( Amanda's POV )
Broadly there were only two types of people in the universe — one who realized their mistake before it was too late and the other who did not and thankfully Amanda belonged to the first group of people.
As Captain Kid talked with Leo, trying to cozy up to him, Amanda felt a gnawing feeling grow in her heart which pointed her towards her own flaw.
And although Captain Kid gifted her with a spirit flame, which was supposed to be an invaluable treasure, Amanda understood that the reason behind her getting a gift today was not because of her own merits, but because of her association with Leo.
Although she did not make a fuss off it, and maintained her cheery attitude throughout the day, internally she could not have been any more frustrated, as she finally found her eyes opening up to her own shortcomings.
'Gosh! How could I have been so clueless?' Amanda cursed, as it wasn't until she was alone in her new mansion, that she crashed into one of the luxurious bedrooms and buried her head into the soft pillows.
"If Leo keeps skyrocketing in his self-worth and I lag behind too much, then sooner or later I'll become a burden to him in our relationship—" Amanda muttered in anger, as a small drop of tear escaped her eyes.
Up till now, she had only been focused on Leo and their relationship as a couple and had been unaware of the social implications of them being together.
For her, Leo bringing her along to the VIP sector was her biggest achievement, however, it wasn't until she saw how Captain Kid treated him that she finally began to view the bigger picture.
"Whoever gifted me this flame only did so because they wanted to enter Leo's good graces, not because they value me…. And this will continue to be my life, if I don't improve my own self-worth to be someone worthy of commanding my own respect.
While I'm happy for Leo and will always continue to support his growth, I can't let him outshine me.
If I wish to be his soulmate, I need to obtain a comparable social status to him, so that society never views me as a burden on him.
Although Leo will never dump me for such petty things, I refuse to be a lucky bitch who struck gold early.
I want to become a woman worthy of my man" Amanda said to herself, as today she found her greatest motivation to improve in the most unlikely of places.
Right now, it still wasn't too late for her to try and start catching up to Leo, as if she worked really hard she could probably reach the realm of a Grandmaster Forger before they reached the end of their journey, however, she had to start working desperately towards it now.
She could not afford to create low quality products for the DarkSky guild anymore if she wanted to become a Grandmaster and needed to hone her own craft if she wanted to progress.
"Although I'm grateful for everything that the DarkSky guild and guild master Cervantez have done for me, I still need to give them a notice that I'll quit soon.
I need to start adventuring out on my own, learn new crafting methods from the dwarves and start experimenting on my own.
I can't be content with the limited success I currently have and I must strive to improve" Amanda muttered, voicing her thoughts, as she decided to quit the guild and become her own adventurer again for the sake of her future.
*********
( Meanwhile Luke )
After receiving the mind meditation manual from Captain Kid, Luke dedicated the rest of his day to experimenting with its teachings.
It didn't take long for him to grasp the immense difficulty of mastering the technique, as the manual required not only precise control of a small pulse of mana circulating through his body but also demanded the ability to regulate its flow, speeding it up or slowing it down at will.
Like Leo, Luke quickly discovered the mental strain this practice induced as after just a 10-minute meditation session, he found himself utterly mentally exhausted, but even so, the benefits of the technique were immediately apparent.
The experience of practicing the manual felt similar to undergoing an intense full-body workout, with his mental fatigue mimicking the soreness his muscles would feel after a strenuous session.
Hence, despite the exhaustion, Luke knew that once his mind recovered from the strain, it would emerge stronger, and for that, he wholeheartedly appreciated the value of the mind meditation scroll.
Before he began practicing the technique, he held a brief conversation with Leo where he learned that this manual was a key component in the path to becoming a 'Master' warrior, along with several other in-game requirements.
This newfound knowledge gave Luke a sense of clarity, illuminating the steps he needed to take to grow as a player.
Up until now, he had been unaware that focusing on skills below the legendary rank would hinder his long-term progression and it wasn't until he understood the specific requirements for attaining the title of 'Master' that he realized the mistakes in his previous approach to growth.
With this revelation, Luke felt empowered as now armed with a clear direction for his future advancement he felt confident in reaching the realm of a Master himself in the coming year.
"With Leo showing me the path, I'm confident in reaching the realm of a master warrior in the next 6-8 months, or at least before the fourth evaluation 12 months later at the latest.
After the second rankers event, I already understood my shortcomings, but now I have obtained full clarity on what mistakes I have made.
My foundation itself is shaky and although I am in the process of redeveloping them, it's a shame I had been going down the wrong path up till now…" Luke muttered to himself as he realized his mistakes so far, and resolved to improve upon them, now that he knew where he was going wrong.
—------
/// A/N - In the novel world, the status of a 'Master' warrior is above a 'Master' craftsmen, with the disparity in their status being 1 tier.
Hence a 'Grandmaster' craftsman gets the same respect as a 'Master' warrior and so on, which is why Amanda does not have her ankle bracelet removed like Leo, although she is a master forger as of now. ///