Hiding behind a tree, meters away from where Andy was performing his daily quest, a dark skinned lady, with brown eyes and short, black hair, watched with rapt attention.
She had been observing Andy for the past three days, and apart from running and working out, he hadn't done much but to eat and sleep.
And perhaps because his graduation was fast approaching, the young man wasn't scared of spending his merit points.
Melinda wondered if Andy had given up on "Life after the academy".
It would be for the best.
But what Melinda couldn't figure out was why Andy was working out so much. The young man had been running approximately 8 kilometers every day.
His form was wild and he almost passed out several times.
Andy also struggled to do push-ups and the rest.
Melinda noticed that when it came to his other workouts, Andy did more than 160 reps, with 100 having good form. He wouldn't stop until he had completed a hundred reps with good form.
But… of what use was all of this physical engagement? The students of the academy were told to train their bodies, yes, but that was only to maintain good health.
Physical strength didn't amount to much in the face of Mana. Rather than working out and increasing their physical strength, they were told to focus more on cultivating their Mana.
The corporations that come to recruit students during graduation favor those with stronger Mana fluctuations more.
So, why was Andy doing all of this?
Melinda could only wonder. She had heard from one of her companions that Principal Ganaf didn't mind if she ate Andy. The thought of indulging excited her
Beings like her weren't worth much in this place, and rarely were they rewarded this way. Even though Andy was considered a defective product to them, he was still food to her.
Melinda decided to observe him a little longer, her curiosity now piqued. She would let him finish his strange rituals. Then when he was exhausted and vulnerable, she would strike. A suitable time and place were all she needed.
Her tongue unconsciously slid across her teeth, her hunger mixing with curiosity.
…
"98... 99… 100!" Andy huffed out loudly as he completed the last workout of the day. He lay on his back and let the evening sun bathe his face. The concrete beneath him was a bit cold, but it wasn't unbearable.
Andy had struggled at first. When he started running on the first day, the day he left the Senate building, he realized that he would have to keep a certain pace, any less and the system's counter wouldn't register his efforts.
When it came to his sit-ups and the rest, he had to maintain a good form, or else, every rep without it wouldn't be recognized by the system. This made the workout thing quite difficult for Andy.
But he was getting the hang of it now.
[Daily Quest]
[Run 5 kilometers – 5/5]
[100 squats – 100/100]
[100 pull-ups – 100/100]
[100 push-ups – 100/100]
[100 sit-ups – 100/100]
[Daily Quest completed: +1 Strength. +1 Agility. +3 Endurance. +1 Will.]
Name: Anderson Naver
Race: Human
Rank: None
Mana Rank: Initiate
Status: Awakening
Skill Slots: 1/5
Mana Capacity: 2/10
Strength: 12
Agility: 10
Endurance: 8
Will: 23/23
Intelligence: 9
Sweat poured down Andy's face as he observed his stats.
Had he gotten stronger?
Yes.
However, not as much nor as fast as he wanted to.
The memory of Zeladin's lifeless eyes flashed in his mind. As it had been doing for the past few days.
Every single time he dozed off, the nightmare of that night replayed in his dreams. And every single time, he would wake up with the fear of that night relieved and almost amplified.
If it wasn't for his fear response overdrive skill, Andy suspected that he would have already lost his mind by now.
He glanced at his stats once again and shook his head. He needed more strength. Even with his fast physical and mental growth, Andy was sure that if he faced Zeladin in a fight, he would still lose.
Zeladin was that strong and was killed so fast.
Andy didn't think his growth was enough. In fact, he felt frustrated and suffocated by it. It wouldn't be enough until he could look that monster in the eye without fear.
But what could he do to become stronger?
The daily quest only registered and rewarded what it had set in place. In other words, it didn't matter if he did more, it would only account for the limit it had placed.
Andy hit the ground with his hand, letting out a bit of his frustration.
How do I get stronger?
After trying to speak to the system several times, Andy realized that it wasn't reactive to his words… at least not such empty ones.
It would react to his actions, and the state of his surroundings.
For example, for the past two days, and even this morning, he had received the same warning from the system.
[You are being watched by a Wesen. Avoid being isolated outside of your hostel. Penalty: possible demise.]
At first, Andy had no choice but to believe the system as he couldn't find anyone watching him. Moreover, he didn't know what a Wesen was.
However, yesterday, after his Will grew by another point, he was faintly able to sense the direction he was being watched from. But he still couldn't pinpoint where exactly, or who it was.
Nonetheless, he had been careful and chose to work out in a fairly common park. Ignoring all the weird stares he had been getting from students who passed by, Andy sat up.
What's the point of building my body if my control over Mana is still nothing to write about?
With a sigh, Andy opened his palm and tried to gather Mana over his palm again.
Following the teachings of the Mana cultivation manual that he had been given since he was capable of reading.
Blue wisps of Mana manifested from the surroundings and caused his palm to grow. Its light intensified slightly as Andy continued to call for more.
However, at a certain point, his control waned and the Mana dispelled. This had been his limit for many years. He had never been able to go past this part.
According to his Mana cultivation manual. He was to gather enough Mana to wash his body with, creating pathways for the Mana to be able to freely coexist with his body as a whole.
But he could never get past the gathering path.
Just when Andy was about to be frustrated by his failure, the system surprised him.
[Unique Mana manipulation art detected.]
[Mana manipulation art is incomplete and unstable. High risk of failure and death.]
[Reorganizing Mana manipulation art's details.]
[Correcting mistakes and improving applicable paths…]
Andy read all of this with bated breath, and mixed feelings as he digested the words of the system.
[Mana manipulation art reorganized and improved. Calculating risk… no risks detected. Appraising Mana manipulation art.]
[Appraisal complete. Mana manipulation art's rank: ???]
[Unable to determine its rank…]
Andy was too surprised to speak.
You can do THAT!