Anya approached me, asking if I was alright or if I had been injured anywhere aside from the superficial cut I had made on my palm. She insisted that I come with her so she could tend to my wounds, and she handed me a high-grade health potion to recover my vitality.
Watching her, her father remarked on how attentive she was. It seemed Anya was genuinely interested in me, but it made me pause. Should I really tell her that I already liked someone else?
Sigh. I didn't want Anya to keep harboring feelings for me when my heart belonged to another. It seemed I might eventually need to distance myself, or perhaps even drop out once my time at this academy was finished.
"Lucas, you're spacing out," Anya noted.
"Ah, I'm sorry. It's just that I'm not used to this kind of attention," I replied.
Looking up, I noticed the sky had already turned pitch black. Everyone around the portal area was preparing to head back to the main campus, so I gathered my things as well. After getting out of the car back at the campus hub, I unexpectedly bumped into Henry.
"Henry? What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Right, I forgot to tell you that I'm actually a professor at this academy," he chuckled.
"That's how I was able to get you enrolled without any bureaucratic worries."
"I'm not referring to that," I said, leaning in.
"Ah, I see. Well, I'm actually here to give you this," he said, handing me a skill book called [Ice Needle].
"It might help you in the upcoming arena tournament if you end up fighting soon."
"I really appreciate this, Henry," I said sincerely.
He left in a hurry, so I walked back to my dorm room to rest. After all the physical strain of the past few days, my body was so incredibly sore that it felt like I couldn't move a single bone.
I crashed onto my bed, suddenly remembering that I needed to systematically train my entire arsenal. My current priorities were to raise the mastery ranks of [Aura Body], [Wind Blade], [Thrust Leap], [Camouflage], and [Fireball], which were all currently sitting at F-rank. The only high-tier skill I had was [Force Strike] at B-rank. I resolved to start the grind tomorrow, as I was simply too sleepy to keep my eyes open.
The next morning, I headed toward the academic district. Passing by the central bulletin board, I noticed a large flyer stating that in a few months, all students would be required to participate in the Arena tournament to compete for rankings, prestige, and honor.
I debated my next move. Should I attend my standard lectures today, or head straight back to a dungeon to increase my skill ranks? While I was standing there weighing my options, I saw Anya walking beside her brother.
To my surprise, her brother approached me and genuinely apologized for his aggressive behavior over the past few days. As a peace offering, he handed me a high-quality caster staff. This wand wasn't just made of ordinary wood; it was constructed from various rare magical materials. I reassured him that it was entirely fine and that he didn't need to give me such an expensive gift, but he insisted.
Deciding to head to my classroom first, I slid the door open to find my classmates loudly discussing their strategies for the arena. Shortly after, the professor arrived and made an announcement: standard school lectures were being suspended for the next month so that all students could focus entirely on preparing for the upcoming tournament.
Seizing the opportunity, I called Henry to ask if he could pick me up, help me train my skills, and recommend a suitable high-yield dungeon.
While waiting outside the school building for a few minutes, I saw Anya walking by with her classmates. She noticed me standing by the curb and approached.
"Hey, Lucas. Who are you waiting for?" she asked.
"Ahh, just a friend of mine," I replied.
"Is that so? Right, I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to come with me somewhere next week."
"Where are we going?"
"I'll tell you next week," she said with a mysterious smile.
She left just like that. Since Henry was going to take a few hours to wrap up his duties and drive over, I headed back to my dorm to rest in the meantime.
While I was waiting, I used my interface to search the online player market for mage skill books. There were countless types of magic available. As I scrolled through the listings, three specific titles caught my eye: [Magic Missile], [Earth Spear], and [Aqua Splash].
The problem was that I was completely short on funds. I wondered if I should ask Henry to advance me some capital to buy them; I desperately needed a diverse set of mage-type spells so I wouldn't look suspicious when fighting in front of the crowds at the arena.
Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Henry. I answered, and he told me he was waiting downstairs. I headed outside, climbed into the passenger seat, and we set off.
"How is your time going so far in the academy, Lucas?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
"It's pretty tough. The professors are incredibly strict with their rules."
"Hmm, really? Ah, that reminds me—I'm here to give you a few more skills."
"Again? Henry, you're far too kind to me."
"Don't worry about it. The skill books are right underneath your seat."
I reached down and pulled out three manuals, reviewing their system descriptions.
[Lightning Spear]: Deals heavy elemental damage equal to 300% of your total [Int] stat to a target enemy.
[Swordsmanship]: Passively increases your base physical damage by 40% and increases critical damage by 70%.
[Heal]: Instantly restores 200 HP to yourself or an ally. Consumes 75 MP initially, and continues to consume 30 MP per 150 HP restored if cast as a channeled spell.
"I really appreciate this, Henry," I said, looking at the manuals. "But actually, I have one more favor to ask."
I explained my financial situation, and he willingly lent me some extra points to purchase the market skills I wanted. He truly was incredibly generous.
"Henry... how is Ash doing?" I asked quietly, changing the subject.
"She's stable," he replied, his expression turning gentle. "She still needs to rest properly, but the doctors expect she might be discharged in about a month. Once she's out, she's going to attend this academy. I wanted to ask you a favor, Lucas. When she arrives, I want you to help her adapt to this environment and help her improve her abilities."
Hearing that made my heart race. It had been a while since I last visited her in the hospital, and I already missed her deeply. It felt strange to realize that I still harbored such strong feelings for her, even though we were technically total strangers now due to her wiped memories.
[A few hours later]
"Lucas, we're here," Henry said, tapping my shoulder. "It looks like you've been asleep for the past hour."
"Ah, sorry. I was just so exhausted that I completely knocked out."
"Hmm, is that so? By the way, what exactly is your plan inside the dungeon today?"
"I'm going to focus entirely on raising my skill mastery ranks," I explained, checking my interface. "Within a month, I'm going to participate in the arena tournament to secure the high-tier rewards I want."
"I see. Well, good luck with that, Lucas. I'll be waiting out here for you."
Henry parked his car, and I stepped through the portal. The moment I crossed the threshold, a blast of biting arctic air hit my face. The environment inside was completely frozen. I hadn't prepared any winter gear for this climate, but I forced myself to press deeper into the snowy cavern.
Strangely, there wasn't a single monster in the immediate surrounding area. Sensing danger, I quickly activated [Camouflage] and scaled a nearby frost-covered tree to get a better vantage point. The moment I reached a high branch, I looked down and spotted a pack of winter wolves hiding silently in the dense bushes below. It seemed they had been waiting in ambush for me to blindly walk into their trap.
I kept my eyes peeled, scanning the pack to locate their alpha. A pack leader always possessed significantly higher base stats than ordinary wolves. Finally, I spotted a massive wolf bearing a deep, jagged scar across its left eye.
The creature looked incredibly tough, and its hide seemed impossible to pierce with normal weaponry. My interface estimated the alpha's level to be well above 40, while my current level was stuck at a measly 24.
Suddenly, the pack leader seemed to realize that my tracks had abruptly vanished. The frost wolves began sniffing the air, actively following my scent trailing toward the tree line. I realized I couldn't hide up here for much longer.
Thinking quickly, I cast [Fireball] and hurled it toward the back of the pack. The sudden explosion successfully drew the wolves' attention away from my position, causing them to scatter and investigate the blast. I continuously repeated this strategy to keep them disoriented, but the alpha suddenly threw its head back, howling loudly as it activated a tracking skill to pinpoint my exact coordinates.
I dropped from the branch and immediately began to run. I couldn't hope to defeat a level 40 leader with basic weapon attacks while my active skills were still sitting at low mastery ranks.
As the beast closed the distance, I realized I had to commit. I stacked my buffs sequentially, activating [Camouflage], [Force Strike], and [Aura Body] all at once. My total damage output surged by 255%. Turning on my heel, I unleashed a fully buffed [Fireball] directly into the alpha's face. The blast hit hard, confirming that fire magic was effective against the frozen elements, but as we traded blows, I realized the boss possessed a natural, high passive resistance to fire damage.
I needed to switch elements. I channeled my mana into my hand, weaving the lightning energy together before hurling a massive [Lightning Spear] directly into the creature's chest. The piercing electrical current surged through its body, and the massive alpha finally collapsed motionless onto the snow.
[System Notification]: You have successfully slain the Frost Wolf Leader. You have gained 40 random stats distributed across your interface.
[System Notification]: Your level has increased by 7! [Current Level: 31]