9- First Spar

The first thing Rumi noticed was that all of the three options were active skills, and each of then seemed to focus on one area each, option 1 on recovery, option 2 on mind/brain and option 3 on reiatsu.

Rumi read the short descriptions carefully and started to think a bit deeper.

Option 1 was tempting as it could enhance her body's healing abilities and even recover from exhaustion and reiryoku. It could be a safe net for her since such ability would allow her to fight prolonged battles and maybe even save her life one day.

But, Rumi was a little concerned about it saying it enhanced the body's natural healing. It could imply that the healing would be limited to what her body naturally could heal and the only plus side here would be the speed of recovery. It could go the same with restoring reiryoku and stamina, with the limit only being able to restore what she normally could at a faster speed.

Of course, the speed of recovery could be an important factor and could help her despite its potential limitation.

As for option 2, it leaned more into actually enhancing her cognitive abilities and even reaction speeds. It would give her the ability to process information and stimuli at an accelerated rate, meaning she would be able to think faster and take actions at a faster speed, which were feats which she normally wouldn't be able to do. In addition, the processing and reaction speed even a few seconds faster could be a real game changer in combat.

Meanwhile, option 3 would give her enhanced sensitivity and awareness to fluctuations in reiatsu, which could also be helpful, especially since she currently lacked any other active skill for environmental awareness or sensitivity.

'Now I have Sloth to enhance the efficiency and accumulate reiryoku, then Guardian's Vigil for protection during sleep. Since both are passive skills, I can't really use them in a way that I would do with active skills..' Rumi thought.

While Sloth's efficiency would help her become more efficient in things she took action, it didn't give her to control it outside of its passive skill scope. For example, she could learn better by watching Renji and Rukia train and perform more efficient self-defense moves but if she wanted to do something like thinking ten times faster or process information at accelerated rate, she probably couldn't as Sloth's focus was more in being efficient, doing more with less effort and energy than directly modifying her abilities.

'But wouldn't it be nice if I can process information faster and react faster? Since I'm already more efficient when I take action, I can use more mental sharpness and swift reactions to take even more effective actions at the right time.' Rumi thought.

Personally, she thought that although Mind's Momentum and Sloth's efficiency sounded a little similar, there was a subtle difference and for that reason, she thought those two skills could go very well.

'Another reason is of course, I hate to be a dumbass who couldn't use their brain. At least with this mind's momentum, I could look smarter, heh.' Rumi thought to herself. She knew she wasn't the smartest person so she thought getting a sharp mind could be a better choice for her own long-term development.

As for why she wouldn't choose the other two was because she thought that they wouldn't be as useful to her right now.

Sensing fluctuations in reiatsu could be very helpful but she wasn't really planning to be a spy or anything that involved just watching people in a boring manner. So, she felt that it lacked any exciting factor she wanted for some serious bursts of fun action.

Likewise, swift recovery could be a game changer in long fights but with its potential limitation of only acclerating what she could normally heal or restore, Rumi's interest in it was less than it would've been. Besides, she had never actually thought of herself as an idiot who would go fight a long battle she know she couldn't win so chances of her needing it were pretty low.

After careful consideration, Rumi ultimately decided to go with Mind's Momentum.

'System, I'll choose Option 2 : Mind's Momentum.'

[Understood. You have received active skill - Mind's Momentum.

Description : "Mind's Momentum" is an active skill that boosts your cognitive and reaction speed. When activated, it allows you to process information and respond to stimuli at an accelerated rate, giving you an edge in anticipating and countering the opponent's moves.

Functionality : Rapid Cognition, Enhanced Reflexes and Reaction, Predictive Insight, Mind Clarity.

Rapid Cognition : Enhances the ability to quickly analyze and interpret situations, making mental processes much faster than usual. This allows you to devise strategies and responses in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

Enhanced Reflexes and Reaction : Along with your cognitive abilities, your physical reflexes and reaction speed are also heightened. You can dodge, counter, or launch attacks with enhanced speed.

Predictive Insight: Gives you the ability to better predict your opponent's next moves based on their current actions and patterns, effectively 'reading ahead' in combat.

Mind Clarity: In battle, being levelheaded is an advantage. This gives you the ability to keep your calm, focus and mental clarity in high-stress situations.

Limitations : Conscious activation, Reiryoku consumption, Mental fatigue in case of extensive use, recovery period after use (1 hr - 48 hrs.)

Note : The length of recovery period may differ depending on how you activated the skill. Longer periods of activation mean you need to wait longer until you can activate the skill again.]

After reading the details of her new skill, Rumi nodded to herself. As expected, active skills were more complex than passive ones. Not only it would require reiryoku consumption but also her mental energy as it would result in her mental fatigue if she overused it. There was also a cooldown period to it so she needed to think carefully before activating it. After all, it would be bad if she couldn't activate it when she really needed.

Despite its limitations, Rumi was pleased with the details of this new skill.

Sometimes, limitations were a way to balance great power and if she could figure out when to use it effectively, it could give her another edge.

'Still, the choices this time were tough..' Rumi thought, acknowledging the seemingly increasing difficulty to make choices.

'Well, it's over and I already make a choice. Better not think about it anymore.' She said to herself before opening her eyes.

She saw Renji and Rukia still training their reiatsu and couldn't help but praise their dedication.

'I wonder if I can test my Mind's Momentum out with them.' A thought suddenly flashed through her mind. Since they were training, this could be a great way to test it out. Although Mind's Momentum was an active skill that had a cooldown, Rumi knew she couldn't hope to use it in a real battle scenario for the first time without ever testing it out beforehand.

'And what's better than a spar to do that? It's similiar to a real fight but without actual danger. It's okay even if the skill didn't work in the way I hope since this isn't a real fight.' Rumi thought to herself.

"Hey, Renji, Rukia." She called out to them after making her decision.

Renji and Rukia turned towards her at her voice and Rukia asked, "Hey, Rumi, you finally up?"

"I thought you're gonna sleep for 3 hours or something." Renji, on the other hand said. Rumi rolled her eyes at him but she could understand why he would think that. But, of course, she could choose not to like that too.

"So, how's training going for you guys?" She asked in a rather upbeat tone after having a staring battle with Renji.

Rukia, noticing a certain little spark in Rumi's eyes, replied, "It's going well. Why, are you finally interested in joining us?"

"Actually, yes," Rumi responded with a playful grin. "How about a little spar, Renji? I want to test something out."

Renji raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You? Want to spar? Now, this I have to see. Alright, let's do it. Just don't cry when I beat you up."

"Heh, I could say the same for you." Rumi said, crossing her arms. She really hoped Mind's Momentum worked well or Renji wouldn't let her forget that she got her a** beat up in a spar.

"Rukia, you be the judge!" Renji said, getting ready to beat Rumi up. She might be a little talented at reiatsu but so what? He wasn't a worthless fighter, living in Rukongai for decades had taught him to be self-sufficient and able to hold his ground in fights. He believed that he couldn't be worse than a newcomer who just crossed over yesterday. He would definitely show her the difference in their power.

With Rukia's nod, Rumi and Renji faced each other in the open space they were training.

Renji squared off against Rumi, his stance firm and eyes focused.

"Ready to see what real fighting's like?" He said with a hint of challenging in his voice.

Rumi was standing more casually yet her eyes were careful and calculative. She replied with a nod, "Sure, show me what you've got."

She knew Renji would be better than her at fighting. His reflexes, strength, speed and combat sense, they all had to be better than her who had never had an actual fight and only watched them. But, a part of her wanted to see how she fared without Mind's Momentum first.

It wasn't because she was an idiot and wanted to get beaten up. It was just that she thought it would be a better way to compare how Mind's Momentum could help her in a real battle. It would be more like a before and after comparsion to look back and reflect.

Looking at the serious Renji, Rumi almost changed her decision. It would be embarrassing if she actually got beat up by this guy and didn't even get a chance to activate Mind's Momentum.

'Relax, Rumi. It's okay...You can do this.' Rumi hyped herself up mentally as Renji got ready to make a move.

"Start!"

At Rukia's voice, Renji lunged forward with a swift jab aimed at Rumi's head, his fist cutting through the air.

Rumi, knowing Renji was superior in this regard, didn't dare to let her guard down. Relying on her natural abilities and Sloth's efficiency, she tried to dodge with everything she had. It was a narrow escape as she managed to lean back just a split second before the fist touched her face.

Her heart was beating faster and she almost broke out in cold sweat as she sensed Renji's aggressive style. It was unpredictable and ruthless which may be typical for someone who grew up in Rukongai.

Although he missed the first time, Renji followed up with his second attack quickly, barely giving Rumi a chance to recover. This time, it was a swift roundhouse kick. The strength behind its kick seemed strong enough to mess her up if it were to land.

Rukia, noticing this, shouted, "Renji! Don't go overboard!"

"Tsk." Renji, at the last moment, tried to reduce his strength, throwing his stance a little off. Fortunately, that gave Rumi a chance to narrowly escape the kick by ducking. Even then, she thought she wouldn't have been able to escape if it weren't for luck and instinct to suddenly duck.

It was a very close call and that made Rumi realize how lacking she was. Despite her passive skill Sloth being on, she could barely save herself from getting messed up. To make it worse, this wasn't even a real battle where the opponent was looking for a kill yet.

'I guess I have to activate Mind's Momentum now.' Rumi thought. Since she had already tried to do this with her natural ability and passive skill, it was time to see what Mind's Momentum was capable of.

'System, activate Mind's Momentum.'

[Understood. Mind's Momentum is activated.]

At system's voice, Rumi instantly noticed that the world around her had seemed to slow down, Renji's once fast and pressing movements were becoming visibly clearer and more predictable. It was as if she was given a brief glimpse into the future, allowing him to anticipate his strikes.

Rumi chuckled at her newfound advantage and slightly become relaxed.

Rukia, noticing her suddenly relaxed, called out to her, "Don't underestimate him, Rumi!"

But as Renji came in with another punch, Rumi, who was now perceiving time at a different pace and had newfound agility due to Mind's Momentum, stepped aside with a fluid motion, evading the strike effortlessly. She then quickly countered with a palm strike towards Renji's chest, not to harm but to indicate a successful hit.

It caught Renji offguard and he exclaimed as he narrowly escaped Rumi's strike, "What the-"

While Renji was shocked by Rumi's sudden shift, Rumi was feeling exhilarated. With Mind's Momentum, she could see patterns in Renji's attacks, openings she hadn't noticed before. She moved in sync with his actions, countering fluidly. It wasn't just about speed; it was as if she had unlocked a higher level of understanding in combat.

Although Renji was taken aback by Rumi's swift evasion and sudden shift, he quickly regained his composure and launched a series of rapid strikes. Rumi, however, danced around them, her movements fluid and precise.

Rukia watched in awe. "It's like she's reading his mind," she murmured.

"Since when did you become this agile and perceptive?" Renji asked, both impressed and slightly out of breath.

Rumi chuckled, "Let's just say I found a little trick." She decided to be vague as she had no intention of sharing information about system's rewards.

However, Renji seemed to have got a different idea as he said, "You're using reiatsu, aren't you? That's cheating!"

"When was there a rule like this?" Rumi retorted, "If you can use reiatsu in the

fight, you're more than welcome to do so~Besides, if you're going to Shinigami school, shouldn't you be prepared?~"

Renji huffed at that, clearly he was not at the point of being able to use reiatsu in a fight yet. But, he knew Rumi was right. He had to get used to this if he wanted to become a Shinigami.

After their brief conversation, they exchanged a few more blows and Rumi managed to dodge every single one of Renji's attacks with graceful and precise manner. And Renji was finding it more and more difficult to get away from Rumi's attacks.

'Dang it, I'm going to lose if this goes on.' Renji realized. Rumi was improving. After her first sudden shift, she continued to improve the precision of her attacks and push him back further and further. Now, it was getting harder and harder to get away from her.

'Is reiatsu this broken?' He thought. 'I'm going to lose...'

But, just when Renji thought he was going to lose, Rumi stopped her movements. She deactivated Mind's Momentum and said, "Renji, how about we call this a draw?"

Both Renji and Rukia were taken aback by this development. "..Huh, nonsense. You were about to beat this guy up." Rukia said, pointing to Renji.

"Huh? What're you talking about?! I wasn't about to lose." Renji defended himself.

Rumi said with a chuckle, "Sure you weren't."

"Tsk." Renji turned to the side and said, "This isn't over. Just to let you know, we're going to have a rematch."

"Anytime." Rumi replied with a smile. Next time, she would be ready even without Mind's Momentum.

Thanks to this spar, she had learned ​how lacking she was in actual combat and the gap even Sloth's efficiency boost couldn't fill. Activating Mind's Momentum was her only chance at actually having a chance at this spar. She even almost won, but she felt that she didn't want to win this spar at this point.

Not because she felt like cheating or it was too easy. It was just that she wanted to try and see how long it would take her until she could defeat him without Mind's Momentum.

It wasn't about honor or fairness, but her curiosity that drove her forward.

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