The Extra's Evolution Pathway

As my eyes fluttered open, two pairs of hazel eyes were looking straight at me.

My brows furrowed slightly as I remembered who it was, Fieral bent toward me, her eyes narrowing skeptically, as if trying to discern something.

She quickly shifted backward when she realized I had woken up.

Her face flushed crimson, and she bowed multiple times, repeating the same word "I'm sorry" frantically each time, her voice trembling with panic.

I sat upright on the bed and rubbed my face, the warmth of my palm grounding me as I tried to remember what happened last.

'I was trying to increase my mana control...'

After my brain cleared of the fuzzy mist lingering at the edges of my thoughts, I immediately activated my mana control.

WHOOSH!

My vision exploded with color, countless tiny, discrete particles swirled sparsely around the room, glittering in vibrant colors, each one packed with magical energy.

I turned to look at Fieral, all over her body, she was cloaked in a shimmery purple light that pulsed softly like a heartbeat.

"Purple?"

[Creatures' life-force-infused magical energy could take on colors based on their aura]

'Aura... no wonder releasing tremendous amounts could be used to intimidate.'

But the one I was seeing from Fieral was light purple, and there was this faint pressure flowing out of her, like a warm breeze brushing against my cheek.

It wasn't intimidating in the slightest. If anything, it felt calm... almost gentle.

Perhaps it was because I could now sense magical energy.

[Precisely. With the skill, host could discern a target's intent based on their mana output, be it a murderous intent or a friendly one.]

'Oh... so I gained a new skill.'

A smile slowly spread across my lips.

'Ugh'

I frowned deeply as I felt a wave of dizziness. I quickly deactivated the [Magic Sense].

'I can't use it for long, is it because my mana is still not high enough?'

Noticing my displeased expression, Fieral's body trembled, and she immediately squeaked out in fear.

"I-I was thinking why Lord Rei hasn't called for me. I went to knock but got no reply.

A-and as your personal maid, I-I felt something might be wrong. That was why I came in to check."

I stood up and looked down at her, taking in the view of all the feline traits she possessed.

She had a petite body and a very thin voice. Her ears were furry, giving me the strong urge to scratch them.

Her head was hung low as she bowed in reverence.

'Never have I thought I would get a cat-girl personal maid...'

But I realized something important.

I needed to make the fear of me leave her.

How could I cultivate those tropes of master-maid good relationships, the kind where the maid wasn't shy or nervous but cheerful and comfortable in her service?

'I don't know if it's my magic sense, but I feel she's around the same age as me, sixteen year old huh...'

I gently placed my right hand on Fieral's head and petted her.

"There, there, I'm not mad, okay?"

I said gently and softly. Her tense body slowly relaxed under my petting.

"Lord..."

Fieral looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with a cute expression.

"Should I bring your dinner?!"

She grinned widely, her canine tooth becoming obvious from the wide smile.

"Huh? It is night already?"

I glanced at the window in surprise and saw that it was already twilight, the sky painted in deepening hues of blue and amber.

"Okay."

I immediately responded, but my mind wandered elsewhere, I needed privacy. I needed to check my status.

Fieral beamed in response, then turned to leave, trotting off cheerfully in the service of her master.

I quickly stepped out, locked the door, and then sat down on the bed.

With a breath, I summoned my status.

— [Rei Turner] —

MP : [70]

Level : [3]

Exp : [50%———————100%]

Profession : Hero

Physique: [4]

Unique Skill: — [DUPLICATE] — {SSS-Tier}

[Ability Count] — 7 —

Unique Talent: [Evolver.]

[Evolution Fragments] 150 <7 Hrs 35 Mins>

My eyes scanned the status screen all over, causing a tinge of happiness to well up in me.

Slowly, but surely, I was progressing.

My mana point, it had increased from a meager ten to seventy, and I knew that it wasn't only because I had leveled up twice.

"It is partly due to my mana control."

Now, I truly understood the method to absorb ambient mana. I could use it to steadily increase my mana reserve over time.

"This physique... it seems it is the sum of my body attributes."

It seemed vague at first, but when one thought about it from the perception of growth and development, it meant all my physical attributes were increasing at the same rate.

"Which means my speed, strength, stamina, and other attributes all share the same percentage increase."

Like a general enhancement to overall fitness. Did that mean even my immune system would have become stronger?

I held my chin and ruminated on the thought for a while.

"Well, it's not a bad thing if it's something like that."

A smile slowly curled up my lips.

I went to check what made the ability count increase.

Apart from my [Magic Sense], which was a Tier D skill, there was another ability with the same tier that felt vague.

I quickly went to check its description, a feeling of anxiety welling up within me.

[Arcane Weave]

My mouth opened wide in awe.

I couldn't wait to test the skill, and since I could already use [Magic Sense] without issue, I felt confident I could use this too.

"This means a Tier-D skill is my limit for now. I still can't use the other skills I copied from Lousielle..."

Thinking back to how I had felt light-headed earlier, my mana reserve was barely enough.

Although I felt a little bit deflated, I didn't let it hold me down.

"I will need to constantly absorb ambient mana to replenish my reserve, in this way, I won't feel drained when using [Magic Sense] for long"

Looking at the skill description, I was happy to have a solid ability for combat.

I extended my palm, my eyes closing as I focused on activating the skill—[Arcane Weave].

Then I felt it.

A faint prickling sensation at my fingertips.