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A shiver raced down Elio\'s spine, equal parts excitement and terror. The fourth level, the challenge that had claimed all but nine lives in a century.

"Do you think I\'m ready?" he asked, unable to completely hide the doubt in his voice.

Von Lucien smiled, a rare expression on his normally serious face. "I believe you\'ve demonstrated more than enough capability. With proper preparation, I have no doubt you\'ll succeed."

Varick, who had been unusually quiet beside him, spoke suddenly. "I\'ll try it too," his tone defiant as always, but there was something new in his eyes when he looked at Elio… a grudging respect. "If the fil… if Elio can do it, so can I."

Elio rolled his eyes at Varick\'s near slip. At least the arrogant bully seemed to have learned something during their shared ordeal.

"Excellent," Von Lucien nodded approvingly. "Inform me when you feel prepared to face the fourth level. Elio, here\'s the remaining 100,000 points as promised. I\'ve also procured max-level mana lances for both of you. Collect them on your way out."

As the two young men began to leave, Von Lucien held Elio back for a moment.

"There\'s something else you should know," he said in a low voice. "That metal-attracting ability you mentioned? It\'s documented in one of the family scrolls. I\'ve made you a copy. They call it \'magical magnetism\', and as you surmised, it could indeed be used to retrieve a lance."

Elio felt his heart race at those words.

"Have you tested it? Could it aid the defense squads?" he asked, his mind already buzzing with possibilities.

Von Lucien\'s smile turned enigmatic. "For now, focus on your training. The rest... Well, we\'ll figure out the rest as we go along."

♢♢♢♢

One day, while training with his discoveries and the clue he found in the scroll, Elio felt something click in his mind.

With a fluid movement of his hands, he conjured a whirlwind of hydrogen and nickel-infused air.

The gust began to spin and form a ring, trapped within itself by the mana forces governing it.

As he manipulated the now-glowing nickel particles, Elio noticed their pull on the lance. This combination could control the magnetic field, allowing him to recall the weapon from a distance.

Excited by his discovery, Elio spent the next few hours perfecting the technique.

The steel lance responded easily to his magnetic control, but the new level 5 mana lance presented an additional challenge.

"Damn it," Elio muttered, frustrated after another failed attempt. "The mana lance doesn\'t respond to magnetic attraction."

After a moment of reflection, an easy solution occurred to him:

Coating the mana lance with a thin layer of nickel. This modification would allow him to manipulate the lance in the same way as the steel one.

Elio quickly calculated the mana costs associated with his new technique. Preparing the lance by coating it with nickel cost him 5 mana points, while attracting it after throwing required another 2 points.

"With the points I have left per day, I can only do it 5 times," Elio reflected, frowning. "It\'s not enough for proper training. It\'ll take years to improve this way..."

Determined to maximize his practice, Elio opted to use part of the points the summoner had given him to cover his basic needs instead of the natural regenerated ones.

Although this meant that his expenses on food, oxygen, and his contribution to the turret would be higher. They would go from costing 15 points daily to 24. But he considered mastering this new skill a priority.

The city system imposed an additional tax when using mana crystal for the turret.

Instead of the usual 10 points, Elio had to give 11. Additionally, he needed 10 points for the daily oxygen stone if he spent his mana on throwing.

Despite being a miser, Elio found himself reluctantly parting with his beloved round numbers for the sake of progress.

"With my 30 daily points, I can recover the lance 12 times," Elio calculated. "It\'s better, but I\'d still like to be able to do more..."

The 200,000 points from Von Lucien became his lifeline. With equipment provided, he could dedicate those points to sustenance and perfecting his new technique with his daily 30 points.

This workaround was necessary due to a frustrating quirk of the system:

Once mana was crystallized in the book or exchange statues, it couldn\'t re-enter a person\'s body. Elio couldn\'t directly use the 200,000 points for training.

"It\'s as if the system\'s designed to prevent us from accumulating too much power in our bodies," Elio mused, turning a mana crystal over in his hand.

Despite this restriction, Elio adapted.

He crafted a training regimen that squeezed every drop of potential from his daily mana points, relying on the crystals for basic needs.

He even allowed himself a small indulgence, rounding up his daily expenses to 30 points. With 9 points for food, he could afford some variety in his diet. After tasting better fare, the bland gruel he\'d subsisted on had lost its appeal.

Just feeling full was not a new and exciting experience anymore!

♢♢♢♢

Every morning, Elio began his training with the 30 mana points he naturally generated.

He performed his 12 recoveries, perfecting his control over the lance with each attempt.

After depleting his daily allowance, he switched to the common steel lance, retrieving it the old-fashioned way… on foot.

"It\'s inefficient," Elio grumbled after another training session, wiping sweat from his brow. "But it\'s the only way to keep practicing beyond my daily mana limits..."

As the days passed, Elio\'s mastery grew. His throwing accuracy improved, and recalling the lance became easier.

♢♢♢♢

Ren, Brok, and Kriz watched Elio\'s progress with awe and concern.

"It\'s impressive that you\'ve managed to make it return to you," Ren remarked one day, after witnessing a particularly impressive series of throws and recoveries. "But aren\'t you pushing yourself too hard?"

Elio shook his head. "I can\'t afford to relax. This is crucial for... for something."

Brok frowned. "But you\'re spending all your points on this. Don\'t you think you\'ll run out of the points the summoner gave you someday? Won\'t you give anything to your family?"

"I know," Elio replied. "But it\'s a necessary sacrifice. Besides, I\'ve only spent a little over 1,000 points. I still have 198,770 left."

Kriz, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up. "Just make sure you buy us those beds you promised before you blow it all on fancy tricks..."

Elio nodded, acknowledging his promise.

Then, with a hint of exasperation, he added, "But hold on a second… isn\'t it thanks to me that you\'re all level 3 now? Can\'t you lot spare 50 points for your own beds now that you\'ve got an extra 15 daily points? Talk about miserly!"

♢♢♢♢

Meanwhile, Varick was also preparing for the fourth level, albeit with a different approach.

Leveraging his family\'s vast resources, he\'d amassed top-tier equipment and trained with the city\'s finest instructors.

One day, as Elio practiced, Varick approached to observe.

"Not bad, fil… Elio," Varick commented, his tone less sneering than usual. "Though I still can\'t fathom how you do it, I doubt that parlor trick will cut it for level four. You should invest in more max-grade mana spears..."

Elio lowered his spear, eyeing Varick curiously. "Have you discovered anything about the challenge?"

Varick shrugged. "Just rumors. My uncle hasn\'t gotten me the permission yet, so they haven\'t revealed the details of qualified challengers to me.

They say the fourth-level monster is faster and stronger than anything we\'ve faced before. Some even speak of true elemental abilities."

"True elemental abilities," Elio repeated, his mind racing. "That would explain why those who overcome it can cast abilities with such force..." He paused, formulating several hypotheses.

Surprisingly, Varick didn\'t mock him. Instead, he nodded seriously. "That\'s why I suggest you forget the cheap tricks and buy more spears. We don\'t know what we\'ll be up against."

Elio considered Varick\'s words. "You\'re right... I\'ll think about it... T-thanks."

"Go to hell, you filthy rag! Who cares about your thanks?" Varick shouted.

Elio rolled his eyes... Though talking to the spoiled bully didn\'t bother him as much anymore.

As Varick walked away, Elio pondered this new information. Von Lucien had told him his spear control technique was impressive, but would it be enough against a monster with elemental abilities?

Determined to leave nothing to chance, Elio began incorporating new elements into his training. In addition to perfecting his spear control, he dedicated time to improving his agility, concentration, and practiced evasive techniques.

Days turned into weeks, and Elio felt he was reaching the limit of what he could achieve with his current training. He knew he would soon have to face the real challenge, but a question lingered in his mind:

Would all this effort be enough to overcome the fourth level?