First, Empty It
The moment he laid eyes on that man, an intense rivalry unlike anything he'd ever felt before surged within him.
"Grah!"
And his body moved even faster than his thoughts.
Crackle.
His form vanished, leaving only faint white electric arcs behind. In that instant, Professor Kim Tae-min twisted toward the right, pressing his right hand against the empty air.
Boom!
Like magic, the man materialized in a flash, drawn inexorably to the professor's outstretched hand as if magnetized. He spun a full circle before slamming into the ground.
"Guhk!"
A searing pain exploded from his back and raced through his entire body.
Then he saw it—the professor's razor-sharp fingertips heading straight for him.
'Damn it!'
He twisted away just in time, and the grass where he'd been lying moments before was gouged deep, as if stabbed by a knife blade.
Thud.
After rolling lightly across the ground to escape, he stood at a safe distance, facing the professor.
"Is that the best you can do?"
"Pardon?"
"I asked if that's your best."
"..."
The professor's question felt like a taunt: 'Is that all you've got?'
He turned the words inward. Is this really my best?
The answer was a resounding no.
Then what is my best?
Grind.
Clenching his teeth, he gathered every ounce of mana in his body and channeled it through the mana tree's trunk.
Crackle.
The electric current racing through his nerves whitened his mind. In the next moment, he was already behind the professor.
Crack!
The professor easily blocked the punch, flashing a smile for the first time.
"Not bad."
But the smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Still not enough."
The moment he sensed the professor's hand tracing a strange arc, his body was sucked away somewhere.
Boom!
A drum-like explosion echoed soon after.
"Guhk!"
Wincing from the vicious pain in his abdomen, he flew through the air for what felt like ages.
"Urk! Hah... hah... damn it!"
He barely twisted his body at the last second to land on the ground instead of crashing. But he still skidded a long way in that awkward pose before coming to a stop. Looking down at his exposed abdomen beneath his scorched clothes, he gritted his teeth.
A perfect handprint was branded there, as if he'd been burned.
Crackle, crackle.
'Huh? What the—?'
A single arc of electricity shot from the spot, burrowing into his body and rampaging wildly. At the same time, his Brain Lightning skill canceled out.
"Aaaagh! Aaaaaah!"
He tasted that excruciating dungeon pain all over again.
When he opened his eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted him.
"Hoo~"
"Coming around?"
A familiar voice spoke as he unwittingly let out a long sigh.
He bolted upright.
'Ow.'
Pain shot through him from everywhere, freezing him in place.
"There'll still be some aftereffects, so take it easy."
"..."
It was hard to believe this was the same man who'd just beaten him half to death. Warmth radiated from his words.
"Intense murderous intent. An arrogance that tolerates no one above you. The freedom of moving alone in stopped time. And..."
The professor extended his hand, pointing at him as he continued.
"...the severe aftereffects."
"..."
He understood immediately what Professor Kim Tae-min meant. It was a perfect description of his state while using Brain Lightning.
"Be honest with me. Since acquiring that skill, have you ever felt the urge to kill someone? Or even thought about it?"
"W-What do you...?"
"Even over something trivial, did the thought just pop into your head unbidden?"
"...!"
He'd been about to deny it, but he remembered the moment he'd contemplated killing the professor.
'I debated whether to kill him just for noticing my skill.'
It wasn't like him at all.
'And during the fight earlier too.'
A powerful negative emotion toward someone using the same skill. The desire to erase them from the world had flooded his mind.
"...What the hell is that?"
After sorting through his thoughts for a while, he looked up at the professor and asked.
There had to be a reason for him to bring it up.
"Because I've felt those emotions for a long time myself. So I know them well."
"Like a skill side effect?"
The idea of wanting to kill people indiscriminately because of a single skill sent chills down his spine. He wasn't some psychopath or random killer.
This was serious.
"Hmm, you could call it a side effect. But it's different at its core."
"Different how?"
"This'll take a while, so let me warm up some tea."
"..."
A short time later, the professor returned with two steaming cups.
'Déjà vu much?'
It was exactly like when he'd first visited. He couldn't help but chuckle.
"Chamomile. It'll help calm your agitated nerves."
"Thank you."
He took a sip at the professor's words. The tension in his nerves seemed to ease a bit.
"I acquired that skill exactly fifteen years ago."
"So you really are the Brain Emperor, Professor."
"Honestly, I hate that nickname. Makes me sound like some wuxia protagonist."
The professor chuckled, tilting his cup. He shrugged in agreement—he felt the same.
"That skill gave me the nickname... and took everything else from me."
"Took everything?"
"Yes. At first, I was thrilled with my new S-rank skill. But as time passed, my temper grew more violent, and my body slowly broke down. In the end, I had no choice but to retire."
"..."
It was shocking. The skill that made him famous was the reason he'd retired.
"Aren't you curious how I knew you had it?"
"I... am."
His throat was parched from tension as he answered. If he'd exposed even more important skills, it could be bad.
Unlike his anxiety, the professor's lips curled into a grin. He burst into hearty laughter, as if it was the funniest thing.
"Hahaha! I tailed you. Told one of my disciples to follow and check you out. He came back pale as a ghost, saying he'd seen Brain Lightning."
"..."
He'd thought the professor had some special insight because of his own unique skills. Turns out it was just a simple tail.
Wasted my worry.
At least the other skills seemed safe.
"What do you think skills are?"
"Huh? Skills?"
Skills were skills—what else was there to think?
He tilted his head, puzzled.
"Most awakeners acquire all sorts of skills without questioning what they really are. Just like you. Isn't it strange? Where do they come from? How do so many different kinds exist?"
"..."
Sorry, but he'd never given it a thought. He had nothing to say.
Honestly, he was the worst conversation partner right now.
Yet Professor Kim Tae-min smiled lightly, as if understanding, and continued.
"I believe skills are a collection of something created and systematized by someone from the world beyond the dungeons."
"The world beyond the dungeons?"
"Yes. The home of the skills we learn and the mana we wield."
"So skills come from there?"
Like some fantasy world? He'd heard the government concluded there was no sign of other civilizations in the dungeons.
But the professor's expression said otherwise.
"Exactly. Imagine someone in that world swinging a weapon diligently for years. That method gets systematized and passed on. When it reaches us, it becomes a skill like 'Powerful Strike' or 'Sharp Strike'."
"I-Is that so?"
The professor's theory was oddly convincing yet half-baked, and he kept going.
"Yes. Do you think you can't recreate a skill once it's gone?"
"Isn't that the case?"
He'd experienced it in the dungeon: after consuming High-Speed Movement for the roulette, the skill canceled, and his speed plummeted.
"Do you think I still have Brain Lightning?"
"No way?"
He set down his teacup at the meaningful question, eyes wide.
"It vanished three years ago. Stolen by my first disciple."
"Th-Then how did you... earlier?"
As he stammered in shock, the professor smiled softly.
"Didn't I just explain what skills are?"
"Ah, oh!"
A spark of insight flashed in his mind. Inspiration, huh?
He felt like he'd grasped a clue from the professor's words.
"If skills are something systematically created through training in another world, then there's no reason we can't create them here... right?"
"Precisely. Though it requires genius-level senses and deep understanding of mana flow. But not impossible."
The professor chuckled lightly, raising his right index finger. A pure white electric arc flickered atop it.
'Insane.'
Recreating it without the skill? This was groundbreaking.
If systematized and taught widely, any awakener could use the same skills.
Theoretically, at least. Reality might differ, but still.
"Your skill is dangerous."
"Pardon?"
His words hit like a plummet from the sky. He stared in shock.
If this man was a con artist, no one would see through him. He was a master storyteller, leading the conversation effortlessly.
"C-rank skills are universal techniques anyone with talent can learn. But higher up, the odds drop sharply. An S-rank is something only the greatest in that world achieved—a special technique."
"I see. But why dangerous?"
"Why?"
"Yes."
"Because the original user of Brain Lightning was either a madman who ignored side effects or had the mental fortitude and body to shrug them off."
"..."
The professor continued as he sat silently.
"The basic principle accelerates mana flow using electricity inside and outside the body. That current affects the brain too. The ecstasy of moving fast in a frozen world. Quite euphoric, wasn't it?"
"It was."
He nodded, recalling the sensation.
"Heh heh. I thought so. But the electricity alters the brain. And it overtaxes the nervous system, eroding life force unknowingly. That's a problem, but the real issue is the intense murderous intent."
Gulp.
No wonder the aftereffects were so brutal. But what did that have to do with killing urges?
"How does brain stimulation lead to murderous thoughts?"
"This is my theory. I believe S-rank skills carry traces of their original user."
"Traces of the original user?"
"Yes. And this Brain Lightning's creator likely enjoyed killing. The more you use it, the more you take on their tendencies."
"Wha—! No way."
It wasn't an organ transplant. He'd heard stories of personality traits transferring with organs, but skills?
He couldn't believe it.
Professor Kim Tae-min drained his cup with a bitter expression.
"How many hunters do you think I killed after getting that skill?"
"...!"
Realizing the implication, he froze.
"Most deserved it, but... I can't be sure they all did."
"I... see."
Suddenly, the man before him looked different. A hero of the original seven, the Brain Emperor—but also a fragile human haunted by blood on his hands.
"What should I do then?"
After gathering his resolve, he asked.
No way did he want to become a murderous lunatic, S-rank or not.
"Discard the skill."
"Pardon?"
His heart sank. To an awakener, it was like a death sentence.
Throw away a hard-won S-rank? Anyone else would've cursed him out and stormed off.
But not him. He had the Talent to learn any skill.
So he waited for the next words. There had to be a reason.
A satisfied smile crossed the professor's face at his steady gaze.
"...And learn it from scratch. Analyze how it works, then recreate it step by step. There's an old saying: you must empty before you can fill. First things first—empty it."
His newly acquired capricious God's Roulette skill came to mind. Emptying it wasn't hard, per the professor's words. Just needed two more S-rank skills to consume.
"What next?"
"Before relearning, pick up a skill to temper the body. Something to make you sturdy enough to withstand the lightning raging inside."
He thought of Jae-wook's recent B-rank body reinforcement skill.
Observing his contemplation, the professor asked,
"What do you say? I think you can do it."