Learning a Skill
Swoosh.
Seo Hwarang picked up the skill book nearest to him.
It was a Magic Shield skill book.
How did he know?
The information popped up the moment he grabbed it.
[Class skill, Skill Book Collect, has activated.]
[This skill book contains information on the 1st Circle spell, Magic Shield.]
"Noona."
"What."
Yoo Seon-ah sat slumped in a corner with a sour expression on her face.
Well, of course she did. Seo Hwarang had no intention of leaving the dungeon, just kept hunting for skill books, and he'd even sold off her staff.
"Have you ever learned Magic Shield, by any chance?"
"No."
Yoo Seon-ah shook her head.
Given her class, she could only learn fire-attribute magic; any other element required her to find and learn skill books on her own.
And as everyone knew, skill book prices on Earth were no joke.
"All I know is Fire Bolt and Low Heal. Fire Bolt is a class skill, and Low Heal... I stretched my budget a little to buy that one. Figured it would help me survive."
"What does this look like to you?"
Seo Hwarang held the book out to her.
Time to run an experiment.
He needed to know whether Yoo Seon-ah, who had come here with him, could make use of the skill books here or not.
"That thing? Isn't it just a book?"
"Doesn't the word 'skill book' come up for you?"
"Skill book?"
Yoo Seon-ah's sulky expression began to come alive.
"Bring it here."
"Here you go."
He handed it over, and after handling it a few times, she let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Haah, you brat. What nonsense have you been spouting this whole time? What skill book? This is just a book."
"······."
"Wait, so it WAS a skill book? You're saying it just popped up and asked if I wanted to learn it the second I touched it?"
Well, crap.
It seemed the skill didn't register for her at all.
Which meant...
Am I the only one who gets to enjoy the benefits of this place?
First things first.
Seo Hwarang touched every single skill book in the room, one by one.
[This skill book contains information on the 1st Circle spell, Aqua Splash.]
[This skill book contains information on the 1st Circle spell, Fire Bolt.]
······
There were ten kinds in total.
Here they were, listed out:
Magic Shield.
Aqua Splash.
Fire Bolt.
Light.
Wind Cutter.
Low Heal.
Detect Magic.
Light Arrow.
Veil of Deception.
Dark Cloud.
Every one of them was a 1st Circle spell.
Seo Hwarang gave Yoo Seon-ah a brief rundown of his current situation: that there were skill books only he could see here, that he could master ten spells simply by reading them cover to cover, and that the spells were the kind written up in these books.
He'd considered keeping it to himself, but this was his first time in this place too. Right now, surviving together mattered more than keeping secrets.
"······Is that really true?"
"Ugh, we fell into this place together. Why on earth would I lie to you?"
"If that's really true... that's insane?"
Before he knew it, Yoo Seon-ah was on her feet.
"Each one of those skills goes for an average of a billion won. And you're telling me you can learn them just by reading? What kind of scam class is that?"
Her resentment evaporated in an instant.
Those few words had let her glimpse Seo Hwarang's potential.
"Then go ahead and read one. I'll wait."
"Which one should I read first?"
"What are you even asking? Fire Bolt, obviously."
"······."
Haah.
Well, what else would you expect from the Fire Magician herself.
"I'm serious! You learn combat magic before support magic, obviously? And among those, Fire Bolt has the biggest firepower."
"Fine, I'll take your word for it."
Truthfully, it made no difference to him.
He was going to read them all eventually anyway.
Heh heh.
Was it finally time to do some reading?
Seo Hwarang turned the cover with a delighted expression.
This volume takes a deep and thorough look at Fire Bolt, the most common and widely used of all 1st Circle spells. Fire Bolt is a spell that is simple yet powerful in its own right, teaching novice mages the fundamentals of spell manipulation and the power of the elements······.
Ooooooh!
It was real!
Every single word was being translated for him!
Seo Hwarang was beside himself with excitement.
It felt just like the first time he'd picked up a book as a child.
That flutter of anticipation!
The thrill of a brand-new beginning!
Written for those encountering Fire Bolt for the very first time, this book guides the reader step by step from the spell's basic principles through advanced techniques and practical applications. Beginning with the historical background of magic, it covers Fire Bolt's specific incantation structure, activation methods, and training regimens······.
Seo Hwarang was soon utterly immersed in the world of magic.
About three hours.
That was how long it took Seo Hwarang to speed-read through the skill book.
This is incredible.
It was, unmistakably, something out of another world.
How would a modern person ever understand what magic theory even was, or what mana was supposed to be?
And yet he'd understood it.
He had simply read, and the knowledge had slid into his head, sinking in deep and settling there.
A complete understanding of the incantation, the activation process, and the mechanical dynamics of mana—acquired through nothing more than a few rounds of reading the written word.
It was almost impossible to believe such a phenomenon was possible.
A cool breeze seemed to pass, and the very moment he read the final line and closed the book—
Wait······ what?
Seo Hwarang was startled.
The skill name was different?
Not just Fire Bolt, but Master Fire Bolt?
"Skill window."
1. Skill Book Collect
2. Wellspring of Mana
3. Astra Gate
4. Master Fire Bolt
- Long-press for a detailed description.
It was true.
The skill name really was different.
Tap!
Seo Hwarang pressed on the skill in his vision.
Master Fire Bolt
Proficiency: 1
- Master Fire Bolt is the ultimate form of the Fire Bolt spell, learnable only by those who have achieved complete understanding and mastery of the craft.
- It transcends the limitations of ordinary Fire Bolt, allowing the user to create and control a far more powerful sphere of flame.
- This spell is classified as 1st Circle.
Whoa.
Somehow it seemed way cooler than the regular version?
He had no idea what the plain Fire Bolt's skill description looked like, but this one certainly appeared to be something far more tremendous.
"Hey, you really learned it? You actually learned it?"
The moment she confirmed he'd finished reading, Yoo Seon-ah came crowding over—
[You have acquired a skill on the ancient Etherion Continent.]
[Class skill, Astra Gate, is reactivating.]
Vuuuum!
The multicolored light he'd seen before began surging in from every direction once more.
"Wh-what is this?"
"Aaaaah?"
The situation was so sudden that neither of them could manage much of a reaction, and—
Fwoooosh!
Once again, the light swallowed them whole.
He opened his eyes.
The familiar scenery of the library came into view.
What the—
So the way back was just... learning one skill?
He was inwardly relieved, in the middle of letting out a long breath, when—
—Kyek?
A strange sound rang out.
No, strange wasn't quite the word. It was grotesque.
A sound he'd heard somewhere before······
The cry of that Horned Bat······
Trickle.
Instinctive sweat ran cold down the back of his neck.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
······No way.
Had time not passed at all while they were away in Etherion?
There was no other way to explain this. If a proper report had gone through to the Management Agency, the dungeon should have been cleared long ago.
—Kyeeeeeeek!
"Wh-what the hell! What is that!"
Yoo Seon-ah, who had only just come to her senses, shrieked out a curse, aghast.
The instant she opened her eyes, the vicious maw of a Horned Bat filled her vision as if zoomed in up close—how could she not scream?
She'd sold her staff, after all, so she hastily summoned a Fire Bolt with her bare hands.
But—
Pukahk!
The enraged Horned Bat raked its claws across her shoulder once again.
"What kind of dogshit situation is this······."
She had every right to be furious.
She'd barely gotten the wound stopped from bleeding, and now it was torn open again?
—Kyek. Kyeek!
The Horned Bat itself looked somewhat flustered too.
Well, fair enough.
Its prey had vanished into thin air and then reappeared right in front of it. Of course it was bewildered.
Seo Hwarang pulled himself together fast.
"Noona, hold on!"
Running was no longer an option.
There wasn't even time to run, for that matter.
Which meant they had to fight.
And there was only one way to do that.
Master Fire Bolt.
He had to use it.
But how?
The moment he closed his eyes, the skill's operation method surfaced in his mind as naturally as breathing.
A circuit drew itself, and his infinitely welling mana coalesced into a sphere of flame.
Whoosh.
Seo Hwarang extended his right arm and thrust it forward.
FWOOSH!
A fist-sized ball of fire materialized in front of his hand!
Maybe it was because his proficiency was still so low, but simply holding it took everything he had.
He supposed you'd call it poor control?
It wobbled violently, threatening to fly off in any direction.
—Kyeeeeeeek!
Startled by the unexpected heat, the Horned Bat shrieked its shrill war cry.
Shut up, you little pest.
1st Circle.
Master Fire Bolt.
KA-BOOOOOM!
He fired on pure instinct, and the fireball tore through the air with a roar in a completely different dimension from Yoo Seon-ah's Fire Bolt.
—Kyek?
The flustered Horned Bat flapped its wings and dodged, and the fireball smashed into the library's innocent ceiling instead.
KWAAAANG!
That single blow punched a hole clean through the ceiling and set it ablaze.
Ah.
If the books caught fire, that would be a disaster.
No—who was he kidding, it was already a disaster. The building itself had been damaged.
"Wh-what the hell."
Yoo Seon-ah was flabbergasted.
"Did you actually learn Fire Bolt? How in the world is THAT a Fire Bolt!"
Fire Bolt, no matter how well-cast, only inflicted burn damage.
It was meant for harassing an enemy or whittling them down with sustained damage.
As far as Yoo Seon-ah knew, that blast was······
A Fire Ball.
Only an intermediate 3rd Circle spell could produce that kind of power.
And the caliber of a 3rd Circle mage is······
At the very least, a D-rank awakener.
"I'm going to buy some time—just let me focus. This takes a ton of concentration."
FWOOSH!
Before long, another fireball formed in his hand.
At his current proficiency, Fire Bolt's cooldown was roughly ten seconds.
His mana was infinite anyway, so he might as well land every single shot!
"Cover me—harass it!"
"O-okay!"
Yoo Seon-ah hadn't earned her E-rank for nothing.
She had real dungeon experience under her belt.
She snapped back to her senses at once and caught on to what Seo Hwarang was shouting for: he needed her to pressure the bat so it would fly into the path of his skill.
Focusing hard, she threaded Fire Bolts into the trajectories the Horned Bat was most likely to evade toward.
The speed befitting her proficiency of 70, indeed.
—Kyek. Kyek!
After evading a few shots, the Horned Bat sensed the danger and changed course.
Its new target: Seo Hwarang.
It had come to perceive its opponent not as ordinary prey, but as a clear and present enemy.
—Kyeeeeeee!
With a roar, it came hurtling in, reckless and aggressive—
Now.
Seo Hwarang didn't miss the opening.
His arm trembled and his heart pounded like a war drum, but he clung to his composure to the very end.
He formed another fireball.
And thrust it straight forward.
1st Circle.
Master Fire Bolt.
He fired it dead-center at the onrushing Horned Bat.
The result: a direct hit!
KWAAAAAAANG!
The detonation—a sound like a hand grenade going off—erupted right in front of his face.
Zzzzrrt! A high-pitched screech loud enough to rattle his eardrums!
—Kyeeeeeeeek!
The creature was blasted backward by the impact and went up in flames.
That hideous little monster.
One hit from a mere 1st Circle spell, and it had been roasted into bat jerky.
"······."
"······."
Seo Hwarang's eyes met Yoo Seon-ah's.
Well, shit.
What even was this?
He had no idea either.