NoveLight ™
Why did it have to show up when people were around?
Seong decided not to answer.
Helena tilted her head in curiosity.
‘Huh? Really?’
‘Oh.’
It was true.
He could communicate with her just by thinking.
Seong had never interacted with ghosts this way before, so he couldn't help but be biased against the idea.
If memories and experiences were shared, then mental communication made sense.
That was a relief.
‘Yeah, I’ve heard that’s what the basic skills are taught here.’
Helena hummed as though she was pleased with Seong’s answer.
She seemed rather satisfied that he was learning the fundamentals of dark magic.
While chatting with Helena, the elderly professor Urden turned to Seong and spoke.
"Ah! My forgetful mind. Since we have a new student, we should introduce ourselves, don’t you think? Let’s start with you, senior Yeon."
"……."
The suggestion to introduce herself was met with blatant discontent, but Yeon reluctantly opened her mouth.
"Yeon. Level 15."
Her introduction was curt and cold, with no room for pleasantries.
But really, what else was there to say?
It was obvious they were all dark mages in this classroom.
Urden tilted his head at Yeon’s brusque demeanor.
His expression read, What’s with her today?
Still, he didn’t dwell on it and promptly turned to Seong.
"Hmm, now it’s your turn…"
"Ah, I’m Seong. Just hit level 10. Nice to meet you."
"……."
Due to Urden’s presence, Yeon couldn't openly show her disdain, so she merely nodded her head in acknowledgment.
It was an overtly disrespectful gesture.
However, Seong wasn’t fazed.
He was the type to remain unbothered by such things.
Instead, it was Urden who seemed puzzled by Yeon’s attitude.
What’s wrong with her today?
Urden wondered if Yeon perhaps disliked outsiders, but decided not to dwell on it.
Clearing his throat, he changed the topic.
"Alright, alright. Let’s begin the class, shall we?"
Classes here weren’t about using skill books but actual lessons.
The professor taught, and students who understood quickly learned the skill. Even those who didn’t grasp it immediately would acquire it after an hour of class.
Some might question why they didn't just hand out skill books or generate the skills directly. But these lessons offered practical ways to utilize the skills effectively.
This was particularly important for fundamental skills, as they formed the core of any job’s toolkit.
Through this education, students could deepen their understanding of the skills.
This part was emphasized as very important, Seong recalled.
Even in guides written by top-ranking players, the importance of foundational skills was repeatedly stressed.
Skipping these lessons was considered foolish, as everyone agreed it was essential to focus during class.
Even if one didn’t fully understand, attending just one hour ensured the skill was learned. Missing class was a clear disadvantage.
"Now, typically, you would learn the basic skill 『Poison: Numbing Pain』 first, but today, we’ll start with 『Bone Arrow』 since Yeon was already working on it."
"Oh."
"……."
Seong was already familiar with the skill.
It was the same one Beziron had relentlessly used to attack him.
So, it’s a rare skill?
‘I thought Beziron was just a high-level player, but that wasn’t it.’
As Seong pondered this, Yeon frowned while watching him.
At the very least, she would learn this faster than him.
Yeon was certainly skilled.
Having already learned five basic skills at the normal grade from an intermediate training center, she was ahead.
Her foundational skills were being upgraded to rare levels, giving her a clear advantage over Seong, who hadn’t learned a single one yet.
At least, formally speaking.
She was determined to prove her superiority over Seong, who had stumbled his way into an elite training center.
With this mindset, Yeon fully immersed herself in the class.
Urden began teaching as he observed both Yeon and Seong.
"Bone Arrow isn’t about pulling bones from the corpses scattered around you."
"Oh."
"……."
"Then, where do you think the bones used to form the arrows come from?"
The sudden question could have caught them off guard, but both Yeon and Seong remained composed.
Yeon, familiar with such pop quizzes, raised her hand first.
"Wouldn’t the caster use their mana to reconstruct bones?"
"Hmm, close but incorrect."
Urden shook his head with a hint of regret.
Yeon scowled in frustration but comforted herself, thinking that Seong wouldn’t get it either.
This wasn’t something you’d find in most strategy guides.
Urden turned to Seong, as if to say, Your turn.
Feeling his gaze, Seong thought:
As Helena had said.
"The caster uses their mana to summon fragments of bones from the dark realm."
"Oh! Correct!"
"……???"
Urden’s astonishment was evident, and Yeon stared at Seong in disbelief.
How did he know that?
Was it a fluke?
Even if it was, it still pricked Yeon’s pride.
Being outdone by someone like him from the start was infuriating.
Urden, equally surprised, thought highly of Seong’s answer.
As expected of someone with that recommendation letter.
"How did you know that?" Urden asked.
"I’ve seen someone use it before," Seong replied truthfully.
He had witnessed Helena and Beziron using it in his memories, so it wasn’t a lie.
As the lesson continued, Yeon furiously took notes while Seong sat back, mentally reviewing Helena’s teachings.
Five minutes into the class, a radiant light enveloped Seong.
The glow spiraled around him, ascending like a beacon.
Whoosh!
‘Oh.’
Seong looked up in mild surprise, while Yeon and Urden gawked, their eyes wide with disbelief.
This phenomenon could only mean one thing.
[‘You have fully understood the rare skill, 『Bone Arrow』, through the ‘Unknown Power.’]
[You have acquired the rare skill, 『Bone Arrow』.]
“Se-Seong?! Did you already learn Bone Arrow?!”
“No way!!!”
The glowing effect was the signature sign of acquiring a skill during class.
But for it to happen in less than five minutes?
Even Urden, who found it hard to believe, asked again.
Seong nodded confidently and replied.
“Yes.”
Helena laughed elegantly at his confident response, though only Seong could hear her.
The two people in the room, however, continued to look at Seong as if he had done the impossible.
Especially Yeon, whose gaze was uneasy.
To fully grasp and learn a skill in under five minutes?
It couldn’t be a scam.
The system effects clearly confirmed the skill acquisition.
But wasn’t it still too fast?
Even Yeon, whose talent was considered remarkable, had taken around 30 minutes to learn it, which was enough to impress everyone around her.
But this guy? What was he even?
‘Is… is it a bug?’
Yeon, of all people, knew that couldn’t be true.
But she wanted to believe it.
That it was some sort of trick.
‘He must have heard the solution somewhere… or cheated somehow.’
It was a pitiful attempt at mental gymnastics, but Yeon clung to the idea.
If it wasn’t a trick, she would have to acknowledge the sheer gap between them.
Watching Seong act as if nothing had happened only made her anger rise.
Yeon was not only talented but also incredibly hardworking.
If someone saw her now, they might call her passion obsessive.
But surely other skills wouldn’t come as easily for him.
Surely not.
Yeon thought this to herself, and Urden seemed to think similarly.
Once might be a fluke.
But there was no way he could learn another skill so quickly.
At least, that’s what they wanted to believe.
Still, life has a way of defying expectations, doesn’t it?
Urden’s curiosity as a magician started to stir.
Normally, there would only be one class per day.
But since Seong had already finished so quickly…
“Well, Seong, since you learned it so fast, would you mind if we taught the next skill? Yeon, could you wait a bit longer?”
Yeon, who had been itching for another challenge, nodded immediately.
“Of course, I don’t mind.”
Her gaze said, Go ahead and try.
Seong scratched his cheek awkwardly at her glare.
And less than five minutes later...
Whoosh!
[‘You have fully understood the rare skill, 『Poison: Numbing Pain』, through the ‘Unknown Power.’]
[You have acquired the rare skill, 『Poison: Numbing Pain』.]
“Whaaaat?!”
“This… this can’t be happening!”
Both of them shouted in shock, nearly jumping out of their seats.
Yeon, in particular, felt her head spin as if she were about to faint.
But surely, it wouldn’t happen a third time… right?
Another five minutes passed.
Whoosh!
[‘You have fully understood the rare skill, 『Blood Veil』, through the ‘Unknown Power.’]
[You have acquired the rare skill, 『Blood Veil』.]
“H-How about this one? Try this too!”
“Huh?!”
This time, it didn’t even take five minutes.
Roughly three?
Using Helena’s memories more effectively, Seong’s learning speed improved.
Whoosh!
[‘You have fully understood the rare skill, 『Curse of Sensation』, through the ‘Unknown Power.’]
[You have acquired the rare skill, 『Curse of Sensation』.]
“The time is even shorter now?!”
“……”
By this point, Yeon wasn’t even angry anymore.
She just stared at Seong like he was some kind of monster.
A fluke? Connections?
She now understood it wasn’t anything like that.
What was this person?
Even Urden, a genius magician himself, felt the same way.
His bloodshot eyes widened in excitement, veins bulging on his forehead as his curiosity as a researcher took over.
What kind of phenomenon was this?
Yeon couldn’t comprehend it, and her frustration brought tears to her eyes.
But no one in the room paid attention to her anymore.
Instead, Urden, overwhelmed with excitement, shouted at Seong.
“This is truly unbelievable! Let’s try the most difficult of the basic skills! You won’t be able to learn this one so easily!”
This time, it wasn’t even a matter of minutes.
As soon as Urden asked the question and Seong began to answer...
Whoosh!
[‘You have fully understood the rare skill, 『Lesser Undead Creation』, through the ‘Unknown Power.’]
[You have acquired the rare skill, 『Lesser Undead Creation』.]
[The rare skill, 『Lesser Undead Creation』, has been absorbed into the higher-tier skill, 『Legion of the Dead』.]
[The Almighty skill, 『Legion of the Dead』, has increased in proficiency.]
Even Seong felt a little embarrassed at this point.
He had acquired the skill in less than a minute this time.
“Ahaha…”
As Seong chuckled awkwardly, Urden’s face turned beet red, and he shouted like a man on the verge of losing his mind.
“Aaaah! A genius! A prodigy!! Seong is an absolute genius! No wonder he wrote that recommendation letter!!”
“Huwaaaah…”
Unlike Urden, Yeon burst into tears, overwhelmed by her frustration.
It was absolute chaos.
Meanwhile...
Helena stood tall and proud, hands on her hips, beaming with satisfaction on Seong’s behalf.
Seong, however, wished this would all just end.
Please, make it stop…