Morena stared at the two meditation methods displayed before her, the diagrams shifting faintly as the AI kept them suspended in her vision. Her eyes went over every line and adjustment repeatedly, slower each time, as if trying to figure out something she might have missed.

Picking the wrong method could cripple her before she even began, but choosing the weaker method would only leave her behind everyone else.

It was clear to her that the Tower did not forgive mistakes or give chances to those who couldn't prove themselves, and she had no intention of becoming one of the dozens of names that would eventually be forgotten when they were expelled.

'AI, highlight the negative outcomes for method two.'

The AI responded at once, pulling up a long list of potential issues. Some were small and manageable, but others were severe enough to make Morena hesitate in her choice.

Instability during absorption, unpredictable backlash. Her main concern wasn't those, those could be managed in various ways. The issue she didn't want most was possible conflicts with future advanced methods.

That was one of the biggest potential backlashes for the first option, which was why she leaned towards the second option even though it was much more risky.

'Show me the positive projections.'

The results shifted once more as the AI showed a list of potential positive outcomes for both choices; the second choice was her main focus.

There were far more of them than with the first. Faster Matrix formation, stronger mana refinement, a higher compatibility with her body and mind. This meant she would have better control, and faster breakthroughs.

Everything pointed toward one very clear truth.

Method two was the kind of path someone like her needed to hang onto if she wanted to get ahead of everyone else, someone without talent.

She leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment.

She thought about talent level five Liri, who would soar through the ranks without much resistance if she worked even just a little hard. She thought about Elara and her noble background, her father who could buy her access to better methods thanks to his connections.

And then there was that annoying guy, the prince, who no doubt had been trained his entire life with the best money could buy; it was without a doubt that he would use his background to benefit immensely.

She remembered everyone else in that class who had better advantages, better starting points, and better potential; of course not all of them were like this, but none of them were like her.

She thought about her family trying to rebuild from nothing. Her father still suffering from poison and Alina trying her best for everyone.

Lorian looking to her as his example.

Everything she left behind depended on her becoming stronger.

The Church was a looming threat she would eventually have to get her revenge on; one that she couldn't rest until she could overpower them. Not because she worried they might follow her, yes that was a concern, but because she didn't like running away with her tail between her legs.

She fled; it was a disgrace she wanted to make up for by one day returning.

Slow, steady, patient progress had never once helped her in life; she was never the type to take it easy and just go with the flow. When her core was broken, she researched methods to train even without it; why? Because she was greedy.

Greedy for power, and foolish enough to do anything to achieve it.

Her eyes opened again.

'Let's go with method two.'

The AI responded immediately.

[Understood. Compiling...]

The refined method shifted and finalized, each line of it feeling like it was carved specifically for her body and mind. It was sharper, heavier, and far more aggressive than the original version from class.

Exactly the kind of method she expected a Wizard would never teach for free.

She tapped the bed lightly once and nodded.

'Good, implant the details directly into my mind; I will use this one.'

The confirmation came, and Morena adjusted her posture on the bed. She closed her eyes and allowed the method to settle into her thoughts, her breathing slowing as she focused on the sequence.

After a few moments, she began.

She guided her breath into the pattern the method outlined.

It was slow, even, and steady, but she felt the strain almost instantly, not in her body, but in her mind. It was not painful, but it was heavier than what she expected, almost like it was forcing her mind to stretch just a little beyond its natural limit.

But she kept going, and soon she felt the faint stirrings of movement around her, something brushing against her skin that wasn't air.

Elemental energy.

It was the first time she had ever felt it so clearly. It wasn't just the elements she saw before in the liquid, but all of them, mixed together in the very air itself like dust.

She could sense some more than others, but they all responded when she tried to absorb them.

She opened her senses slightly more, pulling what she could feel into the space within her mind. It fought her, like an unwilling worm trying to get out of her grip, but she held her concentration tightly and followed the method's instructions.

Slowly, the energy entered her mental space, unsettled and violent, but unable to break free once she locked it in place.

That empty void within her mind shifted slightly, pulsing faintly as if responding to its new contents; the more she absorbed, the more the emptiness seemed to get filled with various specks of light.

However, the more she absorbed, the more her head felt like it was being filled, an ache slowly forming in her mind that she couldn't ignore. After all, it wasn't a Matrix yet, but it would be, eventually.

She just needed to keep feeding it and refining it until it took the shape of one; then she wouldn't feel that ache anymore, and she would be able to produce mana naturally.

She kept going until her eyelids grew heavy and her breath became uneven. She pushed through one last cycle of absorption before opening her eyes again.

Her forehead was damp with sweat, and her body felt heavier than usual, but she could feel a faint sense of accomplishment settling within her chest.

'AI, record internal condition and run stability checks.'

[Recording...]

She pushed herself back onto the bed and stared at the dim crystal on the wall. There was a class later that day that she was planning to attend, so she couldn't sleep, but she felt very tired.

To avoid drifting away, she decided to check her stats with the AI since she hadn't done so in a while.

'Show me my current status.'

[Displaying.]

[Status Screen: Morena Ravenscroft][Race: Human (?)][Bloodline Composition: 70% Human, 30% Unknown][Age: 18][Rank: High-Level Apprentice (Damaged Core)]

[Physical Attributes]Strength: 21/30Endurance: 26/30Agility: 29/30Vitality: 27/30Mental: 35/30Elemental Sensitivity: 35

[Mastery]Swordsmanship: Level 1 (4% Mastery)Spearmanship: Level 1 (56% Mastery)Hand-to-Hand Combat: Level 1 (2% Mastery)Tactics & Strategy: Level 2 (1% Mastery)Archery: Rank 1 (10% Mastery)

[Warrior Progression]Core Status: DamagedEnergy Level: 29/30 (Third Stage Trainee)Elemental Affinity: Unknown

'Oh... That's a lot of changes, I guess not checking it in a while does that.'

Morena went over the details, and the main changes were a rise in her stats due to her breakthrough to high-level apprentice. The max cap had risen from 25 to 30, not a lot in the grand scheme of things but it was just a transitionary phase for most.

For her though it was her limit; if she went up just a little more she would be at peak apprentice and unable to breakthrough.

Her path as a warrior was over from this moment on, at least until she could figure something out. But that wasn't her main focus right now.

'Not terrible. But, why is my mental over the limit?'

[Limits are calculated based on the standard of a Warrior. However, due to your meditation and increase as a Wizard, it is no longer accurate.]

'Interesting. That must be why my elemental affinity increased by so much, it's even higher than a Rank 2 Warrior. And my Mental did a massive jump too.'

[Would you like me to attempt to adjust the format to that of a Wizard?]

'Do you have enough data to accurately do that?'

[Some data is lacking, so results may not be 100% accurate until further information is gathered.]

'Hmmm.'

Morena thought about it for a minute, looking over her status panel one more time before finally shaking her head.

'No need, update it when you have enough data to be accurate. Misinformation will only hinder me.'

[Understood, I will inform you when I have collected enough data to make an accurate display.]

Morena nodded and then sighed, closing the panel. She was just about to close her eyes and get some rest before the class later that day, but just as she was going to she heard a knock coming from her door.

'Who?'

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