My sword movement felt smoother—no, it’s more like I now possess information about the most practical moves for various situations. It feels as though I’ve always known this… like new knowledge that’s already been rooted deep within me.

  I can now intercept attacks in multiple ways. The skill helps me choose better options at just the right moment. I’ve trained for so many years and I know how to attack and defend, but now my mind supports me in picking the best choices—it’s wonderful.

  My skill Quick Step allowed me to rush toward the training dummy and retreat immediately after striking. I can feel the mana consumption with every movement, but with my current mana reserves, using it multiple times shouldn’t be an issue.

  The skill gives me a strong burst—I shoot forward as soon as I will it.

  “Your skill: Swordsmanship has leveled up by two.”

  “Your skill: Quick Step has leveled up by one.”

  I didn’t even notice the notifications while I was training. I was completely immersed in using my skills carefully, trying not to make mistakes.

  As I sat down to rest, I remembered how in my previous world, every video game had a status screen where you could view a character’s progress. If something happened and really worked, you’d see it reflected there.

  Maki: 8 years old – Basic Amethyst rank.

  SKILLS:

  Swordsmanship – Level 3

  Enhanced Senses – Level 1

  Quick Step – Level 2

  They’ve leveled up quickly. I somewhat expected it—they told me that the more you practice and show skill, the faster you’ll level up.

  “I don’t think I’ll see my family again until dinner.” I’ll head to my room to practice some magic.

  Sitting in my room, I tried to recreate the mana shapes formed by Rhythm.

  “Why is this so ridiculously hard?” Calling this shape a "ball" is being generous—and it’s tiny. At best, it’s 4 cm in diameter.

  “I’ll try making a stick instead. Maybe I’ll have better luck.”

  I managed to make a stick better than a ball—up to 3 centimeters—but beyond that, I had to focus all my attention just to keep it stable and straight.

  It’s time to train. Maybe I was a bit lazy in my past childhood, but this time will be different. I learned the hard way during my teenage years that consistent effort is key. If I put in the hours every day, I’ll start seeing progress eventually.

  With no more distractions, it’s time to train. My mana reserves are large enough to practice building these constructs. I barely use any actual spells anyway.

  After a few hours, I went to grab lunch. It was already prepared, and I devoured it immediately. Before returning to my room, a brilliant idea crossed my mind: ask for some snacks and drinks—with my best puppy-dog eyes.

  It worked perfectly. They brought them right away, and I returned to my room energized.

  “TRAINING NEVER DISAPPOINTS!” My trainer used to yell that every day during my training sessions.

  I miss my trainer. I hope his life is going well, and that he holds no regrets over my premature death...

  It’s time to block those feelings out again and focus on training. If I slack off, I just know he’d find a way to come to this world and punch me.

  I don’t know how many hours I’ve been at it, but I haven’t felt any improvement. My mana reserve is down to 20%, and it all still feels the same. It was overly optimistic of me to expect results in a single day.

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  “It’s almost dinner time. I should get ready.”

  I took a quick shower, put on some comfortable clothes, and headed out for dinner.

  “Hey Sers, hey Rhythm—how was your day?”

  My siblings started sharing how their day went, one by one.

  Rhythm had traveled to our other village to review the priorities and start allocating funds to them. Apparently, the issue wasn’t that serious—just a lack of product variety from other regions. They’ll start sending a caravan every few weeks to sell and buy new goods. They haven’t decided on the exact timing or who will go yet; it needs to be planned out this week.

  Sers, on the other hand, had been helping hunt stray monsters or small groups near the village. That’s another growing concern in both villages. It seems more monsters have been appearing nearby, and citizens are becoming anxious about a sudden, devastating attack.

  According to both of them, it’s not just a local issue—it’s happening across the entire empire.

  Our villages are relatively close, only 8 kilometers apart. We also have a huge forest spanning hundreds of kilometers nearby. We’d be in serious trouble if not for the fact that the forest is bordered by Count Weri to the north, Count Housen to the west, and our marquisate to the south and east. Thanks to these three large territories and their frequent clean-ups, we haven’t faced a monster wave.

  “Why do you think there are more monsters lately, Rhythm?”

  I’m really curious. If the area is being cleaned regularly, that shouldn’t happen.

  “I’m not sure of the exact reason,” she said.

  “According to Grandma, there might be a portal somewhere deep in the forest, and it’s increasing the surrounding magic levels—that would explain the monsters. We’re not totally sure though, it’s just the most likely hypothesis.”

  “I remember how Dad used to tell us stories as kids about fighting inside a portal in that forest.”

  “Yes, Sers—he always boasts about clearing portals.”

  “What’s a portal?” I’m totally lost. I’ve never even heard that word before.

  “You don’t know?” Sers answered proudly.

  “Portals are places where monsters appear, and you can get treasures after clearing them. They go up to Rank 6, with Rank 1 being equal to Amethyst rank.”

  “Yeah,” Rhythm added.

  “Many noble houses, schools, and groups use them for training soldiers and armies.”

  “Why don’t they just clear them? Wouldn’t they get more benefit by claiming the treasure right away?”

  “Yes and no,” Rhythm clarified.

  “If you already know the kind of monster in the portal, it’s great for training new students or cadets. They can gain experience and improve their skills without the risk of unexpected situations.”

  “So wouldn’t it be better for us to keep that portal around and clear it every so often for training and experience?”

  “Not in our case,” Rhythm replied.

  “We’re a minor noble house. The forest is too far for any of the three great noble houses to patrol it regularly. It’s not worth it to use it for training. It’s better to clear it once and take the treasure.”

  I nodded at her words. It makes a lot of sense when you look at it like a business. If you can’t gain long-term benefits, it’s better to get a short-term one and move on.

  “According to Dad, it’s probably a Rank 3 portal at most. Easy enough for one or two Ruby-ranked individuals to clear. The problem is finding where it is.”

  “Why does Dad think it’s only Rank 3?” I’m not doubting him or Sers—I just want to understand the reasoning.

  “Because of the monster activity,” Sers answered.

  “It’s only a small increase compared to usual, and most of them are Rank 1 or 2. It’s not a problem for the counties or the marquisate. For us, we just need to be more alert near the villages. That’s why our parents haven’t been home much lately—or why they haven’t been joining us for dinner.”

  Interesting. Having Rhythm and Sers around is a huge advantage. They always provide information I wouldn’t have known otherwise—essential stuff to understand this world better.

  “Let’s drop the topic, Maki. Did you train any magic today?”

  I could see her concern for our territory—and her interest in my progress.

  “Yeah, I trained for about six hours. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel much progress…” I was completely honest. Maybe I could get some advice.

  “Six hours? That’s a lot, Maki. When I first awakened my mana, I could only last three hours max,” Sers said without even looking up from his stew.

  “That’s impressive. If you keep this up, you’ll get the skill Mana Control soon. Once you have it, manipulating ambient mana will become much easier. It’s also the starting point for more advanced magic-related skills. When the notification pops up, accept it immediately—you’ll notice the difference right away.”

  We kept talking late into the night in Rhythm’s room after dinner, chatting about my solo training and everyone’s future plans.

  “Time to sleep. See you tomorrow, siblings.”

  I said my goodnights and went to bed.

  I feel newly motivated to train. I want to fight monsters and clear some portals someday.