“What are you waiting for? Trigger your advancement. Don’t be afraid,” Bae’s voice seems to try to nudge me to stop postponing.

  Do they have to look? I sit in a meadow beside the murmuring river upstream of the valley. Wen and Bae sit a few paces away, watching me with expectant smiles that feel like spotlights, magnifying my shortcomings and every mistake I am about to make. My face burns in embarrassment. Hells! Even Kylo is here, imitating them like a silent judge, blue eyes fixed on me.

  Shouldn’t this be something private? As far as I know, most people go into seclusion to advance in rank. I don’t exactly know why. Maybe it is because you can’t stop the process once you start, which leaves you vulnerable. As Bae taught me, if you do stop it early, you are left with an inferior quality breakthrough. This will limit the heights you can reach forever. Or maybe it is because of the smell of the impurities you purge while advancing.

  I try to ignore them and get a grip on the mana inside my core. I can feel it about to burst. If I don’t advance soon in a controlled manner, the process may trigger spontaneously. That would be a disaster.

  I have practiced manipulating the mana in my core a million times whenever there was time and no witness. I should be able to do this in my sleep! But now, under their gaze, my grip on it feels clumsy, like water leaking through the gaps between fingers. My determination wavers again., The confidence I am trying to build evaporates into thin air. I sigh and clear my throat, forcing a nervous chuckle that only makes me feel worse.

  Bae smiles at me and clenches her fist in an encouraging way that says that you can do it, making me feel even more like a failure. Wen nods at me as if he is trying to be supportive but also bracing himself for whatever I may be about to do. I want to disappear, to make the ground swallow me. Maybe the current can drag me somewhere where nobody will judge me.

  Birds chirp, fluttering over the nearby forest, ignorant of my troubles. I wish I could imitate them and fly away, let the wind carry me into distant lands.

  I sigh. There is no escape from an immortal like Master Wen, or maybe two, if my suspicions about Bae are true.

  I clear my throat again and plead. “Can you look away?”

  “Oh! We are making you nervous,” recognizes Bae. She shares a look with Master Wen. Her shoulders sag. “I suppose I can take Kylo for a stroll until you finish. One of us should be enough to guide you should you need it.” She sounds a bit miffed for some reason. “Come, Kylo. Let’s check what those Ice Spirits are doing.”

  The big cat looks up, huffs, and then stretches languidly before following her into the forest.

  So, they claim they were here in case I needed help, not because they are voyeurs. I sigh. I would have preferred for Bae to remain instead of Master Wen. I’ve had enough time with her to get to know her. Wen still is a bit of an enigma in his distant and aloof way. I sigh again. I suppose this is the best I will get.

  “Do you want me to shroud my presence?” he asks.

  “Yes! No!” I blink, trying to make sense of what he asked. “It doesn’t matter.”

  I don’t know what is worse. Master Wen watching me or knowing someone is observing me without being able to sense them. I wish I could fall asleep and wake up in the future advanced in rank. Having forgotten this moment, reduced to a blurry memory.

  I try triggering the process again. This time, the control of my mana is smoother. There is only so long that my emotions can hold me back. My control over the mana in my core has increased by leaps and bounds with Bae’s training.

  I feel the mana flowing in, stretching the walls of my core over their capacity. The process feels hypnotic, making me lose awareness of my surroundings. There is only the world inside my core now. It feels like it’s moaning and groaning as it discards its old boundaries. There is no break or rush this time, only a gentle stretch that goes on and on, seemingly forever. Whenever new boundaries settle, they are eroded again. It feels smooth and gentle but goes on without pause. It feels as if someone is blowing air into a deer’s bladder. It grows and grows without bursting. Maybe this is because I’m triggering the process with my still tin-ranked gathering vortex. I remember Wen telling me it would be smoother this way. What he forgot to explain was that it would take forever.

  “Good. You are already entering the range of superior breakthrough quality. Keep pushing,” whispers Wen out of nowhere an eternity later. He sounds pleased.

  Already? I barely feel the strain. That should be at least 30% of my effective attributes added to my potential. Last time, I reached 39%, but it felt like hell on Earth long before. I may achieve the theoretical limit of 40% associated with a peek or flawless breakthrough without any problem.

  My path may have been long and winding, riddled with setbacks and doubts, but now I feel strong and prepared. There isn’t a mountain too big to climb. A fierce and unyielding force stirs inside me. Past failures drown in the slowly climbing tide in my core. Each becomes a stepping stone to climb higher, a lesson about overcoming hardships, and a testament to my resilience.

  I inhale deeply, the air sharp with possibility and thick with mana that continues to expand my core. I continue rebuilding the dam in response, higher and higher, keeping pace with the gently rising mana levels. A nearly forgotten fire surges inside me, spurring me onwards. I build and build, almost like laying brick after brick, outpacing the tide that tries to wash my efforts away. An eternity passes in what feels like a meditative trance. I fall out of it when my last brick falls into the void.

  I feel disoriented for a second before I understand. I have run out of space. There is nothing to anchor further growth right now. There is no possible way to build further before I break through to the next rank. I let my inner self sit back and observe. The tide still rises, reaching the heights of my latest dam with faint ripples that slowly calm the further to the limit it expands. It rises until it trembles at the rim, a quivering dome held together by its fragile inner tension. One more drop, and it will surrender, spilling over, breaking the illusion of stability. It seems to sway, almost as if waiting for my permission. I take a deep breath.

  The world tilts, and my perception of my core shifts. Strength surges through me, reaching every nook and cranny of my being in an exhilarating wave that continues in pulsing ripples, flushing out the old to make space for the new me. Then, the tide flows back. My burst core is rebuilt into something new, bigger, and stronger than ever.

  The smell of rotten meat and sulfur pulls me out of my inner world. Black gunk covers me from head to toe like last time.

  “Good, good,” praises Master Wen. A pleased smile plastered on his lips. “That went perfectly.”

  I blink. The sun is starting to peek over the horizon. Wait! Why is it rising? Did this breakthrough take me a full day and night? I lost track of the passage of time.

  Bae’s and Kylo’s faces peek out of the forest. Have those bastards been spying on me? I can feel the heat on my cheeks again. They start coming closer when they realize I’m aware of their presence, a spring in their step.

  The wind shifts, and Kylo stops, whirling up a cloud of dust and loose grass. He looks at me as if I had stolen his favorite bunny.

  “Sister stinks,” he declares, huffing and retching, holding a paw over his nose.

  Wen and Bae erupt into sharp and unrestrained laughter. It rolls over the meadow like thunder. I give the trio the stink eye. What did they expect? I can forgive Kylo. He is like an overgrown child, but Bae and Master Wen should know better.

  They laugh even louder while Kylo looks at them, seeming confused. Belly-shaking eruptions tumble in uneven bursts that tangle with the air, reckless and unapologetic in their unstifled joy.

  “Oh my! Sorry, sweety,” apologizes Bae,” that reaction was just too funny!”

  “Here. Take this lotion.” Master Wen throws a bottle towards me. I catch it out of reflex. “It will help you clean yourself before you return to the village.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Take your time. You were faster than expected,” declares Bae. “We are ahead of schedule. The seamstress hasn’t even finished your dress yet.” We are? It seems to me that I took forever. “We will wait back home to give you some privacy. Come down when you finish. Maybe I’ll prepare something special to celebrate your achievement.”

  I watch them disappear into the distance, wandering under the warm morning breeze. Only Kylo remains with me. I look at him.

  “Kylo protects,” he announces.

  Well, sure, whatever. He is only a cat. He doesn’t understand or care about nakedness.

  I step into the river. The cool water swirls around my ankles, then rises past my calves as I wade deeper. The remnants of my breakthrough cling to my skin, resembling oily streaks. I apply a bit of Master Wen’s lotion. It seems to loosen the gunk up. Then the stream pulls it away, leaving behind bare skin. I see the filth dissolving into the current, floating like oil over the clear water. Shit! Will it reach the watering canals? The lake? Could it impact the fish and other plants and animals living in the water? Why didn’t Bae and Master Wen warn me about it?

  It starts fizzling. I observe what happens to the oily gunk before I take another step. It seems to evaporate until it disappears about twenty paces downstream. Huh? I suppose there isn’t a problem then.

  I cup my hands, letting the rushing flow cleanse my face. The last remnants of gunk and my old self wash away. I scrub my skin until it feels raw but clean. Then, I exhale, feeling light and pure again.

  I sigh, looking at my flawless skin, somehow smoother and silkier than ever. My breakthrough has erased my body runes, too. I feel vulnerable without them. I should use my unexpected free time to reapply them. Even my hair dye is gone, and I’m back to my usual shade of brown. Or maybe not. I take a strand of hair between my fingers. It seems shinier than ever, warm, almost like caramel. It seems to ripple between amber and chestnut. Huh? I wonder how it will look once it dries up.

  I sit next to Kylo, letting the sun kiss and dry my skin before I take my inkpot and brush out of my ring. If I inscribe the same set as last time without the discarded experiments, it will free space to try new ideas.

  Kylo observes me, seeming interested in my slowly filling out skin. He comes closer and stubs one of my new runes with his nose.

  “What do?”

  “Hmm? What?” I try not to fall over. The bastard is heavy. “Oh! You want to know the rune’s effect?” He is more astute than he looks. He must have realized that most of them differ from the one I etched into his skin a few days ago. “It’s an invisibility rune.”

  He tilts his head, looking confused. “Blzblty?”

  “Hmm. Sneaky?” How do I explain this in a way he understands? Maybe if I demonstrate it.

  I channel a bit of mana into it to disappear from his sight. His eyes open wide, and he springs backward, fur bristling, tail puffed twice its size. His claws tear through the grass and dirt to arrest his momentum. He remains frozen, ears swiveling from side to side, eyes fixed on where I disappeared. Then, with an indignant flick of his tail, he edges closer, sniffing the air until he stubs into my invisible form, tickling me with his whiskers. I giggle.

  “Good,” he declares. “No see. Sneaky, sneaky.” He sits on his hind legs with a huff while I reappear. “Give Kylo.”

  “You want an invisibility rune?” He huffs again. Err? What could go wrong? I can imagine it. Kylo the murder kitty, the terror of bunnies. I sigh, knowing I can’t say no to those pleading eyes. “Sure, why not?”

  I shave a section on his belly and start to inscribe it. The hair has begun to regrow over the last one. I’ve barely finished before he stubs me again.

  “What do?”

  I sigh again. “This one? It’s a light sphere rune.” He tilts his head. “Look.”

  He winces when I activate it a finger wide from his nose.

  “Bad, no sneaky.”

  “Excuse me?” I ask, feeling a bit offended. “It’s not bad! It lets you see in the dark.”

  “Kylo can see dark.” I wonder how he can sound almost smug in his mental speech. He stubs another rune. “What do?”

  We won’t finish until he has judged the rest of my kit, will we? “It’s a seal sound rune. It makes you silent so nothing can hear you.”

  “Good. No hear. Sneaky, sneaky. Give Kylo,” he demands again.

  “Okay…”

  I barely have time to finish when he stubs me again. “What do?”

  “This one is an air step rune. It lets you walk in the air, great for mobility, look.” I take a few steps. His eyes widen. He seems to recognize it from when I used it to escape from him in the mountains.

  “Good! Tricky, tricky. Give Kylo,” his demand sounds even more eager.

  “Err?” Well, why not? Will he even be able to use them, though? He has four paws to coordinate. It will need some work. I need to adjust them for his weight. “Give me your paw. We need to inscribe one on each of them. And you need to learn to activate them at the right time.” He turns over instantly as if asking me what is taking me so long.

  His pink paw pads are soft and velvety. They have a subtle give under the pressure of my fingers, like a pillow filled with warmth. His claws extend slightly before he retracts them again, still watching me intensely. I hope the runes won’t mess with his sense of touch. They shouldn’t. They don’t do it in my case. But you never know.

  After repeating the same procedure four times, I store my inkpot, feeling tired. “There, try it out.”

  He whirls around, jumps high into the air, shoves mana into all four of them at the same time, stumbles midair as they snap into position, and falls over, squealing and flailing wildly with his legs before he lands with a crash on his back.

  “Bad,” he snorts, glaring at me as if I had betrayed him.

  I erupt into laughter at his disheveled appearance. “No, no, you are using it wrong!” I demonstrate it again, taking a leap over the river and back. “See? You must activate them in sequence and deactivate the correct one each time you want to take a step.” He tilts his head and holds one of his paws before his nose to look at it while he channels the rune. “If you use it like that, it can even serve as a barrier to protect you from an attack,” I explain, bemused by his troubles.

  He tilts his head again before carefully taking a step, then another one. Then he seems to get the hang of it and starts darting through the air, stumbling less each time, tenacious to improve. He seems untiring, his mana unending. I see him gobble up a startled pigeon in mid-air. He shakes his head from side to side to break its neck. Then, he lets it fall before diving in pursuit. His excited roars echo across the mountains.

  At least he has forgotten to ask me about the rest of my runes. I store my stuff, put on a clean robe, and start wandering toward the village.

  Master Wen is waiting for me at the manor’s doorstep. “You took your time.” He waves at me with the already familiar jade tablet. “Aren’t you eager to know how much you improved with your breakthrough?”

  “Sure,” I answer, edging closer. I can hear Bae humming and singing in the kitchen, pans clinking. Kylo is still in the wind. Terrorizing birds and bunnies, probably.

  Master Wen holds the tablet over to let me channel.

  I gasp. “How?” My head is spinning. The sky is falling away. No wonder Silver Rank people are so smug.

  Master Wen smiles at me, seeming pleased. “Good, good! Here, take this manual. It’s time to upgrade your gathering vortex to your new stage.”

  And to train again. I flinch and clench my teeth. The gap between my effective and potential attributes is back. Bae’s excited hums in the kitchen suddenly sound ominous. Shit!