The room was equipped with advanced features. Its walls sturdy enough to withstand even a Tier 5 attack with a tablet screen at the center. Projectors were at the corner of the room, suggesting their use in generating illusionary dummies for training purposes.
'Impressive,' Sidius thought, acknowledging the high quality room with satisfaction.
Without wasting any time, Sidius sat in a lotus position and took out the two small books in his expansion bag. He first delved deep into the Phantom Throw.
Sidius immersed himself in its pages, absorbing the essence of the skill. As minutes stretched in the passage of time, the technique's mechanics imprinted themselves in his mind, including small details. He stood up and retrieved his dagger.
"So first, I'll mark this with my dark element," Sidius murmured. His fingers traced a small circle on the weapon's surface, causing it to momentarily emit a spectral glow before fading.
With preparation complete, Sidius threw the dagger at some distance upward before activating the skill.
'Phantom Throw'
In a blink of an eye, Sidius found himself before the dagger that he threw, gripping it mid-air. However, he bumped into the roof, sending him falling into the ground.
Thud!
Sidius stumbled and fall but he utilizes his experiences as a mercenary to lessen he impact, falling and rolling in a graceful but awkward way.
When Sidius landed, he couldn't help but be excited despite mishap.
'This technique demands high control but, isn't this too op?'
Several moments passed as Sidius diligently honed his control over the 'Phantom Throw.'
'My mana is nearly depleted,' he pondered, assessing his current state. He was immersed in mastering the technique and now he found himself on the brink of mastering it.
'How I wish this was a skill so I can learn it in an instant,' Sidius complained.
He understood the fundamental difference between Mystical Arts and Skills. The former demanded time and dedication for a chosen to master it, while the latter could be mastered with a single book and a moment's focus.
However, Sidius also know that Mystical Arts are much more powerful and convinient than Skills because it does not have a cooldown, and there was no limit to the power it could unleash.
Drowned in his thoughts, Sidius stopped thinking and continued to immerse himself in mastering the technique. His goal was the peak of proficiency.
After a determined passage of time, he achieved mastery and his mana dwindling to a mere trickle.
With resolve in his eyes, Sidius turned to the screen tablet suspended on one of the walls.
He walk towards it while preparing himself.
"Alright, let's test how this works," he muttered before clicking the screen.
The screen presented an option, offering either moving or stationary targets. Sidius immediately chose the moving targets. He paid no attention to the stationary ones as too mundane for his ambitions.
After clicking it, another prompt materialized beckoning Sidius to select from three levels: 1, 2, or 3.
As a novice in mastering the technique, Sidius leaned on the side of caution as he chose the Level 1. This was no time for recklessness. He intended to make his body fully used with the technique before diving into greater challenges.
With an affirmative click, the screen emitted a subtle beep.
The room that was adorned with projectors in every corner, sprang to life as it casted vivid illusions.
Humanoid robots in white and violet materialized before him. Their featureless visages bore no expressions and their bodies marked with critical target points.
A moment of awe struck Sidius as he beheld the sight before him. However, his attention quickly snapped back to reality as he activated 'Phantom Throw'.
Drawing upon his dark elemental affinity, Sidius hurled his dagger into motion. A blurred streak of lights blink as he flashed at different locations within the room.
With precision guiding his strikes, a symphony of well-aimed assaults echoed as he hit targets with their vital points and only missing some.
Sidius' past experiences as the world's strongest mercenary was proving its worth in this peculiar training room. His ability to decipher and adapt to the illusionary movements of the dummies' pattern was nothing short of extraordinary.
However, restlessness soon overcame him. The initial thrill had given way to a craving for more significant challenges.
With a decisive tap, he escalated the difficulty to level 3 on the prompt screen, unleashing a whirlwind of enhanced complexity.
The dummy illusions now moved with blinding speed and unpredictable randomness, presenting Sidius with an immense difficulty.
Darting, weaving, and dancing through the chaos, Sidius honed his skills until he was satisfied. His body was now used so thoroughly that the movement became natural as breathing.
A grin formed across his face as he relished the prowess of his newfound abilities.
"This is incredible. I've become untouchable in battle," he mused in deep satisfaction.
'What will happen if I marked multiple weapons and confused my enemy with which one I would be teleported to? Unfortunately, I only have one dagger with me.'
Sidius keep on entertaining the different ideas in various situations, but soon dismissed the thought.
He shook his head as he remembered a technique that far surpasses the one he just mastered.
With an excited face, Sidius retrieved another book from his expansion bag. This one bore the name 'Thousand Cuts,' a skill he was eager to incorporate into his arsenal.
Seated once more in a lotus position, Sidius plunged himself into the art of mastering the technique in his mind.
He fixed his concentration as he imagined and controlled the precise movements of each cut that continued to be perfected through the sheer power of his mentality.
Minutes turned to moments, and Sidius' mental prowess neared exhaustion as he delved into every detail of the manual.
He was perfecting the different parts of the 'Thousand Cuts', indulging himself into mastering the technique.
Eventually, Sidius rose from his meditative trance with a palpable energy coursing through his veins.
Without a moment of hesitation, Sidius dashed across the training room, leaving behind a fleeting trail of straight lines that quickly dissolved into the air.
It was then, the room echoed softly with the sound of numerous, practiced cuts.