Location: A stream near the cottage.
Time: Day 5 of training.Lirion decided to change his training method. Drawing the circuit in the air was relatively easy due to low resistance. The real challenge was precision under pressure.He stood over the surface of a calm stream.
[Special Quest: Absolute Precision]
[Condition: Form a Water Circuit above the stream's surface without rippling the water for more than 10 seconds.]
[Reward: +5% Mana Control Efficiency.]Lirion began. The blue circuit formed directly above the water.
The water beneath it responded immediately, rising slightly like a gelatinous mass. But the moment the circuit stabilized, a slight ripple appeared.
[Failure. Kinetic Interference: 5%.]"Again," Lirion said with determination.He tried ten times in a row. Each time, the ripple grew worse. The mana he released was "coarse," despite the purity of his root.He remembered Instructor Irene's words: "Mana is not a hammer, Lirion. It is a needle. Stitch reality with it; do not break it."Lirion closed his eyes. He stopped trying to "push" the mana. Instead, he imagined the circuit as part of the water itself, not as a foreign entity hovering above it.On the eleventh attempt, the circuit formed.
The water beneath it did not ripple. Instead, it briefly froze into a circular pattern mirroring the magic circuit, before flowing smoothly again.
[Quest Completed. Control Efficiency Increased.]Lirion smiled. This was real progress. Not the size of the circuit, but its harmony with the world.In his pocket lay a small shard he had found yesterday near the forest's edge. A piece of black glass that reflected no light. When mana drew near it, the shard trembled.
[System Alert: Anomalous frequency detected near energy bearer. Source: Unknown.]Lirion pulled out the shard and examined it. It was extremely cold—colder than ice.
"What are you?" he whispered.The system did not answer. Only a cryptic message appeared:
[Decoding... 1%]He slipped it back into his pocket. There would be time for mysteries later. Today was a day for the circuit.