The Cold Heir

After enduring the stifling atmosphere of the Flack family dinner, Ved escaped down the marble corridors of the estate. His footsteps echoed softly against the polished floors, the only sound in the vast, echoey mansion. Despite its grandeur, the place always felt cold, more like a fortress than a home.

Ved made his way down a staircase to the lower levels where the Flack family's private training hall resided. The air chilled as he descended. Pushing to open the heavy training room doors.

Ved walked into the training room. The room was as clean and white as ever, but he could feel the air thick with mana, thanks to the runes etched into the walls. It was just like back in time when he used to train in it. Both him and his twin sister had been given full access to train here without any hassle.

He quickly moved to the console mounted on the wall next to the platform. He looked over the console's options, realizing he hadn't fully exploited this room's capabilities in the past. In the estate, he'd only focused on his swordsmanship, and ice magic.

Now, he saw the need for broader experience. To diversify his skills, he needed to fight against various opponents. 

Ved decided to test his current strength first. Now that he has actually reached Advanced level both in mana mastery of the ice element and physical strength. 

He selected the opponent rank levels he wanted to face off against. The platform glowed, and from the ground, earth and stone began to rise, shaping into one golem that exuded the formidable aura of an Expert- rank.

He set the room to a vast, flat plain, no obstructions, just open space. He positioned himself in the center, with the golem facing him.

He decided to start without enhancing his body with mana and relying on physical strength alone to get a real measure of his strength. He also chose to fight without his sword for now, wanting to engage in a fight that required more than just quick, decisive strikes.

As he moved to attack, the golem threw a punch that nearly caught him off guard. With his newfound physical strength, he dodged, but not before taking a brutal kick to the jaw, then another punch to the gut, slamming him into the wall.

"You have lost", a voice echoed in the training room.

'That hurt,' Ved grumbled, standing up, rubbing his jaw. He was a mere Advanced without enhancing his body with mana and relying on physical strength alone, his reactions were just too slow compared to Expert- rank. 

He cracked his neck, preparing for another round, this time enhancing his body with mana. He vanished from his spot, delivering spinning kicks that sent the golem flying.

While enhancing his body with mana, Ved moved more faster, evading and counter attacking effectively. He noted he was slightly faster than Expert- rank now, thanks to his mana mastery.

"This is enough I should try what I came here for" Ved mumbled to himself. 

His mind focused on the task ahead. The System's new status updates were still fresh in his mind, and he was eager to test the limits of his newfound power. The Time affinity was uncharted territory for him, and if he was to enter the Academy next month, he needed to master it or at least gain enough control to avoid embarrassing himself.

"But first" He began with Ice, his oldest and most familiar affinity. With a flick of his wrist, sharp spikes of frost erupted from the ground around him, their crystalline structures gleaming in the dim light. A wave of cold followed, spreading outward and coating the floor in a thin layer of ice.

This was second nature to him, a dance he'd perfected over years of relentless training. He moved through the room with precision, conjuring walls of ice and shattering them with blasts of freezing energy. His control over the element was absolute, the magic responding to his will as if it were an extension of his body.

But this wasn't what he was here for tonight.

He paused, allowing the ice to melt away, his attention shifting to the more new mysterious skill of his new affinity: Time.

Ved reached out, trying to channel his mana for his new affinity. Initially, there was just silence, broken only by the hum of the ice melting on the ground and his own breathing. But then, he sensed it—a slight change in the atmosphere, like the gentle disturbance of a stone thrown into a calm lake.

The System had described his first skill as Temporal Flick, an ability that allowed him to momentarily distort the flow of time, increasing personal speed or slowing an enemy for a short duration.

Ved stretched out his hand towards a nearby training golem, picturing the flow of time around it like a river he could divert, imagining time slowing around it. 

The air around him shimmered, and for a heartbeat, everything seemed to decelerateThe air rippled, and the golem seemed to freeze, now appearing almost motionless, caught in a moment of stillness. Ved moved forward, his steps unnaturally swift, his movements quicker than they should have been and his senses sharper than ever.

The effect lasted only a second before the ripple faded, and time resumed its natural flow.

Ved let out a breath, a drop of sweat tracing down his face. The strain was far greater than he'd anticipated. Manipulating time, even in such a small way, felt like pushing against an invisible wall something massive and unseen, pushing back with equal force.

"Not bad," he said to himself, a small smirk forming. "But not enough."