Noel sat cross-legged on the dorm floor, shirtless, the chill of the stone seeping into his skin. A single window let in the pale light of dawn, casting long shadows across the bed, the desk, and the sword leaning silently against the wall.
He wasn't meditating.
He was staring at the system window floating in front of him.
[Core Progress]
Current Core: Novice
Total Accumulated Growth: 47.32%
He tilted his head slightly, lips curling in a dry, bitter smile.
"So… four months of lectures, drills, mana shaping, and pretending to give a shit: thirty-two percent."
A pause.
"Then one month of stabbing things in the woods like a madman... and boom, fifteen percent."
He let out a sharp exhale. Not quite a laugh, but close.
"No wonder the old nobles love war. Growth looks a lot better when someone else is dying for it."
He closed the window with a flick, letting the numbers disappear from sight but not from thought.
