Like a fish in a bowl, I'm swimming in circles.

More accurately I'm rolling around and floating about but my new life has become a little bit repetitive. Unfortunately, unlike a fish, my memory is lasting a little longer than 3 seconds and without any bright new ideas, I'm left with a lot of navel-gazing.

In my case, an excessive contemplation of the new addition to life as I know it, my stats.

Looking at my stats again, now that I am level 3 I have 30 free points and I know that what I am going to be spending a few of my points on is my vitality. 30 points do not sound like a lot of health but when my vitality naturally went up to 3 as I grew my health went up to 30. So that’s where I want to put my points at the moment.

But the question I keep circling back to as always is how would that affect my growth, how would that affect my mother and how would it affect me?

Probably best to leave it alone for now but if it ever starts dipping that’s a 300 health lifeline. Still again I don’t know how much rope that will actually get me or whether that will just be a drop in the ocean.

Back to counting, listening and meditating.

Or swimming in circles.

According to my time sense skill, I’ve been awake for a week now. I’m more aware now I have my two skills, one for tracking time and my meditation but now that I’ve finally got the skill I’m sensing something else.

When meditating and after clearing my mind I can feel the heat, a pressure it is difficult to describe but it seems to come from both inside and outside. It is different to the warmth of being surrounded by amniotic fluid and the pressure holding me. Beyond those feelings, there is a tingling, a sense of static, something I can almost see even with my eyes closed. Based on the fact that there is a stat for magic I think that this must be it, the magic, mana, and force of this universe. How cool is that?

I might be swimming in circles but I'm floating in Magic.

My Vitality, Endurance, Strength and Dexterity have continued to grow as I have, slowly. Where I have seen a bigger improvement is in my senses and mind the two things that I have been able to exercise and gain skills with. Maybe if I focus on feeling this new sensation I will be able to start improving my Magic at a greater speed too.

It feels a little like the sun on your skin and a warm bowl of soup at the same time. It is both external and internal. Obviously, it is being produced by myself to have the 20 mana that I do as well as being produced by my mother which is maybe why I can feel it inside and outside at the same time. But it is more than that.

Up till this point I have lived in darkness but now there is a soft glow to it and I’m unsure if it is simply my eyes continuing to develop and I’m seeing light through the walls of the womb or magic, mana call it what you will, lighting up the walls of my home.

Either way, I’m going to keep looking, sensing and feeling whatever this is and hopefully, the system will give me an answer through the skill gained. So counting, listening, meditating and now looking at or feeling this new sense of warmth I count another hour.

1,2,3,4 . . .

If there was a counting skill I would have it by now and like the sheep passing by they put me to sleep again.

99 . . .

Drifting into dreams a rainbow of colours graces my thoughts.

Might not have the memory of a fish but certainly seem to have the stamina.

Starting again. Once more sensing and looking at a light I'm not even sure is internal or external I begin my count again.

3599, 3600

Bingo!

It is Mana that I am sensing and I now have the skill to prove it. Took a little longer than just one hour so this one might be slightly slower to level than the others. But I have it. I may be swimming in circles but I'm getting stronger, hearing better, seeing further and hopefully staying awake for longer.

I even got a surprise, a new skill. It is something that I have been doing for the last 7 days but I haven’t been concentrating or focusing on it. Simply floating around for the most part although I have been moving my arms and legs even if somewhat uncoordinatedly. With 7 days of it, this seems to be enough for level 1 of swimming.

If the time doubles then it will take me another 2 weeks to gain the next level of the skill. But how much does focus and concentration speed up the levelling process? If it takes an hour of solid concentration to gain the first level and two hours of clear focus to gain the second. Will I just naturally pick up skills if I do them for 7 days straight without concentrating on them? Are there other factors to getting a skill?

Sadly the 5 separate levels gained in my skills only get me halfway to my overall level 4, when that same 500 experience would have taken me from level 0 to nearly gaining level 3.

I may never level again as quickly as I have here on my first few levels, with the increasing experience required for each level and the increasing time required to gain each skill level. But hopefully slow and steady wins the race. Moreover, I've conceivably started the race before being born.

Level: 3 Experience: 500/800 Age: 7 days
Health: 30/30 Stamina: 23/23 Mana 30/30

Vitality: 3
Endurance: 2
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 2
Senses: 5
Mind 49
Clarity: 3
Magic: 3

Free Points: 30
Skills: Time sense (LV 4) Listening (LV 3) Meditation (LV 2) Mana sense (LV 1) Swimming (LV 1)

Does anyone even know I'm in here?