“So boring…” I yawn as I dodge a massive axe. I have to shift my body slightly to avoid two swords, then use a bit of gravity to stop three weapons just centimeters from reaching me. I already had everything calculated—one single movement with both swords is enough to pierce every monster around me. Not a single one survived the strike.

  I send out gravity waves strong enough to shatter grade-three monsters. I haven’t used any other affinity since Areci left to finish this first stage—it’s better to take advantage of this time to practice my weaker abilities.

  Crushing Zone is one level away from reaching rank IV. That news should make me happy, but it’s the opposite—I don’t feel like the ability is close to ranking up. Acquiring the new perception pseudo-Law has altered the skill to a certain extent; something different is forming, and it has some kind of connection to my Personal World.

  Are both abilities becoming familiar with each other in order to grow stronger? Will I obtain my first rank V skill if I fuse them? Am I getting excited over something I don’t fully understand? Yes. Could it all go to complete shit and leave me depressed? Also yes.

  I tear apart more groups of skeletons with rapid sword movements, my mind drifting through the possibilities if some of my abilities were to fuse. The first benefit would be having an extra skill slot. I already have one reserved for the future, but it’s always better to have two in case inspiration strikes and I decide to pursue another ability.

  The second is the possibility of obtaining a rank V skill. From what I’ve read, one of the ways to surpass the absurd rank IV limit is by fusing two very powerful skills. It feels bad to say it myself because it sounds arrogant, but both abilities are above average—especially Personal World.

  The only problem would be the low levels of both skills… I feel like I’ll end up eating a piece of shit and getting another rank IV skill if I fuse them. My mood sinks a little, and I feel depressed just thinking about that possibility.

  A skeleton trying to pierce my head with its spear turns into my punching bag. I’m going to beat this depression out of myself. Too bad for all these monsters—it’s not their fault, I just don’t have anything better to distract myself with.

  Maybe I should look for a way to push Crushing Zone to rank IV first. Maybe if I try to fuse them afterward, I’ll have a better chance of obtaining a rank V skill. That could be the path… but what if that doesn’t work either?

  My mind swings from doubt to hope, then falls back into depression as I think about all the possible scenarios where everything goes either very well or very badly. Having so much free time makes me overthink.

  All the monsters have been witnesses to—and victims of—my swords. Every strike infused with Gravity Overload is enough to pierce several of them at once. They’re all suffering because of my bipolar mood.

  Only three minutes have passed? It feels like little time, but it isn’t. Areci’s speed is comparable to a Ruby rank. Her defense and attacks are even difficult for me to handle—she should have already reached the orb by now. The only minor problem would be the grade-four monsters guarding the summoning orb, but Areci can handle them skillfully.

  I mentally slap myself to refocus on the skeletons in front of me. I hadn’t noticed—I’d been slowly retreating, and their last combined attack almost hit me. Those slashes and blows came just centimeters from injuring me. My gravity defense is the most moldable one I have, but also the weakest if I don’t pour enough mana into it.

  I increase my mana output for my gravitational abilities and propel myself forward using gravity itself, reaching the skeletons’ front line. My swords move like shredders, cutting down everything within range and destroying skeletons at a distance with condensed gravity mana.

  I’m lucky these monsters are kind of stupid—they’re completely fixated on me at this distance. They don’t care if there are other humans more than fifty meters away; they’re fully focused on me.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  I focus on the monsters not because they’re strong or because I’m afraid of failing the trial, but because I need to concentrate to do what I have in mind. The five monsters in front of me stop moving for an instant, their bodies completely static—like skeletons in a museum.

  My gravity “prison” holds them in place. I dodge their abilities and freeze six of them again. I have to force my mind, focusing entirely on the six monsters around me to hold them exactly in position. If my concentration wavers even slightly, they might manage to move.

  I close one eye from mental overexertion—my head isn’t able to keep up with my ambitions. When I tried freezing nine of them, my brain nearly short-circuited. I felt like fuses blew from overheating my mind.

  I should have expected it. When I did it with eight monsters, I already had problems—some of them could move slightly. They couldn’t escape, but they had enough strength and a decent Imra to try to resist my prison. I annihilate them quickly, reposition myself, and keep playing.

  I never thought I could have this much fun with grade-three monsters. At least the boredom is gone.

  I have to give these skeletons some credit—they’re all stronger than the average grade-three monster, much stronger. A normal Sapphire-rank person would have a hard time fighting even one or two of them. I shrug in the middle of the fight—it’s the bare minimum they need to be entertaining. The students here are elites from the best schools.

  “The skeletons who already died should feel lucky to have died so quickly,” I mutter to myself as I stop using gravity and switch to my electric affinity.

  My control, power, and speed with this affinity are slightly better—it’ll be even easier to wipe out the monsters around me.

  Electric currents circulate around me like a shield, though at this point it’s just decoration. I have another two dozen serpent-like electric whips striking anything in my path.

  Some skeletons manage to endure one or two hits. It’s unfortunate for them—they can’t do anything even if they survive a couple of strikes. The next impact comes too fast, and I don’t give them time to take another step before annihilating them.

  My last rank III skill is now at level 18. It has undergone a drastic transformation in versatility. The essence of using electricity in wave form to create rivers remains mostly intact, but the waves are now thicker and move like serpents. The river itself is also different—it can attack in all directions.

  Who am I kidding? The skill has been completely changed through training. Only the base concept of using electricity as woven threads to form a resilient cord remains vaguely similar.

  This weaving skill is still wonderful. Learning it from such a young age has paid off. I can remember the countless hours spent working on it—it took many months before I felt comfortable using it in battle.

  At first, I thought most people could use it. I was na?ve. It’s a difficult skill to control and exhausts anyone due to the immense effort of weaving constructs instantaneously.

  How much longer? What is Areci doing right now? Maybe I should have insisted on going in her place.

  As my thoughts begin to wander again, I feel something different in the ambient mana around me—something has changed. The skeletons start collapsing and disappearing as if they had never been there. The entire bridge and forest return to calm, everything looking as though no monster stampede had ever occurred.

  “Congratulations on completing the first stage!” The omnipresent voice echoes in my head. I’m always surprised by how the voice can adapt even within an altered dungeon. I already knew it, but it’s still impressive.

  “Time elapsed: 9 minutes and 54 seconds. Congratulations!” Another message reaches my mind. I’m already heading toward my other teammates—I want to know how they did. Thanks to my flying speed, I arrive in an instant.

  “You all look great,” I say, half sarcastic. No one is seriously injured or missing a limb—probably thanks to Ogine. Everyone has small wounds, shallow cuts, and badly torn clothes. The women received pieces of fabric to cover their fronts with an unbreakable cloth, though they still feel pain when hit.

  “You don’t even have a scratch,” Shawu complains.

  “He has life magic—it’s normal for him to heal,” Ogine replies.

  “That’s not the point. Look at his clothes—they look as clean as if they were just washed,” Shawu keeps complaining.

  I pull out some of her favorite desserts from my storage bracelet. She immediately stops barking and snatches two from my hand in an instant. I hand out a dessert to each of them, including the other members. They refused at first, but after insisting a bit, they accepted them happily.

  The last one is the princess. I approach Brendu and kiss her on the forehead. “Weren’t you worried about me? I was fighting alone while you were eight.” A small smile forms on both our faces.

  “For a moment I thought about dropping everything and coming to rescue you. You’d be my damsel in distress, and I’d be your handsome prince.” Brendu’s comment makes me laugh—she tries to keep her composure, but she can’t.

  “Good job, team. Everyone did amazing,” Areci says, arriving just a few seconds later. She’s quick on her feet—and as a leader. “This is the first step. We’ve shown the difference between them and us.”