"Hey, wake up already, don't you have classes today?" Freya practically hissed as she shook Jett awake. Her tone was rough around the edges, but underneath it lay a tender concern for him

"Morning already? And it's a Monday, I hate Mondays," Jett groaned, slowly rolling over. In his mind, he muttered, 'I'm mentally exhausted as is.' Despite his grumbling, a faint smile tugged at his lips when he saw Freya's annoyed face.

"Dude, you're going to be late for class," Freya chided, her eyes softening for just a moment as she glanced at him.

"Go without me, just come up with an excuse like I was sick or something. I believe in you," Jett replied, playfully waving her off as he stretched lazily.

He then turned his attention to the window, where he could see the early morning light filtering onto the room. 'Come to think of it, I haven't seen Ella in a while now. She'll probably stay in till Freya gets back, so it's a win for me,' he thought, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

Freya paused in the doorway, an amused smile tugging at her lips before she scolded him gently, "I can just tell what you're thinking right now, shame on you." Her voice dropped to a more serious tone. "One more thing, I know someone was here last night and you don't seem like telling me, but you don't have to say anything. Just make sure you're okay."

For a moment, the corridor filled with a soft, almost cinematic calm. Jett caught a glimpse of the concern in Freya's eyes. It was as if she wanted to say something to him but couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Freya…" Jett tried to speak, his voice quiet and laced with genuine curiosity. He wanted to ask what was really on her mind, to share a moment of closeness.

But then, as if caught in the grip of her own conflicted emotions, Freya's expression shifted abruptly. The tender warmth in her eyes hardened into a cool resolve.

Without another word, she slammed the door behind her and strode away, her footsteps echoing sharply down the corridor.

Jett stood there, a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips. "Whatever," he muttered softly, turning back to the window. Despite the abruptness of her exit, he couldn't help but feel that there was something she was supposed to tell him but decided not to push any further.

Jett leaned closer to the wall, the soft glow of his status window bathing his face in pale light. He scrolled through his extensive list of skills.

Though he had recently merged some abilities together, the sheer number still boggled his mind.

'Gosh, too many skills spoil the player,' he mused with a wry smile, sighing deeply as he scanned the screen.

Many of these abilities, he realized, might never even see the light of day. Still, he paused, allowing himself a moment of introspection as he imagined various scenarios where each skill might prove indispensable.

His eyes then caught the name of his most recent acquisition at the top of the list: [Illusory Chamber]. A spark of mischief lit his eyes as he thought, 'I'd love to see the look on her face when I use this on her. But I can't risk anyone discovering that I can copy their skills just like that.'

After a moment's consideration, an idea began to form. 'Why don't I merge it with [Tactical Mirage]?' he wondered, his mind racing with the possibilities of their combined effect.

A wicked smile crept across his face as he envisioned the new synergy, an ability that could potentially reshape the battlefield in ways both unexpected and exhilarating.

Yet, a nagging thought pulled him back. 'What if it gets downgraded?' he pondered, his gaze lingering on the skill icons as if seeking reassurance.

But even at the risk of losing the renowned name Tactical Mirage, he knew that the gamble was one worth taking, 'Gosh, I hope I'm just being scared for nothing. Getting a better skill is fun and all but that would suck if I didn't get a good effect.'

[Skill Forge] Activate

[Pick Skills for Synthesis]

[Tactical Mirage] and [Illusory Chamber].

[Do you wish to continue Y/N]

"Yes"

[Synthesising...]

[Synthesis Complete]

[New Skill: Tactical Mirage]

[Search]

[Tactical Mirage Updated]

[Tactical Mirage]

- 20% Bleed and slow effect reduces target's HP and AGI by 5 every 10 seconds.

- 8% speed boost Creates a 50m radius zone where user is aware of all movement.

- Creates 3 holographic clones and illusions within this space.

- Effect can be stacked with a 5% all-round stat boost.

- Light attribute: Use this zone to search for small targets and track movement, giving the user a mental marker for each target.

- Resistance to all elemental-based attacks: 55%

- Resistance to status ailment: 50%

- Weak force field.

- Simulate possible movements the user can react to accordingly. During this state, no one is allowed to move, not even the user.]

"No. No, no, no, no. Not this one, please! Nothing happened, just the level dependency." Jett's panicked exclamation filled the quiet of his room as he stared at his synthesis screen. The message flashed before his eyes, his attempt to merge skills had no possitive or negative effect. In other words, it wasa total waste.

'Damn it, I knew it. I just wasted a valuable skill,' he thought bitterly, feeling the sting of loss as the [Illusory Chamber] skill vanished from his repertoire. His gaze shifted to [Tactical Mirage] now dominating the screen, its familiar icon a stark reminder of what he'd sacrificed, 'I don't even know if I should be impressed or pissed off right now. You win again.'

"Come on Jett, lets calm down. You already have a massive arsenal of skills to be bothered by something like this. Let's not get greedy." Jett muttered under his breath. Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, he shook his head.

Suddenly, a red status window erupted onto his display, the message was a bit surprising as it caught him off guard.

[[This could have been avoided.]]

Jett's eyes widened, and he let out a mix of anger and disbelief. "Ah… you crazy… didn't anyone tell you never to jump scare your master?" he snapped at the screen, his voice laced with annoyance.

Almost immediately, another message appeared:

[[Master? Please don't flatter yourself.]]

"Rude," Jett mumbled, shaking his head in exasperation. 'I'm literally arguing with a status window. I've definitely lost it. What did they mean by this could be avoided…?' he wondered, his mind racing through his recent synthesis failure.

[[You're yet to understand the basis of your initial skill and yet you carelessly experiment with valuable skills.]]

Jett leaned back, absorbing the harsh truth of the feedback. The red text glared at him like a judgmental overseer, forcing him to confront the consequences of his reckless ambition.

The room fell silent, punctuated only by the cool breeze blowing into his room, as he contemplated the cost of his hasty experimentation.

"I need to take things slow. For now I'll just focus on Aura," Jett sighed as he collapsed back onto his bed. "I'm strong enough to take on anyone in this academy, apart from the founding members."

As his mind wandered, a thought struck him. "Now that I think about it, I totally forgot about the rewards I got from the gauntlet with Mystra. Let's see…" Jett whistled softly while scrolling through the items in his storage space.

"Class armor set could come in handy if I need some gear urgently once I leave the academy. Combat technique crafting manual, useless right now, but I'm going to need that later. What else…? Burning Flower and Frost Flower."

At that moment, floating before his eyes, two vivid images materialized. One was a red flower that burned continuously, its flames licking around the petals without reducing it to ashes. The other was a blue flower encased in a pristine block of ice, as if time had frozen its delicate beauty. They hovered there, ethereal and alluring, drawing Jett's full attention.

He carefully read through their descriptions on the screen:

[Burning Flower]

Compatible with fire magic users. Amplifies Mana usage and training.+50 to HP and MP+100 stat points

[Freezing Flower]

Compatible with Ice magic users. Amplifies Mana usage and training.+50 to HP and MP+100 stat points

"200 stat points each? Not bad, 400 stat points in total if I use them," Jett grinned to himself, already imagining how much stronger he'd become with such power at his fingertips. The rewards from Mystra were proving to be more than just simple trinkets.

[Would you like to use this item?]

[Y/N]

"400 stat points, huh?" Jett grinned at the screen, his mind already racing with possibilities. Just as his finger hovered over the "Yes" button, lively noise from outside snapped his attention away.

He rose and walked over to the window, drawn by the animated chatter and movement beyond. The scenery outside, vivid and full of life shifted his thoughts unexpectedly.

"Nevermind," he murmured to himself. "It'd be better if I give it to the twins. Would be nice if the Frostbanes owed me two favours each." With a sentimental smile tugging at his lips, he clicked "No."

"Now for my Aura," he declared softly.

Jett closed his eyes for a moment, and as he exhaled, a warm, mildly orange glow began to seep from him, a visible manifestation of his Aura. "Normally, such a display would be impossible; but I'm already at an advanced level, nearing Master level for both Aura and Mana, thanks in part to the reward from the previous trial."

"Plus, after getting [Triple Casting] from Sylverster and synthesizing it with [Mental Block] which I got from a teacher here, I ended up with [Tri-Mind]. Now anytime I'm not using my body, I can train both my Mana and Aura simultaneously. It's like having a double layer for practicing, and I can divert it to train my Lumix whenever. Now that's OP."

A greedy grin spread across his face as he directed his Aura into his fists, watching the Aura swirl and dance in the soft orange light.

"I just need to learn how to cleanly manipulate my Aura," he mused. "And the best person to teach me would be Asher."

He drifted back to the window for a moment, taking in the view once again, but this time with a hint of disappointment. "Mid-term is around the corner," he sighed. "I guess I'll have to wait until then, though I'm not even sure if Asher's reached that level yet."

Jett leaned back, his thoughts mingling with the gentle glow of his Aura, as he prepared himself for the challenges yet to come.

"Whatever, " he grinned menacingly, "If hasn't gotten the idea yet I'll just have to give him a little nudge."

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