Today started with the scroll floating in front of my face again.

  This time, I was already used to it. I even expected it to appear at any moment.

  Mission Complete!

  Please choose your reward!

  Level Up / Status Point

  I reached out to touch the scroll, and surprisingly, this time, I could.

  I tried to pick it up—maybe move it somewhere else—but the moment I attempted it, my mind wandered. By the time I realized what was happening, my hand was already moving on its own.

  What a neat trick.

  Anyway, "Level Up" might refer to my skill level, since that's the only thing that’s leveled up so far. Meanwhile, "Status Point" definitely refers to the parameters on my Status Page—though I still don’t fully understand them. I mean, why are they even there if they don’t seem to affect me in any way?

  With that in mind, I chose Level Up as my reward.

  I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

  Level Up!

  You are now Level 2!

  Wait… does this mean I can level up—not just my skills, but myself?

  I quickly summoned my Status Page to confirm, and sure enough, it had changed.

  Which only left me more confused.

  Status Page

  Name: Prabu Sanjaya

  Age: 33 Years

  Level: 2

  Health: 110

  Mana: 110

  STR: 6

  DEX: 5

  END: 5

  INT: 8

  WIS: 10

  MEN: 6

  Skills:

  Fire Manipulation Lv. 10 (Max) – Allows the user to manipulate fire slightly.

  Fire Magic Lv. 1 – Allows the user to summon and use fire magic.

  Mana Gathering Lv. 1 – Allows the user to gather and absorb Mana from their surroundings.

  Magic Sense Lv. 1 – Allows the user to sense Mana around them.

  Magic Pathway Lv. 1 – Gives the user knowledge of the Magical Pathway inside their body.

  First, I’m now Level 2.

  To my surprise.

  Like… how? why now?

  Second, every single parameter increased by one. That’s amazing, but it also raises some questions—like, what effect does it actually have?

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Third, leveling up feels incredible.

  I can feel my body getting stronger, my hands more dexterous, my stamina improving. My mind feels sharper—as if my understanding of everything I already knew has deepened in a way that can only be described as magical.

  And the weirdest part?

  I feel ready for whatever comes next.

  Even though I have no idea why.

  What kind of system is this?

  *****

  For the rest of the day, I tried contacting my office and my coworkers.

  Because even when the world is in chaos, I still need money to survive. And my source of income is my job.

  Or at least, it was.

  The building where my office was located had become a casualty of yesterday’s events—almost reduced to rubble. I saw it on the news not long after we cleared out the Dirty Slime.

  I tried calling my office. No one picked up.

  I tried calling some of my team members. Still nothing.

  Does this mean I can’t go to work anymore?

  On the one hand, yay—no more jobs.

  On the other hand, fuck—no more job.

  And that wasn’t even the worst news of the day.

  Half of my coworkers were either injured or dead.

  Mostly injured.

  I only found out because, after one last attempt, someone finally picked up.

  It wasn’t who I was calling.

  It was a family member of one of my teammates. They told me that the person I was looking for had fallen victim to a monster. Apparently, others had been calling and asking about them too.

  From what they said, some of my coworkers had chosen their skills at the last minute, thinking it would help them kill monsters.

  They were wrong.

  Almost immediately, they were overpowered and later found barely alive by the military.

  Lucky for them, they were still alive.

  But with all this information, I could only come to one conclusion:

  There is no more office.

  Not for me.

  Not for anyone.

  Not anytime soon.

  Today is the day I can officially call myself jobless.

  Which means I need to figure out a way to make money—outside of working in an office.

  Unfortunately, with everything going on, there doesn’t seem to be a single profitable job available nearby.

  The news is filled with updates about the government’s ban on using chosen skills, claiming that civilians shouldn’t wield such dangerous weapons.

  The problem?

  Ever since the mission to kill monsters, almost everyone has ignored that law and started training their skills as much as possible.

  Now, the entire country—scratch that, the entire world—is caught in a dilemma.

  But honestly? That’s their problem.

  My problem right now is figuring out how to level up my skills safely.

  I’ve learned how to produce fire on my own and tested it several times today. But I’ve run into an issue.

  Creating fire costs a lot of Mana.

  With my current 110 Mana, I can only fire off three torrents of flames—maybe four, if I push myself into the negative.

  I’ve never gone into the negative, and I don’t plan to.

  Not unless I know what happens first. No need to take unnecessary risks.

  And despite all the training, I still haven’t leveled up my Fire Magic.

  Like, how?

  Today, I’m going to meditate—out in the open, under the blazing midday sun—hoping it will help me level up my Fire Magic.

  I head to the secluded spot I found a few days ago, only to discover it’s now packed with people. Looks like they’re training their skills, maybe even forming a group to fight back against monsters or the military with sheer numbers.

  As for me? I say no to crowds.

  Crowds aren’t fun.

  So, I spend another hour searching for a quiet place and eventually find an old, abandoned storehouse—not too far from home. Probably around a thirty-minute ride on my motorcycle.

  Inside, I clear out some space and sit in a lotus position.

  The midday heat burns through the storehouse’s broken walls, but there’s no direct sunlight. Maybe that won’t matter.

  Once I get comfortable, I summon my fire, directing it toward an empty spot nearby, hoping it won’t set anything ablaze.

  Immediately, I feel Mana flowing through me, following a predetermined path I hadn’t noticed before, before shooting out of my hand in a torrent of flames.

  The fire torrent flies farther than I expected, landing on some wet wood in the distance. The wood dries almost instantly—then bursts into flames.

  I rush toward it, about to put it out when suddenly, something shifts inside me—something strange.

  I stare at the fire, burning in bright yellows and deep reds, devouring the wood, turning it into blackened charcoal—and I realize...

  It’s beautiful.

  So beautiful that I can’t look away.

  An overwhelming urge takes hold of me. I want to hold it—as if it were a handful of sparkling water.

  Acting on instinct, I activate Fire Manipulation, reaching out to cup the flames in my hands.

  The fire lifts from the charred wood, hovering over my palm for a few seconds—but then it starts dying out.

  A sudden fear grips me.

  I don’t want it to disappear. I want to see it again.

  Something clicks in my mind.

  Without hesitation, I direct a small amount of Mana through the pathways in my hands, feeding it to the flame.

  The moment Mana touches the fire, it erupts into a massive blaze—so large it scorches the walls in front of me for a few seconds before finally burning out with a puff.

  I look at my hands, feeling the lingering energy still pulsing in my palms.

  And I smile.

  So this is how you create a real magical fire.

  Skill Level Up! Fire Magic Lv. 2!

  Skill Level Up! Magic Sense Lv. 3!

  New Skill Learned! Mana Mastery Lv. 1!

  Skill Evolved! Fire Manipulation Lv. 10 (Max) → Fire Manipulation I Lv. 1!