Five hundred rapid push-ups on single knuckles barely stimulated his circulating core mana as dawn filtered through the frosted registry windows.
Beside the desk, Aria hovered in her newly stabilized teenage projection form, flicking through glowing digital interfaces with practiced efficiency.
"Bandwidth expansion remains capped at seventy-two percent until your third ring fully harmonizes with the divine fragment," she reported in her crisp, melodic voice.
"The physical enhancement feels extraordinary, though my knuckles anticipate the reinforced floorboards to crack beneath my palms," Hajin murmured, rising smoothly to his feet with a quiet exhale.
He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, stepping over to where Marrick sat surrounded by towering stacks of municipal documents.
The young archivist looked like a hollow ghost, dark circles bruising his eyes after spending twelve continuous hours tallying provincial figures.
"Give me the final damage, Marrick."
