The days that followed settled into a new routine. Ray became a quiet legend among the faculty.

In an Advanced Swordsmanship class. Ray was sitting silently in the back of a dueling hall, his gaze fixed on two senior students locked in a furious exchange of steel. The instructor, a stern dueling master with a scarred lip, was initially shocked to see a twelve-year-old in his elite seminar. The instructor questioned Ray, but Ray said he got permission to attend the class.

The instructor produced his faculty-issued 'Master's Slate,' a thin, glowing crystal panel, and used it to query the unexpected initiate's presence in his class roster. The slate displayed Ray’s name, and beside it, a clearance level that made the master’s eyes widen. The slate, reading the high-level authority approval for Ray's status in his class.

'Department Head' level approval. The instructor’s annoyance turned to a wary, professional acceptance. Ray was allowed to watch the duels, his Tactical Replication Protocol progress bar ticking up in his mind.

The next class Ray sat in was an Advanced Combat Casting seminar. Here, Arcanum students practiced weaving spells under pressure, their duel a chaotic dance of fire and ice. This directly addressed Ray's need for data on real-world magical combat. The same scene played out: the mage instructor was shocked, questioned Ray. He told the instructor he got permission to attend the class. The instructor, after checking his own Master's Slate and seeing the impossible clearance level, was forced to back down, his expression a mask of baffled curiosity. The Tactical Replication Protocol continued its silent work, absorbing the patterns of magical combat.

Ray's new reputation was now a phantom, an untouchable anomaly who appeared in the academy's most elite combat classes, observing with an unnerving, analytical focus. He spoke to no one, took no notes, but his intense gaze seemed to deconstruct every move. He became a subject of intense gossip and speculation among both the students who witnessed his silent visitations and the faculty who were forced to sanction the presence of the mysterious boy.

In the Spire of Sages wing Ray just arrived after another day of sitting in another advanced combat class. He dismissed Sergeant Svane for the day, the stoic guard taking his post outside but in the perimeter, completely unaware of the intellectual heist his young charge had just successfully concluded. The intense days of observation were over.

Ray walked into his study, the silence of the room a welcome comfort. He focused his will, accessing the Tactical Replication Protocol interface in his mind.

He saw a list of newly unlocked simulation profiles. They were a lot of new profiles with different fighting styles he had so meticulously observed:

[Valor Initiate - Brawler Style]

[Noble Duelist - Fencing Style]

[Arcanum Adept - Fire Caster]

[…]

He had created his own library of opponents, his personal set of foothills to climb before he could ever hope to challenge the mountain that was Sergeant Svane.

Later late at night, Ray summoned the first new hologram, a burly Valor initiate. It materialized before him, a shimmering projection of a student he had watched just that morning, its posture aggressive and its fists clenched. Ray took a deep breath, his own body settling into a ready stance. His real training was about to begin. He now had the data he needed to forge himself into a weapon capable of facing the masters of this world.

The hologram roared and charged, a straightforward bull rush, its fists balled into like crude hammers. In the past, Ray would have used his Flowing Shadow Technique to simply evade a phantom dancing away from a clumsy blow. Now, he saw not just a threat, but a system of kinetic energy waiting to be manipulated.

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Ray activated his Fulcrum Principle skill, a faint shimmering trajectory line, visible only to him, appeared in his mind’s eye. His foot shot out, not at the charging hologram, but at a holographic practice weight on the floor beside it. The weight skidded across the illusory floor, striking the brawler’s ankle at the perfect angle. The hologram’s charge collapsed into a clumsy, flailing stumble. In that moment of manufactured chaos, Ray flowed forward, his hand striking a precise using the World Weary Healer’s Anatomical Strike skill at a nerve cluster in the hologram's neck. The projection froze, then dissolved into light.

The victory was swift, clean, and almost effortless. It was a confirmation. His new philosophy worked.

The days that followed were a blur of similar, systematic deconstructions, a relentless period of secret work. The training room in the Spire of Sages became a place where he dismantled the sparring partners he had so carefully gathered. He calmly weaved through a storm of spells from the "Arcanum Adept - Fire Weaver" hologram, using The Fulcrum Principle to create cover from holographic debris.

He was not a master yet, but he had systematically deconstructed the fighting styles of his peers, establishing a new, much higher baseline of combat competence. The ‘foothills,’ as the Grizzled Veteran had called them, he had started to climb.

Veteran: “Hmph. It's still not pretty, but the targets were neutralized with minimal injuries. Mission accomplished. It'll do.”

Conman: “Not pretty? Are you kidding? That was a show! He’s not just a fighter; he’s an artist! Making those lummoxes trip over their own feet without even touching them? Beautiful stuff! Ten out of ten!”

Assassin: “The method is unconventional, but the result is a clean neutralization with little energy expenditure. It is an effective art.”

Weaver: “Bah! It's all just a fancy way to set up a target! A good Fire Ball would solve all those problems in half the time! Still... I suppose his control has improved... slightly.”

[SKILLED APPLICATION DETECTED]

[EVENT: COMBAT APPLICATION - AETHELGARD STYLES]

[PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: INSPIRED]

[ANALYSIS: Host successfully applied his Innate Martial Art (The Art of Transience) and its advanced techniques (The Fulcrum Principle) to systematically deconstruct and defeat combat profiles based on real-world Aethelgard data. The seamless integration of proactive environmental manipulation with advanced evasive maneuvers demonstrates a high level of tactical mastery and adaptability. Largest Mastery Gain awarded.]

[MASTERY GAIN: Tactical Assessment +20% (CAPSTONE already reached, adding half of mastery gain to the next archetype skill ‘Basic Weapon Proficiency’), Marksmanship +15%, Anatomical Strike +10%.]

With his physical and magical defense improving, Ray sat in his study, he thought with the result of his latest training he had clear progress and direction of the pressing need for immediate survival, allowing his focus to shift to a different pillar of power. One of his greatest assets was not a skill or an archetype; it was his network of allies. His thoughts turned to the Understudy Protocol Lvl. 2 and the empty slot that had been waiting to be filled.

His mind immediately went to Eliza Vance, and the internal debate he’d had before came rushing back.

Veteran: “She’s a civilian. She's seen one battle, from the back lines. That doesn't make her a soldier. This isn’t a game; you’d be painting a target on her back, putting her in the line of fire. A soldier protects civilians, they don’t recruit them.”

Detective: “And she’s a blind spot. We haven't run a background check. The Vances are merchants; they have ties everywhere, including Solara. Imparting a system skill is a catastrophic security risk if she’s compromised.”

Healer: “This 'gift' is a profound burden. It will invite danger and change her forever. Is it morally right to place that weight on her shoulders simply because you owe her a debt?”

But the Scheming Courtier's logic was just as sharp and far more ruthless, cutting through the others' caution.

Courtier: “They are all fools. Arming your chief political ally is the most logical move possible. Her intellect, combined with one of our skills, would make her an unparalleled information asset. A safe, ignorant friend is a liability waiting to be captured and used against you.”

He made his choice. The Grizzled Veteran's caution was valid, but it was the caution of a world with clear front lines and defined enemies. The Courtier’s logic was undeniable because it understood the world Ray now lived in. In the world of shadows he now inhabited, filled with assassins and unseen hunters, an intelligent, empowered ally was infinitely more valuable than a safe, ignorant friend. To leave Eliza weak was not an act of protection; it was an act of negligence.

He decided he would offer her the gift.