Chapter 36: Object Manipulation

As soon as Maxim and Lila had left the café, they quickly released their hold on each other, walking side by side with a shared smile. Though neither of them said much, the air between them was filled with a sense of something unspoken. Both were replaying the events of the café in their minds, especially the unexpected kiss that had left them both stunned.

Maxim kept glancing at Lila from the corner of his eye. He couldn't believe what had happened, but what surprised him even more was how natural it had felt. Lila seemed lost in thought too, her cheeks still slightly flushed. They continued down the quiet street, the cool evening air calming their racing hearts.

When they reached her house, Maxim stopped at the gate, looking at her as if trying to figure out what to say. "Good night," he finally managed, his voice soft but steady.

Lila gave him a warm smile, her eyes lingering on his. "Good night, Maxim," she replied before slipping through the door.

The moment the door clicked shut, Lila leaned against it, her heart thudding in her chest. A surge of joy shot through her, and she couldn't help but jump up, silently celebrating the night's unexpected turn. That kiss had felt like a dream, one she didn't want to wake up from.

Maxim, walking away, couldn't stop thinking about it either. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, and his body, though fully rested, felt charged with a strange new energy. Was it the crystals? He didn't know for sure, but the feeling was undeniable. By the time he reached home, his excitement had turned into quiet reflection. He realized he needed rest before diving into anything else. Tomorrow, he would test everything.

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The next morning, Maxim woke up feeling fully recharged. After the night with Lila and the strange sensation of the crystals within him, he was eager to test his limits. The crystals were fully integrated with his body, but he still had no idea what their true potential was. Today, he planned to find out.

He arrived at the warehouse where Daniel was waiting, notebook in hand, prepared to document the day's experiments. They had decided to focus on one specific category for today: Object Manipulation. But this time, Maxim wanted to push himself harder than ever before, testing every possible limit—speed, control, range, and endurance.

Daniel quickly set up a series of tests, laying out various objects in the warehouse—small ones like pencils and coins, larger ones like boxes and crates, and some placed at the far ends of the room to test Maxim's range.

Maxim rolled his shoulders and got into position. Today was all about pushing the boundaries.

"Alright," Daniel began, looking down at his notes, "the goal is to find your breaking points. We'll start small and build from there. Let's see how fast you can move smaller objects first."

Maxim nodded and focused on the pen sitting on the table. He had already lifted objects with ease before, but today was about more than just moving things—it was about finding his absolute limits.

The pen lifted effortlessly into the air, but this time, instead of gentle movements, Maxim focused on speed. He snapped the pen from one end of the table to the other, increasing its velocity with every pass. Soon, the pen was zipping so fast that it was almost invisible, a blur of motion darting across the room.

"Faster," Daniel said, clicking his stopwatch. "Keep going until you can't maintain control."

Maxim gritted his teeth and pushed harder. The pen's movements became erratic, the speed making it harder to control. But he didn't stop. He pushed through the strain, holding the pen in the air as it zoomed across the room. At last, he hit a point where it became too unstable to manage, and the pen flew out of his control, clattering to the ground.

"Alright, that's your speed limit for small objects," Daniel noted. "Let's move to something bigger."

Maxim turned his attention to a larger crate placed on the opposite end of the warehouse. It weighed far more than a pen and would require much more mana to manipulate. He focused on the crate, lifting it slowly off the ground. Once it was floating, he tried the same test—moving it back and forth across the room at increasing speeds.

The crate moved steadily at first, but as Maxim increased its speed, he began to feel the strain. Larger objects required more focus and energy, but he pushed on, determined to find his limit. The crate was soon moving as fast as the pen had been, darting from one side of the room to the other. Sweat beaded on Maxim's forehead, but he maintained control.

"How's your energy?" Daniel asked, glancing up from his notes.

"I'm fine," Maxim replied, feeling the crystals inside him humming. Somehow, they were replenishing his energy as he used it. He hadn't realized it before, but he was tapping into the crystal's reserves with each exertion.

Daniel scribbled down more notes. "Let's see how many objects you can control at once."

Maxim focused again, this time on three objects—a pen, a notebook, and the crate. He lifted all three into the air simultaneously, one by one. The strain was immediate. He had controlled multiple objects before, but never at such a high level of intensity. He moved them in unison, creating different patterns—circles, straight lines, random movements.

"Add more," Daniel instructed, placing a coin and a water bottle on the table.

Maxim gritted his teeth and added the two new objects to the mix. His mind stretched as he divided his focus between all five objects, each one requiring a different level of control. The pen twirled in the air while the crate floated back and forth. The coin spun rapidly, the water bottle hovered, and the notebook flipped open and closed. His head throbbed with the effort, but he didn't stop.

He added a sixth object—a chair. His body tensed as he felt his mental limits approaching, but he held on, moving all six objects at once. They danced through the air in perfect harmony until suddenly, the strain became too much, and the entire collection of objects crashed to the floor.

Maxim panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "That's six."

Daniel grinned, scribbling down the results. "Six objects with precise movement. Impressive. Now let's see how far you can move them."

Maxim took a deep breath, readying himself for the next challenge. Daniel placed a pencil at one end of the warehouse, far beyond the range Maxim typically worked with. The test was simple—move the pencil to the opposite side without losing control.

Maxim extended his hand and reached out with his mana. He could feel the pencil from across the room, but the distance made it harder to connect with. He pulled the pencil slowly toward him, moving it inch by inch. As the distance grew shorter, his connection grew stronger. The pencil moved faster, but the strain of maintaining control from such a distance was immense.

"Keep going!" Daniel urged.

Maxim pushed harder, pulling the pencil faster and faster until it finally zipped across the room, landing at his feet. He exhaled sharply, his head spinning.

"That was about 30 meters," Daniel said, marking the result in his notebook. "Not bad. But we're not done yet."

For the final test, Daniel placed a notebook and pencil on the table. "I want you to make the pencil write in the notebook like it's doing it by itself. No shortcuts—complete sentences, as precise as you can make them."

Maxim stared at the pencil, knowing this would be the hardest test yet. It wasn't just about moving objects anymore—it was about fine control, precision, and multitasking on a whole new level. He lifted the pencil and hovered it over the notebook.

The first few letters were shaky, but Maxim focused harder. The letters became steadier, and soon the pencil was writing complete sentences, each one more fluid than the last. He imagined himself writing by hand, using the connection between his mind and the pencil to guide it.

Suddenly, the pencil moved faster, writing line after line in perfect cursive. It almost felt like automatic writing, as if the pencil had a mind of its own. Maxim smiled, watching as the words filled the page effortlessly.

"That's incredible," Daniel said, awestruck. "You're hitting new limits."

Maxim nodded, feeling the strain but also the satisfaction of knowing just how far he could push his abilities.