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The academy settled into the quiet feel of a new weekend. The usual bustle of students rushing to classes was replaced by the low murmur of conversations from the common areas and the distant sounds of students practicing their magic on the training grounds. In the solitude of his dorm room, Arios sat on his bed, the afternoon light filtering through his window. The past few days had been a whirlwind of unexpected events and newfound power, and he needed a moment to process it all. With a sigh, he flickered his hand, and the translucent system screen shimmered into existence before him.

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[Stat Window – Arios Pureheart]

Job: Academy Student

Class: Swordsman

Realm: Mana Refinement - Ninth Stage ( 1800/1800 XP)

Affinity: Earth (A) | Wind (P)

Acquired Bloodline: Ancient Netherfang

Mana: 7,250/10,000

STR: 170

INT: 38

WIS: 33

CHA: 43

AGI: 105

REP: 37

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There it was. Arios's gaze met the line that contained the information about his recently acquired bloodline.

My stats are looking good, Arios thought as he scanned through his information on the system screen.

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[Skill Weaver (Active) (LVL. ???)]

[Description: A unique, active skill that grants the user the ability to create and weave new skills from their acquired elemental affinities. The complexity, power, and mana cost of the created skills are determined by the user's cultivation and available mana. This skill allows the user to generate custom abilities, granting a unique and unparalleled advantage in combat and utility.]

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Skill Weaver.

Arios's gaze fell upon the skill description, and his mind began to race. The words were simple, yet they held a power that was almost terrifying.

Create and weave new skills from their acquired elemental affinities, Arios read as his eyes traced each words.

This wasn't a normal skill; it was more of a cheat. A system ability that completely broke the fundamental rules of this world. Every character in the anime had a limited and predefined set of skills, either inherited or learned through serious cultivation, but he could now create his own. He was no longer just a character with foreknowledge; he was now an innovator. The possibilities were endless.

He began to mentally list the skills he could create with a Shadow affinity. The obvious choices came first: offensive spells like Shadow Spears or Dark Blasts to overwhelm enemies, or defensive ones like Shadow Cloak to become invisible and evade attacks. He could make a skill to create a shadow clone to fight in his place, or perhaps even one that would allow him to teleport through shadows. The standard combat applications were all there, and they were all tempting. They would make him an unstoppable force, a power player in the academy and beyond.

But he quickly dismissed those thoughts. He wasn't a character in a battle-centric show; he was in a school setting, and his primary concern was outmaneuvering Kyousuke and the people around him. He needed a skill that would give him a strategic advantage, something that would allow him to uncover secrets and see what others could not. He thought about the hidden plots and secret schemes of the academy. It was then he knew what he would create. He would create a skill to see the lingering remnants of mana, the hidden shadows left behind by others' abilities. He would call it Nether Eyes. It was the perfect skill for a schemer, a skill that would allow him to see the threads of a conspiracy that no one else could, and a skill that will help him in proving Amelia innocence.

Arios closed his eyes, his mind focused. He didn't need to speak the command out loud. His will was enough.

Skill Weaver, activate. Create: Nether Eyes.

He felt a powerful tug, a draining sensation as the system began to process his request. It was a strange, almost ethereal feeling, as if a part of his very being was being siphoned away to fuel the creation of something new.

A moment later, a new prompt appeared, its ethereal blue light shining behind his eyelids.

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[Skill Creation Confirmation.]

[Proposed Skill: Nether Eyes (Active)]

[Description: This skill grants the user the ability to see the residual mana and ethereal imprints of skills and spells. It reveals the invisible trails of magic left behind, allowing the user to track magical activity and identify the nature of specific abilities long after they have been used.]

[Mana Cost: 2,000 MP]

[WARNING: Creating this skill will consume a significant portion of your mana. You will not be able to create another skill with the Ancient Netherfang Bloodline until you ascend to a new cultivation realm.]

[Do you agree to this creation?]

[Yes] / [No]

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Arios read the confirmation, his mind already made up. The mana cost was high, a serious drain on his current reserves, but the ability to see mana remnants was invaluable in helping Amelia. The fact that he couldn't create another skill for a while was a small price to pay for such a powerful strategic advantage. He had no intention of becoming a battle-crazed fool, anyway. He wanted to be a puppeteer, a master of strategy, and this skill was the perfect tool for that.

He mentally selected [Yes].

He felt another, more intense tug, and a sharp pain erupted in his head. The sensation was akin to his mind being stretched, reshaped, and a new compartment being built within it. He felt his mana reserves plummeting, the energy he had painstakingly cultivated for many weeks draining away in a single, rapid flood. He gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists, as the pain subsided into a dull throb.

Finally, a new prompt appeared, its words a confirmation of his success.

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[Skill Acquired.]

[Nether Eyes (Active) (LVL.MAX)]

[Description: This skill grants the user the ability to see the residual mana and ethereal imprints of skills and spells. It reveals the invisible trails of magic left behind, allowing the user to track magical activity and identify the nature of specific abilities long after they have been used.]

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Arios took a deep breath, his mind still reeling from the experience. He had done it. He had a skill that no one else in this world possessed. A skill that would allow him to see everything others could not. A secret weapon he could use to his advantage. He decided to test it immediately.

He slowly raised his hand, his mana gathering at his fingertips. He wove it into a thin thread of energy, a barely visible line of power that snaked through the air of his dorm room. The mana thread was a simple thing, an introductory exercise from the academy's basic magic courses. He kept weaving the mana, creating more and more threads, until a shimmering, intricate web of mana hung in the air before him. With a final flick of his wrist, he made them vanish.

Now came the true test. He focused on the empty space where the threads had been, a quiet command forming in his mind.

Nether Eyes, activate.

A wave of nausea hit him, and a sharp, searing pain erupted in his head. He gasped, a guttural sound of pure agony, as his body convulsed. He fell from his bed and onto the floor, his vision blurring, his stomach churning. He coughed violently, a spray of crimson splattering onto the wooden floor. He had forgotten. His body hadn't been tempered or adjusted to the Ancient Netherfang Bloodline yet. He wasn't ready. The influx of the shadow element was too much for his current cultivation to handle.

He lay there for a long while, the pain slowly fading, but his mind still filled with a pounding ache. He was no longer a viewer watching a show; he was a participant in a cruel, unforgiving world. He was still vulnerable.

But he wouldn't give up. He gritted his teeth, his hands pushing against the floor as he slowly, shakily, rose to his feet. He took another deep breath, his mind clearing. He wouldn't fail. He had come too far. He focused on the same spot, ignoring the pain and the weakness.

Nether Eyes, activate.

This time, he didn't try to force it. He let the energy flow, a gentle, quiet stream of mana moving from his core to his eyes. He felt a cool, soothing sensation, and the world around him seemed to change. The colors of the room faded, replaced by a monochrome landscape of greys and blacks. But in the air, where nothing had been before, he could see them. Shimmering, ethereal threads of mana, a faint silver light that glowed in the darkness. They were the remnants of the mana threads he had created, the ghosts of the magic he had just used. He could see them, clear as day.

A slow, satisfied smirk spread across Arios's face as he traced the mana thread remnants with his eyes. He had done it.

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[A/N:] Thanks for the support so far, it really means a lot to me, we have crossed 100 chapters and it's only your support that made it possible.

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