WebNovels

Chapter 23 - Replicating Perfection

I left the coach's office with my mind spinning, his final words echoing in my ears.

"We're going to take your little miracle and we're going to turn it into a consistent, reliable weapon.". He had given me a new purpose, a new direction. My training wasn't just about getting stronger anymore; it was about understanding the very nature of my power.

But first, I had to finish the task I had started. The homework from the previous night.

The sun was beginning its descent over Ahmedabad as I arrived back at the familiar, comforting decay of Court 7. I was physically and mentally exhausted from the day's events, but a fierce, burning energy propelled me forward. I had the blueprint for a master-level skill stored in my System, waiting to be unlocked.

I looked at the system notification, the starting point of my long night ahead.

[Data Integration: 55%]

"Let's get to work," I muttered, activating the practice module.

The translucent blue ghost of Silas, 'The Surgeon', appeared before me, its movements a symphony of kinetic perfection. I began the grueling process of trying to match its form, of teaching my clumsy muscles the language of a master.

But this time, something was different. As I moved, a new layer of perception was overlaid on my senses. It was my new skill, Aether Sense, the parting gift from my failed analysis of the Phase Shot. Before, I was just visually copying the wireframe ghost. Now, for the first time, I could feel what I was doing.

I held out my hand and began to practice the most difficult part of the new skill: 'Aether Compression' . I could feel the ambient Aether of the court flowing around me, a gentle, invisible river. As I tried to shape it, I could feel the energy leaking between my mental fingers, my containment field wavering.

A new kind of notification appeared, one I had never seen before.

[Aether Sense has detected a 14% energy leak in your current containment field. Focus on stabilizing the interior shell.]

The System was giving me a whole new set of diagnostics. My new sense and the System were working together, providing me with real-time feedback that went beyond simple visual mimicry. The practice became more intuitive, but also a hundred times more mentally draining. It was a constant, exhausting balancing act of physical movement and intense mental focus.

The hours bled together, marked only by the slow, painful climb of the integration percentage. My body screamed for rest, but the image of the coach's intense gaze, the memory of Jax's contempt, it all fueled me. I would not fail.

[Data Integration: 70% Complete.]

[Data Integration: 85% Complete.]

[Data Integration: 99% Complete.]

Finally, drenched in sweat and on the verge of collapse, I executed one last, perfect motion. I held a perfectly compressed, perfectly stable ball of Aether in my palm, the movements of my body a flawless mirror of the wireframe ghost.

A triumphant chime echoed in my mind. [Data Integration: 100% Complete.]

The ghost of Silas vanished. The practice module disengaged. I stood there, panting in the silent arena. I had done it. I had replicated perfection.

And then, the notification I had been waiting for returned, glowing with a brilliant, promising light.

[Original Skill 'Power Shot (Basic)' can now be evolved. Evolve skill into 'Power Shot (Pierce)'? Requires 1 Unallocated Skill Point.]

My heart hammered in my chest. I had the Skill Point from my level up after the tryouts, a reward I hadn't known how to use . Now, its purpose was clear. It wasn't for a simple boost. It was for evolution.

With a sense of finality, I gave the mental command. "Evolve."

[1 Unallocated Skill Point has been consumed. Evolving 'Power Shot (Basic)'…]

A wave of energy, sharp and powerful, surged through my System and into my mind. The blueprint for the basic skill was forcibly rewritten, torn down and rebuilt into something new, something stronger. I felt the knowledge of Aether Compression solidify, becoming an instinct, a fundamental part of my arsenal.

My skills menu flashed and updated. The familiar entry for my first skill was gone. In its place was a new, far more impressive line of text.

SKILLS > Power Shot (Pierce) - LVL 1 (0% Proficiency) Description: Compresses Aether into a dense, high-velocity projectile with armor-piercing properties. Cost: 10 Stamina Damage: Based on Aether Control stat.

The stamina cost had doubled, but the description confirmed everything. Armor-piercing properties.

I was drained. I had nothing left. But I had to try it. Just once.

I turned to face the far wall of Court 7, a slab of reinforced plasteel that had endured years of stray shots. I took a deep breath, my body automatically flowing into the perfect kinetic chain of Silas's form. I held out my hand.

The Aether flowed into my palm, and I could feel the compression happening, the energy twisting and folding in on itself, becoming incredibly dense. The ball of light that formed was small, no bigger than a golf ball, but it shone with an almost white-hot intensity.

I unleashed it.

ZZZING!

It was the same sound from the simulation, a sharp, cutting tear through the air . The projectile wasn't a beam or a bolt; it was a needle of pure light, a tiny, impossibly fast pinprick moving across the court.

It hit the plasteel wall.

There was no explosion. No bright flash of energy. There was only a sharp CRACK and the sound of sizzling metal.

I stared, my exhaustion completely forgotten.

There, in the center of the wall, was a small, perfectly round hole, about the size of my thumb. The edges glowed with molten heat. I could see the dark night sky of Ahmedabad through it.

I had just punched a hole through a reinforced arena wall.

I looked down at my hand, then back at the smoldering hole. Coach Valerius had told me to build an engine. I had just forged my first real weapon. Tomorrow's practice was going to be very, very different.

More Chapters