Level: 20

Experience: BLOCKED

Healing: 500/500

Stamina: 580/580

Mana: 710/710

Class: Tier 1, Adult Human (Blue)

Effect: Increased Skill Acquisition (+10%), Increased Learning Speed (+10%), Increased Stat Gain (+10%), Increased Physical Gain (+10%), Increased Mental Gain (+10%)

Vitality: 50 (+6)

Endurance: 55 (+10)

Strength: 38+20 (+4)

Agility: 46+20 (+4)

Perception: 35 (+4)

Mind: 150 (+38)

Magic: 51+20 (+24)

Focus: 55+20 (+8)

Free Points: 200

Tier 1(17)(30+): Light Armor (100), Medium Armor (100+72), Dwarven Etiquette (100), Eldarin Etiquette (100), Elven Etiquette (100+50), Pulse Strike (97+30), Drawing Skills (90+20), Dagger Skills (90+61), Wrestling Skills (89+64), Combat Tactics (88+33), Dancing Skills (87+42), Speech (79+4), Pugilist Skills (75+19), Bow Skills (75+23), Whip Skills (57+57), Driving (39), Heavy Armor (25+25)

Tier 2(62)(13+): Mana Sense (100), Danger Sense (100), System Sense (100+20), Soul Sense (100+37), Speed Reading (97+49), Focused Toughness (91+25), Mana Vision (80+52), Darkness Vision (71+13), Shadow Vision (60+20), Focused Sword Skills (80+41), Critical Thinking (60+26), Focused Deflection (60+60), Time Sense (51+51), Focused Dodge (47+14), Spatial Sense (45+45), Trap Detection (40), Poison Sense (40+27), Focused Shield Skills (40+40), Sweet Teeth (40+40), Demonic Lore

(40+40), Focused Throw (40+40), Focused Monster Processing Skills (38+33), Dwarven Lore (35+34), Elven Lore (33+33), Focused Spear Skills (33+30), Monster Analysis (30+4), Eldarin Lore (28+20), High Vostner Lore (28+28), Low Vostner Lore (27+27), Focused Cooking Skills (23+23), Depth Sense (21), Focused Rage (20+4), Focused Axe Skills (20+20),

Tier 3(114)(3+): Empowered Will (100), Mana Manipulation (100+67), Healing Resistance (95+35), Fear Resistance (80+19), Fire Resistance (80+53), Empowered Gestures (60+60), Light Orb (57+57), Empowered Meditation (55+55), Skill Control(51+33), Lightning Resistance (50+24), Silent Casting (48+48), Hidden Status (47+47), Eldarin Runes (43+3), Cold Resistance (40+20), Clean (40+40), Sleep (40+40), Flame Blade (39+39), Fireball (35+35), Ward (34+34), Empowered Breathing (32+32), Arcane Resistance (29+13), Empowered Running (29+29), System Control (28+21), Cure (27+27), Physical Resistance (26+12), Status Analysis (25+25), Lightning Beam (25+25), Empowered Writing (23+3), Soul Strike (20), Calculus (20+20), Advanced Geometry (20+20), Social Resistance (8+3), Alchemy (7+2), Empowered Stealth (7+7), Dwarven Runes (3+3), Elven Runes (3+3), Demonic Runes (3+3), High Vostner Runes (3+3), Low Vostner Runes (3+3)

Tier 4(20): Soul Link (60+30), Poison Immunity (27+27), Vibration Blade (15+15), Pain Immunity (11+6), Soul Immunity (2+2)

Tier 5(-): Experience Siphon(C)

Equipment

Gloves: Gloves of Magic (T3) (+20 Magic) Original content can be found at NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Boots: Boots of Agility (T3) (+20 Agility)

Head: Helmet of Clarity (T3) (+20 Focus)

Body: Heavy Armor of Stability (T3) (+20 Strength)

Ring 1: Ring of Alarm (T3) (Gem turns red if other Mana interferes)

Ring 2: Ring of Force Deflection (T3) (Reduces impact force by a quarter)

Amulet/Bracelet: Experience Blocker (T4) (Prevents all experience gain for primary level)

Weapon 1: Reforged Beginner’s Blade (T3) (Sharpness-T4, Durability-T3, Self-Repair-T2)

Equipment 1: Runic Writing Set (T3) (Write Runes T3 and Below)

Equipment 2: Monster Processing Set (T3) (Processes Level 150 and Below)

Equipment 3: Ring of Remote Awareness (T3) (Allows for remote viewing from companion ring)

Winged Serpent

Level: 31/462

Experience: 2,865/3,168

Healing: 1,120/1,120

Stamina: 420/420

Mana: 1,060/1,060

Class: Tier 1, Young Winged Serpent (Orange)

Effect: Alchemy Skill Growth (+50%), Alchemic Skill Power (+100%)

Vitality: 112 (+1)

Endurance: 42 (+1)

Strength: 59 (+1)

Agility: 91 (+1)

Perception: 45 (+1)

Mind: 103 (+1)

Magic: 106 (+3)

Focus: 52 (+1)

Free Points: 0

T2: Alchemic Vision (91+40), Focused Bite (80+80), Toxic Breath (73+13), Danger Sense (43+43), Health Sense (20+20), Stamina Sense (18+18)

T3:Cure (100+100), Purify (100+100), Refresh (80+80), Alchemy (67+23), Poison Insight (63+37), Fire Insight (41+31), Cold Insight (40

+30), Arcane Insight (37+27), Spatial Insight (31+22), Soul Insight (22+18), Healing Insight (14+12), Anatomy Insight (10+10), Atmospheric Insight (7+7)

T4: Soul Link (60+30), Flight (52+27), Alchemic Bounded Field (41+19), Greater Cure (27+27), Greater Purify (16+16), Greater Refresh (12+12), Petrifying Gaze (10+10)

I let out a small sigh of relief as I filled in the status sheet for the mid-year evaluation here at the College of Advancement. It had been a great struggle to keep my first-place position over the last six and a half years I had been here at the college. I was now eighteen and a half years old.

Healer Melon just shook his head with a sigh. What little hope of hair he might have had was completely lost with the stress I gave him. Even his eyebrows were falling out at this point.

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I had been learning a lot of spell skills, and I was back at the edge of Meldor’s Threshold once again. I could almost feel the pulse of skills on my soul, ready to rip it apart.

I wouldn’t cross the threshold. I had enough control over my soul that I could choose if I wanted a skill. My class was helpful in that regard.

It was a surprising discovery, but the bonus to Skill Acquisition was more helpful than I had initially thought. I should probably merge my etiquette skills, but I wanted to get my father’s advice first. We occasionally exchanged letters through a dedicated courier he employed.

Three such skills should provide a firm foundation for a Tier 2 skill, but there might be other foundational skills I would need first.

“No new spell skills,” he told me.

“I know. I know. But they are quite fun to learn.”

“Whatever, what do I know,” he grumbled, but I knew he wasn’t really upset. I wasn’t about to cross Meldor’s Threshold with too many skills in relation to my Mind stat and have my soul rip itself apart.

Ozy, my black-scaled, red-eyed winged snake, looked up from his napping spot on my shoulders. He was getting lazy, but that would be dealt with once I descended into the dungeon again after graduation.

“At least I should hold on to my first place.” Gaining skill levels had become more difficult over the year. My average skill gains every three months was just above 350 at the moment. A far cry from when it was 100 levels higher for the same amount of time.

It was a combination of the soul fruits wearing off and working on higher-tier skills.

“That is good. Windshell Gossimer looks like she is going to break down from overwork.”

That was the elf who was nipping at my heels in second place. She was way too competitive, but that was from me who was really pushing himself this last year, so she didn’t make a surprise comeback and overtake me.

“I really want to learn more elemental spell skills. I think there are some unique synergies with higher-up skills.”

“Too many skills. You have more to study after you graduate.” I had soul skills, my mother’s skills, social skills recommended by my father, and all the skills I already had.

“At least my father gave me my gift at the end of last year.”

I now had a complete set of Tier 3 equipment but kept the ring my mother had given me. I liked to pretend that she had died, but in my heart, I still hoped she was still alive.

That was impossible, but she ate the impossible for breakfast.

I missed her, even with her overbearing attitude.

“I taught you and your pet some skills. Bah, just let me enjoy this last semester in peace. You worked me to the bone,” Healer Melon said.

I stroked Ozy’s scales. “But your apprentice is amazing.”

“There has been no major improvement in his insight skills even after all that training with healing skills. It is disappointing, but it is what it is. Monsters clearly learn differently from people. They can’t process words but require practical experience, and that experience doesn’t impact their insight skills.”

“At least the College wrote a nice research paper, and the debt of those Alchemical skills was reduced.” I knew he liked the research paper, since his name was on it. It would look good when he returned to the Five Star Institute of Healing.

“So, what do you plan to work on the last semester since you can’t learn more skills?”

“Runes. I will focus on runes, most likely. Those skills could use a boost while I am here. And their lower level makes them easier to increase.”

While I didn’t purposefully plan to have a bunch of low leveled tier 3 skills for my last semester, it just worked out that way. I would secure the number one spot with ease, since only tier 3 skills counted for the College’s grading in the last three years of enrollment.

Windshell Gossimer was going to be screaming in rage.

It would also let me increase my Mind stat before leaving the College, allowing me to learn even more skills. While I would go with a team and fighting monsters, that didn’t mean my training would stop or slow down.

“Also, I really need to make more progress on resistance skills.”

I glanced at Healer Melon, who let out a sigh.

He rubbed his bald head, which had become a sign of frustration.

“We are already pushing things up to the safety limit, but there is only so much improvement that can be done. You know how stubborn resistance skills are in a controlled setting. While I appreciate your drive, there is nothing more that can be done.”

He had told me this before, but I still wanted to progress more quickly with resistance skills.

“You know best about such things. I was hoping to maximize a few more before leaving the College.”

“I am glad you know, but mastering the resistance skills you have is already impressive.”

I looked at my status sheet. “It’s a shame tier 1 skills don’t count. It would be nice to get rid of all of them.”

“Well, there are no Pulse Strike tournaments, and the College doesn’t offer driving, thank the System,” Healer Melon muttered the last part.

“They could set up a driving course. I tried to convince the Dean.”

Placing first each year let me get individual lessons in subjects I wanted. I had learned Temporal Sensing and Spatial Sensing. Now I was acutely aware of the passage of time around me and the rooms I was in. They weren’t the most immediately useful skills, but the Dean had encouraged me not to let my sensory skills fall behind.

The risk of being ambushed was real. I still remembered the Abnormals I had fought on my first solo descent. I had been such an overconfident idiot back then. Now I was stronger, but seeing the heights I still had to reach, I was less confident.

The number of tier 3 skills I had was immense, and I had to master them all. I didn’t hold the record for the student with the most skills, but I was close. This place had been around long enough that there were some true outliers over the centuries.

“It is a shame I wasn’t able to maximize Focused Cooking,” I said, but I didn’t have time to work on such a skill when I needed to focus on tier 3 skills. At least the beastkin Judy and I still hung out once a week enjoying good food she had prepared.

She had Empowered Cooking now and several cooking support skills. Honestly, I wanted to take her with me into the dungeon as a personal chef, but that would never happen. My team was an actual descent team. We weren’t some noble or power-leveling team with an entourage to accompany us.

I looked at the curse skill that was still there. It was annoying and frustrating, but I would get rid of it one day and teach Legend Xanatos a lesson. The Dark Cabal had been quiet for the last several years, content to go back into the shadows and hide. I never heard from them about joining, since I never did the murder they requested.

The student who had been targeted had graduated alive. After they left, it was no longer my concern. I wasn’t anyone’s protector. I didn’t have the time or energy to worry about people who weren’t close to me. While I might try to convince myself that I had first place secured, the pressure was immense.

My initial class had gone from 10,000 students to the final 10. Each of the other students was incredibly capable, and the drive to improve hadn’t disappeared. Graduating first in one’s class was viewed as a major accomplishment that only a select number of individuals had achieved over the centuries — one person each year.

“Well, I should probably go turn these sheets in. I bet Windshell Gossimer has some spy skill watching for when I do.”

“Don’t underestimate that elf. She is practically a princess and is incredibly capable,” Healer Melon said.

I knew she might target me after graduating, but I wasn’t overly worried.

I had spoken with my team member, Stormy Aether, another elf. She and Windshell were technically competitors. While there was racial support among Elves, that was only if they were targeted because of their race. Stormy was happy that I was beating Windshell for first place at the College, so she couldn’t act so smug all the time.

Elven politics were complicated, centered on families, bloodlines, and debts. Their ruling structure was even more confusing than that of the Dwarves with their councils and corporations. Power and nobility were the only forms of government that I respected. The rest was just a confusing mess.

I could sit down and explain that mess, but it was still a mess and opaque in the details. That was probably another reason the Dwarves and Elves had lost against the Eldarin Empire during its ascent.

But my focus in history had been on demons which were intelligent monsters that were incredibly rare. Since one had killed my mother on the 26^th layer of the dungeon, I knew I would one day have to face it.

Demonic runes were runes that came from the dungeon itself, and demonic history involved natural treasures and other such things involving the dungeon. Not so much demons themselves. They were part of it, but the skill names didn’t line up with my expectations.

There could be a deeper meaning behind them, and the demon on the 26^th layer had invited even more theories, but that was all they were — theories. I wasn’t overly concerned about such things; I needed to focus on more useful skills, not flights of fancy.

I would miss the College. It has been my home for almost seven years now. But I couldn’t remain here forever.

That so many of my classmates wanted to descend into the dungeon as adventurers was slightly higher than normal. Most top graduates stayed at the College as Assistant Professors, working to improve skill training or doing some kind of research.

It was a place of learning. Intense learning, but the fact that there had been no assassination attempts over the years was a credit to the College and to the Dean.

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