( Leo's POV, after completing intermediate mastery)
[System Notification: Congratulations to player 'TheBoss' for improving your skill [Mirror World] to (Intermediate) mastery.]
*Exhale*
Leo exhaled in relief as the notification appeared before him.
This had undoubtedly been the most difficult challenge he had faced in his quest to raise the mastery of any skill.
The journey to (Intermediate) mastery had pushed him to his limits, and had left him utterly drained, however, to his surprise, although he reached the (Intermediate) mastery of [Mirror World], the much awaited system notification that he had become a 'Master' warrior, never came.
To reach the (Intermediate) grade of mastery, he had not only been forced to refine his control over mana, but also forced to push his mental capacity to the brink, using every ounce of concentration that he could muster.
Yet, despite his hard-earned accomplishment, Leo felt a sharp pang of disappointment when the second system notification never came.
Elevating the skill to (Intermediate) mastery hadn't triggered the long-anticipated character evolution that would elevate him to the rank of a 'Master' warrior, and for all his efforts, the breakthrough still seemed just out of reach.
Leo was certain that even his master, Ben, hadn't yet achieved the (Advanced) level of mastery in [Mirror World]. Still, Ben had somehow managed to ascend to the status of a 'Master' level fighter, but for some reason Leo could not do the same.
Leo had been convinced that reaching (Intermediate) mastery in [Mirror World] would be the key to unlocking his own breakthrough into the realm of masters.
Yet here he stood, still just short of that elusive breakthrough, and he couldn't understand why.
'What am I lacking? Why haven't I become a 'Master' fighter yet?' Leo mused. His thoughts continuously circling over the question, but no matter how hard he tried, no clear answers emerged.
All he could do was speculate, unsure of where his progress was faltering, as his mind wandered back to a conversation with Ben—a conversation where Ben explained to him what exactly it meant to be a 'Master'.
"A master, huh? It's not just about how many enemies you can face," Ben had said, his voice calm but commanding. "It's about the flow—the seamless connection between you and your power. For you, every move, every skill takes effort. You gather mana, direct it, and then use it. But for a master?
It's as natural as breathing. There's no thought, no effort—just pure action."
Leo vividly recalled how effortlessly Ben had described something that, to him, still felt so far away.
"I don't need to consciously gather mana anymore. It flows through me constantly, like an unstoppable torrent. When I think of using 'Mirror World,' it simply happens.
That's what mastery is, Leo" Ben had explained, as Leo tried to discern some hidden message behind his words, looking for anything that would give him a clue on what he was lacking.
However, the answer he was seeking did not seem to be in this part of Ben's explanation of what it meant to be a master.
Leo recalled how after uttering these words, Ben had gone on to further explain as to how a master's body didn't just function on its own, and how it was in perfect sync with the mana flowing through it and the surrounding world.
That natural flow allowed a master to act without hesitation, without conscious control, and what Leo lacked currently was this effortless synergy.
"It's not just about your skill level," Ben had emphasized, his words still ringing clear in Leo's mind. "It's about reaching a state where your abilities and your mana are one. When your body becomes an open channel for mana, that's when you know you've entered the realm of a master."
The memory of Ben's words left Leo feeling both inspired and frustrated.
He had trained relentlessly, pushing himself to the point of exhaustion to achieve (Intermediate) mastery in [Mirror World]. And yet, despite all that effort, the fluid, effortless flow of mana that Ben had described still seemed lightyears away.
Clenching his fists, Leo began to realize that it wasn't just about increasing his skill level—it was about something much deeper.
It was about understanding his power on a fundamental level and about achieving complete unity with his mana.
He couldn't force it. He couldn't make it happen through sheer willpower. It was something that had to come to him naturally.
Ben had already reached that point of seamless mastery, where his body and mana worked together as one. But Leo, despite his best efforts, wasn't there yet.
Not yet, anyway. But he knew he would be.
Little did he know that his body was actually already on the verge of becoming a master, however, what he actually lacked were the hidden requirements set by the system for a player to be acknowledged as a master.
Firstly, the system only acknowledged players above level 350 as a master as a baseline.
Leo was still 13 levels short of that threshold and hence could not enter the realm of a 'Master' till he reached it.
The second requirement was that bar from system given character skills, all additional skills had to be at a minimum of (Intermediate) mastery, however, with him having added (Shadowbind) to his arsenal, and (Shadowbind) only being at (Basic) mastery, Leo needed to also raise it to (Intermediate) level to achieve that acknowledgement.
Thirdly and finally, he needed to have a minimum of (Advanced) mastery in two (Legendary) grade skills or higher, which he already did, hence he only needed to fulfill the first two conditions to be acknowledged as a master.
However, in the absence of this clear knowledge, Leo believed that he needed to perhaps push his skill mastery even further and decided to focus on taking [Mirror World] from the (Intermediate) to (Advanced) grade, which was actually a needless fulfillment.
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/// A/N - A polite reminder to support this book via power stones and Golden Tickets if you can! ///