Meanwhile, Mikael, unaware of the conversation happening because of him, wandered through the mall, searching for the item he needed. After some time spent walking through the aisles, he finally found it.
‘There you are!’ he thought, picking up a small, futuristic-looking blue cube. The cube had faint lines of energy coursing through it, giving it an almost ethereal appearance.
What he held was the Advanced Control Puzzle Cube. Items were specifically designed to help train one's control more efficiently than practicing unaided.
There were two variations of these cubes:
The Basic Control Puzzle Cube, which featured 20 progressively challenging levels that required increasing control to complete. This version was sold at the academy for 300 credits and could be kept for the duration of the student’s stay.
The Advanced Control Puzzle Cube, the one Mikael was now holding, which served the same purpose but boasted 50 levels instead of 20. The highest level ever cleared on record was the 43rd; the remaining levels had never been conquered. This cube came with a hefty price tag of 2,000 credits and was also available for use throughout a student’s time at the academy.
Recalling the cost, Mikael hesitated for a moment, debating whether to purchase the advanced cube. Gritting his teeth, he ultimately decided to go for it. His reasoning was simple: if he started with the advanced version, it would suffice for all his training needs. However, if he began with the basic version and later upgraded, it would signal to others that he had completed the basic cube—a level of growth he didn’t want to reveal.
Cube in hand, Mikael followed the directions displayed on his bracelet, leading him to a self-checkout station. He placed the cube on the machine and completed the payment using his bracelet.
With the purchase complete, he exited the mall. After a short walk, he arrived at an orb that bore a striking resemblance to the one used during the first test of the academy's entrance exam. However, this orb served a different purpose: it was designed to measure the potential potency increase a student would gain upon ranking up, factoring in their talents and control.
Mikael paid the required 10 credits to use the orb, placed his hand on it, and channeled his aura into the device. Following a set of exercises designed to assess his control, the orb glowed briefly, and the results appeared on a nearby screen.
Name: Mikael Angelini
Talent Level: Average
Potency gain from talent: +45%
Potency gain from control: +7%
Total potency gain: +52%
Result: Top Average Talent
He repeated the same process for his mana.
Name: Mikael Angelini
Talent Level: Average
Potency gain from talent: +45%
Potency gain from control: +4%
Total potency gain: +49%
Result: Top Average Talent
Mikael committed the results to memory before leaving the training section. During a short walk toward his dormitory, he remembered that he needed to buy some food. After all, even though he didn’t require much food to survive, he still needed to maintain the appearance of eating regularly.
He arrived at a supermarket within the Academy's territory and purchased enough groceries to last a week.
After finishing his shopping, he took another brief walk and soon reached his dormitory room—though calling his luxurious apartment a "dormitory room" felt like a significant understatement.
Once there, Mikael asked a crucial question. “Records, will I be found out if I leave this world for the night?”
[Question answerable for 5,000 LP. Do you want to pay? Yes/No?]
“Hell no! But why is it so expensive?!”
[The answer is expensive because it requires observing the future of this world and analyzing the actions of its inhabitants to provide an accurate response.]
The emotionless female voice of the Records answered, and Mikael immediately realized his mistake.
‘Ah, it’s because I worded my question poorly,’ he thought. He rephrased, “Is there anything that can track the movements of students when they’re in their dormitories room?”
[Question answerable for 100 LP. Do you want to pay? Yes/No?]
“That’s more reasonable. Yes, I’ll pay.”
[Transaction confirmed: -200 LP.]
Seeing the deduction, a vein throbbed on Mikael’s forehead. “Why did it cost 200 instead of the 100 you announced?”
[The question itself cost 100 LP, and an additional 100 LP was charged for using the System outside the Records.]
“Fair enough. It’s the same as when I buy something from the System Shop. So, I can assume this applies to all services provided by the System, right?”
“There’s something I don’t understand,” Mikael continued. “If it costs LP to use the System outside of the Records, how can I access my Status and System upgrades for free?”
[Your Status Window is considered your property from the moment you joined the Records. It belongs to you, and even if you leave the Records, you will retain your Status Window and all System upgrades you’ve purchased.]
Mikael was pleasantly surprised by the news. He then asked, “Alright, thanks for that information. But just now, I asked a question—why didn’t that cost LP?”
[Whether a question costs LP depends on the complexity of finding the answer and the level of information required. The question about your Status Window involved basic information and was therefore free.
Questions like the one you asked about the world of Dirarnia require the Records to expend energy to find the answer. The more energy used, the higher the LP cost.]
“Got it. Thanks for explaining. That was really informative!”
The slight warmth in the otherwise emotionless voice of the Records surprised Mikael. He was stunned internally but kept his expression neutral.
He calmly asked, “Can you now explain the answer I paid for?”
[There is nothing that can track a student’s movements while they are in their dormitory, provided the door is locked and set to ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode. You must also remove your bracelet. Once these steps are taken, you can leave this world without being discovered.
However, be cautious. Someone with a high enough authority level can still enter your dormitory, even when the door is in ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode.]
As Mikael listened, he thought to himself ‘Ah… The Records are sentient—or maybe there’s someone behind them answering my questions. I’m not sure which is true, but one thing is clear: if the Records weren’t sentient, why would they respond with a “You’re welcome”?
Maybe I’m overthinking it. Perhaps the Records were programmed to be polite. But that warmer tone—it wasn’t my imagination. I’m not foolish enough to dismiss it and later act shocked when it turns out the Records are sentient. Who would’ve thought?
If I’m right, then anyone who disrespects the Records—venting their frustration or calling them useless—is not only ungrateful but also short-sighted, especially considering that the Records are the ones who granted humanity the ability to gain ‘superpowers.’ Anyway, I’m not here to dwell on this, but those people are insulting an entity infinitely more powerful than themselves. If that’s the case, they’re absolutely screwed. Taking this into account, I should make an effort to be more polite and treat the Records as if I’m speaking to an actual person. It won’t cost me anything but might actually help me.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Mikael thanked the Records once more. He locked his door, set the room to ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode, removed his bracelet, and requested the Records to transport him out of the world. Five minutes later, he vanished in a flash of light.
He appeared in the bustling Hub, attracting a few glances due to his stylish white-gold uniform, but not enough to cause a stir. People here were used to seeing others in unusual attire.
Mikael climbed the staircase, which functioned like a teleporter, and reappeared in his apartment. As he took in his surroundings, he couldn’t help but think, ‘Honestly, comparing this apartment to my dorm room in the Dirarnia world... yeah, there’s no comparison.’
He didn’t linger on the thought and sat on the bed, focusing. ‘Time for one last things before I go see Kiara!’
[Swordsmanship Mastery - Tier 0, Level 5 (Max)](Passive Skill)
Description: This skill encapsulates the user's knowledge, experience, and mastery of swordsmanship.
Improves learning and application of all swordsmanship-related techniques.
Increases attack speed with a sword: +40%
Increases attack damage with a sword: +20%
Conditions for Level-Up:
Obtain the Skill Evolution System: 1/1
Discover a way to upgrade swordsmanship to the next level: 1/1
He nodded as he reviewed the details. ‘That’s what I thought. To evolve this skill, I need to learn how to incorporate aura—or something similar—into it. Essentially, my swordsmanship needs to become “magical.”’
Without hesitation, he paid the required 200 LP. A notification immediately appeared.
[Your Tier 0, Level 5 skill - Swordsmanship Mastery has reached all necessary conditions to evolve. The available evolution paths are:
Threaded Flying Sword
Mikael glanced at the options, unsure which to choose. He paused before asking, “Records, is there a way to know what each skill evolution does?”
[Yes. You can either ask me question for LP or purchase the Skill Rarity System Upgrade.]
Curious, Mikael checked the System Upgrades Store and quickly found what he was looking for.
[Skill Rarity System. Requirement: Skill System
Description: Allows users to see the rarity of different skills and view detailed descriptions of a skill before evolving it. Note: The cost of leveling up a skill doubles with each increase in rarity.
[Purchase confirmed -300 LP.]
After the transaction, the descriptions of the skills were updated.
[Your Tier 0, Level 5 skill - Swordsmanship Mastery has reached all necessary conditions to evolve. The updated evolution paths are:
Aura Swordsmanship (Common)
Description: Swordsmanship enhanced by infusing aura into the blade, elevating its strength to a new level.
Threaded Flying Sword (Uncommon)
Description: Allows the user to connect multiple swords using aura threads, enabling them to "fly" and launch coordinated attacks.
Chained Sword Style (Rare)
Description: Builds on aura thread techniques, allowing the user to not only control swords remotely but also enhance close-combat attacks with these threads.]
Mikael carefully read through the descriptions, momentarily perplexed. ‘I understand Aura Swordsmanship and Threaded Flying Sword—they reflect techniques I’ve actively used. But the third one, Chained Sword Style, and the fact that it’s rare? That’s less clear.’
After some thought, he reasoned, ‘Maybe it’s because my aura thread training applies to both Threaded Flying Sword and Chained Sword Style. Add to that my ideas that I had for close-combat fighting, and the system must have considered it enough to create this evolution path. It doesn’t fully add up, but it’s the only explanation that makes any sense.’
Mikael smirked. ‘Honestly, the choice is obvious. Picking between common, uncommon, and rare skills? I’d be a fool to go for the lower rarity just to save LP. Sure, rare skills cost four times as much to level up, but the payoff is worth it.’
[Chained Sword Style (Rare) evolution path chosen. Your Swordsmanship Mastery (Common) - Tier 0, Level 5 has evolved into Chained Sword Style (Rare) - Tier 1, Level 1.]
[Chained Sword Style - Tier 1, Level 1(Rare Active/Passive Skill)
Description:Builds on aura thread techniques, allowing the user to not only control swords remotely but also enhance close-combat attacks with these threads
When the user is actively channeling his aura in his swords their sharpness, and durability is enhanced to the next level with any supplementary aura cost.
The user can use the Chained Sword Style Form. All the form created by the users are enhanced and become magically stronger
Chained Sword Style - 1st Form,(Not created)
The users will be able to learn and apply knowlege related to the Chained Sword Style a lot faster.
Conditions for Level-Up:
Create the 1st Form: 0/1
‘This... is exactly what I was thinking about! It seems the Records can somehow discern what I want to achieve. I don’t know what methods they use, but this skill perfectly aligns with what I intended to create. The other two evolved versions of Swordsmanship Mastery appear to be techniques I’ve already learned.’
‘For instance, Aura Swordsmanship is essentially basic swordsmanship combined with aura usage—something I’ve been doing since I gained aura. The Threaded Flying Sword seems to correspond to my current training. Recently, I’ve been fighting with a combination of swordsmanship while simultaneously controlling a “flying” sword to attack my enemy. Lastly, the Chained Sword Style reflects the fighting style I’ve been contemplating creating.’
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Glad you’re walking this path with me.