The Genius Mage Was Reincarnated Into A Swordsman Family

Three more days passed in the Eastern Tower's courtyard like pages turning in some cosmic manuscript, each dawn finding Klaus in the same lotus position beneath stars that yielded to sunlight with mechanical precision. The rhythm of his meditation had become as constant as Dudu's breathing, the ancient syllables of the Ten Eyes Mantra flowing from his lips with harmonics that seemed to resonate with fundamental frequencies of reality itself.

Yet for all his sustained effort, the sixth eye remained sealed behind barrier that defied every technique Klaus applied to breach its defenses. He had absorbed ambient mana with efficiency that would have astounded contemporary practitioners, drawing environmental energy through methods that treated such power as natural extension of consciousness rather than external resource requiring conversion. The crown of five eyes above his head rotated with perfect synchronization, each containing magic circles that operated according to principles predating current magical theory.

Still, the sixth eye refused to manifest.

Klaus could sense its presence like locked door within the deepest regions of his consciousness—tantalizingly close yet absolutely inaccessible through conventional approach. Each attempt to force the awakening met resistance that seemed to grow stronger with direct application of will, as if the barrier protecting the sixth eye fed upon traditional methods of consciousness expansion.

The wall blocking his progress possessed characteristics unlike anything Klaus had encountered in his systematic exploration of the Ten Eyes Mantra. Where the first five eyes had opened through careful application of ancient techniques combined with sufficient mana absorption, the sixth eye demanded something fundamentally different—a trigger that operated according to principles he had yet to comprehend.

On the morning of the fourth day dedicated to this seemingly futile effort, Klaus felt recognition crystallize with clarity that his enhanced state provided. The approach he had been employing, despite its sophistication compared to contemporary magical practice, was fundamentally flawed for accessing whatever lay beyond the fifth eye's domain.

The realization came not as dramatic revelation but as quiet understanding that emerged from depths of accumulated wisdom spanning multiple incarnations. The sixth eye would not yield to force, no matter how elegantly applied. It required different methodology entirely—activation through means that transcended normal consciousness manipulation techniques.

Klaus slowly opened his crystalline eyes, allowing the meditation state to dissolve around his awareness like morning mist yielding to sunlight. The transition brought him back to normal dimensional space with sensation of surfacing from profound depths, yet he felt no exhaustion despite having maintained intensive concentration for three consecutive days.

The refreshing clarity that the Ten Eyes Mantra provided had sustained him throughout the extended meditation, eliminating physical fatigue while maintaining mental acuity at levels that exceeded normal human capacity. His transformed state seemed to operate according to principles that made conventional limitations irrelevant, allowing sustained effort that would have been impossible for ordinary consciousness.

Klaus rose from lotus position with fluid movement that spoke to perfect physical condition despite days of motionless meditation. His joints showed no stiffness, his muscles no tension from prolonged immobility. The composite consciousness he had become through absorbing the Icarus fragment while maintaining his authentic identity appeared to grant endurance that transcended normal biological requirements.

He stretched with deliberate precision, extending limbs that responded with elastic resilience suggesting his physical form had been enhanced along with his mental capabilities. The movements felt natural yet somehow improved, as if his transformation had optimized biological function while preserving essential human characteristics.

Behind him, Dudu stirred from sleep with lazy contentment that suggested the Night Dragon had been monitoring Klaus's extended meditation while maintaining protective vigilance. The creature's presence had provided constant reassurance throughout the sustained effort, creating sense of shared safety that allowed complete focus on consciousness exploration without concern for external threats.

As Klaus completed his stretching routine, recognition emerged that he had been neglecting other aspects of his development while pursuing the elusive sixth eye. The systematic focus on consciousness expansion, while valuable for understanding the scope of memory manipulation that had shaped his existence, had caused him to ignore more practical considerations that might prove equally important.

He realized that he hadn't examined his status window in considerable time—not since before the Northwatch incident that had resulted in his transformation through absorbing the Icarus fragment. The interface that provided quantified assessment of his capabilities would likely reflect dramatic changes resulting from recent developments, yet he had been so focused on memory archaeology and consciousness expansion that he had completely ignored this accessible source of information.

Klaus also recognized that he had accumulated substantial backlog of unexamined notifications from the system interface. The messages had been arriving steadily throughout his recent experiences—during his successful awakening of the fifth eye and formation of magic circles within the Ten Eyes realm, throughout the intense combat with the Duke during the Northwatch crisis, and presumably during his absorption of the Icarus fragment and subsequent transformation.

The accumulated notifications represented record of his development that he had been systematically ignoring while pursuing deeper understanding through meditation and memory examination. Yet this quantified data might provide insights that his introspective analysis had missed, offering perspective on his enhanced capabilities that could prove valuable for understanding the trigger required to access the sixth eye.

Klaus stood in the morning sunlight filtering through the Eastern Tower's courtyard, recognizing that his approach to development had been incomplete. While consciousness exploration and memory archaeology provided profound understanding of the systematic manipulation that had shaped his existence across multiple incarnations, he had been neglecting more immediate assessment of his current capabilities and their implications for future growth.

The realization that different methodology might be required to access the sixth eye suggested that conventional consciousness expansion techniques, no matter how ancient or sophisticated, might prove insufficient for transcending certain barriers. Perhaps the trigger he sought could be found within quantified assessment of his enhanced state rather than through pure meditation and will-focused techniques.

Klaus felt curiosity rising within his composite consciousness—anticipation of discovering how his recent transformations had been reflected within the system interface that tracked his development. The absorption of the Icarus fragment, the integration of multiple incarnation memories, and the sustained use of the Ten Eyes Mantra had likely produced changes that would be immediately apparent through status assessment.

With recognition that examination of accumulated data might provide the key to understanding his current limitations and potential pathways forward, Klaus prepared to access information he had been systematically ignoring while pursuing deeper truths through consciousness archaeology.

The morning sun climbed higher above the Eastern Tower's courtyard as Klaus stood surrounded by peaceful silence broken only by Dudu's contented breathing and distant sounds of estate workers beginning daily routines. In this moment of perfect calm, with three days of intensive meditation providing crystalline clarity about his enhanced state while revealing new barriers that demanded different approaches, Klaus spoke the phrase that would reveal quantified assessment of his transformation.

"Status Window."