Sora felt a new sense of power thrummih his skin. He hadn't chosen a css yet, but after reag level 10, something fual had shifted—he had unlocked mana. It was wild and untamed, pulsing inside him like an uncoiled spring, waiting to be harnessed. He could already tell that trolling it was going to be difficult.

  Mana, in its raw form, was chaotic. Without a css to guide it, most pyers found it nearly impossible to mahere were too many potential uses, and without proper filtering or refi, it was like trying to wield a sword without knowing whid to hold. Letting chaotia flow was harmless but trying to use chaotia was akin to shooting yourself in the foot and then trying to walk if you had no idea how to do it.

  Csses were created to make sense of this chaos. Swordmen filtered mana to create what was known as sword energy, eling that intth and speed. In trast, mages filtered it even further, verting mana into magical power that could be shaped into elements—fire, ice, htning. But every version came with a cost, redug the raw mana's potential in favor of trol and focus.

  Sora remembered Enzo, his mage friend who died. Enzo had once expihe plexity of magi. Wizards didn't just wield mana; they purified it, refi, and then specialized in how to use it. Enzo could vert one unit of mana into magic power, but by the time it became usable as freezing magily half of that inal power remained. Every css had to tend with this loss, but they also developed ways to make better use of the potential locked iheir chosen type of mana.

  Yet, Sora was still without a css. And without a css, his mana remained raw, untrolble. Trying to use it directly felt like reag into a storm of fire, ice, aricity all at once. He khat he would have to choose a css eventually to fully harness it. But the thought struck him—what if he could skip that? What if he could use mana as a Swordman without actually choosing the css?

  Sora closed his eyes and focused.

  As Sora sat cross-legged, eyes closed, fog on the raw, chaotiergy swirling just beh his skin, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. He had spent five years as a swordsman, mastering the art of eling mana into his bde. That experiehough erased in level and statistics, was not fotten. He could still remember the feeling—the surge of power c through his on, the precision of his strikes, the harmoween his body and the sword.

  The challenge now was different. No css to guide his mana, no pre-set path to follow. He was trying to do what he had done tless times before, but this time, his mana was raw, unfiltered, and pletely untamed.

  Sora took a deep breath and began the process. He visualized his mana, f it to move through his body toward his dantian, the energy ter just below his he cept of a dantian was something he had picked up from one of the many cultivation manuals he'd read back when the world started ging. It was a focal point, a ste and refi area for mana. He would filter it there, just like he used to as a swordman.

  It wasn't easy.

  At first, the maed him. Every attempt to el it felt like trying to scoop up water with his hands—slipping through his fingers, refusing to hold form. His instincts kicked in, trying to force it, but that only made things worse. The maed violently, surging and crashing within his body like a storm.

  "Not like that," Sora muttered to himself, correg his approach. He had to treat it like a delicate process, not brute force. He had to guide the mana, shape it gently.

  He tried again, this time slowing dow the mana flow naturally, only nudging it in the right dire. It still felt chaotic, but he could sehe potential there—the raaiting to be molded. Bit by bit, he drove it toward his dantiaing the familiar process of filtering take over.

  Just as he had done in his previous life, Sora began to focus the mana, refining it into sword energy. He visualized the path, trag the steps he had taken befuiding the energy from his dantian, into his limbs, and finally into his sword.

  But the momeried to ihe mana into his bde, the process unraveled. The chaotia slipped from his trol, dissipating into the air before it could solidify into sword energy.

  "Damn…" He cursed under his breath. "So close."

  Despite the failure, Sora could feel it—he was on the right track. The problem was clear. Unlike before, where his mana had been tamed by the swordman css, now it was wild. There were too many variables, too much waste in the process. It was like trying to funnel a raging river through a small el. He o refihe mana further, remove the impurities, and trol the flow more precisely.

  He grinned despite himself. This was exg. Every failure wasn't just a dead-end—it was showing him exactly where he was going wrong and how to fix it. He hadn't been this engaged in a challenge for a long time. Each attempt brought him closer, teag him more about his mana and how it worked without a css to guide it.

  For hours, he kept at it, experimenting, adjusting, and refining the process. His body ached from the strain, but his mind was on fire. With each attempt, the chaos in the mana lessened, being more manageable, more refihe key, he realized, wasn't just in f the mana to obey—it was in evolving his approach. He o adapt to the mana, let it evolve alongside him.

  Then, after what felt like a hundred failed attempts, something clicked.

  Suided the mana to his dantian again, but this time, instead of f it to follow the exact path he had taken as a swordman, he allowed it to adapt. He let the mana shift slightly, finding its own flow, its own ba was subtle, but the difference was immediate. The chaotiergy stilled, being more focused, more potent.

  He guided it through his limbs, just like before, and this time, when he reached for his sword, the mana followed, infusing the bde with a faint, shimmering glow. It wasn't the full sword energy he had wielded as a swordman, but it was close—closer than ever before.

  A notification blinked in his vision:

  [Supreme Skill Unlocked: Mana Evolution]

  Sora's eyes widened. Mana Evolution? He had never heard of supreme skills before, but what he saw right now told him that it was pletely insane. He kept reading the description over and over up the description immediately.

  [Mana Evolution (Supreme Skill)]

  [A unique skill created for a supreme genius who learned how to use mana without a css.

  This skill evolves alongside the user's prehension and application of mana. With practid adaptation, the user's mana grows stronger, more effit, and more versatile over time. Each breakthrough in uanding unloew effects, enhang the user's e to mana and granting powerful new abilities.

  Effect 1 : Mana Eyes: Allows the user to see mana at all scales, zooming in and out depending on the need.

  Effect 2 : Loved by Mana: Mana will assist the user and minimize rebounds from misuse. Mana will always try to help the user if possible.

  Effect 3 : Mana Growth: Every time mana is used, it bees more refined, effit, and powerful.

  Effect 4 : Mana ization: The user guide how their mana evolves. Progress depends on the user's talent and prehension.

  WARNING : Supreme Skills ot be affected by anything lower than Supreme level skills, including Innate skills, special skills or Racial Skills.]

  Sora read the description again, a slow grin spreading across his face. He ughed at the supreme genius accode, thinking he was just misuood but saw through the skill.

  This was it. This was the key to unlog his potential. Mana Evolution wasn't just about trolling mana—it was about improving it, letting it grow alongside him. He could shape his mana into whatever form he needed, and the more he practiced, the stro would bee. It was the perfect skill for someone like him, who wao experiment with different paths, who wasn't tied down to a single css.

  He could still feel the chaotiergy within him, but now it didn't seem so overwhelming. With Mana Evolution, he would learn to tame it, to harness it. Aually, he would surpass even his former self as a swordman.

  Sora stood up, feeling the male within him. The sword in his hand still glowed faintly with the energy he had infused into it.

  "I did it," he muttered, a sense of triumph washing over him. This was just the beginning. With Mana Evolution, he wasn't limited to oh. He could bee whatever he wanted—mage, warrior, or somethiirely new.

  As he sheathed his sword, Sora's thoughts raced ahead. He had a long way to go, but now, for the first time since his reset, he felt like he was truly in trol.

  Another notificatiht him out of his reverie.

  [Fake Sword Strike (Evolvable)]

  [Type: Offensive

  Css Requirement: None

  Description: A cssless imitation of the standard Sword Strike ability. The Fake Sword Strike is a powerful blow delivered to the enemy, with the sword imbued with Mana instead of Sword Energy. pared to its css-based terpart, this skill is 20% weaker.

  Evolution: As the user's mana improves, the skill be upgraded or evolve.]

  The description was straightforward. It mimicked the basic Sword Strike skill he had used tless times as a swordsman. However, there was a key differehis version didn't require a css. While it was 20% weaker than the inal skill, the potential it held made Sora's heart race.

  Sora couldn't help but grin. The possibilities were endless. The skill was weaker for now, but that didn't matter. It wasn't bound by the limitations of a css, and more importantly, it had room to grow. As his mastery of mana improved through Mana Evolution, so would the Fake Sword Strike. In time, he might be able to create versions of css-based skills that were strohan the inals.

  The thought filled him with a renewed sense of purpose. He imagihe potential of imitating not just basic skills, but advaeiques—ohat could outshine anything a css-restricted pyer could achieve. Maybe he could evee a whole set of skills that outcssed everything from his former swordman days.

  "This is just the beginning," Sora muttered, gripping the hilt of his sword. He could feel the mana swirling inside him, more refihan before, more obedient. His path forward was clearer now. He didn't need a css to define him; he could define himself by evolving his skills beyond what ahought possible.