Chapter 35 – Creating a New Skill (Part 1)
I walked over to Astrid and greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, Astrid."
"I hope you’ll help me with my training today."
Astrid smiled warmly.
"Oh?"
"Our little Gray has become so polite."
She let out a soft chuckle before asking,
"So, where do you want to begin today?"
"Swordsmanship or magic?"
I thought about it for a moment before answering.
"Yesterday I practiced with my Ice Affinity and managed to develop a skill."
"My original plan for today is to focus on my Darkness Affinity."
I paused before continuing.
"But I also need to improve my swordsmanship."
"Mother taught me several sword arts, and they’ve given me a solid foundation."
"But I don’t want to rely on someone else’s style forever."
"I want to create a sword style that’s completely my own."
Astrid listened quietly before nodding in approval.
"Hm."
"That’s quite an ambitious goal."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Very well."
"We’ll start with magic."
"If your mind is occupied with an idea, it’s better to explore it first."
"Otherwise, it’ll keep distracting you throughout today’s training."
I nodded.
"Okay."
I stepped toward the center of the training ground and slowly extended my right hand.
Dark mana began gathering above my palm.
Unlike Ice Mana, Darkness Mana felt much heavier.
It moved sluggishly, almost as if it resisted my commands.
Even after obtaining Darkness Control, manipulating it still felt strange compared to Ice.
I slowly shaped the mana into a sphere.
Then I compressed it.
The sphere gradually elongated until it resembled a short spear.
Once I was satisfied with its shape, I aimed at the training dummy.
And threw it.
Thud.
The dark spear struck the dummy with a dull impact.
Unlike yesterday—
It didn’t collapse the instant it hit.
Instead, it remained intact for a brief moment before slowly dispersing into wisps of black mist.
A shallow dent appeared where it had landed.
My eyes widened slightly.
"...It worked."
A smile spread across my face.
"It actually worked."
Encouraged by the result, I immediately began experimenting again.
Dark spheres.
Dark spears.
Thin needles.
Short blades.
Clouds of dark mist.
One attempt after another.
Most of them still failed.
Some collapsed before they fully formed.
Some consumed too much mana and scattered apart.
Others exploded into harmless clouds of black smoke.
But every failure taught me something new.
Little by little...
My control became smoother.
My mana consumption decreased.
And the unstable feeling surrounding Darkness Affinity slowly began to disappear.
Throughout the entire process, Astrid simply watched from the side without interrupting me.
Only after nearly half an hour did she finally speak.
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
I stopped for a moment before answering honestly.
"The spell I really want to create requires two elements."
"Darkness..."
"And Space."
Astrid’s expression immediately became more serious.
I continued before she could stop me.
"But I know I’m not ready to use Space Affinity yet."
"So I thought..."
"If I improve my control over Darkness first, it’ll become much easier to stabilize the spell once I’m finally strong enough."
Astrid remained silent for a few seconds.
Then she slowly nodded.
"...That’s actually not a bad way of thinking."
She folded her arms.
"But don’t rush it."
Her crimson eyes met mine.
"Space Affinity isn’t an ordinary element."
"It’s unpredictable."
"And even the strongest mages treat it with extreme caution."
She paused before continuing.
"Still..."
"As long as you’re only developing concepts and aren’t forcing Space Mana itself..."
"I don’t see any reason to stop you."
A reassuring smile appeared on her face.
"And besides..."
She lightly tapped the hilt of her sword.
"I’m right here."
"If anything becomes dangerous..."
"I’ll stop it immediately."
"So don’t worry."
"Go ahead and pursue the path you’ve chosen."
I smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Astrid."
Those words gave me confidence.
Astrid understood something most people didn’t.
Even though the Starlight Family could protect me now...
That protection wouldn’t last forever.
One day...
I’d have to protect the people I cared about with my own strength.
And because she understood that...
She never discouraged my desire to become stronger.
Instead...
She quietly supported it from behind.
So I returned my full attention to my training.
Hours passed.
Dark mana flowed through my hands over and over again.
Each attempt became a little smoother than the last.
Each failure revealed another mistake.
My control improved.
My imagination became clearer.
And eventually—
A familiar notification appeared before my eyes.
[Congratulations!]
[You have acquired the skill: Darkness Control (F)]
A long breath escaped my lips.
"...Finally."
A relieved smile spread across my face.
"It took over two hours..."
"But I finally did it."
The moment Darkness Control was born...
I immediately felt the difference.
Manipulating darkness no longer felt awkward.
The mana obeyed my commands far more naturally.
The same spells required noticeably less mana than before.
And their shapes remained stable much longer.
It wasn’t a dramatic improvement.
But it was enough for me to clearly feel the difference.
For now...
That alone was more than enough.
After gaining Darkness Control (F), I sat down to rest.
Unlike physical training, this kind of practice exhausted my mind far more than my body.
As I recovered, another idea suddenly surfaced.
Mana strengthened spells.
So...
Could it strengthen my body as well?
Curious, I slowly circulated mana through my right arm.
For a brief moment, I felt my muscles become stronger.
Lighter.
More responsive.
But before I could enjoy the sensation—
The mana dispersed.
"...Failed."
I frowned.
Maybe it wasn’t that simple.
I tried again.
This time, I guided mana through both arms simultaneously.
The strengthening sensation returned.
But only for a few seconds.
Soon afterward, my control collapsed.
The mana scattered in every direction.
A dull pain spread through my muscles.
"Ugh..."
Astrid, who had been quietly observing me, finally walked over.
"What are you trying to do?"
I explained my idea.
"I was wondering if mana could strengthen my body instead of just being used for spells."
Astrid’s eyes widened slightly.
"...Body Reinforcement?"
She nodded slowly.
"So that’s what you’re attempting."
She crouched beside me.
"Most martial artists eventually learn this skill."
"But it isn’t nearly as easy as it looks."
She tapped lightly against my arm.
"Mana isn’t meant to remain inside your muscles."
"It naturally wants to flow."
"You have to circulate it continuously throughout your entire body while maintaining perfect balance."
She continued calmly,
"If you force too much mana into one area, you’ll damage your muscles."
"If you use too little, the reinforcement becomes meaningless."
"The hardest part isn’t strengthening yourself."
"It’s maintaining stability."
I listened carefully.
"So that’s why it keeps collapsing..."
Astrid nodded.
"Exactly."
"Don’t rush."
"Learn to guide your mana naturally."
"Your body has to accept it."
I nodded.
"I understand."
Then I resumed practicing.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Sometimes my legs became stronger while my arms weakened.
Sometimes the mana leaked away before completing a full circulation.
Other times, the entire flow collapsed after only a second.
Hours passed.
Sweat covered my body.
Unlike elemental training, this one placed genuine strain on my muscles.
Even maintaining reinforcement for five seconds felt difficult.
Yet...
I couldn’t stop smiling.
This wasn’t some flashy spell.
It wasn’t a powerful attack.
It was simply the foundation every martial artist relied upon.
And foundations...
Were exactly what I wanted to perfect.
So I continued.
Day after day.
Morning.
Afternoon.
Evening.
Whenever I wasn’t practicing swordsmanship or elemental magic, I practiced Body Reinforcement.
Five seconds became ten.
Ten became twenty.
Twenty slowly became thirty.
Eventually...
I could maintain the flow for nearly a full minute.
Then, one morning—
Everything changed.
As mana flowed through my body once again, something felt...
Different.
There was no resistance.
No instability.
The mana moved naturally.
Like blood flowing through my veins.
My muscles strengthened.
My bones felt sturdier.
Even my senses became noticeably sharper.
Not because I was forcing the mana...
But because my body had finally accepted it.
At that exact moment—
[Congratulations! You have gained the skill: Body Reinforcement (F)]
I froze.
"...I did it."
I slowly clenched my fist.
There was no dramatic explosion.
No overwhelming surge of power.
Only a quiet feeling.
Strength.
Control.
Harmony.
A smile spread across my face.
After nearly a week of constant failures...
I had finally created my second self-developed skill.
Unlike Ice Control or Darkness Control...
Body Reinforcement wasn’t tied to a specific element.
It was something every martial artist could learn.
But even so...
It would become one of the most important skills I would ever possess.
Without Body Reinforcement—
My swordsmanship would never reach its full potential.
Neither would my movement.
Nor my future magic.
Everything would be built upon this foundation.
Satisfied, I dismissed the notification.
Then my thoughts drifted toward the spell I truly wanted to create.
The spell that had inspired all of this training.