"Ah."
Having resumed training, I was entirely focused on the session.
By our second break, the experience points for [Parallel Thinking] had already accumulated to 95.
Then, shortly after the third hour of training began, it reached 100.
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You have trained in [Parallel Thinking]. Gained 1 experience point. Progress toward acquiring skill: 100/100.
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You have acquired [Parallel Thinking]. Progress to next level: 0/100
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I had acquired the skill.
The instant I did, it felt as though the clutter in my mind was organized all at once.
Separate tasks I had previously struggled to manage at the same time could now be handled effortlessly.
"Olivia-san, I acquired the [Parallel Thinking] skill."
"Oh! Well, congratulations. So, how does it feel now that you have it?"
"...It's incredible. Thinking multiple things at once feels so natural now, it makes my past struggles seem almost unreal."
Saying that, I invoked [Earth Magic] while simultaneously maintaining [Mana Control].
It was entirely different from before.
My mana flowed smoothly under my command, and the [Earth Magic] activated without a hitch.
"I didn't expect it to make this much of a difference."
"Fufu, amazing, isn't it? I'm sure it will be a huge help to you from here on out, Erik-kun."
"Yes. I definitely think so."
Deeply pleased with the skill's effects, I dove back into training.
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You have trained in [Parallel Thinking]. Gained 1 experience point. Progress to next level: 21/100
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You have trained in [Mana Control]. Gained 1 experience point. Progress toward acquiring skill: 100/100.
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You have acquired [Mana Control]. Progress to next level: 0/100
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You have trained in [Earth Magic]. Gained 1 experience point. Progress to next level: 91/100
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A few minutes before the morning session came to an end.
Thanks to the increased mental processing power granted by [Parallel Thinking], earning experience points for [Mana Control] had become much easier.
And just like that, I acquired the skill.
"Olivia-san! I got [Mana Control]!"
"To acquire two skills in just a few days... you really are something else, Erik-kun."
"It's only because you're such a great teacher, Olivia-san! I never could have managed this on my own!"
Overjoyed at obtaining the skill, I spoke with uncontainable excitement.
[Mana Control] was an incredible skill in its own right.
Even making minute adjustments to the power of my [Earth Magic] had become effortless.
Manipulating mana entirely at will.
It was a skill that made doing so simple.
"...With this, I might even be able to acquire the skill I've been holding back on."
"A skill you've been holding back on? I wonder what that could be."
"[Appraisal]. I tried practicing it a few times before, but it was just too difficult, so I gave up on it."
"...Your skills really are astonishing, Erik-kun. You know [Appraisal] is considered by far one of the most outstanding skills known to the world, right?"
[Appraisal] was a skill I had previously attempted to learn.
Between the sheer difficulty of the training and the anxiety of not knowing whether my methods were even right, I had abandoned the effort.
However, I now possessed [Mana Control].
I figured having it might help me acquire [Appraisal], which required focusing mana into one's eyes.
"I knew how valuable it was, which is why I wanted to learn it. For the time being, I came up with my own training method and practiced it, but I just couldn't tell if it was the right way."
"Even for me, I've never heard of anyone acquiring [Appraisal] through training after the fact. But on the flip side, this could lead to something incredible."
"Something incredible?"
"Yes. You'll be figuring out how to train for [Appraisal] from here on, right? Once you find a method that yields experience points efficiently, other people could try practicing it too. If that happens, what do you think will occur?"
Olivia-san asked, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice.
"What would occur...? The other person might acquire [Appraisal] as well... Ah."
"Exactly! A skill previously believed to be obtainable only through the ritual... We could prove that anyone can learn it after the fact!"
After speaking with such fervor, Olivia-san suddenly regained her usual composure.
"Well, though there's also a strong chance that gaining experience points like that is something only you can do, Erik-kun."
"That's true. But it still seems worth trying."
"Yes. I'll look into [Appraisal] as much as I can on my end as well. Even if there are no records on how to acquire the skill itself, I'm sure there's at least information on related training methods."
"Thank you very much."
With that exchange, today's training wrapped up, and it was time for lunch.
Leaving the training grounds, I headed over to the area with the Adventurer's Guild reception desks.
When I stopped by the counter to say hello to Reina-san, Philia was already standing there.
"Ah, Erik-kun, you're here! Good morning."
"Philia. Good morning. Going by how you look, it seems you're exhausted today too."
"Ahaha, looks like I pushed myself a bit too hard with magic yesterday, so I've been feeling under the weather all morning. That's why I came by to say I wanted to take the day off, but Reina-san told me you had already said the exact same thing."
Seeing Philia at the counter, I could clearly tell from her expression that she wasn't feeling well.
After hearing that, we both agreed to make today a full day of rest.