Mana Affinity Lv.1 Obtained.

One Feat Point awarded.

He opened the system panel, a smile blooming on his face as he examined the details of the new skill.

Mana Affinity Lv.1 (0%)

Passive

The higher the affinity with mana, the easier it will be to gather and manipulate it.

Improves Mana Capacity by 10 per level.

Increases Mana Regeneration by 1 per level.

Increases mental stats by 1 per level.

"Yes!" Leo pumped his fist in excitement.

He knew that this new skill might seem insignificant, but it meant that his efforts were finally paying dividends. It was a very small step, but an important one nonetheless. Judging by the logic of the system, as long as he practiced enough, he could learn something like a mana manipulation skill, which could be an active one. Even if not active, earning one would be much easier by that point.

His overall gains during his time at the sanctuary had been relatively decent as well. And since doing the same exercise over and over was extra boring, Leo had to incorporate new ones, just to keep himself from going insane. This helped him confirm another thing - the system really generated a passive skill for almost any repetitive activity, as long as you did it enough and it served a particular purpose. Another few passive skills he gained were proof of that.

Climbing Lv.3

Improves Climbing Speed.

Increases STR, END, and AGI by 1 per level.

To acquire this skill, he merely had to climb up and down the intricately carved walls of the main hall. The decorations were plentiful so it was quite easy to find a ledge or a hold to grasp. It was a great exercise as well. The movements required a combination of strength, balance, coordination, and dexterity, so they provided an excellent full-body workout.

Another one of the acquired skills was pretty much the result of Leo constantly dashing down and back up the stairs to the balcony.

Sprinting Lv.2

Improves Stamina regeneration by 0,5 per level.

Increases speed by 5% per level.

Increases END, AGI by 2 per level.

Which was interesting, since he already had a [Running] in his skill roster. That meant the system differentiated between even minute differences of an activity, since [Running] would level up when he did long jogs around the Sanctuary, while [Sprinting] leveled up when he did quick bursts of running at his maximum speed.

Other than these, Leo also managed to pick up another passive skill as well, which, arguably, was the best out of all of them.

Punching Lv.1

Improves the user's striking ability and form.

Increases the damage done by punching attacks by 1% per level.

Increases STR, END, and AGI by 1 per level.

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He gained this skill while doing horse stance punching exercises. Before coming to HEMA, Leo tried a lot of other martial arts, karate, tae kwon do, wing chun, and even some others. But none of them were fun enough from his perspective, so he dropped out pretty fast. The only thing that did keep going for him until now was HEMA. While it lacked the flashiness of Karate moves or the power of boxing strikes, it still provided him with an adequate amount of training in several areas, such as footwork, weapons handling, and a multitude of effective combat techniques. If he had a weapon now, he would be already polishing his mastery skill with it.

Anyway, the horse stance punch training was one of the basic exercises for any fighter. When done properly, it's an extremely useful core-building and lower-body conditioning routine. And besides the physical benefits, it also strengthened his mindset and made him more calm, focused, and sharp.

Since there were no people to spar with here, Leo had to get used to attacking a pillar while making sure that his strikes were clean and precise. He quickly learned that the proper positioning of the feet, along with the proper alignment of the hips and shoulders, was crucial for proper technique and maximum striking power.

Also, although this skill seemed like a simple 'bonus damage' kind of deal, it was a percentile bonus, so his punches would permanently become more and more deadly. That is if he manages to level it up to a high enough level.

With all of these skills available to him now, Leo felt like he was at a relatively good place in terms of skill progression. Currently, there were three main skill candidates that could lead him to getting an active skill. [Mana Circulation], [Sprinting] and [Punching]. He considered adding kicking to his routine, but it would spread his efforts even thinner than they were at the moment, and slow down his progress, so he decided to leave it to the future.

There also was the matter of [Lesser Aura Release]. Many of the passive skills he had increased his stamina, so as long as he got it high enough, this skill would become a much more reliable option.

Unfortunately, there was only so much he could do with what he currently had. So for now, Leo could only wait and see whether his training would bring him anything.

There was also an option of going outside and battling monsters. But considering that he couldn't get experience and level up since he lacked a class, he didn't want to take the risk of dying while there was still room for growth by grinding his passive skills.

Then again, time wasn't on his side either. The Challenge Timer was still ticking. Every moment spent idling brought him closer to failure. And every single instance of not taking action to advance his goal would bite him back in the ass sooner rather than later.

In fact, Leo was afraid that even though he gained a new skill and was working hard on it, he was still moving far too slowly. Maybe it was no longer acceptable to just sit here and practice, hoping to stumble upon a skill he was searching for. Maybe he had to try and accomplish the other goals first. At the very least he could test how strong he really is now and adjust his plans accordingly.

With that in mind, Leo stood up from the cold floor of the sanctuary. His legs still felt a little bit sore from all the exercise he did to get this new passive skill, but it was much better than the initial days.

"Alright. Let's give it a try."

He exited the Sanctuary and found himself in a familiar setting. The atmosphere was much quieter than usual. Most of the creatures seemed to be reluctant to approach the Sanctuary. Maybe it was a side effect of the magic that the structure contained. Or maybe it was the Old Keeper's doing. In any case, this worked in his favor since it granted him relative safety.

Taking a deep breath, he headed toward the northern direction, following the trail of cobblestone that led to the forest. The weather was nice, a light breeze cooling down his skin as he walked through the grass. Leo took a glance at the beautiful sight of a myriad of glowing stalactites dotting the ceiling of this enormous cavern. It was vaguely reminiscent of a night sky, but unlike the stars of the sky, this ceiling was ever-changing in color, just like an ever-shifting canvas of auroras.

"How can such a wonderful place like this exist?" Leo wondered. He didn't know how to describe it, but everything felt... magical. The faint scents carried by the wind, the earthy scent of soil and foliage that grew beneath his feet. It felt as if he was in a normal forest on some fantasy world. He could even see flowers growing here and there. They reminded him of wildflowers found on mountains or hills. Bright yellows and gentle pinks were mixed in with white, pinkish, purple, and red blossoms.

He also knew that this peaceful sight also hid plenty of danger. Aside from kobolds, there were other creatures like that big cat, or who knows what else. Even if the monsters usually stayed away, Leo didn't let his guard down as he moved forward, careful not to alert any nearby predators.

Reaching the edge of the forest, Leo stopped for a moment and scanned his surroundings. "Nothing. As expected," He spoke softly. "If only I had some kind of a detection skill."

Suddenly, Leo heard a sound coming from his right. Immediately, he ducked behind the nearest bush, peering out to see what made the noise. It didn't take him long to figure it out as he saw a group of five kobolds walking along the same road. They were still looking for him, despite several days passing by.

"Looks like they won't give up on me easily." He thought with a bitter smile on his face. This realization sent shivers down his spine as he began considering his options. There were only two things he could do in a situation like this. First, hide and avoid them. Second, become the hunter.

Sneak Lv.2 obtained.

One Feat Point awarded.

"Good, they'll make a great training material." Leo said in a low voice, grinning slightly.