When he finally stopped and opened the Status Panel, the number made him freeze.
Mental energy: 68%
He had started the session at 62%.
Ash stared at the panel for a long moment, then slowly sat back.
"Wait… that can't be right."
He ran the numbers again in his head. According to his earlier measurements, the optimized technique should have consumed roughly eight percent over four hours. That part matched. The consumption itself had stayed low and steady.
But something else had been happening at the same time.
Because the cost per cycle was now so small, his mental recovery—now rated Moderate—had finally been able to keep up. While the nine loops refined his body, his mind had been quietly regenerating energy almost as fast as it was being spent. In the later hours of the session, the recovery had actually overtaken the drain.
The eight percent the technique used had been completely nullified. On top of that, he had gained a net increase of six percent.
