"What should I do today?" I wake up while the sky is still dark. Yesterday I stayed with the girls until the very end of the party—we had a fantastic time, it's always fun when we're together. The celebration eventually wrapped up, I said goodbye to the Marquis, Arisa's parents (with whom I haven't had many chances to talk), and Marga. I went back to Sol's house with her and her father.

Tomorrow the tournament begins. Today is my free day—one last chance to either refine my skills or explore the city. Both options sound tempting. The thrill of growing stronger is addictive, but the excitement of discovering new places and trying new food is something I've always loved.

Lying in bed, I recall Julio's warning. Perhaps that person is the only one who could truly cause me trouble in the tournament. If he is also a limit breaker like me, I'll need to be cautious. I can't imagine losing to him—it's not arrogance, just reality. I've been training for years; effort and talent never betray.

Before I realize it, I'm already walking toward the training room. I instruct the household staff that only the girls, the Marquis, or the Baron are allowed to interrupt me. I want privacy to unleash my power without restraint.

Just as I'm about to enter the room, I sense something odd around me—a familiar sensation. I scan every direction but can't locate the source. I step inside, leaving the door open, and in the next instant it closes with a soft thud as two figures appear before me.

"Your sensory skill has improved a little—you can detect Ho's fluctuations even if you can't pinpoint him." Gase and Ho stand before me in their usual attire.

"Hello, Gase. Hello, Ho. How have you been?" We catch up on the past couple of days. They tell me they've been watching the city from the shadows, but according to them nothing particularly interesting has happened.

"Reward." Ho tosses me a box. I catch it and open it instantly. I haven't felt this excited about a gift in a long time; my body moved before I even thought to thank him or ask for instructions.

Inside are four bracelets, silver with purple highlights. I can feel a faint spatial mana imbued in them, and as I touch them the pressure grows stronger. It's the first spatial-type artifact I've ever handled, and it feels completely different from anything else—supreme affinities truly are something special.

I glance at Gase for instructions and hear her chuckle. "I can see the excitement shining in your eyes, Maki. Let me explain how they work."

I'm to wear one on each limb and inject mana simultaneously into all four to activate them. There's no cooldown; I can use them as often as I want—the limitation is my mana consumption, and the maximum distance is only twenty meters.

Before she can finish explaining, I've already strapped them on. I pour mana into them, feeling something unusual as my body prepares to move across space. I keep channeling, and the range gradually expands. I can teleport about ten meters now. My mana and body seem to instinctively know how to use it—it's as if the bracelets are feeding information directly into my Cube and brain.

I attempt to surprise them by teleporting behind them. My vision blacks out for a blink, and then—I'm there. At that exact moment I hear two clinks on the floor. Looking down, I see two bracelets, and then I realize—my left leg and right arm have been perfectly severed. There's no blood, only searing pain from losing two limbs.

"What the hell just happened?" I activate my Frozen Core and try to heal myself with Vital Synthesis. At first there's resistance, space affinity blocking the wounds, but I break through and my limbs begin to regrow.

When I lift my head, they're both staring silently. Then Ho makes a strange mocking sound while Gase bursts into hysterical laughter. "That's what you get for not letting me finish. Consider it your punishment." Her words are half-drowned in laughter; for a moment I think she might collapse onto the floor.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Why did I lose an arm and a leg? This isn't safe." I want to complain, but calm myself—she's right, it was my fault for skipping the instructions.

"Yes and no. It requires precise control of spatial mana and Imra. You were lucky to lose only two limbs—you could have lost them all, or even part of your torso. I was already prepared to heal you. Someone without your control would have destroyed their Cube and ended up crippled."

I check my Cube—no damage. A sigh of relief escapes me.

"Sorry. I won't skip the explanation again." I sit down, refasten the bracelets, and wait for her guidance.

"I'm not very skilled with spatial magic, and my friend here isn't good with words, so my explanation won't be the best. Still, I know enough to keep you alive and teach you." She elbows Ho, who doesn't react, just keeps watching me.

"When you inject mana into the bracelets, the exact quantity must be the same in each one. Even one gram too much, and something like this—" she points at my regrown limbs—"happens again. If anyone else tried this without listening to me, they'd be dead instantly. That proves your perfect mana control." She flicks my forehead with her hood.

"Imra is just as important when teleporting. Too much, and you won't appear where you intended. Too little, and you'll be injured even if the mana is exact." She's right—I noticed my landing spot was slightly off. I had appeared a meter short of my intended mark. My Imra is always compressed around me at a safe distance to prevent others from reading or harming me, but it also interferes.

"You're one of the few who can even use these bracelets—you've got immense mana for your rank, and you can heal yourself when you get hurt." She flicks my forehead again.

"As you already noticed, the maximum range is small, and you get a vague sense of where you'll end up. Don't rely on that alone. Try to grasp the flow of space itself when you teleport—it's essential for the movement skill you're aiming for." This gift has more drawbacks than benefits, but I can't complain—I love it.

"We only have a few minutes left. Start practicing—I'll give you tips along the way." I salute her with a hand to my forehead.

"What are you doing?" she asks, but I don't answer. Instead I focus on making a jump.

I channel mana equally into all four bracelets, stopping when it feels right. I wrap myself in a thinner layer of Imra and try to sense the fabric of space. No results. I give up for now and attempt a five-meter jump.

I appear roughly where I intended—or so I thought. Thanks to my Personal World, I notice I'm slightly off position. Then I hear the dreaded sound of two objects hitting the floor. This time, both my arms are gone—one bleeding heavily, the other not at all.

"What did I do wrong?" I battle against the space affinity blocking my healing. The bleeding arm resists less; the other feels wrapped in a protective spatial layer.

"The bloodless amputation was a mana imbalance. The bleeding one was an Imra mistake—you didn't cover it with enough." Gase's voice is sharp, like a drill sergeant.

So—too little mana in one arm, too little Imra in the other. But she said overshooting Imra affects distance, so in general I used too much, yet my arm lacked enough? Damn, this is complicated. Getting the proportions exact might take weeks, even months.

Supreme affinities are on another level. I had similar issues with life affinity while training with Sus, and with death affinity in the dungeon—both took me months to get comfortable with. Space is even harder—it doesn't just affect me, but also the destination and the fabric of reality itself.

"This is complicated…" After multiple failures I feel my mana reserves draining. Each attempt burns fuel fast—I can manage maybe twenty jumps before I'm empty, not counting the mana needed to heal myself each time.

"Supreme affinities are supposed to be difficult—otherwise anyone could master them." Gase's tone softens a little; she understands my frustration. "Think of it this way—you're not only on the path to a new skill, you're also refining your mana and Imra control simultaneously." Her words ignite a spark in me—she's right.

"I'll end up addicted to training at this rate," I joke to lighten the mood.

"Just don't forget to win the tournament. Julio plans to let you enter the hero's dungeon if you do, and we'll have a prize ready for you as well."

"Those are great incentives. I'll give it everything and bring home first place." I give them a thumbs-up.

"And please, don't die trying to use the bracelets. I'd feel guilty, and your ghost would haunt me forever." Her tone is playful, but her Imra is dead serious—she truly believes it.

"I won't be dying anytime soon. You'll have Maki around for decades." I have too many plans ahead to die young.

"We have to go. Train hard, take care of your body, and we'll see you when you win the tournament." With that, they vanish—Ho does something with his mana and Imra, and in less than a second they're gone, leaving me alone in the training room. Time to train!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.