Day 2

Damian progressed to C rank in both skills by midday.

Agatha watched him work through the exercises, her shock growing with each passing hour.

’Is his comprehension really this monstrous?’

The thought kept circling through her mind.

’High Will stat explains the raw power, but understanding the skills this fast...’

She’d taught mental skills to all her children and grandchildren over the years, patiently guiding them through the abstract concepts.

Most of them took weeks to reach C rank, struggling with the mental manipulation required.

And Damian made it look effortless, like he was reading instructions for something obvious.

’Ah.’

The realization hit suddenly.

’He’s a Bloodworth. Why am I even surprised?’

The family had produced more prodigies than any other Imperial line, individuals who rewrote the rules of what was considered possible.

Of course their last descendant would be the same.

****

Day 3

B rank fell before noon.

Agatha decided it was time to actually test the defenses instead of just watching Damian practice in isolation.

"I’m going to attack your mind now."

Her voice was calm.

"Don’t try to resist with brute force... Let the Mental Barrier do its job. Understand the feeling of deflecting an intrusion rather than just blocking it head-on."

She reached out with her mental presence, a gentle probe at first.

Damian activated his Mental Barrier, the structure forming in his consciousness.

But it flickered and her probe slipped through a gap, touching his thoughts directly.

He gasped, his eyes flying open, the sensation deeply uncomfortable.

"Again."

Agatha’s voice remained firm.

"You’re trying to make the wall too thick in one spot. Flexibility matters more than raw strength in mental defense."

They practiced for hours, Agatha attacked from different angles while Damian learned to adapt his barrier’s shape and density on the fly.

By evening, her probes were bouncing off cleanly.

****

Day 4

By the fourth day, A rank came into view.

Agatha stepped up her normal attacks, using proper S rank mental pressure instead of holding back.

She struck without warning.

’Too fast!’

Damian barely managed to activate his Mental Barrier in time.

But the barrier cracked under the assault, fissures spreading through the mental construct, and his face went pale from the strain.

"Strengthen it with Aura, not just Will."

Her voice cut through his concentration.

"The two skills work together. Will provides structure, Aura provides weight. You need to balance them or the whole thing collapses."

He adjusted, channeling his Will Strengthening skill simultaneously, and the barrier stabilized.

By the end of the day, he’d reached A- rank in both skills.

Agatha sat down heavily, exhaustion showing on her face despite her not being the one practicing.

’This... This is ridiculous.’

Her thoughts were almost numb.

’Four days... Just four fucking days to reach A- rank in mental skills. How is this even possible?’

But she couldn’t deny what she was seeing with her own eyes.

****

Day 5

Agatha decided to introduce a new element.

"There’s a skill called Soul’s Truth."

Her voice became serious, taking on a weight it hadn’t carried before.

"It’s a high level skill that induces hypnosis, making the target answer questions truthfully without conscious control."

Damian’s attention sharpened immediately.

’Soul’s Truth... That’s the skill Mother used on me when she asked about my past life.’

The memory came clear and sharp, the sensation of words being pulled out of him against his will.

"I’m going to use it on you now. Try to resist with everything you’ve learned."

Agatha’s eyes began glowing faintly, power gathering behind them.

"Soul’s Truth."

Her voice resonated with power, vibrating through the air.

Pressure slammed into Damian’s mind, sliding past his initial defenses like oil through cracks.

He activated Mental Barrier desperately, throwing up walls.

CRACK

The barrier held for three seconds before shattering completely.

’Shit... I’m– under her con–’

The world became hazy, his thoughts growing sluggish and distant, like he was trying to think through thick fog.

"What is the best thing you have ever eaten?"

Agatha’s question came from very far away, her voice echoing strangely.

"Elf."

The answer left his mouth before he could stop it.

’Fuck me!’

The skill released suddenly, and Damian gasped for air.

His eyes focused on Agatha’s face.

She was staring at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read, her mouth slightly open.

"Grandma, I can explain–"

"N-nope!"

Agatha held up one hand, shaking her head firmly.

"I don’t want to hear it! Some explanations are better left unspoken!"

But her mind was racing in a completely different direction.

’Elves... are they tasty?’

The thought came unbidden, curiosity mixing with something else.

’They do look beautiful, with those perfect features and graceful movements. I wonder if–’

She stopped herself abruptly.

’No, Agatha! What are you even thinking? That’s terrible! You can’t just wonder about the flavor of sentient beings!’

She forced the thoughts down, her expression smoothing into something more neutral.

Damian looked mortified, his cheeks flushed red.

"Again."

Agatha’s voice was firm, deliberately moving past the awkward moment.

"This time, try to sense where the hypnosis is coming from and redirect your barrier to block it."

They practiced for hours.

Each time, Damian lasted slightly longer before succumbing to the hypnosis.

He learned to sense the probing tendrils of the skill, to shift his Mental Barrier to cover the gaps, to maintain awareness even under intense pressure.

By the end of Day 5, he could resist for nearly half a minute before the hypnosis took hold.

’His adaptability... That’s his real talent. Nothing else can explain this.’

Agatha looked impressed despite herself, though she carefully avoided asking any more questions while the skill was active.

’Where did he even find an elf?’

****

Day 6

In the corner of Damian’s peripheral vision, text flashed.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Will Strengthening: A → A+

Mental Barrier: A → A+

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

He stared at the notifications for a long moment, satisfaction settling in his chest.

’Finally.’

The thought came quiet and steady.

’Six days of constant practice, getting my mind hammered by an S rank awakener, and I’ve finally reached A+ in both skills.’

He closed his eyes, cycling through the familiar patterns.

The skills had become so ingrained that calling them up was as natural as moving his hand.

’With these two skills at A+ rank and my Will stat at 495, my mind is almost invulnerable against anyone below S rank.’

The realization carried certainty.

’Even S rank mental attacks would struggle to break through immediately when I reinforce the barriers properly.’

But his thoughts drifted to something else, something he wanted more than he’d expected.

’That Soul’s Truth skill though...’

He’d felt it from the inside multiple times now and understood how it worked.

’If I could learn that...’

The applications were endless.

Getting truth from enemies, verifying information, breaking through lies that could get people killed.

He opened his mouth, the question forming before he could second-guess himself.

"Grandma... can that skill be taught to me?"

His voice came out more hopeful than he’d intended.

Agatha looked at him for a long time, her eyes studying his face with an intensity that made him want to fidget.

’Is the skill... an Onyx family secret?’ Damian’s thoughts ran under her scrutiny. ’Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.’

The silence stretched, becoming uncomfortable.