Eight. Long. Hours.
That was how long it took for the very last student in the class to finally connect to the Loom.
By then, Ren was already convinced that either ti passed differently in this world, or soone in the administration departnt really needed to invent magical appointnt slots.
His butt was sore from sitting, his legs had gone numb twice, and if he hadn't developed the patience of a monk in his last life doing hundred-hour microscope sessions, he would've snapped and started weaving people's mouths shut just for so entertainnt.
He couldn't believe that out of all the advancents in magic, no one had thought of optimizing basic group orientation.
"Welco to the Surface," he muttered dryly to himself, "where enlightennt is slow, and everyone's spiritual journey cos with a waitlist."
But instead of whining or falling asleep like so of the others, Ren did what he always did best; observe, analyze, and experint.
He closed his eyes and calmly entered the strange ntal state he had experienced when he touched the orb; the mont where the threads of reality shimred into view like glowing nerves of the universe.
Now that he had officially awakened as a weaver apprentice, he could reach out and feel the Loom surrounding him very easily. But there was a catch.
A very annoying catch.
He could only sense a tiny portion of the Loom that was barely a few inches around him, like a soap bubble of awareness.
He could poke at the threads and even tug them slightly, but the range was frustratingly short.
He couldn't even form a decent connection between threads to cause an actual reaction in the world.
No fireballs, no light flashes, no gravity-defying tricks. Just... gentle twitches in reality that looked cool but did absolutely nothing.
Still, that didn't an it was useless.
Ren noted the properties of the nearby threads. So pulsed with heat. Others vibrated gently like the hum of lightning. So even felt cold and slippery, almost like water.
He could distinguish between different elents based on how the threads felt when he touched them other than their colors.
That was a huge breakthrough already since it was too difficult to guess what a thread was based off its extra specific hue.
But even more interesting was that most of the threads didn't feel like elental energy at all.
They shimred with concepts. Emotions. Intentions. One cluster nearby felt like "hunger," and another distant one like "loyalty." He made a ntal note of that.
Then his mind wandered back to the girl nad Lia—the crazy one who had tossed a literal fireball at his face the night before while he was trying to bathe in peace.
How had she done that? She wasn't even. weaver apprentice at that ti, was she? Yet her fireball was big enough to light a fireplace for a week!
Ren narrowed his eyes. That ant there had to be a trick.
Either she had so tool or artifact that helped her cheat the range... or—more likely—her ntal sea was already stronger than most.
He scribbled that down ntally in his "Ask Later" list and moved on.
Suddenly, a loud clap echoed across the hall, drawing everyone's attention back to the beautiful instructor standing in the center stage.
She looked calm and elegant, her every motion smooth like water flowing over polished stone. Her brown eyes scanned the crowd, and her soft voice carried power that hushed the entire room instantly.
"Well done, everyone," she said, smiling like a proud aunt after a family dinner, "you've all now touched the Loom. That makes you official weaver apprentices."
There was a collective cheer from the more excited students. Ren simply nodded to himself.
"However," she continued, holding up a hand, "let's be clear. You are only apprentices. At this stage, you cannot truly 'weave' anything.
"Your senses are limited to your imdiate space. You cannot create stable effects. Your range is tiny, and the threads you can interact with are few. This is normal."
Ren humd thoughtfully. That lined up exactly with what he'd discovered on his own.
"But," the instructor said, and her voice took on a sharper edge, "as you grow, so will your ntal sea. The stronger your mind becos, the further your reach into the Loom.
"Adepts can sense and manipulate threads within five to ten ters. Masters can do so across entire buildings. Grandmasters—entire battlefields. But Supres?"
She paused, letting the silence stretch.
"Supre Weavers can manipulate threads across several kiloters. With a single thought, they can summon storms, shift gravity, bend reality."
Ren's eyes widened, a chill running down his spine. That... was insane. If soone could reach that far into the Loom, then all bets were off.
A Supre could crush a city just by weaving a few massive threads of destruction together. Or they could save one, altering the threads of disease, drought, or despair.
He felt a deep pull inside him—an old hunger reawakened. The hunger for knowledge, power, control.
He wanted that. He needed it.
Then the instructor waved her hand and summoned a shimring illusion of a tall mountain.
"There are six major ranks in your journey," she said. "Weaver Apprentice. Weaver Adept. Weaver Master. Grandmaster. Supre Weaver. And finally... Domain Weaver."
Gasps echoed through the class. Even Ren leaned forward slightly.
"Domain Weavers do not simply interact with the Loom," she said, eyes glowing faintly now, "they control it. Their presence reshapes the very threads of the world. A Domain Weaver standing still can command an entire battlefield without lifting a hand."
Ren was practically vibrating now. Oh, yes. That was what he wanted. He didn't just want to weave threads. He wanted to own them. Command them.
To stand one day at the center of battle and with a flick of his fingers, reduce entire legions to ash and dust.
"But none of that matters," the instructor said, breaking him out of his ntal dream montage, "if your mind collapses before it can even hold the Loom properly. That brings us to the most important foundation for every weaver; your ntal Sea."
She conjured another illusion—this ti a vast ocean with floating golden islands on top. "Your ntal Sea is your spirit's anchor.
"The deeper, clearer and more stable it is, the more of the Loom you can perceive and manipulate.
The higher its evolution, the better the level of the Loom you can access as well. Strengthening it is your first priority."
Ren nodded. It made sense. Everything he'd felt earlier, from the strain in his head to the bursting sensation between his brows, it had all been because his ntal sea had expanded and touched the Loom for the first ti.
It was the bridge between his mind and the threads of reality.
And now, he could evolve it and make it more unique and powerful, effectively putting him ahead of his peers.
His cheat was extrely OP!
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