In life, some of the biggest breakthroughs often came not through methodical planning, but through sudden, spur-of-the-moment moments of clarity—and Leo was no exception.

Up until now, with no real metrics to track or measure the progress of [Parallel Processing], he often found himself lost, unsure of where exactly he stood with the skill, which bothered him deeply.

That was, until one afternoon during training, a flicker of insight hit him suddenly like an unexpected flash of understanding, allowing him to finally grasp the fundamental difference between different mastery levels of skills, that was beyond the textbook definitions he had memorized.

He had always known the standard breakdown:

Just learning how to perform a move was considered (Basic) mastery.

If you could activate it in under 0.75 seconds, it became (Intermediate) mastery.

Under 0.3 seconds, and it was (Advanced) mastery.

And when you brought that time below 0.1 seconds, the skill was considered to be at (Perfect) mastery.

But something about that model never sat quite right with him.

Because, in practice, he'd noticed minor inconsistencies—activation times that varied by ±0.8 seconds across different skills, but still classified under the same tier of mastery.

And he had never truly understood why that happened… until now.

Because today, as he activated [Full Counter]—a skill he had already mastered—and compared it against [Parallel Processing], which he was still struggling to internalize, the realization clicked.

The difference wasn't just in timing.

It was in instinct.

[Full Counter] required no conscious thought. It felt natural—almost primal. Like catching a ball flying toward his face, where his body responded before his brain could even process the action.

But activating [Parallel Processing]?

It was like trying to throw a ball into a moving basket. There was thought involved. Intention. A split-second of calculation and adjustment. A mental delay that made all the difference.

In the first case, the body moved before the mind could interfere.

In the second, the mind had to issue the command first—then the body followed.

And that subtle hesitation?

That was the difference between instinct and intention. Between mastery and understanding.

Between "knowing a skill" and it being a part of who you are.

And with that realization, Leo finally began to understand what mastery truly felt like—not as a measure of speed, but as a measure of instinct.

And it was then that Leo finally understood the difference between skills as instinct.

As he realized that (Basic) mastery felt like holding a ball for the first time and awkwardly trying to toss it into a basket, as at that stage, every movement needed conscious correction— as your body was unsure of the angle, the strength, the follow-through of how to make the shot.

And in contrast, (Intermediate) mastery was like getting better at it after a few hundred throws, where you now had a general rhythm—your muscle memory had begun to form—but you still needed to aim carefully, adjust for distance, and make minor corrections with every attempt.

Which further improved at (Advanced) mastery, when you no longer needed to aim anymore, because you could sink the shot without thinking too hard about the angle or trajectory.

But (Perfect) mastery?

That was different entirely—

It was when the basket no longer even mattered—because the act of throwing and scoring had merged into a single motion.

You did not need to calculate it.

You did not even need to try.

You just did it, the same way you walked, or blinked, or breathed, as the skill simply became reflex.

And in that moment of clarity, Leo finally realized what level of mastery he was at with [Parallel Processing].

As while activating it had been feeling like throwing a ball with a lot of hesitation a few weeks ago.

It had started to feel more natural now, with him barely having to think about it anymore, as the activation time for the skill dropped to just about 3.5 seconds.

However, although the activation time was still on the higher end, Leo was sure that he had hit (Advanced) mastery for the skill, as the whole feel had shifted.

And that gave him a lot of confidence to advance it to (Perfect) mastery in the coming weeks, as just knowing what grade it was at brought him a lot of mental peace.

—----------

(Rodova Military Academy – Leo's Dorm Room)

Once the cellular replacement rate in his body surpassed the 95% threshold—after several grueling months of practicing the Complete Marrow Meditation Manual—Leo finally began to witness the full effects of the technique unfold before his eyes.

His bone marrow, once the standard dull yellow that marked an ordinary constitution, now shimmered with a distinct golden hue, as it underwent a profound and irreversible transformation.

At this stage, the very DNA embedded within his marrow-production cells was being rewritten—reprogrammed to permanently alter the way his body functioned at its core.

No longer would he need to spend hours in meditation to stimulate new blood cell production.

As from this point forward, his body would maintain that process autonomously—efficiently, naturally, and without conscious effort.

Crossing the 95% threshold meant Leo had entered the final phase of the Complete Marrow Meditation Manual.

With the meditation manual now directing him to focus on altering the marrow production sites permanently instead of producing new cells, in a process that lasted about 3-4 weeks.

Once completed—

The transformation would be final.

The new blood cell production system would become a permanent part of his physiology—requiring no additional effort to maintain.

As Leo would find himself completely free from the burden of meditating everyday.

What had once been a daily routine, which required him to spend six relentless hours of stillness, strain, and inner turmoil—would finally become obsolete.

And with that time freed?

Leo could focus entirely on the things that truly mattered:

Combat.

Skills.

And breaking through.

Because from this moment on, his foundation in physiology and mana circulation wouldn't just be solid.

It would be unshakable.