The special training room was dimly lit, a perfect environnt for concentration.
The walls were lined with mirrors that reflected Noah's movents, allowing him to monitor every swing of his ice spear.
He focused, the spear held firmly in his hands, its icy tip glinting with a faint, bluish aura as he channeled his magic through it.
Each swing was deliberate, following a precise flow, as if every motion had been rehearsed a thousand tis over.
His body moved in sync with his magic, the spear slicing through the air with a sharp whistle, leaving a trail of icy mist in its wake.
Noah's brow furrowed with concentration as he maintained the rhythm: swing, pivot, thrust, retreat.
Over and over again.
He was building montum, training not only his physical stamina but also his magic control, refining his skills down to every muscle twitch.
Between swings, Noah mumbled to himself, "System's finally doing sothing useful for once… Opened up a whole new section of the shop. Runic abilities. Pretty fancy stuff."
He paused to gather his breath, his eyes narrowing as he recalled his last conversation with the system.
The smug, ever-present entity that had helped—and irritated—him since the beginning.
"Then again," Noah muttered, swinging his spear with a sharper edge, "it's probably going to mock again for even thinking I deserve it."
The system had been surprisingly generous lately. After the placent exams, it unlocked a new section of the shop for him: runic abilities.
These abilities weren't just passive enhancents or flashy spells. They were potent skills tied directly to his magical core, abilities that could shift the tide of a battle.
But of course, the system had delivered the news in the most condescending way possible.
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have sohow managed to not completely embarrass yourself during the exams]
[Access to Runic Abilities Shop has been unlocked!
]
Noah had gritted his teeth at the ti, feeling the sting of its words.
"Sohow managed? I ranked in A-class, you piece of—"
The system, as usual, hadn't given him any room to argue. It had simply chid in with its own brand of 'support.'
[System Notification: Ah, Noah… it's so cute when you think you've accomplished sothing]
[-10 Self-esteem]
Noah had snorted, knowing better than to argue with the system.
"Yeah, well, I still got farther than you ever thought I would. I'm in A-class, practically in a position of power. So suck it."
The system had, of course, gotten the last word as usual.
[System Notification: Oh, look at you! You went from being a nobody to slightly less of a nobody]
[-50 Self-Esteem]
---
Noah grimaced as he swung his ice spear again, focusing on the motion.
He might have lost that argunt, but the system, for once, had acknowledged his growth.
Maybe not directly, but it had opened the door to sothing much more significant than simple skills.
"Runic abilities, huh…" Noah muttered to himself, switching the grip on his spear as he spun it behind his back.
The ice spear cut through the air again, perfectly aligned with his movents.
The system had actually praised him in its own roundabout way, recognizing his improvents in both strength and magic proficiency.
For that reason, it had unlocked a part of the shop where he could purchase abilities tied to ancient runes, abilities that transcended the normal limitations of magic.
But they didn't co cheap. He needed points—lots of them.
Noah took a quick break, his chest heaving from the strain of training.
He grabbed a water bottle from his bag and gulped it down, his mind already calculating how many points he had earned.
The system rewarded him with points every ti he trained, and the longer he trained, the more points he received.
[System Notification: Training for 20 minutes… Reward: 50 points]
[Training for 30 minutes… Reward: 100 points]
[Training for 1 hour… Reward: 250 points]
Noah wiped the sweat from his forehead and checked his current points.
He was sitting at 875.
"Almost there…" he muttered.
The ability he had his eye on required 1000 points, and he was determined to get it today.
He stood up, stretching his limbs and rolling his neck. He needed to keep going, just a bit longer.
Gripping the ice spear tightly again, he resud his training.
This ti, his movents were more forceful, the spear whistling louder through the air as he pushed himself harder.
His strikes were sharper, his footwork faster, as he poured every ounce of concentration into his training.
He visualized an opponent before him, ducking, dodging, and retaliating with rapid stabs of his ice spear.
His magic flowed effortlessly, enhancing each strike with bursts of icy wind.
The room grew colder as frost spread across the floor, crackling under his feet with each movent.
Noah's muscles burned with fatigue, but he ignored the pain. He could feel the system watching, keeping track of his progress, waiting to reward him.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the system chid again.
[System Notification: Training ti increased!]
[875 125 = 1000 points earned]
[Reward granted!]
Noah stopped mid-swing, panting heavily as he let the spear rest on the ground. He had done it. He had reached 1000 points.
But before he could celebrate, the system chid in again, this ti with its usual snark.
[System Notification: Well, well… look at you, actually achieving sothing. I'm almost impressed!]
Noah rolled his eyes.
"You're really testing today, you know that?"
[System Notification: Aww, poor Noah]
Ignoring the insult, Noah wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel and muttered, "Status window."
At his command, a translucent window appeared before him, displaying a variety of magical abilities available for purchase.
The runic abilities section glowed faintly, highlighting the new options now available.
He scrolled through the list, reading them aloud as he considered his choices.
"[Icebound Fury]: Enhances all ice-based attacks, doubling their damage for a limited ti. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 1 hour."
"[Runic Echo]: Allows the caster to leave a magical imprint of a spell that activates after a delayed ti. Perfect for setting traps or confusing opponents."
Noah's eyes lingered on the last one, his curiosity piqued.
"[Eyes of the Abyss]: Grants the user the ability to see demonic energy and asure the corruption levels of individuals. The more corrupted a person is, the clearer the reading."
He leaned back, considering the implications of that ability. It wasn't just a tool for seeing spirits, which the original Noah had already been able to do—it went much deeper.
It allowed him to see the very essence of corruption in soone's soul. With this ability, he would be able to detect hidden threats, people who were tainted by demonic influence.
But there was a downside.
The ability consud a large amount of mana, draining him significantly after each use.
Worse, it only allowed for three uses per day, and it could only be applied to one individual at a ti.
Still, it was a ga-changer. Sothing like this could be invaluable in an academy like Ravenwood, where corruption lurked in unexpected places.
Noah nodded to himself. "This is it."
Without hesitation, he selected the ability and confird the purchase.
[System Notification: [Eyes of the Abyss] purchased]
[Current level: 1]
As soon as the transaction completed, Noah felt a slight shift in his vision, a faint glow at the edges of his sight, as if the world around him had beco sharper, clearer.
The system's interface vanished, and he stood there, gripping his ice spear, feeling the weight of his new power.
Noah smiled, wiping the last of the sweat from his forehead with the towel.
"Not bad…" he muttered to himself, glancing around the room. He could already feel the difference, the subtle enhancent in his magic.
As he exhaled deeply, the satisfaction of his hard work settling in, the system chid one last ti.
[System Notification: Congratulations, Noah! You have successfully made a semi-decent choice!]
Noah snorted, flipping his middle finger again toward the empty air.
"You really don't know when to quit, do you?"
He tossed the towel over his shoulder, a sense of accomplishnt filling him.
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