Like a madman, Sora relentlessly hunted monsters for two days straight. He didn't stop. He didn't sleep. The only times he paused were to scarf down food from the tavern or heal himself with a loaf of bread after taking hits from the beasts he fought. His body moved automatically, but his mind was singularly focused on one thing—changing the name of his Fake Sword Strike.
It wasn't just a name. It was a mark of his progress, his ability to create something new, something that could surpass class-based skills. The word fake burned into his mind every time he used it. He needed it to change.
Monsters fell beneath his blade in waves—bears, wolves, even packs of Nightclaw Bears that once gave him trouble. His sword cut through them all, his mana becoming sharper, more controlled with each strike. Yet, despite the grind, despite feeling his skill grow, the system still mocked him with that infuriating name.
And then, after countless hours of grinding, something finally changed.
A notification blinked before his eyes:
[Skill Updated: Alternative Sword Strike [Evolvable]]
Sora froze, mid-battle, as the message hung in his vision. His breath caught in his throat.
"Alternative?" he muttered under his breath, the irritation creeping back in. "That's not much better than Fake."
The bear he had been fighting roared and lunged at him, but Sora hardly noticed. He sidestepped the attack effortlessly, his mind only half-focused on the battle. This new name was still… wrong. Alternative felt like a placeholder, a label for something unfinished. He needed something more, something that spoke to the power he was building, the skill he was evolving.
The bears kept coming, and Sora kept fighting, his frustration simmering under the surface. He fought with the skill over and over again, actively controlling his mana with each use, trying to understand what was missing. Why was it only getting incrementally better?
Every time he checked the description, it showed a pathetic 2% improvement, then 3%, then 4%. It was progress, but nowhere near enough.
"This isn't good enough!" he yelled, slashing through another bear, his eyes blazing with determination. "It needs to be more!"
He refused to stop. Every time the name or the description annoyed him, he channeled that frustration into his blade, pushing his mana harder, shaping it more finely, more precisely. The more he fought, the more he began to understand. The improvement wasn't just about killing monsters—it was about how he killed them. It was about the way he controlled his mana, how he refined the energy flowing through his sword.
It wasn't until almost 30 hours of grinding and constant experimentation that it finally happened.
With a final, powerful slash, Sora cleaved through a massive Silvermane Bear, his sword glowing brighter than it ever had before. The strike was clean, efficient, and devastating. He could feel the mana coursing perfectly through the blade, like it was an extension of his body.
And then, the notification appeared:
[Skill Evolved: True Mana Strike]
Sora's eyes widened, and for the first time in two days, he stopped completely. The words on the screen filled him with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
True Mana Strike.
"Now that's a name," he said with a grin, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He could feel it—this was no longer an imitation of a swordman's skill. It was his. It was real, born from his own understanding and his evolution.
He quickly opened the skill description, eager to see what had changed.
[True Mana Strike] (Perfect)
Type: Offensive
Class Requirement: None
Weapon Requirement: Melee weapon or no weapons
Description: A powerful attack that channels raw mana into a weapon, imbuing it with destructive energy. Unlike class-based skills, this strike isn't restricted to a single weapon type. Swords, daggers, spears—even gloves or needles—can carry the force of this attack. The strength of the strike scales with the user's mana quality, quantity, and control. As the user's mastery of mana evolves, so too will the power and efficiency of this strike.
Evolution: As the user's understanding and manipulation of mana improves, the True Mana Strike effect grows, becoming more potent and efficient. The skill's power grows with the user's ability to refine mana, making it adaptable.]
Sora's grin widened as he read the description. No more restrictions to just swords. He could now use any melee weapon and still channel his mana through it. This meant more versatility in combat—he wasn't locked into using a single weapon type like most class-based players were. He could adapt, change weapons as the situation demanded, and still maintain the full force of his attack.
He tried it and it seemed 3 times stronger than a standard Sword Strike if he kept using a sword. This was the skill at its starting point.
And the best part?
This skill was his. It wasn't something inherited from a class. It was a product of his own journey, his own experimentation with mana. And as he grew, so would the skill. It could evolve, improve, and change alongside him.
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He could feel the raw mana coursing through his body, settling into the weapon in his hand. It wasn't restricted, it wasn't filtered through a class system—it was pure mana. And now, it was under his control.
"I did it," he muttered to himself, still catching his breath. "No more Fake or Alternative. This is real. This is mine."
He called his status window.
[Status Update]
Profile: Ralph Eden (Sora Hashino)
Status: Alive (Prestige 1)
Class: None (Level 20)
Title: Student
Power Level: 3500
Energy Level: D
Body Level: D
Talent Level: 2 (Growth Factor)
Skills:
Sword Mastery (Level 8)
Dodge (Level 9)
Critical Strike (Level 9)
True Mana Strike (New !)
Shield Block (Level 1)
Mana Regeneration (Maxed)
Innate Skill:
Prestige
Supreme Skill:
Mana Evolution
Mana Eyes: Allows the user to see mana at all scales.
Loved by Mana: Mana will assist the user, minimizing rebounds and helping where possible.
Mana Growth: Every time mana is used, it becomes more refined, efficient, and powerful.
Mana Customization: The user can guide how their mana evolves]
Sora had reached level 20 after the two days of non-stop grinding. The most notable change was the increase in his Power Level, now sitting at a massive 3500, boosted by his D-level Body which alone added 1500 to his overall power. His Sword Mastery had also hit level 8, improving his combat precision and strength with each strike.
With the power of his Sword Skill before the evolution, he was hunting monsters in the level 20-29 range. He could fight level 25 monsters, who had a power level around 7 000.
One thing that really caught Sora off guard was the sudden unlocking and maxing of his Mana Regeneration. It didn't make sense for it to max out instantly without training. But with the "Loved by Mana" effect from his Mana Evolution skill, it seemed that mana was constantly drawn to him, swirling around him throughout the day like it had a mind of its own.
Sora looked at his status screen in disbelief, watching the numbers and skills update.
"Maybe this is what it feels like to have mana literally love you," he muttered with a smirk, feeling the energy coursing through him.
With his Mana Regeneration now maxed, he realized just how much of an advantage he had over others. His mana pool refilled rapidly, allowing him to experiment more freely with his skills without the usual constraints players had to worry about.
He clenched his fist, feeling the surge of power in his body and released it. It was now time to rest, because fatigue added up and he felt extremely sleepy.
----
A few hours later, Sora woke up, feeling a sense of accomplishment mixed with the constant drive to push forward. He had reset exactly five days ago and was already level 20. His progression had been far faster than he originally anticipated, and it made him think back to when he had doubted himself, wondering if he'd ever reclaim his former strength.
His sword, a level 10 weapon, was holding up well enough despite the constant battles. It still had enough durability to last him another week or two, but sooner or later, he'd need a replacement. For now, though, it was enough.
Sora's next goal was clear—unlock more sword techniques from his previous life and evolve them, just like he had done with True Mana Strike. He remembered the techniques well, each one ingrained in his muscle memory from years of experience. But now, without a class, he would have to recreate them from scratch using mana.
He took a deep breath and began.
The first technique he focused on was Sweeping Blade. It was a wide, horizontal slash designed to hit multiple enemies at once—a technique he had relied on in the past to clear out groups of weaker foes. He concentrated, channeling his raw mana into the blade. The feeling was different from before, but familiar enough to trigger something.
[New Skill Unlocked: Fake Sweeping Blade]
Sora gritted his teeth at the word "Fake." But he expected this. The same thing had happened with True Mana Strike when it was still a Fake Sword Strike. No matter—it was a process. He could fix it. And so, he kept practicing the technique for the rest of the day, using it against any monster that crossed his path. By the end of the first day, the skill had evolved.
[Skill Updated: Alternative Sweeping Blade (Evolvable)]
One down. Two more to go.
On the same day, Sora turned his focus to unlocking another skill—Piercing Thrust. This one was all about precision and force, a single, powerful stab meant to pierce through defenses. He repeated the same process, recalling the feel of the skill from his time as a swordman, letting mana flow into the blade. Sure enough, after several attempts, he received the notification he expected:
[New Skill Unlocked: Fake Piercing Thrust]
Sora frowned. Another "fake" form, but just like with the first skill, he knew this would pass. He kept grinding, putting every fight to use as he refined the Fake Piercing Thrust into something more. By the end of the day, it too had evolved.
[Skill Updated: Alternative Piercing Thrust (Evolvable)]
The final skill, Phantom Blade, was the trickiest. He had always found this technique the most complex to master back in his swordman days. It involved creating afterimages of his strikes, confusing the enemy before delivering a decisive blow. He knew this would take longer to evolve, but by now, he understood the process well enough. It was only a matter of time.
After hours of practice, he finally unlocked the initial version.
[New Skill Unlocked: Fake Phantom Blade]
It wasn't perfect, and it certainly wasn't the real Phantom Blade, but he had gotten what he wanted. Now, it was time to evolve it.
For the next three days, Sora fought tirelessly, using his mana to refine each of the skills he had unlocked. The Alternative Sweeping Blade became smoother and more efficient with each fight, until finally, the system recognized his progress.
[Skill Evolved: Mana Sweep] (Perfect)
The same happened with Alternative Piercing Thrust. Sora focused on precision, refining the path of mana through the weapon until the skill reached its true form.
[Skill Evolved: Mana Piercer (Perfect)
The last to evolve was Phantom Blade. It was more difficult than the others, requiring Sora to push his mana control to the limits. But eventually, after countless fights and continuous refinement, the skill evolved as well.
[Skill Evolved: Mana Mirage Blade] (Perfect)
Sora grinned, feeling the immense progress he had made in such a short time. It had only been nine days since his reset, and yet, he had unlocked and evolved three powerful techniques. His level had soared to 29 through all the grinding, and his strength was growing exponentially with each day.
He looked at his blade, which had become a weapon of precision and deadly power, carrying the force of his mana through each strike. The skills weren't just recreations of his old swordman abilities—they were better, evolved beyond what they had been before.