I stare intensely at the object of my ire—a rubber-band ball I had bought for 99 cents.

Sophia's office, which I have unceremoniously taken as my own, is practically built to be a bunker. Not in the literal sense—though I do have suspicions about the building itself—but as a way to stay cooped up inside for a week straight with no outside contact. A place where you can disappear and nobody will be the wiser.

In that sense, it just makes sense to use it as a place to train my less-than-lethal skills.

The resistance skills are kinda difficult unless I: open a rift in-between dimensions, obtain a radioactive element, drink myself into a stupor, get food poisoning, fast for a week, find a cliff, become a masochist, or assault my own mind.

None of those sound pleasant in the slightest, so I'm not doing them. On the other hand, this roof is too low to practice any acrobatic skills. I could find a hero willing to spar with me somewhere in this building, but I'd spend more time trying to work around the Mapping skill than get anything done.

Magic and Psychic skills—on the third, metaphorical hand—are a go.

"Test number," I pause for a moment, scrolling back up the Transcription window to see where I'm at. "Test number twelve: compression.

I've tested the effects of impact where force is spread out over time to induce a change in momentum. It has also long since been established that Telekinesis based on force. This does mean that this skill would likely be very, very powerful in space…if I were ever there, due to the acceleration of gravity being…nonexistent."

Is this how Thomas feels? Giddy at first with excitement when faced with an idea that quickly changes to boredom at the monotony, or is it just me?

"I will now attempt compression of a rubber band ball at five grams. I have sat the ball on a desk and will begin compression at every point equally, starting at zero."

I ramp up the force, slowly. Just in parallel, the ball begins shrinking as any trapped gases are forced out. The rubber starts scrunching up, and at this point, I'm already nearing my limit of force. With each bit further, the force needed just increases exponentially, I think.

I release my hold on the ball.

*Snap!* "FUCK!" I curse as a stray bit up rubber flies into my eye.

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I blink a few times, and rub my eye. It looses effect as I begin involuntarily cry—watering, or activating my tear ducts. Yes.

"It seems," I give a weak chuckle, "that I forgot about one of Newton's laws. The third one, I think, of equal and opposite reactions. I had put a lot of force on the ball, and when I released it, all the potential energy had enough and became its violent alter ego: kinetic."

I give another chuckle filled with self-deprecating mirth. "At least I got something out of it," I say, eyeing the screen next to the Transcription.

[ Through repeated actions skill: Telekinesis(Minimum, Active) has ranked up to Telekinesis(Minor, Active) ]

Wonderful. This, along with the results from test five, allows me to become what can only be simply described as 'dangerous.' Five was a test on whether I could grab something out of my sight if I knew it was there or if I didn't know.

Conclusion: I can grab things that I know are there, due to Deductive Reasoning. For example, I knew there was a ball in the desk because I placed it there. I can grab it. I couldn't grab any mail from a passing cart if I didn't know if the cart was there. However, I could grab a pen from Sophia's desk by extending my grasp over the entire drawer and searching for it.

It's an office; it seems reasonable. And it was.

I can grab things as long as they are actually there, and whether I can reason for them to be there.

[ Due to training, your Wisdom has increased by 3 ]

I could crush someone's heart if I wanted to. Not that I would. It's simply not what a hero should do, or anyone for that matter. Well, unless it was an emergency.

Now, magic. I have two affinities: Water and Earth. I can project one onto the other for mud, and if I combine them…I think Thomas said Life? It wouldn't be a direct heal, since I need Light, but it would have to make do.

Crossing the breach once again into Lake Me, I find my dark, humid lake once again looking like a tranquil puddle within a dreary forest. This time there's something different. Something glittering on the shore.

Probably either nothing worth noting right now. I'll investigate it later. Anyway, I grab two fickle particles of mana. One becomes the soap-like Water mana, and the other becomes a rough Earth mana. Then, I casually smash the two together.

There's probably a better way to do this. Another thing on my 'to do' list.

As one is pressed against the other, I notice a…certain tendency these things have. I don't know if it's because I used Mud before, but instead of fusing, these things want to project their traits onto each other.

Wait.

Idea time.

Just add more energy!

I grab two, Non-Element, particles and join them with the two elemental particles. Let's see. From Thomas's lessons, and a few of his research papers, he defined mana as a particle with the size of a neutron and the tendencies of a quark.

That in mind, this magic molecule seems to be quite stable. Almost looks like those diagrams for helium. With two positively charged protons and two…neutrons.

Huh.

Well, what no—

Oh. Okay, now Life mana. Go ahead and illuminate the forest with your arrival. You slightly larger, almost milky-brown balloon.

I toss the new mana and instead of floating off somewhere, it bounces and skims the water. Hitting the edge, it disappears, turning the grass just a smidge greener.

I open my eyes and a small smile adorns my lips. Just what I wanted to see.

[ Through repeated actions skill: Earth Magic II(Minimum, Base) has ranked up to Earth Magic II(Minor, Base) ]

[ Through repeated actions skill: Water Magic I(Minor, Base) has ranked up to Water Magic I(Medium, Base) ]

[ Through repeated actions skill: Mana Manipulation(Medium, Active) has ranked up to Mana Manipulation(Major, Active) ]

[ Through repeated actions you have unlocked the skill: Life Magic I(Minimum, Base) ]

[ Life Magic - The base skill for using magic with a modicum of comprehension. ]

Oh, boy! I guess it's time to govern life and death~!

*Bzzz* My phone buzzes, interrupting my mad musings. The number says, 'Your favorite cyborg!' I don't remember putting Thomas in my contacts with that name.

I pick up. "Hello," I say.

"Hey, uh, say… Do you mind doing me a favor?" A slightly haggard Thomas responds. Hmm.