As Will stepped out of Professor Kael's office, he couldn't stop looking at the permit in his hand.
A private training hall.
For an entire month.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
To most students it probably wasn't a big deal.
But to him, it meant everything.
It was a place where he could freely experiment with the strange abilities he had received from the gods.
A place where nobody would question him.
A place where he could become stronger.
Most importantly—
It was the first real step toward the future he had chosen.
Not Original Will's dream.
His own.
Lost in thought, he nearly walked past someone.
"Will?"
A familiar voice pulled him back to reality.
Looking up, he found Elena standing nearby.
Her silver hair swayed gently as she tilted her head.
"What are you doing here?"
Her eyes immediately moved toward the paper in his hand.
Will looked down.
"Oh."
A small smile appeared.
"I just got permission to use one of the personal training halls."
His voice lowered slightly as he showed her the permit.
Elena's eyes widened.
"You got a training hall?"
Will nodded.
"Professor Kael approved it."
For a moment she simply stared at the permit.
Then she looked back at him.
Not at the paper.
At him.
Her expression softened.
"Hmm..."
She crossed her arms.
"But That training halls don't really have any special equipment."
"That hall only have basic training tools."
Will shrugged.
"That doesn't matter."
"It doesn't?"
"No."
"As long as I have a place where I can train without bothering anyone, that's enough."
Elena stared at him quietly.
Her eyes lingered on his face.
Then she smiled.
Not her usual polite smile.
Not the small amused smile she sometimes showed.
This one looked warmer.
Relieved.
Genuinely happy.
"I'm glad."
Will blinked.
"Why?"
Elena looked away for a second before answering.
Then she looked back at him.
"Because..."
Her voice softened.
"For a while..."
She hesitated.
Then continued.
"You looked lost."
Will froze slightly.
Elena smiled faintly.
"You were still doing things."
"You still came to class."
"You trying to talked to people."
"But..."
She paused.
"It felt like you were just moving because you didn't know what else to do."
Will looked at her.
She continued quietly.
"But right now..."
Her eyes moved toward the permit again.
"You look different."
She smiled.
"You actually look excited."
Her expression softened even more.
"And I'm happy about that."
Will blinked.
Elena looked embarrassed for a moment but continued anyway.
"You got hurt."
"You disappeared."
"And after everything that happened..."
She looked at him directly.
"I was worried."
Will stayed silent.
Elena let out a small breath.
"So seeing you like this..."
Her smile became brighter.
"Seeing you decide something for yourself."
"Seeing you move forward."
"I'm really happy."
For a moment neither spoke.
Will looked at her.
There wasn't pity in her expression.
No obligation.
No expectation.
She simply looked genuinely relieved.
Like someone who had been quietly worried and was finally seeing someone important to them stand back up.
Then Elena cleared her throat.
"If you need help training..."
She hesitated.
Then smiled.
"I'd like to help."
Will immediately shook his head.
"Thank you."
"But I'm trying a lot of different things right now."
"I'm not even sure what I'm doing myself."
"You probably won't be able to help."
For a brief moment disappointment appeared in Elena's eyes.
But instead of sadness—
She laughed softly.
"I see."
Then she smiled again.
"That's fine."
"If you've already decided what you want to do..."
She looked at him for another second.
"Then I'll cheer for you instead."
Will blinked.
Elena looked away.
"...Just don't overdo it."
Before Will could respond, Elena suddenly looked behind him.
"Huh?"
"What?"
She pointed toward a nearby corner.
Will turned.
A flash of crimson vanished around the side of a building.
"..."
"..."
For several seconds both stared.
"Was that Ruby?"
Elena asked.
Will scratched his head.
"I think so."
"Why was she hiding?"
Elena frowned.
Her expression turned thoughtful.
"No idea."
Then she looked back at Will.
"...Though she has been acting strange lately."
"It is strange."
Neither pressed the matter further.
Eventually Elena sighed.
"I have somewhere to be."
Then after a brief pause—
She smiled again.
"Good luck with training."
Her eyes briefly moved toward the permit.
Then back to him.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how far you go."
Will smiled.
"Thanks."
After saying goodbye, they headed in opposite directions.
As Elena walked away, she glanced back once.
Will was already looking at the permit again.
Smiling.
For a moment she simply watched.
Then she smiled to herself.
Quietly.
Genuinely.
And continued walking.
Several minutes later.
Will stood before a large reinforced metal door.
Training Hall Seven.
His training hall.
At least for the next month.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.
The room was surprisingly spacious.
Training dummies lined one wall.
Weapon racks occupied another.
Mana targets stood near the far end.
Nothing luxurious.
Nothing fancy.
Yet to Will it looked perfect.
A grin spread across his face.
"Awesome."
The empty room echoed his voice back at him.
No students.
No professors.
No interruptions.
For the next month, this place belonged entirely to him.
Setting his belongings near the wall, he began stretching.
His shoulders loosened.
His muscles relaxed.
After several minutes he finally stopped.
"I should start simple."
A small distortion appeared in the air.
Space Pocket.
Even after using it multiple times, it still fascinated him.
Back on Earth, something like this would've been impossible.
Yet here it was.
A personal storage dimension.
According to Original Will's memories, Luna had gifted it to him.
Apparently Original Will had refused at first.
Repeatedly.
Unfortunately for him, Luna was stubborn.
Very stubborn.
Eventually she won.
The memory made Will chuckle.
Reaching into the storage space, he pulled out a black scabbard.
His eyes immediately fell upon the engraved name.
Ironfang.
The sword's name.
The scabbard itself was simple, yet striking.
Matte black from top to bottom, with almost no decoration beyond a subtle metallic sheen that appeared when light struck it at the right angle.
Near the mouth of the scabbard, the name Ironfang had been engraved in clean silver lettering.
No jewels.
No gold.
No unnecessary embellishments.
Just a practical design built for everyday use.
The kind of weapon an adventurer could carry for years without drawing attention.
Slowly drawing the blade, Will examined it.
A straight single-edged sword emerged from the scabbard with a soft metallic whisper.
It resembled an ancient Japanese chokutō more than the curved katanas popular in fiction.
The blade was long enough for two-handed use, yet light and balanced enough to be wielded comfortably with one hand when necessary.
Its steel possessed a faint silver-gray sheen, the edge polished to razor sharpness.
The handguard was equally practical.
A simple dark steel guard sat between blade and grip.
Not oversized.
Not decorative.
Just large enough to protect the wielder's hand without getting in the way.
The grip itself was wrapped in black leather, providing a secure hold even during prolonged combat.
Everything about the weapon prioritized function over appearance.
Yet somehow that simplicity made it beautiful.
It looked like the kind of sword carried by a wandering swordsman in an anime.
Nothing flashy at first glance.
No glowing runes.
No legendary aura.
Just a reliable blade that had seen countless battles and would continue seeing countless more.
The longer Will looked at it, the more he liked it.
Simple.
Elegant.
Practical.
A weapon made to be used rather than displayed.
Will gave it a few test swings.
The blade cut through the air with surprising smoothness.
Immediately he noticed the weight.
Heavy.
Much heavier than expected.
Not unwieldy.
Just substantial enough to remind him that this wasn't a decorative weapon.
This was a sword built to kill.
"This thing could actually kill me."
Deciding not to risk it, he returned Ironfang to its scabbard.
Then he pulled out a wooden training sword.
Much safer.
Taking a stance, he slowly began moving.
Almost immediately, muscle memory surfaced.
The first sword style was easy to recognize.
Original Will's swordsmanship.
Simple.
Direct.
Built for fighting monsters.
Every movement focused on survival.
Every strike focused on efficiency.
Will followed the movements.
Swing.
Step.
Turn.
Strike.
Again.
And again.
Despite never using a sword during his previous life, his body moved naturally.
Not perfectly.
But well enough.
After several minutes he stopped.
Then another style surfaced.
Will froze.
This one felt different.
Far more refined.
More controlled.
Unlike the first style, this one felt designed specifically for humanoid opponents.
Every movement was precise.
Every strike calculated.
Every step efficient.
The style felt familiar.
Yet he couldn't remember where it came from.
No matter how hard he searched his memories, he found nothing.
Eventually he gave up.
That mystery could wait.
For now—
Magic.
Walking toward the center of the room, he opened his status screen.
His gaze immediately stopped on a single skill.
Eclipse Eye.
The ability he understood the least.
Taking a deep breath, he activated it.
Pain exploded inside his skull.
"GAH!"
Will staggered backward.
The world changed instantly.
His vision expanded.
Not forward.
Not sideways.
Every direction at once.
The entire room unfolded around him.
Three hundred and twenty degrees.
Nothing escaped his sight.
Then another layer appeared.
Magic.
Thin streams of mana flowed through everything.
Through his body.
Through the training dummies.
Through the targets.
Every circulation pattern became visible.
Before he could adjust, another sensation struck.
Movement.
Every tiny shift became obvious.
Dust drifting through the air.
Small vibrations.
Minor movements.
Everything seemed slower.
Then came predictions.
Not true future sight.
But instinctive calculations.
His eyes automatically traced possible paths and outcomes.
Finally—
Heat.
The entire room transformed into layers of temperature.
Warm objects.
Cold surfaces.
Residual heat.
Thermal vision overlapped everything.
The sensory overload hit him like a hammer.
"UGH!"
Will collapsed onto one knee.
Sweat poured down his face.
His head felt like it would split apart.
Several minutes passed before the pain slowly faded.
Heavy breathing echoed throughout the hall.
Will wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"...Holy shit."
That hurt.
A lot.
Yet he wasn't scared.
He was excited.
Now he understood.
Eclipse Eye wasn't a single ability.
It was multiple abilities combined into one.
Three hundred and twenty degree vision.
Magic vision.
Movement tracking.
Predictive calculations.
Thermal vision.
Each one would've been powerful on its own.
Together they were overwhelming.
A grin appeared on his face.
"I can definitely work with this."
After resting for several minutes, he moved on.
Flame Breath.
Mana gathered.
At least that was the plan.
Reality disagreed.
WHOOSH!
A chaotic blast of fire erupted forward.
The flames shot across the room.
Unfortunately not where he intended.
"SHIT!"
Will jumped sideways.
The fire barely missed him.
The floor now possessed several fresh scorch marks.
"...Could've gone better."
The second attempt failed.
The third failed.
The fourth failed.
Yet gradually things improved.
The flames became more stable.
More focused.
Less chaotic.
After dozens of attempts, a thin controlled stream of fire finally shot forward exactly where he intended.
Will grinned.
Progress.
Not mastery.
But progress.
Satisfied, he moved on.
Chidori.
The moment lightning mana gathered around his arm, he immediately understood why the technique was dangerous.
Crackle.
POP!
The unstable lightning exploded.
"AH!"
Pain shot through his arm.
A smoking hole appeared in his sleeve.
"...Fantastic."
The second attempt failed.
The third failed.
The fourth failed.
Again and again he tried.
Eventually, after countless attempts, a thin layer of lightning remained around his arm for several seconds before dispersing.
It wasn't a true Chidori.
Not even close.
But it was progress.
By the time he finally stopped training, his body was covered in bruises.
Several cuts marked his arms.
Burn marks stained his clothes.
His mana reserves were nearly empty.
Every muscle ached.
Completely exhausted, Will collapsed onto the floor.
Then a familiar notification appeared.
Daily Mission Complete.
Rewards Available.
A grin spread across his face.
His first successful day.
His first real step toward becoming stronger.
And his new journey had finally begun.