The All-Rounder Path

In this world, strength is everything. That was the motto of the Steel Empire. Those who proved their power received excellent treatment regardless of age, gender, or background. And having demonstrated my strength during the entrance exam, earning the seven-wing badge and jumping straight into seventh year, I was receiving treatment befitting that status.

“This is the seventh-year dormitory. You won’t need a separate key. The door will recognize and open when you infuse it with your own mana. That will be all.”

The blunt maid with a sword at her hip delivered her mechanical response, then bowed politely and left the room.

I looked around the palace-like interior of my new quarters.

“Not bad at all.”

The room had everything. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A neatly organized lecture schedule for the professors was pinned to the bulletin board on the wall. There was a weapon rack for swords, a private training ground, a bathroom, a food corner stocked with drinks and snacks, and even a personal study attached to the suite. All of it was provided free of charge simply because I was a seventh-year. The maids kept everything spotless, updated, and well-maintained.

I set down the Iron Lion’s Greatsword and Elm 183 that had been floating behind me and headed straight for the bathroom.

“Ahhh. This is the stuff.”

I filled the tub with hot water, sank into it, and let out a long sigh as the tension drained from my body. My physical stats were still stuck at 1. My stamina was pathetic—like that of a shut-in who barely exercised—so I tired easily. But as the hot water loosened my muscles, the frantic rush of the past few hours finally felt somewhat rewarded.

“Alright. Time to think this through.”

I continued soaking in the tub, turning thoughts over in my mind. Having raised Asbel as a combat character countless times, I knew exactly how he needed to be built.

“What growth direction should I take?”

Asbel could contract with every single divine artifact. He could wield the Iron Lion’s Greatsword that demanded extreme strength stats, the rapid sword-type divine artifacts that required extreme technique stats, and even ordinary longsword-type divine artifacts that called for a balanced spread across various stats. His combat style could change completely depending on which divine artifacts he contracted with and how he combined them.

“Since the Four Evil Dragons are already preparing their resurrection from the prologue stage, I should build around that, right?”

If the Four Evil Dragons were reviving, their harbingers would already be appearing across the continent. Monsters would grow more ferocious, dragonkin would begin descending into human territories, and above all else—some of those who wielded divine artifacts would fall and rampage as Demons. That last one was by far the most dangerous. You could train up and beat back monster invasions or dragonkin raids, but having divine artifact users ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turn on you was like getting stabbed in the back. And if a powerful individual fell, their destructive power could rival dozens of high-grade monsters.

“Plus, not knowing who might fall is another problem.”

In Karnadan, the frequency of Demon appearances changed with difficulty. On the easiest difficulty, no one turned into a Demon. On the hardest hardcore mode, nearly everyone after academy graduation would fall and torment the player. I knew exactly who would fall, when, and why on other difficulties—but this was my first time on Realistic difficulty, so I had no idea who might turn.

“There’s a chance an academy student or professor could become a Demon, right?”

It was a situation I had never encountered before, but given that the Four Evil Dragons were preparing their resurrection from the prologue, the possibility seemed high enough.

“Dealing with a Demon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠incident in the middle of the academy semester, huh……”

Ordinary players would have thrown up their hands and quit the moment they heard that, calling it ridiculous difficulty. But unfortunately, I was beyond a veteran—I was practically rotten water at this point. I had been getting bored with Karnadan anyway. A fresh challenge like this actually got me excited.

I quickly sorted through all the combinations in my head and found the most suitable one.

“An all-rounder style would be perfect.”

Since I had no idea when or where someone might turn into a Demon, I needed to be ready for every possible situation. That meant contracting with every type of divine artifact available. And among all possible builds, this one had the highest difficulty. The reason was simple: only someone who could freely wield every kind of divine artifact could make the combination truly effective. And that person was me.

“If I’m going all-rounder, I’ll need to pick up one skill for each divine artifact, so there are a lot of skills to acquire. I should start learning skills as quickly as possible. And there’s one stat I need to raise alongside them.”

Asbel was a strange character. Classified strictly as a knight, he needed to learn martial skills appropriate to each contracted divine artifact in addition to the Contractor of Divine Artifacts skill. But to maximize the power of those skills, he also had to raise the Intelligence stat that mages used. A bizarre character who raised mage stats while acquiring knight skills and increasing proficiency—that was Asbel.

And obviously, since I had never received any mage training before, I didn’t even have the Intelligence stat yet. Therefore—

“I should start with Professor Froy’s Mana Sensitivity class tomorrow.”

I was at the absolute basics, even for a mage. At the Imperial Academy, lower years—from first to fourth—had their classes assigned by professors who evaluated the students. It was believed they lacked the ability to choose and develop themselves. But for upper years—fifth through seventh—the story was different. No classes were assigned. Students chose what they wanted to take, sought out the professors they wanted, and requested guidance. They were considered capable of self-reflection and addressing their own weaknesses. It was even fine to skip classes entirely.

Once per semester, every student had to hunt monsters for the final evaluation. The number and danger level of what they brought back determined whether they kept their year or dropped. So as long as your final evaluation score was good, you could maintain your year even if you never attended a single class. In other words, upper-year students had complete freedom in choosing their studies.

Even so—

“Um…… Asbel, a seventh-year student?”

“Yes, Professor Froy.”

“This is a class for the Magic Department. We teach the basic course on Mana Sensitivity?”

“I’m aware.”

It seemed a weapon user showing up for a magic class—especially one of the foundational courses that first- and second-years usually took—was quite unexpected. Among all the students in the lecture hall, I was the only seventh-year. The elderly mage Professor Froy looked somewhat flustered at the sight of me, but as he’d said, what classes an upper-year took was entirely their own freedom.

“……Very well. Then let’s begin class.”

Professor Froy nodded and started the lesson. I could feel all the students stealing glances at me. Having a massive greatsword and a longsword floating behind me was definitely eye-catching. Even Professor Froy kept glancing at me with curiosity as he continued the lecture.

“Welcome, new students. Since all of you here qualified to enter the academy, I assume you’ve already received sufficient basic education. Nevertheless, the Imperial Academy teaches Mana Sensitivity—the very foundation of magic—once again. Does anyone know why?”

One student raised a hand at the old professor’s question.

“Everyone here is in first or second year. We still don’t know our own Form, so we’re taking this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠class.”

Professor Froy clapped his hands and smiled at the answer. Unlike most people from the Steel Empire, he was a very warm and gentle-looking old man.

“Excellent. That is the correct answer. Every human possesses their own unique Form. What shape does your constitution, mind, and soul fit? If none exists, what shape will you mold them into? Deciding that is what allows you to become an outstanding mage.”

Professor Froy lifted one of the crystal orbs placed in front of everyone.

“In that sense, Mana Sensitivity is the beginning of finding your Form. You must be able to feel mana to contemplate your own interior. And that will be the first step toward discovering your Form.”

Professor Froy held the crystal orb.

“Everyone, place both hands on the orb and close your eyes.”

I did as he instructed. The moment I quietly closed my eyes, a very strange sensation began to rise from my hands where they touched the orb.

“This crystal orb is a magical tool designed to envelop its surroundings with a considerable concentration of mana. Your hands are currently submerged in a very dense mana environment. Feel it. And if you sense something, remove your hands and slowly move the remaining sensation into your body.”

Groans and strained sounds came from all around. I kept my hands on the orb and focused on feeling the mana. Having only ever controlled the game with a keyboard and mouse, experiencing it in reality brought an entirely new and bizarre sensation that wrapped around me.

So this is mana?

I could feel something hot and intense wrapped around the orb. The moment the sensation lingered on my hand, I immediately pulled away and tried to guide it into my body. But like a tiny spark that quickly dies, the feeling at my fingertips vanished almost instantly.

Still, I didn’t give up. I placed my hand on the orb again, preserved the sensation, and repeated the process of moving it inside. After repeating this several times, Professor Froy’s voice came from right beside me.

“Keep your eyes closed, Asbel. Slowly. Breathe in… and breathe out.”

The old man’s fingers touched the back of my hand. Instantly, the hot sensation grew several times stronger. An incredible mana density. As expected of a professor. The burning feeling slowly traveled up my arm, through my neck, and reached my head.

“The sensation of feeling mana differs for everyone. Some feel heat, others cold, some a light pain or itch. But you should feel something unique. Now, remove your hand.”

My hand left the crystal orb. Strangely, the hot sensation still remained inside my head. Professor Froy’s guidance continued.

“The sensation will remain in your head. Expand it. Slowly. Throughout your entire body. Imagine roots spreading out and extend the sensation across your whole body.”

The professor’s advice was incredibly helpful. Once he gave the concrete image of roots, the sensation spread through my body much more easily. And the moment it felt like the sensation had wrapped around my entire body—

I had successfully obtained a new stat.