Norman resumed his daily hunting routine as usual, steadily building up his strength in preparation for the upcoming exams. Before he knew it, Friday, April 10th, had arrived—Ellie's breakthrough day.
All the senior students gathered in the school's central hall to witness the event. Even Rex and his little gang showed up, their presence as obnoxious as ever.
"You should've brought a camera, Norman," Rex said loudly, grinning in that typical smug way of his. "It'll probably be decades before you reach your own breakthrough. You'll forget what it's like by then! Hahaha!"
Norman didn't bother replying. He calmly turned away, ignoring Rex completely. Arguing with fools was a waste of energy. As far as he was concerned, mingling with bad water only made you dirty.
Soon, the hall quieted as the breakthrough process began. Teachers and instructors were stationed all around, meticulously monitoring the environment to ensure everything would go smoothly. Ellie stood alone in the center of the hall, her expression composed and focused.
Mr. Graye, Norman's homeroom teacher, addressed the crowd nearby. "For an energy manipulation breakthrough, the process begins by shattering the mana core. Then, the practitioner must recondense the core—guiding pure mana essence to rebuild it, stronger and more refined than before."
Norman watched intently as the procedure unfolded. While Ellie remained outwardly calm, he knew the pain she was enduring. Shattering one's core was no trivial matter. It involved incredible mental fortitude and a high pain threshold.
"Ellie's face looks so serene," Norman thought, "but the process is grueling. Breaking your core is agonizing enough… focusing through that pain to reconstruct it? That's the true trial."
Mr. Graye continued explaining to the students, using Ellie's real-time breakthrough as a visual lesson. "What you see now may appear easy, but make no mistake—this is one of the most taxing stages of a mana user's life. Without proper control, recondensing the core may fail or even cause permanent damage."
The breakthrough took a full hour, but Ellie emerged from the process unscathed—and stronger. Applause broke out as she opened her eyes, her energy visibly steadier and more vibrant.
Norman gave her a small wave from a distance and slipped out before Rex could start flapping his mouth again. He didn't want to get caught in any unnecessary drama. Instead, he texted Ellie:
> Congratulations on the breakthrough. You were amazing out there.
With the rest of the day still ahead of him, Norman decided to head back to hunting. Points weren't going to earn themselves, and he was on a strict schedule.
---
On Sunday night, April 12th, after wrapping up another mana refining session, Norman sat cross-legged in his room and checked his progress.
Status:
Mana Adept
Physical: 69.8%
Energy Manipulation: 70.3%
Mental: 74.0%
"Not bad," Norman muttered. "I've already secured safe hunting areas in the eastern, southern, and western sectors. That covers the low-level mana beast regions I can access without attracting attention."
He turned his attention to the small pile of mana crystals he had left. Only 418 low-grade crystals remained. Most of what he'd harvested in the past few weeks had been consumed to accelerate his refining.
Still, it was enough for a point exchange.
"System, exchange mana crystals for points."
> [Exchanging 418 mana crystals... 418 points gained.]
His total now stood at 3,093 points.
Norman decided it was time to improve his scouting ability. "Upgrade Mana Compass to D."
> [Upgrading Mana Compass to D... detected previous level E. Only 1,500 points required. Points reduced.]
With the upgrade complete, he felt the slight enhancement in his mana detection ability—like a sixth sense sharpening.
There were just two weeks left until the final exams, scheduled for April 27th. The first week would cover academic subjects, while the second focused on practical mana exams.
Norman threw himself into an intense grind.
Now that he had a D-rank Mana Compass, he began targeting second-tier mana beasts in addition to the first-tier ones. There were plenty of weak beasts in the outer regions of the hunting zones, and he made sure to rotate between east, south, and west areas to avoid drawing attention.
From April 13th to 19th, he hunted every day, from dawn till dusk. By the end of the week, he had gained 2,948 points and exchanged additional mana crystals to push his total up to 6,398 points.
From April 20th to 26th, he repeated the process—refining, hunting, and staying under the radar. This time, he earned 3,125 points from hunting and exchanging all the mana crystals he got, bringing his final total up to 12,148 points by the eve of the exams.
He opened his system window and looked at his status:
---
Norman
Mana Adept
Physical: 85.8%
Energy Manipulation: 84.3%
Mental: 88.6%
Talents:
Mana Affinity: S
Mana Cloak: C
Manaforged Flesh: D
Arcanepulse: D
Aegis Mind: D
Mana Compass: D
Available Points: 12,148
---
"System," he thought, "upgrade Mana Cloak to B."
> [Upgrading Mana Cloak to B... detected previous level C. 4,500 points required. Points reduced.]
With the upgrade complete, Norman immediately sensed the improvement. His ability to conceal his mana presence felt smoother and more impenetrable. It was perfect for staying under the radar.
Now left with 7,648 points, he paused for a moment, contemplating his next move. He could invest in his detection ability by upgrading Mana Compass again—or improve his overall combat efficiency.
"Mana Compass is great for exploration and avoiding danger… but I'm not venturing into high-risk zones yet," he reasoned. "Right now, I need to strengthen my fundamentals."
"System, upgrade Manaforged Flesh, Arcanepulse, and Aegis Mind to C."
> [Upgrading 3 talents to C... detected D-rank. Total cost: 6,600 points. Points reduced.]
A powerful wave of energy surged through Norman's body. His muscles felt denser. His mind cleared. His energy core pulsed with greater stability. The improvement wasn't just theoretical—he felt faster, stronger, and sharper.
"This kind of growth… it's addictive," he muttered, flexing his fingers. "No wonder so many people lose themselves in the pursuit of power."
He caught his reflection in the window and gave a quiet, self-aware chuckle.
"Sigh… this feeling almost makes me cocky again."
Norman took a deep breath, grounding himself.
He wasn't here to show off.
He was here to become something greater—but in the shadows, not the spotlight.