Skill-Up: I Level from Everything!-Chapter 31: House Ashbourne

[Unique Skill Acquired: Tactical Insight]

[Description: Enhances your ability to perceive patterns, read intentions, and analyze enemy strategy with exceptional precision. When activated, your brain enters a state of extreme focus, allowing you to anticipate your opponent's moves before they even happen.]

[Side Effect: This skill consumes intense mental focus. Overuse can lead to blurred vision, dizziness, delayed reactions, and severe migraines.]

[Skill Points Required to Upgrade to Level 2: 1000]

Ronan's eyes widened in disbelief... Another unique skill, all because he happened to predict an enemy's move?

This system... is insane.

The trigger mechanism was growing more absurd by the minute. But as its bearer, Ronan couldn't help the thrill that pulsed through him—as if the system was molding him into something he couldn't fully comprehend yet.

Kyle, on the other hand, was staring at Ronan with a strange expression.

"You... You can read it," he said, eyes wide in disbelief.

Ronan looked back at him, equally baffled.

"You can tell? How?" he asked.

Kyle raised a single finger and pointed at Ronan's face.

"Just now. When it happened—your expression froze. Your eyes widened slightly, pupils contracted, and you stopped breathing for a full second. That kind of reaction only happens when someone's brain hits absolute focus—a state where the prefrontal cortex is firing so fast, it locks attention into a single point."

He stared at Ronan as if he were dissecting the architecture of his mind.

"That wasn't a guess. You didn't just react. You read the pattern, predicted the rhythm, and your body—without realizing it—slipped into hyperfocus mode. You weren't even aware you were using a skill."

Ronan fell silent. Just how smart is Kyle?

Now he was seriously considering adopting this guy as his brother.

"Well, I suppose there's no use hiding it. I did manage to predict one of the attacks. But now... it feels like I can do it again," he said.

Kyle leaned forward, anticipation lighting up his features.

"Then show me."

Ronan paused, his gaze shifting back to the arena. The match was still going, and now, all he had to do was visualize it.

His focus tightened, his awareness sharpening into a fine edge.

"Side kick. Then KO," he muttered—and just like that, his concentration shattered. A sharp, sudden dizziness spiked through his skull, forcing him to clutch his head.

In the ring, one of the fighters lost balance. His opponent instantly launched a sweeping side kick that struck his neck, sending him crashing to the ground—unconscious.

A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd.

And Ronan—rubbing his temple with a grimace—grinned.

The skill worked. He could predict enemy moves.

Unlike [Hunter's Sense], which gave him raw instinct, [Tactical Insight] felt like glimpsing the future—if only for a flicker of a second.

And Kyle... not gonna lie, was genuinely impressed.

Because truthfully, he had already predicted how the fight would unfold. But hearing Ronan say the same thing, at the exact same time, with that look in his eyes...

That wasn't a fluke.

There was something inside this kid.

Kyle's gaze on Ronan shifted. Deeper now. More... respectful.

"This is still hard to believe. You really predicted that outcome," he said quietly. His voice no longer just admiring—it carried a new weight, something serious.

Ronan leaned back, massaging his temples.

"Yeah... But the side effects are brutal. If I use it too much, I might drop before the enemy does. Gotta be smart about it."

Kyle gave a slow nod.

"You can't expect a skill like that to come without a price," he said flatly. Then a small grin tugged at his lips.

"But you know... at this rate, if you walked into House Ashbourne and showed them that ability... they might think you're one of their own."

Ronan turned toward him, eyes narrowing.

"House Ashbourne? So your ability to read fights—it's from your bloodline?"

Kyle nodded.

"Exactly. Every true-blood Ashbourne is born with a slightly... altered brain structure, especially in areas linked to spatial processing, motor prediction, and strategic intuition. In layman's terms, we were 'born' to read combat."

He leaned in slightly, voice shifting from fighter to scholar.

"There are regions in our prefrontal cortex and parietal lobe that are hyperactive and tightly wired to the limbic system. That lets us process visual patterns and motion at incredible speeds—almost like accessing raw data without needing to think consciously."

"So you could say... we rely on microsecond calculations, but they feel like instinct."

Ronan listened, trying to absorb every word.

"You could say... you now possess part of that mechanism. But it's different. It doesn't come from blood—it comes from your unique brain, which found a shortcut to reach potential that usually takes years to train."

Kyle smiled faintly, then tapped the side of his head.

"And like every shortcut... there's always a cost."

Ronan nodded slowly, taking it all in.

No wonder Kyle could analyze battles so perfectly—if they were on Earth, Kyle might've been a genius scientist or a top-tier military strategist.

But in this world—where magic and wonder were woven into reality—abilities like his didn't just make you brilliant...

They made you something more.

Not just a brilliant mind—an evolved one.

A brain shaped to survive, detect danger, and dominate the battlefield.

And now, Ronan had a skill that pointed in that direction.

Not from noble blood.

Not through inheritance.

But something earned—through a system that forced him to grow, sharpen his instincts, and trust the moment.

For the first time...

He didn't just want to survive.

He wanted to conquer.