Batch of New Skills

[Done, you can look now,] Evangeline said with a chuckle.

Finally...

Neraxis had decided not to check what skills he had gotten first and to wait until the last system message appeared before reviewing them all.

He had done something similar in the past and found it less nerve-wracking—knowing you've gotten something good in a bad batch.

However, as his eyes landed on the skills now displayed, he couldn't help but widen them.

[Green Skill Book Unveiled: Restorative Cut {E}]

[Skill Description: Your sword strikes carry a healing aura, restoring a small amount of health to yourself for each successful attack. Duration: 20 seconds; Cooldown: 10 minutes.]

[Red Skill Book Unveiled: Sword Dash {F}]

[Skill Description: A swift forward dash combined with a quick sword slash. Cooldown: 1 minute.]

[Blue Skill Book Unveiled: Minor Reflect {D}]

[Skill Description: A defensive skill that reflects a small portion of the damage you receive back at the attacker. Damage return threshold: 5%.]

Alright... these ones are great as well. Evangeline, you really are a lucky charm, Neraxis exclaimed, letting out a few short laughs.

The skills were more than he expected—some that would have proved useful in the past as well.

Especially Restorative Cut and Minor Reflect—the two not only made him more durable but also provided great utility.

There was also Sword Dash, but just from the description alone, it didn't sound too special.

It seemed like the skills were slightly altered to suit the user's preference, which in this case, was the sword.

Two active skills and one passive... He let out another bout of laughter before finally standing up and stretching.

Status.

+-----+

Status

Name: Neraxis Valen

Stigmata: [Fragment of Calamity {21%} (Seals Unlocked: 0)]

Age: 16

--Stats:

Rank: F- -> F

Strength: G+

Agility: F-

Stamina: F-

Intelligence: F- -> F+

Mana Capacity: F- -> F+

--Secondary Stats:

Luck: G-

Charm: C-

--Skills:

[Eve of Ruin {G}]*

[Swordsmanship {G}]

[Stellar Dominion {A}]

[Minor Reflect {D}]

[Sword Dash {F}]

[Restorative Cut {E}]

+-----+

F rank already, decent progress. Though, why did my mana capacity go up so much? He scanned the stats with a tinge of confusion.

He couldn't control mana yet, so increasing his mana capacity by so much in such a short time was simply impossible.

But as he thought that, Evangeline's calm voice resounded: [That new Stellar Dominion skill you got was likely the culprit.]

Do you think it could be because of that last skill effect?

[Yup.]

Neraxis considered the possibility for a few moments but dropped it in the end. Once there was a bit more time, he would use the last effect.

After all, who knows what's inside the astral plane?

Anyways... it's time to go back. He noticed the timer was basically in its last minute—he'd spent a bit too much time checking over his skills.

Heading out, he noticed a few of his classmates walking past; however, he could see a couple of seniors in the mix.

It was an area for the Special Class in the end, so he wasn't exactly surprised.

He made his way back to the classroom and noticed that it was mostly empty—aside from Magnus, who was still fiddling with his documents.

Out of kindness—or maybe just boredom—Neraxis decided to help.

"Instructor, need any help?"

Magnus was momentarily startled but nodded when he turned around. "Go for it. Just make sure not to rip anything apart; it's important."

"Of course."

Neraxis walked up to the podium and started helping with the documents. Despite assuming it would be easy, it wasn't.

It took the two of them until the bell rang to finally finish organizing everything.

By then, the class had completely filled up—some even giving him strange looks—but Neraxis ignored them all and went back to his seat.

Kael still had the same sour expression as earlier, but at least he had come to the lecture.

Neraxis sat right beside him and, without knowing what else to do, decided to remain silent.

But the silence was short-lived as Kael began whispering, "Sorry about earlier."

"It's alright. He did act a little... annoying," Neraxis said in response, letting out a small chuckle.

A moment of silence ensued, but it didn't last long as Kael spoke up again. "Did he say anything?"

"Like what?" Neraxis decided to play oblivious.

"So he did say something," Kael concluded with a sigh before lapsing back into his seat. "So he told you to stop being around me."

"Pretty much."

"I see..."

Neraxis turned to look at his face, which now held a mix of a frown and a small smile.

"You look stupid."

"...Huh? wha—"

However, Kael was interrupted by Magnus's stern voice. "Quiet. Did you two even pay attention to a single word I said?"

"Nope," Kael immediately replied, earning a sharp glare from Magnus. For a moment it seemed like he wanted to say something, but decided to simply back off.

"Guess you are a bit scary, aren't you?" Neraxis teased before finally listening to the lecture.

So far, the lecture was a continuation of where Magnus had left off previously.

But this time, it was more in-depth—the attack patterns, the structure of the first floor's arena, everything.

It was so detailed, in fact, that there were even drawings—each brick carefully placed, each monster vividly visualized.

This was the first lecture where he paid full attention—jotting down notes from time to time in the notebooks they had been given at the very start.

He knew most of the information regarding the monsters, but the occasional mention of the other Dreamspire floors made him very interested.

Before he knew it, the lecture ended, and he had written 10 entire pages worth of information.

[Why did you do that? Don't you already have incredible memory?] Evangeline asked, curiosity tinged in her voice.

Of course I remember everything. It's just... jotting everything down is less boring than simply listening to the lecture. Neraxis stated, picking up the notebook and heading out into the halls.

Magnus had let everyone go home early to prepare for tomorrow's little rift excursion, so most had already scattered.

Kael stayed behind, likely wanting to resolve the conflict he had earlier with the instructor.

Making his way around the halls, Neraxis arrived outside and saw a bunch of other students present.

Juniors and seniors from the second and third floors.

Neraxis didn't stick around as he saw the familiar limousine from earlier, heading straight toward it and once again greeted by his butler.

Just like earlier, the ride back was quiet, but at least he had his notebook to study in the meantime.

They arrived at the house, and just as Neraxis was about to walk inside, the butler spoke.

"Miss Sophia and Sir Roskaris will be away for the week on a business trip. And Miss Elara has gone on vacation with her class."

"I see... I assume you will be picking me up at the same time as usual?"

"That is correct. Miss Sophia also told me to inform you that your allowance was raised, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to buy it," the butler said, as if quoting directly what his mother had told him.

Neraxis nodded and proceeded to go back inside the completely empty house before quickly changing and going up to his computer.

I think it's time I find out what my family actually does...