Skills, Age and Academy.
They conversed with each other in low voices as they walked towards the outer part of the forest, where the dome was located. "Emily, you are so talented. You could use full-body mana-coating with ease. Your moves were so flawless and precise," Isher excessively complimented his crush, beaming excitedly.
"I know, right?" she giggled, a big smile on her face.
"By the way, how did you fire an arrow surrounded by Ursine from all sides?" he inquired.
"Oh, I have this skill called [Eagle's Eyes], which lets me see far ahead. Also, I'm better at using a bow than in close fights. If you ever saw me fight, you would get it," she explained.
At this point, Isher beamed with stars in his eyes. "Oh, you have a skill. Do you have any other skills?" he asked.
She couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. "Who knows?" Then she made eye contact with him and reproached him like a child. "Isher, it is considered rude to inquire about anyone else's skills and classes."
Isher seethed with irritation. She had a habit of treating him like a kid, and it grated on his nerves. He silently vowed to one day repay her for it. "I get it, but do you think I can develop a skill for myself? I read somewhere online that if you repeat an action 10,000 times, you can turn it into a skill."
"I think you should first focus on the full-mana body coating instead of creating skills. Whereas it doesn't matter how many times you practice, if you don't have a final vision and know the essence of the skill, you will never be able to create it."
They are the two fundamental parts of creating a skill: having skills allows you to easily use spells or do or create abnormal phenomena. It doesn't have to be related to mana; it could be just a series of footwork or anything recognized by Records Works. In battle, your survival depends on having an appropriate skill.
The final step of creating a skill is to execute it flawlessly, and then by recording it, it will be displayed on the status screen. Some people have theorized that it is stored in your subconscious mind, so the actions are executed without delay and flawlessly when willed.
She took a pause, then spoke solemnly. "And do not believe everything on the internet."
His irritation rose through the clouds now. Still, he took a moment to control himself and then asked her, "But the instructor won't let me practice full-body mana coating; he only instructs me to coat any of my body parts."
Emily nodded her head and made an "ahh" sound. "He is probably training you for mana control. You have some of the worst mana control I have ever seen. In your fights, you just burst your mana instead of coating it," she said, side-eyeing him. Then she continued, enviously, "If you didn't have such high mana reserves, you would have run out. In your first fight, a sword attack with such huge mana was a blunder that would have cost you your life. The whole idea was flawed; the sword wasn't even an artifact; it could break due to the pressure from the huge mana. What even is your age? You don't look like you're 20, and mana reserves are definitely above A or A+."
To which he merely shrugged. "Beats me; I never really checked, due to the whole training and settling in."
Emily nodded with a determined light in her eye. "Let's check it ASAP."
Isher knew he had at least S-grade mana reserves; that's why he was here to begin with. Aquitaine Duchy wouldn't just spend their resources on nobody. When I woke up in the hospital, I was contacted by the man in charge of the operation, a high-ranking officer who was well aware of my mana reserve grade and told me about it. Then he offered me a contract, which he read out loud for me. All the confusion, fear, and anxiety led me here. I don't know if I got scammed or not, but I don't regret my decision because I got to meet Emily.
You could measure the mana reserve of a person by a device, a skill, or anything in between.
The grading system goes from E to A, then
A+ -> AB -> AB+ -> AA -> AA+ -> AAB -> AAB+ -> AAA -> AAA+ -> S-grade. This system continues until the SSS grade, which is the highest grade one could get, and the unattainable grade.
The age of a person also plays a part in mana reserves; as we grow up, so do our mana reserves. Most people reach their peak in their 20s to 30s, so the younger the person, the better. Emily is 20 or 19 years old, as I heard from the instructor, and at 18, she wasn't able to get into Ayalon Academy, which is the best military academy in the Pendragon Empire, due to her low mana reserves. In the academy, the minimum requirement is an A, which is selected when the student is exceptionally good.
In the next month, entries will be opened for the academy. Emily is again going to take the test; she is not particularly worried this time. Even the instructor had told her she would be able to get in easily. Even on the first try, she was skilled enough. So after the 2-year gap, she will probably have a significant skill gap between the admitted students.
As for the theoretical part, she revises whatever is in the syllabus now and then. I will also try my luck. It's unlikely I will get in, but it will be good practice for next year. Yep, I have decided to follow Emily, which is allowed, by the way. I just have to join the Astria Army when called upon urgently or by my 30s.
In this day and age, people can live up to 400 years or beyond if they have high mana reserves, so the elites reach their prime at 50, and then the average populace is 40.
But due to ongoing wars, humanity is fighting on two fronts, and with itself, you don't live much. Instead, you get drafted into the army, just like me. So proper backing is necessary. If I prove myself by getting into the academy before being called upon, I will get a high rank.
After that, I will confess to Emily, and we will get married and live a happy life.
His happy life was short-lived, as Emilly burst his dream bubble. "Hey! Something is wrong.".