That night, Ruvian returned to his quarters. He moved with his usual composure, neither hurried nor lethargic. He shut the door behind him, a softness to the motion, as though the day had not burdened him. He sat, eventually and allowed his thoughts to catch up.

‘I had expected more difficulty, honestly.’

Calyra, after all, was not the sort of girl easily pulled along by words or plans. He had prepared several contingencies; options if she pressed, alternatives if she refused, soft redirections if she retreated. But… none of them were needed today.

Their talk had gone smoother than he had anticipated. Deceptively smooth, in fact. It left a peculiar taste in the back of his mind. She hadn’t asked for anything absurd in return. Not a relic, not power, not access to his personal notes. Just a promise. A vague one, at that.

—‘Help me when I ask.’

By conventional logic, that would have placed him on the more uncertain end of the bargain. And yet… he didn’t mind. Not because he was careless, but because Ruvian understood her. Calyra did not desire things for the sake of possession. She didn’t crave achievement for the sake of applause.

Her indifference was a plateau… one reached not by failure, but by the resignation that comes after surpassing everything expected of her. She had long stopped striving for glory as it no longer interested her. She lived in a state of functional boredom. A girl too talented for her environment, too self-aware to be impressed by the spectacle of ambition. She didn’t look down on others; she simply looked past most things.

‘And… that was the problem.’

Ruvian leaned back, eyes settling on the ceiling.

‘I need to change her.’

Ruvian wanted to introduce motion to her stillness. He had no intention of dragging her forward… but he could show her a different view. One that maybe, just maybe, would stir something inside her.

'But losing yourself because of losing your loved ones is not something I can fix easily... I need to find another way.'

Tonight, however, was not yet over. There was still one more matter Ruvian intended to address before surrendering to rest. He had made a habit of it, recently—these quiet, personal reckonings with himself, always done at night before sleep.

Over the past few weeks, he had pushed his body and mind to uncomfortable edges, coaxing strength from weariness, insight from repetition.

For preparation. For control. For something closer to understanding. Every session, whether gruelling footwork drills, sword swinging, mana control or spell casting, had revealed what he was lacking. A small flaw in his posture. A gap in how his will translated into action. A hesitation between thought and motion.

And yet, it was in those imperfections that he saw his style beginning to take form. Not a copy of someone else’s technique.

But his own…

Ruvian summoned his Runeheart.

{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}

◇ Name: Ruvian Castelor

◇ Age: 16

◇ Spellcore: Tier II

◇ Relevance Tier: Stage II – Wandering Annotation

◇ Plot Points: 9000 (PPs)

◇ Current Arc: Arc 2 – Beneath the Banner of Enrollment

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[Mana Resonance: (0/250)]

==[General Attributes]==

Strength: E

Agility: E+

Endurance: D-

Vitality: E+

Perception: E+

==[Mage Attributes]==

Mana Control: E+

Casting Speed: E+

Magic Power: E+

Mana Sensitivity: E+

Mana Essence: [355/355]

==[Innate Blessings]==

- [N/A]

==[Magic Affinity]==

- [Wind]

Over the past few weeks, Ruvian had persisted diligently and without complaint. There had been no trumpets to herald his routines. And now, for the first time, the fruits of that unseen labor had begun to ripen.

This time, it was not the miraculous helped by the System’s benevolence, but as the slow, earned shift of flesh and spirit adapting under pressure.

He hadn’t used the [Character Stat Customization] skill because he was still evaluating his decision.

His Casting Speed, which once lagged behind, had grown from [E to E+]. The same could be said for his Magic Power too, from [E to E+]. His Agility as well.

Strength had been the slowest to come, crawling from [E- to E]. Endurance, however, had changed most of all, from [E+ to D-]. All of it had been earned with hard work. And that, perhaps, was the part he felt most quietly proud of.

A few days remained before the Vazrun Island Test would begin.

And yet…

He still feels lacking.

There was still a long road ahead. Unlike the names characters who were born with talent and trained from a young age. Ruvian had been here inside this body for just more than a month. There was a huge mountain for him to climb to be on par with them… if he wanted to prevent the calamity or survive it.

That is why he must use whatever he has to get stronger.

He activated: [Character Stats Customisation]

And began to spend some more Plot Points.

[Calculating Plot Point Expenditure…]

•Strength: E → D- → 1200 PPs

•Agility: E+ → D- → 700 PPs

•Endurance: D- → D → 700 PPs

•Vitality: E+ → D- → 700 PPs

•Perception: E+ → D- → 700 PPs

•Mana Control: E+ → D- → 700 PPs

•Casting Speed: E+ → D- → 700 PPs

•Magic Power: E+ → D- → 700 PPs

•Mana Sensitiviti: E+ → D- → 700 PPs

•Mana Essence: 355 → 505 → 750 PPs

[Total Cost: 7550 Plot Points]

[Available: 9000 Plot Points]

[Remaining: 1450 Plot Points]

After much deliberation and a final glance at the dwindling pool of his precious Plot Points—Ruvian confirmed the conversion.

The decision, though long expected, felt heavier than it appeared on the interface. A simple adjustment, a few mental commands, and the numbers shifted. The moment the changes took effect, he could feel the slow deepening.

All of his stats have crossed the invisible, stubborn boundary that separates the lower-ranked stats of E from the more refined, reliable footing of D-. His body had finally begun to harmonize with the demands he placed upon it.

‘But damn, the Plot Points cost will grow steeper as the rank of the stats increases.’

He couldn’t help but note with a frown on his face. The higher he climbed, the more expensive each step became.

‘Yeah, progress never comes cheap.’

Plot Points, which once seemed abundant when the numbers were low, had begun to vanish faster than they could be earned.

Still, the result was undeniable. With his current stats, he could reasonably match the average Class A scholar; at least, those not adorned with noble titles or divine bloodlines. The difference was no longer one of capacity, but of margin. He was close enough to walk among them, even if from a few respectful paces behind.

The distance between him and the named prodigies—Calyra, Rosalin, Silvena, Loden and Julian—remained, of course. Not just because of pure strength, but because of two things he had yet to fully claim: lived experience, and the elusive, ever-deepening well known as Mana Essence.

The former could only be earned. No amount of Plot Points could fabricate what time alone could distill. Still, there was something quietly satisfying in this realization. He no longer felt like a background extra to their story. The scaffolding of his foundation had finally taken shape, and though the structure was far from complete, it was now solid enough to build upon.

“Now, there’s just one thread left to pull… and it lies somewhere on that island. I need her power. One more power-up piece that I can’t afford to leave behind, no matter what… if I managed to bring her on my side, everything would go smoothly from that on."

{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}

◇ Name: Ruvian Castelor

◇ Age: 16

◇ Spellcore: Tier II

◇ Relevance Tier: Stage II – Wandering Annotation

◇ Plot Points: 1450 (PPs)

◇ Current Arc: Arc 2 – Beneath the Banner of Enrollment

[Mana Resonance: (0/250)]

==[General Attributes]==

Strength: D-

Agility: D-

Endurance: D

Vitality: D-

Perception: D-

==[Mage Attributes]==

Mana Control: D-

Casting Speed: D-

Magic Power: D-

Mana Sensitivity: D-

Mana Essence: [505/505]

==[Innate Blessings]==

- [N/A]

==[Magic Affinity]==

- [Wind]

PP= 1450

ME= 505