SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will-Chapter 52: Shaping What Isn’t There II

He continued the experiment as he followed the same mana pathway as the Manifest Intent skill.

Then, by instinct, he pushed forward.

Mana exploded out of his palm in a rough burst, causing the air to ripple.

The nearest training dummy shook slightly. While the runes in the wall flared and absorbed the excess.

Arthur frowned.

"That’s not it."

He tried again. As Mana gathered once more.

But then, another burst. Another meaningless release.

It was power.

But power without direction.

Arthur exhaled slowly.

"I’m still thinking like an attacker."

He tried again.

This time, he did not push.

He simply held the mana at the edge of release.

It trembled. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Unstable.

Then it collapsed and dispersed.

Arthur grimaced.

Annoyance flickered.

Not rage or despair, just irritation.

"Again."

He gathered mana.

But he didn’t imagine as a blast, or as a strike.

He imagined weight.

Pressure.

Like pressing his palm against someone’s chest.

The mana surged.

Reflex kicked in.

It still tried to launch, and the result was another rough pulse that shook the air.

Arthur clicked his tongue.

"Stop trying to move," he told himself.

He lowered his hand.

Took a breath.

He looked at the floor.

Then at the hanging weighted target nearby.

Then at the open space between them.

"What do I actually want?"

And the answer came easily.

"I want the space to resist."

Not block, or explode. But resist.

Like moving through deep water, or walking against strong wind.

Arthur raised his hand again.

He gathered mana slower this time.

He did not follow the Manifest Intent pathway.

He paid attention to the sensation itself. The way mana responded to his will.

"Don’t go," Arthur whispered.

"Stay."

But the mana trembled. His head throbbing faintly.

The sensation was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

Mana was meant to move.

Holding it still felt like gripping a struggling animal.

Arthur’s teeth clenched.

His hand shook.

The mana wavered, And then it slipped as it dispersed harmlessly.

Arthur let out a breath.

"That felt different."

Not better, but different.

Which meant progress.

He tried again.

Gather.

Hold.

Do not launch.

Do not shape into attack.

Just exist.

Sweat rolled down his temple.

His arm began to ache. It wasn’t a simple muscle ache. It was deeper. Like mental strain.

The mana lasted half a second longer this time.

Then it collapsed.

Arthur nodded slowly.

"Okay."

He repeated the process.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Some attempts failed instantly.

Some lasted longer.

None did what he wanted yet.

But the feeling was changing.

it was now less violent, and less explosive.

But more... heavy.

Arthur suddenly took a step forward while holding the mana.

His body moved.

The mana lagged behind slightly, and that caught his attention.

He stopped, then he tried again to hold the mana

The mana dragged.

Like syrup.

Arthur’s eyes widened slightly.

"So you can avoid moving too."

A slow grin appeared.

"That means you can resist motion."

The idea clicked.

Not fully.

But enough.

Arthur adjusted and then gathered mana.

He held it.

Then he imagined not placing it in front of him.

But around him.

A thin layer.

Barely there.

Like mist.

He took a step.

The sensation was subtle, but he felt it.

A faint pressure against his own movement.

Arthur froze.

"Interesting."

He took another step.

Same feeling.

Light resistance.

Not enough to slow him.

But enough to notice.

Arthur’s breathing grew heavier.

He was draining mana faster than he expected.

But he did not stop.

He walked in a small circle while holding that faint layer.

It wobbled, flickered and then ollapsed.

Arthur bent forward slightly and placed his hands on his knees.

He was breathing hard now.

His shirt clung to his back. As sweat dripped steadily.

But his eyes were bright.

"That’s it."

It was not a finished skill. he was not even close.

But he had a direction.

Arthur staggered toward his bag and pulled out the mana potion he had just gotten.

He uncorked it and drank.

The liquid was bitter. But he did not care.

He sat down on the floor, back against the wall with his chest rising and falling.

But his mind did not rest.

"I’m not shaping mana to attack," he muttered.

"I’m shaping mana to exist."

He closed his eyes.

"Space as a medium."

"Intent as pressure."

Arthur opened his eyes slowly. With a tired smile tugged at his lips.

"I still have work to do."

He wiped his face with his sleeve.

Then pushed himself to his feet.

He was not done, and definitely not satisfied.

But he was closer.

And for Arthur, that was enough to keep moving.

Arthur stood there for a moment, breathing slowly, feeling the faint burn in his chest and the heavier ache inside his head. His arms were tired, his legs felt loose, and sweat clung to his skin, yet his eyes were clear.

He did not feel lost anymore.

He had a direction.

That alone changed everything.

He raised his hand again.

This time, he did not rush.

He did not think about attacking or even think about damage.

He thought about slowing.

About holding and refusing movement.

His intent settled first, calm and deliberate, and only then did mana begin to respond, following the path his will carved open.

It felt different from before.

Less violent.

Less eager to explode.

And more restrained.

"Stay," Arthur murmured.

Mana gathered in front of his palm, not surging forward, not bursting outward, but hovering between him and a nearby dummy.

It wobbled.

The invisible mass trembled like unsteady glass.

Arthur clenched his jaw.

His forehead tightened.

He could feel mana slipping away, draining faster than he liked, as if leaking through cracks he could not yet see.

He pushed his intent harder, not forcing, not shouting, but pressing steadily.

Hold.

Slow.

Resist.

The pressure built, as his arm shook in response.

The space in front of him flickered.

Then everything collapsed as the mana dispersed once again.

A/N:

Please bear with the process... We’re getting there 🚀..