Before he could respond, she quickly left the pool, her feet moving at a hurried pace. Her head was lowered, avoiding his gaze entirely. She was too mortified by her own actions, berating herself internally, 'How could I act like this?!' she inwardly screamed.
'He must think I'm a slut, looking at how enthusiastic I was kissing him!' she thought, horrified, as she reached her bedroom. Once inside, she began changing out of her one-piece swimsuit and into her usual white-and-gold Academy uniform.
As she dressed, she had time to reflect on her actions and tried to rationalize them. 'You're going to be fine, Lyra. I read in a book that boys like it when their girlfriends are enthusiastic with kisses and… other lewd actions…' she reassured herself. However, the moment kept replaying in her mind, though now it was for an entirely different reason.
A few minutes earlier, Mikael had watched Lyra hurry away from the pool, a wry smile on his face as he noticed her shyness. Knowing she was feeling embarrassed, he decided to stay in the pool and give her some space to unwind.
While floating on his back and staring at the sky, his thoughts drifted back to Lyra, especially how she had looked in that one-piece swimsuit. A small, almost imperceptible blush crept across his face as he thought about how beautiful she was.
After a few minutes of relaxation, Mikael decided to leave the pool. He passed by his bedroom, where he changed into the white-and-gold uniform he typically wore. Then, he made his way to the training room, eager to finally complete his training on integrating the space spell.
On his way, he stopped in front of Lyra's door and hesitated. He debated whether to knock and check on her but ultimately decided against it. He shook his head and continued walking, thinking it would be better to give her some time alone to process everything.
He soon arrived at the enormous, empty training room and immediately got to work, determined to finish his training.
Time quickly passed as he focused on his training, interrupted only by a short interlude when he ate with Amelia and Lyra. Lyra, in particular, was shyer than usual, but as the meal progressed, she gradually returned to her usual state. From crippling shyness to merely being reserved—good progress!
By the time it was around 7 PM, Mikael was moving at high speed in the training room, appearing like a weightless blur to anyone who might have been watching. He used the walls and ceiling as platforms, maneuvering with incredible agility. However, what was even more astonishing was that despite his extreme speed, he was nearly silent.
Rather than cutting through the wind and creating resistance, the air seemed to 'bend' around him without a sound. When he landed on a surface, only the faintest impact sound could be heard, hinting that his weight was far lighter than it should have been while moving.
"Thump."
A barely audible sound accompanied his landing as he turned his gaze forward, seemingly looking at nothing.
At this moment, Mikael felt a surge of excitement. 'This technique should be good enough, right? If it's not enough to push the Wind-Explosive Style to Legendary rarity… I swear, I'll be pissed.'
Without wasting any more time, he opened the evolution menu for his Tier 0, Level 5 Footwork Mastery skill.
[Your Tier 0, Level 5 skill - Footwork Mastery has met all necessary conditions for evolution. The updated evolution paths are:]
[Explosive Steps (Uncommon)
Description: A footwork technique that generates small explosions beneath the user's feet to provide momentum, greatly increasing speed.]
[Explosive Style (Rare)
Description: A fighting style that creates small explosions around the body to enhance momentum, significantly increasing movement speed, attack speed, and slightly boosting attack power.]
[Wind-Explosive Style (Epic)
Description: An upgraded version of the Explosive Style that integrates wind mana. This style drastically enhances movement and attack speed compared to the Explosive Style.
By using this technique, the user is enveloped by wind mana, which negates air resistance and allows for silent movement, as the wind bends around them instead of colliding. This enables the user to surpass the sound barrier without generating a sonic boom.]
[Weightless Wind-Explosive Style (Legendary)
Description: A perfected form of the Wind-Explosive Style that also integrates space elements. This style reduces the user's effective weight to just 20 kilograms, significantly boosting both movement and attack speed.
The reduced weight presents some disadvantages, but with sufficient control, the user can instantly restore their original weight just before impact, effectively nullifying the downsides while retaining all benefits.
Note: The required level of control only applies to others who wish to learn this style. As its creator, your mastery is already high enough to be considered complete, so you will not face any issues.]
"Yes, it's here!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement. He had expected this option to appear, but a small part of him had worried that his progress might go unrecognized, preventing a new evolution from unlocking. Or worse—what if the next rarity after Epic wasn't Legendary, but something like Epic+? That would have been frustrating.
Luckily, his fears were unfounded. Without hesitation, he selected the long-awaited evolution.
[Weightless Wind-Explosive Style (Legendary) evolution path chosen. Your Footwork Mastery (Common) - Tier 0, Level 5 has evolved into Weightless Wind-Explosive Style (Legendary) - Tier 1, Level 1.]
[Weightless Wind-Explosive Style - Tier 1, Level 1(Legendary Active Skill)
Description: A perfected form of the Wind-Explosive Style that integrates space elements, reducing the user's effective weight to just 20 kilograms, significantly boosting movement and attack speed.
The reduced weight presents some disadvantages, but with sufficient control, the user can instantly restore their original weight just before impact, effectively nullifying the downsides while retaining all benefits.
Note: The required level of control only applies to others who wish to learn this style. As its creator, your mastery is already high enough to be considered complete, so you will not face any issues.
Active Effects: When activated, this technique is magically enhanced by the Records, producing even greater effects for the same effort.
Conditions for Level-Up:
Use the skill in combat conditions: 0/100%
Pay 3200 LP: 0/3200]
Mikael felt satisfied with his new skill, but when he saw the cost, a wry smile appeared on his face. 'Yeah, leveling this skill won't be cheap… And to think I thought 20K LP would last me for a while. Well, no point dwelling on it now. What I really want to see is how strong this skill has become.'
'Like the active effect states, skills officially recognized by the Records receive a natural boost without extra effort on my part. Let's put that to the test!'
Without wasting any time, he activated his new skill and started moving around the room. He tested it for several minutes before stopping and returning to his original position.
A smile spread across his face. "Three times faster," he murmured to himself, satisfied. Deciding that he had trained enough for now, he was about to exit the training room when he remembered that it has been a while since he checked his status, curious he decided to open it.
[Name: Mikael Angelini
Race: Human (Dirarnia World Genius Variation)
Lifespan: 21/98 → 22/96
Overall Power: Tier 2
Military Rank: Private 50/50 MP
Global Level Tier 2 Race: 3/100 → 4/100
Experience: 800K/2.5M XP
Class: Hunter(Aedris)
Level: 4/50 → 15/50
Experience: 0K/100K XP
Stats:
Strength: 653(150) → 682(150)
Agility: 733(150) → 762(150)
Endurance: 706(150) → 746(150)
Vitality: 794 → 845
Perception: 943 → 972
Intelligence: 557 → 575
Spirit: 549(100) → 567(100)
Energy:
Aura (Dirarnia World): F 320/320 → E- 430/430
Mana (Dirarnia World): F 360/360 → E- 686/686
Active Skills:
Footwork Mastery(Common): Tier 0, Level Level 5 → Weighless Wind-Explosive Style(Legendary): Tier 1, Level 1
Active/Passive Skills:
Body Refining Technique(Uncommon): Tier 0, Level 3
Chained Sword Style(Rare): Tier 1, Level 2
Aura Threads Creation and Manipulation(Uncommon) - Tier 1, Level 4
Mobile Meditation(Uncommon): Tier 1, Level 3
Passive Skills:
Unarmed Martial Arts Mastery(Common): Tier 0, Level 5
6th Sense(Uncommon): Tier 0, Level 5
Life Points (LP): 8850 → 20040]
When he checked his status window, he immediately noticed that his lifespan was now at 22/96. It was now October, meaning he had turned 22. He shrugged, as it didn't matter much, and simply exited the training room, deciding that he had done enough for the day and could afford to relax.
In the living room, Amelia and Lyra were once again watching a series. Mikael took a seat on one of the couches beside them and joined in. He quickly noticed that Amelia and Lyra were whispering to each other while occasionally glancing at him.
At that moment, he could have used his enhanced hearing to eavesdrop on their conversation, but he chose not to and simply continued watching the series playing on the TV.
As the sun set, Lyra stood up from the couch, exchanging a brief look with Amelia before leaving the room. Left alone, Amelia turned to Mikael, her gaze intense. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking, "What is it?"
Amelia's expression was firm as she approached him without hesitation. She reached out, gripping his wrist—not forcefully, but with undeniable intent.
"Come with me," she said, her tone calm and resolute, leaving no room for argument.
Mikael raised an eyebrow but didn't resist as she stood up, pulling him along. 'Interesting,' he thought, intrigued by her sudden actions, allowing her to lead him.
They left the living room, Amelia guiding him toward her bedroom with steady, confident steps. Her grip on his wrist was firm, yet there was no tension—it wasn't a demand, but a silent declaration of her intent.
Once they reached the room, she pushed the door open and pulled him inside before closing it behind them. Turning to face him, her emerald eyes locked onto his, unwavering.
"I suppose you didn't bring me here to discuss philosophy?" Mikael asked, a small smirk playing on his lips.
"Not really," she answered.
She took a step closer, reducing the distance between them. Mikael could catch the faint scent of her perfume as she drew near.
He also stepped forward, bringing their faces so close that their lips were nearly touching—just a small movement from either of them would be enough to close the gap. He murmured, "So, why did you bring me here~?"
"For this," she declared before closing the distance and pressing her lips against his.
"Mmmwah."
Mikael responded in kind, and after a few seconds, Amelia pulled back, her eyes burning with passion.
Her fingers traced down his torso—slow, deliberate—before she leaned in again, her breath warm against his skin.
"And right now, I want you… Do you want me too?" she asked, her initial confidence wavering into something more vulnerable by the end.
Hearing her voice, Mikael immediately understood that much of her earlier bravado was, at least in part, a facade. No matter how much of a 'warrior' Amelia was, it was only natural for her to be nervous in a moment like this. Realizing this, he knew he had to take the lead—to make her feel wanted.
He wrapped his arms around her in a firm embrace, pulling her close before leaning in to whisper beside her ear, his breath teasing her skin.
She shivered.
"Of course, I want you. How could I not? You're gorgeous," he murmured.
As his words reached her ears, a smile so breathtakingly beautiful bloomed on her lips that it could have stolen the hearts of any man who saw it. But, fortunately—or unfortunately—no one else was there to witness it. Not even Mikael, as his face was still beside hers.
Fueled by a rush of confidence and happiness at hearing the man she loved compliment her, Amelia acted boldly. With a sudden push, she made him stumble backward onto the bed.
Author Note:
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