Levi had a very clear understanding of himself: he was not a genius.
He had obtained Mana Burst and Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu when he was six years old, but after ten years of effort, he hadn't truly mastered either. Fortunately, he had a gift from his past life—the "settings" from all the anime and games he had consumed. They allowed him to approach power from a different angle.
For example...
"Mana Burst: En!" (Shroud)
Standing in a defensive stance, Levi let his mana surge. But instead of letting it coat his entire body as he had done in the Dungeon, he manually suppressed the flow halfway and willed it into his legs.
The process took nearly a minute. Then, a subtle change appeared on his system panel:
[Agility: I0 + 800 / SS1099]
Under normal circumstances, activating Mana Burst would increase Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, and Agility by 400 points each. However, under Levi's conscious control, although the total bonus was halved, the boost to a single specific stat was doubled.
The benefits were obvious. Against a high-defense opponent, higher Strength could deal lethal damage more easily. Against a speed-type opponent, higher Agility allowed him to keep pace. The same applied to Endurance and Dexterity, depending on the combat environment.
The catch was... Levi had to compress the activation time of this "Shroud" technique—inspired by the Nen applications from Hunter x Hunter—down to a second or two.
In truth, since raising Mana Burst to Master rank two years ago, Levi had been practicing Mana Burst: En (Shroud) constantly. He had managed to shave the activation time down from five minutes to one minute. It was progress, but it was agonizingly slow. This served as further proof to Levi that he wasn't a natural-born genius. Based on his previous experience, he expected it would take another hundred hours of practice just to shave off one more second.
However, something unexpected happened. After deactivating the buff and trying again, the total activation time dropped by two full seconds instantly!
What happened?
Startled, Levi opened his status panel and quickly found the cause in the Skill column:
[Mana Manipulation • 4-Star (Novice 1%+):]Grants 'Mage I'; allows for minor interference with one's own mana.
"A new skill? Is it because of... the Falna?"
He had practiced this technique for a year without it ever becoming an official skill. For it to manifest today, right after receiving the God's Grace, could be no coincidence.
I remember the original story mentioning that Falna acts as a catalyst for potential... Levi's eyes gleamed. He didn't hesitate. He "burned" 1,000 Valis and funneled it into the new Mana Manipulation skill.
In an instant, Levi's consciousness split. One part remained in his body, while the other entered a grey, misty space where time was accelerated by 86,400 times. Here, he didn't have to worry about injury or fatigue, and his mana was replenished instantly. The only drawback was that he could only practice Mana Manipulation, and he would be ejected after ten subjective days.
The training was tedious, but with the system's real-time feedback, Levi found himself enjoying the process. Ten seconds later (in the real world), his consciousness merged back together.
[Mana Manipulation • 4-Star (Adept 4%+):]Grants Development Ability 'Mage H'; allows minor interference with mana and slightly reduces mana consumption.
Scanning the upgraded skill, Levi immediately triggered Mana Burst: En. Mana, rivaling that of a top-tier Level 1 Mage, surged out and instantly gathered around his legs.
The total time taken: 1.3 seconds!
[Mana Burst • 4-Star (Master 21%+):]
No Chant
Base: Significantly increases all stats except Magic.
Advanced • En (Shroud): Extremely increases a single stat except Magic.
Even though he had anticipated a boost, seeing himself truly master the technique made Levi grin. His laughter went from a chuckle to a full-blown "Hahaha!"
The noise was so loud it startled Hestia in the next room.
"Levi, what are you doing?" the Goddess called out, knocking on the wall.
"Practicing a combat technique," Levi replied, suppressing his joy, though his lips remained curled in a smile.
"Really? Do you want me to come help?" Hestia admitted she was curious.
Unfortunately, Levi didn't give her a straight answer. Instead, he deflected. "Are you planning a night raid on me? Because if you are, I'll have to wash up and get ready in bed."
"I'm not one of those thirsty goddesses!" Hestia puffed out her cheeks. "Honestly, Levi, you just love teasing me."
"Because you're the one I love, Hestia. Isn't it only natural for a boy to tease the girl he likes just to see her blush?"
Though it wasn't the first time she'd heard it, Hestia clearly wasn't used to Levi's casual confessions. Her face turned crimson, and she buried herself in her blanket like an ostrich. "Ugh, I'm done talking! But remember to let me update your status tomorrow morning."
"No problem," Levi smiled. "And Hestia... goodnight."
"...Goodnight."
It was still early, and Levi, accustomed to late-night training, wasn't ready for sleep. Just as Nen in Hunter x Hunter had four basic applications, Levi had four planned directions for his Mana Burst:
En (Shroud): Maximize a single stat.
Jin (Blade): Condense mana onto a weapon to fire concentrated mana waves.
Kai (Shield): Condense mana onto armor or the body to increase damage resistance.
Ran (Circle): Radiate mana into the air to sense surrounding dangers.
With the most offensive and easiest-to-learn technique, En, mastered, he now needed to focus on Blade, Shield, and Circle.
The next morning.
Hestia couldn't help but marvel as she saw the new skill and the altered magic on her follower's back. "Levi, you are the biggest 'Unknown' I've seen since coming to the lower world! I doubt anyone will be weirder than you for a long time."