The Imperial Arcane Academy slept.
Most students collapsed into bed after exhausting lessons, aching muscles, and overstimulated mana circuits. Some dreamed of glory. Others dreamed of catching up.
Lucien Vale?
Lucien snuck out.
Quietly.
Very quietly.
TRAINING GROUNDS — MIDNIGHT
The auxiliary training field lay abandoned under moonlight, its mana lamps dimmed to conserve energy. Rune-inscribed pillars stood in neat rows, used for beginners to test output and control.
Lucien cracked his knuckles.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's grind."
He didn't start by throwing spells.
He didn't start by swinging swords.
Instead, he sat down.
Cross-legged.
And stared at the ground.
LUCIEN — INTERNAL MONOLOGUE
Every academy teaches the same thing, he thought.
Power up, hit harder, show off.
He smirked.
That's how you lose.
In his old life, Lucien had never been strong.
But he had cleared nightmare modes, no-hit bosses, and min-maxed characters others called impossible.
Why?
Because games punished stupidity.
And rewarded understanding systems.
STEP ONE — MANA UI IMAGINATION
Lucien closed his eyes and imagined a translucent interface.
Not the system.
Something simpler.
Mana bar.
Stamina bar.
Mental endurance gauge.
"Mana isn't infinite," he whispered.
"So stop wasting it."
He lifted his hand and released the faintest trickle of mana—barely enough to flicker.
The nearest pillar reacted.
A dull glow.
Lucien nodded.
"Minimum activation threshold confirmed."
STEP TWO — REPEATABLE INPUTS
Lucien raised his hand again.
Same output.
Same angle.
Same timing.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Sweat beaded on his forehead—not from effort, but focus.
He stopped after ten repetitions.
"No deviation," he murmured.
"Good. Control stat training, not power."
If this were a game—
He was farming consistency, not damage.
STEP THREE — MOVEMENT OPTIMIZATION
Lucien stood and drew a wooden practice sword.
Instead of flashy swings, he practiced:
One-step advance
Half-turn pivot
Minimal wrist rotation
He cut the air gently.
Again.
Again.
Again.
"Hitboxes," he said softly.
"Everything has them."
In his mind, enemies weren't warriors.
They were models with weak points.
MISTAKE — AND LEARNING
On the fiftieth repetition, his foot slipped.
The sword angle shifted.
The mana flow destabilized.
The pillar cracked slightly.
Lucien froze.
Then—
He laughed.
"There it is," he said happily.
"Penalty feedback."
He crouched, studying the crack.
Too much force transferred downward.
Ankle alignment off by three degrees.
He adjusted his stance.
Tried again.
Perfect.
SYSTEM RESPONSE (PASSIVE)
Training Pattern Detected
Efficiency-based growth in progress
Control refinement accelerated
Lucien blinked.
"…Even the system gets it."
HYBRID TRAINING — ALCHEMY THINKING
Lucien moved to a workbench and retrieved chalk.
He began drawing circles.
Not summoning circles.
Flow diagrams.
"If mana behaves like gas," he muttered,
"pressure, compression, release…"
He inhaled slowly.
Exhaled.
Mana circulated through his body—not faster, but smoother.
His breathing synced with movement.
Not cultivation.
Not meditation.
Rhythm.
UNSEEN OBSERVERS
From the shadows—
Elarion watched silently.
He's not forcing mana…
He's negotiating with it.
Brom leaned against a pillar.
"…Is he training or solving a puzzle?"
Kael narrowed his eyes.
That human… isn't chasing strength.
Lucien suddenly looked up.
"Hey," he called cheerfully.
"You guys stalking me?"
They stepped out awkwardly.
EXTROVERT MODE — ACTIVATED
"You know," Lucien said casually, wiping sweat from his brow,
"training alone is inefficient."
Brom laughed.
"I like this logic!"
Elarion hesitated.
"…What are you even doing?"
Lucien shrugged.
"Learning the controls before playing on hard mode."
They didn't understand.
But somehow—
They felt it.
This wasn't normal training.
GODDESS OF SIGHT — POV
She watched with keen interest.
"He does not worship power."
"He studies it."
Her fingers tightened.
"That mindset…"
She whispered softly.
"Is dangerous."