radiates in a better mood.

It almost feels like a second wind

A new form of life after being few up with little or no energy left.

“Though, it's normal for these effects to be temporary. Yours is Rank 0, so you don't know anything about it, nor should I expect something great about it. Though, it could be great, since the premise of this Inner Enchantmn goes by its definition, from the power of your Emblem. See?” Roman points to his right forearm. “The Inner Enchantment comes from this so I suggest staying in this form for as long as you can. It's for figuring out your limits in this state. It's usually not about the physical body, but the Emblem's limit. So, sit and wait. That's about it.”

“Seems rather simple. Is it great for defense or strength only?” William asks, curiosity in his voice.

“Wanna see?”

“What se...”

Swoosh!

Before having a chance to finish, William's whole body flows to the opposite side of the bunker. He travels in the air for at least 100 feet away, before his stop, which is the concrete wall.

It reminded him of the man, Luke jerked in a similar fashion, but this time, it is himself, who is facing this wall.

Yet, he feels only a bit of pain, mainly from his forehead.

He could notice some flashes of something before flying like that. It was like a bolt of light and before he processed the face, and hand of Roman, he is facing the wall.

Falling down the wall, his back fell from it from 7 feet.

Yet, he feels no impact, or pain upon seeing the cracks in the wall.

“It is a defense...” William guesses the obvious, getting himself up from the ground.

Roman is walking towards him with the same smirk as before. One which William doesn't understand, but soon will be.

“Sorry. Your forehead suffered a bit. You are much weaker than I thought. Heheheh.” Is his little excuse since he finds it quite hilarious.

William doesn't find his words that bad, as he figures his choices of actions make sense. After all, he can't experiment with his defenses like this, and it appears to be quite sturdy. He pats his forehead and finds some blood which is a scratch from the previous flick of his finger.

“Cool. You are quite strong, mister Roman.”

“I guess I am, but it could also mean you are just too weak. That is the undeniable truth the same way I am strong. Quite simple.” Roman says, checking William closely to see the portions of his Inner Enchantment. In the past, he had seen plenty of people with this Skill so he knows what to look for and what to take care of. “How are you feeling? It must have been quite something to feel this for the first time.”

“It feels... strange. It seems like some strengthening goes around my whole body. The Emblem is the core of everything... It also feels stronger in my right hand.”

“Seems like you understand it. Inner enchantment is a bit like a Skill called Barrier, but that one is stronger in defenses and stationary attitude. It can also be conjured quite far from the body while the Inner Enchantment is for the body. Yours is a bit denser than usual, so I suppose your affinity regarding this Skill is quite good. Considering how quickly you get the hang of it, I am impressed if I am being honest. There are some changes, and things that will be quite significant with training in this Skill. It's part of getting stronger after all, and the implication of this Skill must be obvious to you by now.”

“It's like another life for me, isn't it? This can save me against dangers.”

“Indeed. Figuring this is to your benefit. Since you got some taste of the defense, try to sit down, and try to stay in this form as long as possible. I will be counting the time, so pay attention and endure the flow of Vectors and the power that fuels this Skill.”

“Alright. I can only try at this point.” William answers, and goes by Roman's task. He appears quite better and overflows with energy.

With the brand new strength, he will figure out what this amazing Skill is, and if he could, he will work the hardest on this one. “Holy carp! This is some great stuff. Does it cause some inner changes? My energy and stamina feel rejuvenated so I bet it has something to do with adrenalin, blood, or something else?” William wonders.

Sitting cross-legged as before, he takes a deep breath and sits within this Inner Enchantment state. He could feel the shimmering matter coming through his right hand, making cycles much better than with his Claw. It is not finite as Roman said. The matter inside of the Emblem has no infinities. It could only revolve around as blood does from the heart to the whole body.

The emblem is very similar to that, and that's the reason Roman is curious about this whole ordeal that he gives to William.