Kenji sat cross-legged beneath the shade of a tree, the arcane manual from Erza spread open across his lap. Around him, the forest hummed with quiet life—birds calling to each other in distant trees, insects buzzing softly, a breeze rustling the leaves above. It was tranquil, the perfect place for focus. But Kenji's attention wasn't on the outside world. It was turned inward, focused entirely on the subtle rhythm of his mana and the silent language of the runes etched in his mind.
He had hit and passed Level 20. His strength was increasing daily and thanks to his system it wouldn't slow down anytime soon and he would keep grinding. But today, that could wait. Right now, he was chasing something more subtle, more fundamental. Something that would shape his future path far beyond raw power.
Magic.
Specifically, Enchantment Magic.
His right hand glowed faintly with a soft blue aura as he carefully traced invisible lines along the cuff of his training gloves. The Basic Arcane Manual Erza had given him was filled with diagrams and descriptions, a small example of enchantments that he was lucky to have been there, and he wanted to test it out, it wasn't much and he would have to create his own way later.
The one line that had stuck with him most was scrawled in tight cursive near the margin at the end of the page.
Enchantment requires intent, harmony, and precision. Infuse your mana with purpose, or the spell will unravel.
Kenji exhaled slowly, letting the words steady him. Then, like threading a needle, he guided his mana into the weave of the fabric, shaping the flow into thin, delicate symbols. The glove shimmered faintly—and held.
[Skill Success: Minor Agility Boost Applied]
He smiled faintly. That was his third successful enchantment in this last 7 hours. He wasn't confident enough to try anything too powerful yet, but at this rate, he'd soon be enhancing his boots for faster travel and even reinforcing his practice sword for future combat drills.
It was admittedly harder than explained but he had an advantage.
[Skill Level Up: Mana Sensitivity - Level 2]
[Skill Level Up: Mana Channeling - Level 3]
[Skill Level Up: Enchantment Magic - Level 2]
Gamer system for the win. With his system learning and improving skills is way easier than normal.
His past days had recently taken on a rhythm: mornings were for physical training—pushups, meditation, weapon drills. Afternoons were for combat practice in his Dungeons. Evenings were reserved for magical studies. Every moment was spent refining his mind and body, squeezing every drop of potential from the system and the time he had. But more than that, he was building a foundation. Not just for strength, but for who he wanted to be.
Just then, the Multiverse Chat System pinged.
[Eternal Virgin]: Okay, I officially broke my personal record—17 looped luck rolls in a row. The shop thinks I'm cheating.
[Self-Proclaimed Human]: Highly inefficient from an ethical standpoint. Highly effective from a practical one.
[Red Cake Boss]: You're both reckless. Mana discipline is essential for long-term growth.
[Administrator - The Gamer]: I'm starting to see that. I've been focusing on magic the past few days and now I have Enchantment, it's tricky but I'm finally getting somewhere.
[Red Cake Boss]: What type of enchantments have you attempted?
[Administrator - The Gamer]: So far: agility boost on my gloves, minor mana reinforcement on my boots, and one attempt at a durability spell on my hoodie. That one… didn't go well.
[Self-Proclaimed Human]: Did the item rupture?
[Administrator - The Gamer]: Yup. It blew a hole right through the sleeve. Scared the hell out of me.
[Eternal Virgin]: Hahaha! Man, you should've recorded that. I'd've given it a 10/10.
[Red Cake Boss]: A failure is a valuable lesson. The magic flow must match the material's resilience. Try reducing the output on delicate fabrics.
Kenji chuckled as he quickly jotted that down in his system journal. This chat wasn't just some passive function. It was a lifeline. A group of powerful minds, all with unique insight—and somehow, they were becoming his allies.
He had his journal titled "Advice from Other Worlds." Each day, he filled more pages—notes on elemental affinities from Erza, soul structuring insights from Vandalieu, and strange probability exploits from Sora. These weren't just helpful tips. They were windows into the lives of people he had once believed to be fiction.
And now, they were real. And they were talking to him.
[Administrator - The Gamer]: By the way, I've been using the meditation and mana visualization drills from the manual. Helps a lot with control.
[Red Cake Boss]: Consistency is your greatest ally. Combine it with controlled breathing and elemental focus. You'll feel more connected to your magic.
[Self-Proclaimed Human]: You may also wish to craft simple enchanted tags using disposable materials. Useful for testing and safer when refining unstable spells.
[Eternal Virgin]: Or blow stuff up. Either works.
Kenji snorted. The combination of insight and insanity was what made the chat so vibrant. They were a strange mix—honor, logic, and chaos—but somehow it worked. Their differences didn't divide them; they created balance.
He spent the next half hour experimenting with low-level runes, scribbling practice enchantments on stones and sticks. Each success felt like progress, and each failure became a chance to refine. But no matter how much focus he gave to magic, one lingering thought kept circling back.
[Eternal Virgin]: Actually, while we're being all emotional—Kenji, I've been meaning to ask. That thing you said when we first met... about us being fictional—anime characters from your world. Were you serious?
A silence seemed to fall over the chat.
[Administrator - The Gamer]: Yeah. I wish I was joking, but I wasn't. You—Sora, Erza, Vandalieu—you were all characters in stories. Stories I admired, and lived through emotionally. And now… you're real. Alive. Here.
[Eternal Virgin]: Hah. I thought so. I've been trying to roll with it, you know? Focus on the magic, the quests, the system. But... it's been nagging at me. Like… what if I was never real? What if everything I remember was just pages in someone else's book?
[Red Cake Boss]: ...It has weighed on me as well. I did not want to admit it, but the idea of my life being scripted fiction unsettled me.
[Self-Proclaimed Human]: I presumed it would be irrelevant. But it lingers—like a shadow in the mind. The idea that someone watched me live... or suffer... or die. All for entertainment.
[Eternal Virgin]: It makes you question everything. Your choices. Your freedom. Whether you ever had any.
[Red Cake Boss]: Yet, we are here. Breathing. Feeling. Fighting. No script can take that away.
[Self-Proclaimed Human]: Awareness is not weakness. It is the beginning of self-definition.
There was silence, but it wasn't heavy—it was thoughtful.
Kenji leaned back against the tree trunk, his gaze lifting to the sky above the canopy. The warmth of mana still tingled in his palms, but something else stirred deeper—an affirmation of connection.
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