Okay, one question first: why is Hadwin such an exceptional cook? I mean, seriously good. Yes, I understand the stereotype of American dads being grillmasters, handling barbecues for multiple families while casually sipping cheap beer, and Hadwin seems to fit that image perfectly.

But honestly, his cooking skills astound me.

Soup? He's got it covered. Main dish? His grilling skills are top-notch, always serving up tender and juicy meat. He can even whip up a dessert, spending just one or two hours each day experimenting to get accustomed to the kitchen appliances here that run on glowing stones imbued with mana.

Currently, I'm even more pleased with my decision and am considering letting him take over cooking duties.

As for the mana stones so commonly used here? I tried examining one, and Ruby laughed at me for several minutes as I continued to scrutinize it. She explained that even she can't discern their structure or the intricate mana pathways etched inside each stone, similar to circuits.

She mentioned that many stone manufacturers incorporate fail-safes and traps to prevent their competition from replicating them.

To put it bluntly, I can't make heads or tails of it with my current skills and decided to give up. Just to be safe, I took a few of them, and Ruby added their cost to my running tab. Right now, though, it's mostly an inside joke between us; I don't think anyone really cares about the gold anymore.

Finally, I lift the corgi into the air using both hands, one normal, and the other formed from pale blue mana. It's solid and lacks sensation, but its mobility is vastly improved.

The corgi looks at me, surprised, mouth slightly agape, tongue lolling out. Oddly, he seems to be enjoying the experience, his tail swinging side to side, and his free-hanging hind legs flailing slightly.

He also forms two arms from purple mana, which reach out to gently pet my head, similar to how I pet him.

(Good)

Hey, you little rascal, just how intelligent are you? Are you mocking me? Making fun of me?

His face seems too innocent, and I'm in too good a mood due to my success to argue. I let him down and put him on the ground. Immediately, he turns and dashes towards Hadwin, who's once again busy cooking something.

(Asshole!) he sends towards the older man.

“How many times did I tell you not to call me that? You're smart enough to stop it by now…”

I tune out the rest of his grumbling.

Who do you think taught our precious Biscuit to continue calling you like that?

Yes, it was me! Nathaniel Gwyn!

"..."

Yes, I am aware that I'm being petty. But back to more important matters. By successfully creating an almost human-like arm made of mana, two of my skills leveled up.

[Focus - lvl 20 > Focus - lvl 21]

[Armament - lvl 19 > Armament - lvl 20]

I even managed to break through the bottleneck in [Armament], which is a significant accomplishment. As if to reward me, I completed my side quest!

Side quest:Get 3 skills to level 20Rewards:Passive skill of your choice

Excitedly, I open the window to check the passive skills:

Congratulations, you have completed your Side Quest. You can now select one of the offered Passive skills, which have been determined based on your performance so far in the tutorial.

Passive Skill: Innate Resilience (Common) - The user's physical durability benefits from their high mana levels.

Passive Skill: Wound Closure (Uncommon) - The user's natural healing rate improves when their mana is above a certain threshold.

Passive Skill: Adaptive Physiology (Rare) - The user's body adapts to various physical and energetic strains, enhancing overall resilience.

Passive Skill: Mana Veil (Uncommon) - The user's mana emits a subtle veil, making it more difficult for others to perceive and analyze their magical presence.

Passive Skill: Mana Momentum (Uncommon) - The user's mana intertwines with kinetic energy, allowing them to harness and redirect kinetic forces with increased efficiency.

Passive Skill: Mana Conduit (Uncommon) - The user's body acts as a better conduit for mana, enhancing the speed at which they can channel mana.

Passive Skill: Chaotic Pulse (Rare) - The rhythm of the user's heartbeat passively disrupts nearby mana, causing interference in the abilities of others.

Passive Skill: Cerebral Harmony (Rare) - The user's mind and mana harmonize, boosting their ability to shape and manipulate mana.

Passive Skill: Parallel Processing (Common) - The user's capacity to handle multiple streams of information increases.

Passive Skill: Solid Manifestation (Common) - The user's ability to solidify their mana improves, enhancing the strength and stability of their creations.

Oh boy, here we go again.

Common, Uncommon, Rare — these are the skill rarities. Judging by their names, I suppose I should ignore anything below 'Rare,' even though some of them sound quite appealing. For instance, Parallel Processing, Wound Closure, and even Mana Conduit all sound tempting.

I've also noticed that the system allows me to upgrade skills using skill upgrade tokens. I wonder if there will be tokens specifically for passive skills?

I check the quest list, but there's no new information, only the existing floor quest:

Floor quest:Witness the end of the world.

Rewards:Skill upgrade token20 stat pointsIncreased daily limit of community usageTutorial Difficulty change token

No new side quests appear. I have a feeling that I shouldn't gamble. Passive skills seem different from active ones because they have rarities assigned to them, so perhaps they can't be upgraded.

This likely leaves me with three rare skills to choose from, all of which sound fantastic.

Adaptive Physiology is probably a result of enduring absorbed kinetic energy and my excessively high mana. Selecting it could improve my pain tolerance, allow me to absorb more kinetic energy, and even use more mana.

It sounds brilliant.

The next option is Chaotic Pulse, likely tied to [Disruption] and perhaps also [Mana Surge]. I have a new question: how significant is its effect? The description doesn't provide much detail, so the effect could be rather modest.

There's also a potential downside to Chaotic Pulse. What if I can't turn it off like my construct? What if it prevents me from receiving healing from Lily or disrupts others fighting by my side?

Sure, it could enhance my abilities, but it might hurt me just as much. Plus, I already have [Disruption], so do I really need a passive version?

The final option is Cerebral Harmony, which might be my favorite. It's definitely linked to [Mana Manipulation] and possibly [Focus].

Right now, I don't have many issues with my mana thanks to upgrading [Mana Manipulation] and the construct I've created. But in the future, this could allow me to infuse more mana into my stats without worry, and even help me utilize my skills faster.

It could speed up my skill-learning process, improve multiple skills, and even let me work better with Constructs, which is probably the most significant boost I could receive at this point.

However, Adaptive Physiology also sounds promising. It too could enhance my handling of Constructs and simplify their creation.

With too many good choices, first-world problems strike once more! But who am I kidding, it's obvious which one I will pick

I select Cerebral Harmony (Rare), close my eyes, and brace myself for the impending pain.

And oh boy, does it come.

It feels like red-hot nails are being hammered into my head. I feel as if I might break my teeth from how tightly I'm clenching them. Sweat pours down my body as the system alters me, fortifying me and better attuning me to mana in preparation for the passive skill. Gradually after what feels like too long, the pain subsides, and I exhale deeply, opening my eyes.

I see my shaking hand, wet with sweat, pressed against my forehead, and I begin to calm down.

Sensing my distress, the dog runs over and nudges my leg a few times. He continues doing this until I pet his small head, then he looks up at me, his smart eyes slowly blinking.

I pet him again, gradually coming to the realization that I have a soft spot for animals or people that show me affection. It makes me feel warm inside, albeit slightly uncomfortable, unsure of how to react.

It compromises my ability to make rational decisions. Yet, there's nothing I can do. I am vulnerable when faced with unconditional affection.

I acknowledge this. I understand that it's a weakness, one I should perhaps overcome, but at the same time, it feels precious to me.

To my amusement, one word sounds in my mind.

(Asshole)

Yet, it sounds soft, almost gentle.

God damn it, you little jerk.

I ruffle his head gently while internally smiling, even though it's likely, not noticeable on my face.

Once more, the corgi slowly blinks at me before scampering back to Hadwin. I recline, laying down and looking at the ceiling.

My mana is even less of a concern now, and I release some of the [Focus] that kept it at bay. It feels as if I can move it more easily, as if before there was some delay, some lag, and high latency. Now it's smoother, and the mana moves almost exactly as I will it to move and does what I want it to do.

I conjure a translucent arm at the stump of my left arm and reach out towards the ceiling. The mana fingers move skillfully, almost exactly like real fingers would.

Yes, I still have to maintain one [Focus] just to use the mana arm, but the difference is significant. The arm even looks more human-like and is shaped very similarly to my right one.

I will it to extend, and the length of my arm increases. I concentrate, and the fingers become longer with something resembling blades at the tips. The hand becomes bigger, and the arm more muscular—though it doesn't actually change its strength.

Then I let it dissipate and create a small orb of mana, which I let hover above me. I condense it further and further, start shaping it, dividing it into many smaller ones, and causing them to spin.

For a while, I just lay there and practise.