I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
That question lingered in the air for so long.
It was all too sudden, and the fact that Ysinia couldn't elaborate as to what it really was—
I must've looked extremely confused to her, but who wouldn't be?
She just dropped that bombshell out of nowhere.
I stared at her—pulling back the sleeve to cover up those six small, unnatural scars that wrapped around her wrist.
If it really was the result of her breaking this so-called "limiter" then it makes everything more suspicious that I haven't heard of her at least once.
"... Sixth limiter..."
I repeated slowly, thinking it would make more sense if I did, but I was completely wrong.
Ysinia simply nodded, unfazed by the revelation she brought upon me.
"Yes, I did."
What followed after that response was silence.
My mind spiralled into chaos, it almost felt like she was joking—I would believe that it's a joke had it been anyone but Ysinia.
She tilted her head before leaning in, lightly slapping my left cheek.
"Hello, Hello, earth to Friend."
Snapping back to reality—I shook my head trying to get a sense of myself.
"You want me to help you?"
She asked, her deadpan expression with a hint of curiosity.
Regardless of the multiple questions behind this revelation, I don't have any reasons to decline that help me fulfill my goal and change the trajectory of my life.
Even if I still have some suspicions about Ysinia's mysterious identity, this is just an opportunity I couldn't pass up.
With the future changing a lot, I couldn't rely alone with my future knowledge because that'll eventually lead to my downfall.
I'd have to take the risk.
With the way she acts still... maybe I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
"I've been stuck for the underclass too long, you see. So do you think I'll even decline?"
Confirming my answer, Ysinia stood up suddenly with the urgency of someone who's about to sleep rather than train, brushing the leaves off her hair, dusting off her shoulders and skirt.
"Come. We'll start now."
"Start what, exactly?"
I asked with warily, slowly standing up, a bit to follow her instructions.
She looked at me like I'd asked what two plus two was. Don't act like breaking someone's limiter is common sense!
Everyone wished they could do but there's none in the history where they were actually managed to rise up to break their ranks or something.
"Breaking your first limiter. Duh."
Even with her deadpan voice, she still managed to sound sarcastic.
I was this close to hitting this brat hadn't been for my patience as an old man.
"Do I need to prepare anything? Meditate? Warm up? or god forbid, eat a forbidden fruit?"
I inquired still suspicious of the methods she might use.
"Do you think you can prepare to scream?"
My stomach dropped.
I already expected this to be a painful process, especially since nothing is free in this world.
"...I don't know."
I replied.
"Friend, prepared or not—you will scream regardless."
How can someone like this sound so evil?
With Ysinia's instructions—I sat down cross-legged, placing each foot over the opposite thigh.
My hands rested gently on my knees, palms facing upward, thumbs and forefingers lightly touching before closing my eyes.
Everything about this position seemed oddly fascinating? Like a form of meditation, I should try and do that next time.
"Friend. Whatever you feel, don't break that position. I don't think I could reverse some of the damages after."
She's too straightforward about this that it's scary, how do you exactly expect me to respond to that warning?
Please sugarcoat some of it!
"...Alright."
I nodded.
Ysinia placed her palm at the back of my core causing me to raise an eyebrow and before I could ask, she immediately answered.
"Friend's mana is weak, that's why I'm lending a little of my mana."
Ouch, she just said that straight up but hey, I was asking for it last time. But her palm feels somewhat cool, is this what it feels like to have power?
"Focus your mana."
She instructed once more. But how exactly? I've never dealt with mana stuff before especially with my F-rank magic?
"Try to use your imagination. Visualize the mana that's outside your body and inside, try to differentiate them."
For someone like who hasn't even dabbled with magic that sounded vague as hell. My only experience is when Finley helped me out, more like he did everything for me.
Even so, I tried my best with visualizing everything she just said.
...
I felt nothing, I couldn't see even a flicker of what a mana is.
"Try harder."
She urged me.
I searched and attempted to visualize even the smallest bit of mana.
Suddenly, I felt pressure all over my body as I felt immense heat at my stomach. What on earth is this!?
I didn't want to move now especially when I'm feeling this discomfort, meaning I'm making progress.
After multiple attempts of trying to see it.
I could finally visualize what am I missing out on.
It almost felt like I'm looking at my figure on the mirror. Swirling particles around my body yet on the inside there's only few and the rest are flickering.
"I could see it now... but I don't think I'd last long with this heat."
My breath grew ragged.
"What you're doing mimics Mana Sense, but without control, it'll overheat fast."
Well, I'm actually overheating here so fast.
"Find the part of you that resists, the wall you always hit. Then push through it."
She added.
With the help of this so-called mimic of Mana Sense, I tried looking for it before my body burns and literally combust.
However, much to my luck, I couldn't find it.
I tried again—this time trying to see more clearly.
None.
Try again.
Nothing.
Try harder!
Still none.
I winced for a bit trying to think of another method of visualizing it but I think I'm running out of time.
But then.
I finally saw it.
Flickers of spiralling mana, they seemed to be condensed into one placed unable to get out.
"... H-How do I push it?"
I inquired to Ysinia.
"Just push through it."
She sounded like it was common sense again.
But my body convulsed instead, seemingly about to reach its limit. The intense heat on my core began feeling like an unbearable minature sun.
Every breath I took felt like inhaling and exhaling fire but I wasn't about to give up now that I reached this point.
"Endure it."
Ysinia said before I felt a small wave of coolness at my back, slightly easing the heat.
Without faltering, I tried using those small flickering lights and push through.
And just like the previous one, it took me multiple attempts just to see the smallest hint of success.
But I could feel it—something splintering.
I did. Or maybe it pushed back. I couldn't tell anymore.
There was no way to tell but after some time.
The pressure and heat vanished, immediately replaced by the refreshing coolness of the wind as my body finally relaxed.
I slowly opened my eyes expecting everything to be a blur or my body immediately giving out but instead...
Everything became vivid.
The colors around me looked almost exaggerated, like the world itself had grown more vivid in my pain.
I looked at my palms and saw a faint white flow of particles going in it.
Is this mana?
"I did it."
I murmured feeling the change on my body. It was that easy?
I also noticed a small scar similar to Ysinia's on my left arm further cementing the fact that I've broken through my limit.
But before I could celebrate, something struck the back of my head.
It was Ysinia but her palm never left my back.
"You're too slow. Any slower then you could've died."
Ysinia uttered sounding a tiny bit distressed.
What could she possibly mean by that? It did feel painful but sure it didn't felt like I was gonna die at that point.
"I aided you with my mana, even a toddler would've managed faster without my help."
Her expression never faltered, striking me on the head once more.
"But I managed to do it, didn't I?"
But then again, if I was even a second slower—would I have really died?
"Yeah. Barely."
"... So no problem there at least?"
"You're a fool if you think nothing comes after that, Friend."
That warning sent shivers in my spine and it actually came.
The moment Ysinia took her hand away from back—I immediately felt it.
Pain.
Worse than the cramps I've ever felt during the mornings after Voswick's training.
It was so unbearable that it left me writhing on the ground screaming and rolling.
I couldn't help it but it was intense.
My body wasn't used to this kind of pain, not even my mental experience helped as it felt like my body was getting rearranged from the inside.
Ysinia simply dtood there watching me.
Care do your almost dying friend some help?!
"Heh."
What do you mean by "heh"!? Is she enjoying my suffering that much?
She had this slight aura of smugness as if I deserved this pain due to my overconfidence from earlier.
It took a long while and plenty of screaming just for it to stop completely.
I'm pretty Ysinia was just sitting there enjoying the show—I'll go hit her next time.
I slumped over the patch of grass with my body exhausted to the brim unable to bear the pain and at the verge of passing out.
Ysinia stood up and looked over my slumped body in curiosity.
"Are you finally dead?"
Her voice drifted lazily.
Where on earth is my congratulations? That apathetic face looks more brutal than Voswick's.
"I... feel like it."
"Well, you're not. Get up."
"I can't."
"Try harder."
She crossed her arms like a military commander expecting the soldier to stand up immediately after doing the harshest training in the world.
It almost felt like she was punishing me for calling out her bad direction from last time especially since I could feel a sense of triumph around her.
Eventually, I propped myself up on one elbow. My limbs trembled, sore down to the marrow. But even as my body screamed, my core felt rejuvenated.
A placed a palm on the left side of my chest—feeling as if there was a second beating heart.
At last, a positive change.
"Congratulations, Friend. You've become barely competent."
And there I got my congratulations that sounded more like a mockery, thank you so much for being disappointed in me.
"Thanks. That means a lot—coming from the devil."
I groaned attempting to stand up by it seems that my legs are not in the mood for cooperation.
"I'm not the devil, I'm your friend."
I couldn't believe this person was the one who aided me, someone without a common sense.
"Sure, sure. Friend."
I plopped back down again looking at the clear blue sky. I could hardly believe this change happened just within a day.
I'm still unsure as to how everything felt due to how surreal it is.
It almost felt like my original plans crumbled before me and I had to make new ones everytime.
As if I had any plans ever since I came here, I never had time to make one.
"You're not going to ask why I helped you?"
Ysinia asked, still staring at me.
"I guess you want a weird collection of corpses in your dorm perhaps?"
I joked but she took too long to answer it and felt like she was avoiding the question.
"... Not really."
This brat! She was planning to kill me.
"Train harder tomorrow. This was only the first. We'll see if you can handle the rest."
She added completely avoiding the elephant in the room.
I groaned, rolling onto my side as the wind rustled the leaves above us.
"...The first, huh?"
As much of a positive change this is, it looks like it'll be a bumpy ride for me.