…The next day
Mario slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself up on the bed, placing a hand over his forehead, a faint trace of drowsiness still lingering.
Shaking his head slightly, he took out a gray academy uniform and headed toward the bathroom.
…
He stepped out soon after, his hair still slightly damp, and surveyed his roommates. Most were still asleep.
Kaelen was already gone, likely having woken earlier, while Ron had just risen and was quietly reading a book titled Sword Fundamentals.
Mario's gaze shifted, then paused on Jacob, who was half-naked and snoring loudly. A faint frown formed on his face. '…I almost couldn't sleep.'
"Morning," Ron's voice cut through his thoughts.
Mario turned to him and gave a brief nod before heading out, making his way toward the cafeteria, then to his assigned classroom.
***
Wearing the gray academy uniform trimmed with gold, Mario slid the classroom door open and paused, carefully observing the room for a few moments.
The front row lay level with the stage for the instructor, which had a board on it. From there, the seats curved outward and rose steadily, forming layered tiers that overlooked the center. A staircase divided the hall from bottom to top, turning every ascent into a quiet display.
'It seems I'm still too early,' Mario thought, his gaze briefly sweeping over the few students in the classroom.
At the far end of the front row on the left sat Kaelen, his arms crossed on the table as his head rested against them.
Beside him, the small dog lay quietly on the desk.
He only glanced at Kaelen briefly before his gaze shifted, settling on the small dog beside him. '…Why does it seem familiar?'
His brows knitted slightly as he fell into thought, searching through his memories—especially those from his latest simulation.
But even after a few minutes, he found nothing. In the end, he could only set the feeling aside.
Mario shook his head and stepped aside, allowing the students behind him to pass—he had been blocking the doorway.
He then headed toward the stairs, climbed up, and made his way to an inconspicuous corner on the left side at the top before taking a seat.
From there, he had a clear view of the rows and the stage below.
Since it was still early, Mario rested his arms on the desk, lowered his head onto them, and decided to take a light nap.
...
"Hey, Mario, wake up—the instructor's almost here," a voice said, gently nudging him.
Mario stirred at the sound and the nudge, turning his head to see who it was.
Beside him sat Mike. Next to Mike was Ron, and beside Ron were Jacob and Liam, who seemed surprisingly close—especially after what had happened yesterday. The two were hunched over a thin book with its original cover wrapped in paper, quietly giggling to themselves.
Mario's calm expression nearly faltered, a faint crease forming between his brows. '…Them again.'
Yesterday, after returning to the house, Jacob had gone on and on to Mario about his preferences in girls—his ideal type, his dream girl—and had even shown him his "special" book collection, urging him to pick one.
Although Mario paid him little attention and remained silent, Jacob's persistence had nearly cost him his sleep. If Kaelen hadn't stepped in and told him to be quiet, he might not have rested at all.
Recalling that, Mario let out a quiet, resigned sigh and set the thought aside, his gaze lowering once more.
The door slid open sideways.
A lean, muscular man in a crisp black instructor uniform, a small crest adorning his chest, entered calmly and closed the door behind him.
He walked to the small stage and stood upright, hands clasped behind his back, eyes sweeping over the students.
"Hello, I am Seth, one of the instructors of the academy," he said, his voice carrying clearly to Mario's row. "And I'm the—"
Before he could continue, the door opened again—this time slowly, cautiously.
A young man with black hair and clear blue eyes peeked inside, then stepped in, bowing awkwardly to the instructor before walking to find a seat.
"What guts… showing up late on the first day," Mike murmured beside Mario, his tone tinged with admiration.
The others barely noticed, each absorbed in their own concerns.
Instructor Seth regarded the young man calmly, showing no trace of displeasure, and allowed him to settle.
"Ahem. I'm the one responsible for explaining unique skills and cultivation to you all," Seth cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the students—except for a few: Kaelen, still asleep; Jacob and Liam, still giggling over the book in front of them.
Seth noticed them but didn't concern himself. He walked to the board, took up a piece of chalk, and wrote a few words before turning back to the class.
"Unique Skills," he said, circling the words. "Most of you already know about the War three hundred years ago, but only a few are familiar with unique skills, right?"
"When we people of Earth were on the brink of losing to those magic bastards…" For the first time since entering, Seth's calm expression faltered, his teeth gritting slightly at the end of his words.
He took a deep breath and composed himself. "…Countless youths, all around eighteen years old, experienced a dream of a certain existence."
"From our research, we speculate that this existence was the will of our world—Earth itself."
'…Will of the world? Does that mean the world we live in has some kind of consciousness?' Mario, who knew little about unique skills, felt a spark of interest. The topic—tracing the very origin of unique skills—was too intriguing to ignore.
He decided to focus and listen carefully.
"It is said that this existence chose to help us by granting unique skills… though it's also possible it wasn't helping us at all, but rather serving its own purpose," Seth's voice lowered slightly mid-sentence. "Regardless of the reason, that existence—or whatever it may be—was still an enormous aid to humanity."
"Sir!"
Before Seth could continue, a voice called out. He turned toward it and saw the same young man who had arrived late earlier, raising his right arm.
"What is it?" Seth asked, his tone calm, neither impatient nor annoyed at being interrupted.
The blue-eyed youth, freckles dusting his face and a scar marking his right temple, scratched the back of his head, giving a slightly embarrassed smile. "Uh… I just wanted to ask—what's the difference between unique skills and the skills on the panel?"
"Did no one ever explain something so basic to you?" Seth asked, his gaze sharp and penetrating.
The young man flinched under the stare and quickly shook his head. "W-well… I… um, I forgot to ask about it."
'…I was focused on my sister and was also busy playing—I mean, earning money back then,' he thought, a hint of guilt stirring within him.
Seth studied him for a moment and, seeing no sign of deceit in his expression, could only sigh. "Unique skills are granted by that existence. The difference is that we cannot learn them on our own, unlike basic skills, which can be acquired through repetition or understanding."
He paused, then asked, "Satisfied?"
The young man nodded repeatedly.
Seth let out a low breath before turning back to the board and quickly writing a few words. Once done, he faced the students again, pointing to the board. "Now, back to our main topic—unique skills. From decades of observation and study, we've created a classification system."
He gestured toward the board as he continued, "Unique Skills are classified into six categories: Attack, Control, Manifestation, Support, Growth, and finally—Special."
"Before I go into details, let me clarify something—some of you may have noticed that, even though you've received your unique skill, you can't activate it yet. That's because every unique skill has its own method of activation. Some require certain conditions, others require understanding, and so on. We can't assist you in unlocking it unless you tell us specifically about your skill… though I suspect some of you might not agree with that."
Seth gave a small shrug at his last remark before continuing with his explanation.
Hearing that, Mario was confused. 'Huh?... They didn't have an explanation besides their unique skill?'
He summoned his proficiency panel internally, skipping past everything else as his focus settled on his unique skill.
[Unique Skill: Simulation (?)]
Directing his thoughts toward the question mark, he activated it and was met with the same guide explaining how to use his unique skill.
[Simulation: Allows the user to perform a simulation once a month and receive the memories from the simulation. The simulated version of the user has no awareness of the unique skill or the memories from the simulation. To use the skill, simply say "start simulation."
(Note: The user might experience certain side effects from the simulation memories; however, there is also a benefit. Please find out for yourself.)]
Mario's brows furrowed as he looked at it. '…Am I the only one with this explanation…?'
'No—there are probably others too. They either chose not to speak… or it's being kept a secret.'
He shook his head lightly and returned his focus to the lecture.
"…Control-type unique skills are very different from the simpler, more straightforward attack-type skills. A control-type ability can even pose a threat to its user if mismanaged—that's precisely why it's classified as such."
"It allows the user to manipulate something—whether physical or elemental—but only what already exists. It cannot affect what isn't there."
"For example, earlier I mentioned an attack-type skill like a fire arrow. With that, the user can manifest and fire an arrow of flame—but once released, it simply follows the user's aim."
"In contrast, a control-type user would first need an existing fire arrow—either created beforehand or sourced externally. Only then can they manipulate it. However, the advantage lies in flexibility: they are not limited by quantity and can alter its movement mid-flight, granting far greater control and maneuverability." Seth paused, taking a slow breath.
"As for Manifestation, as the name suggests, it allows the user to create and control what they manifest. In a sense, it combines aspects of both Attack and Control types—but with a key difference. Unlike those two, Manifestation not only allows creation but also grants full manipulation over what is produced, whether by altering its shape, condensing it, or modifying it based on the user's intent."
He shifted his finger to another word on the board. "Support, on the other hand, focuses on aiding either the user or others. Unlike the previous types, its primary purpose is not direct offense or control, but enhancement and sustainability."
"It can manifest in many forms—strengthening the body, increasing speed, reinforcing defenses, accelerating recovery, or even healing injuries. Some support-type skills can also enhance perception, stabilize emotions, or reduce the strain caused by other abilities."
"As for Growth-type..." Seth paused briefly, his gaze flicking toward Mario without drawing attention. "Growth-type is similar to Support-type but far rarer. For example, one of our nation's sword masters has a unique skill that started as 'Beginner's Swordsmanship' and later evolved into 'Master Swordsmanship.' Essentially, Growth-type functions like basic skills that improve through repetition, but it goes further: it not only enhances knowledge or technique, it also strengthens the user's body alongside their skill."
Seth paused, hesitating for a moment before exhaling deeply. "Special-type, on the other hand, isn't just powerful—it's exceptionally rare. The only person we know to possess a Special-type unique skill is the one who founded our nation: our King, known by the honorific 'Prophet.'"
"...As for what it can do, we never truly knew, since our King never specified the full extent of his unique skill. But there are whispers—rumors, really—that his skill was the very reason he rose to such heights. Back then, he was only a Master, yet he could contend with Grandmasters, and may have been the strongest among all the Kings of the Four Nations." Seth's voice lowered slightly at the end, but the subtle tremor could not conceal the silent reverence he held.