Varocia : From Gamer to Mentor

As they descended the Ascension Tower, Olgan noticed a group of Dragonewts vanishing into a blue light.

Teleportation? he wondered.

Edith, catching his gaze, smiled and explained, "They're transitioning to another Channel."

"Huh?" He understood the term "Channel," but witnessing a Channel change in person was unexpected.

"In certain places, particularly influential ones like the Ascension Tower, sub-Channels are created. This Tower has a total of five Channels, which is quite a lot. Right now, we're in Channel 1, the main dimension. Some people prefer to undergo Ascension in other Channels for a sense of security, but in my opinion, they're taking on greater risks than if they stayed here in Channel 1," she elaborated.

"I see…" Olgan replied, planning to seek out more information about Channels later.

At the moment, he described his desire to learn magic to Edith, who listened with keen interest. Although she seemed curious about his Mentor Class, she didn't press him for details, and he had no intention of sharing. If she did ask, he would reveal everything except for [Weight of Decisions] and [Natural Mentor].

While he felt comfortable sharing [Natural Mentor], he was determined to keep [Weight of Decisions] a secret. Its revelation could cause quite a stir. Friendship aside, as a direct descendant of the Magect Family, she might feel obligated to report it to her parents. At that point, who knew if they would force a Class Reset Scroll down his throat?

"You want to learn magic skills?" Edith tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face, while Olex merely glanced at him, silent.

It had always been his dream to wield real magic. Whenever he played games involving magic, he fantasized about using it in the real world. Now that he had the opportunity to learn, he wouldn't miss it, even if it proved challenging.

Moreover, as a Mentor, having a diverse array of magic at his disposal would be invaluable. Who knew when he might need specific magical knowledge to teach a student? It would be embarrassing if his future student asked, "Mentor, how can I learn Fire Magic?" and he had no answer.

"Do you know how to cast it?" he asked.

Edith puffed out her chest with pride. "Of course! As a descendant of the Magect Family, it would be disgraceful if I didn't learn any basic magic before graduating from the Novice Class!"

She raised a finger, and without any incantation, a small flame resembling a candle flickered to life above it. It was weak but stable and beautiful. Then, she summoned a gust of wind, and a small rock.

"Fire, Wind, and Earth—these are the basic elemental magics I've learned. I'm currently trying to learn Lightning element. While I can summon a bit of electricity, it's not enough to form a [Basic Lightning Control] Skill in my Skill Panel," she explained, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face before she quickly masked it.

"Well, it's not like I need them much anymore now that I'm a Berserker," she added in a self-comforting tone.

"Nah, you should keep training. You might unlock a magic-related class in the Berserker path when you reach your 2nd Ascension," Olgan advised.

Edith considered this for a moment before replying, "You're right. Thank you."

Berserker… Is it a rare Class? Olex, who had been listening quietly, searched his memory. He had never heard of this Class before.

Berserker... wait, could it be one of those Worthless Classes? How is she still sane? Confused, he reconsidered sending his subordinates to escort her back and instead decided to personally do it himself. Perhaps he would learn something during the journey. If not for Edith's sensitive status as the eldest daughter of the Magect Family, he might have directly 'invited' her to Burnade, the royal capital of the Blazane Empire.

Olgan, who seemed quite knowledgeable about this matter, was likely under the protection of the Magect Family by now, so he couldn't act rashly.

"Anyways, Olgan, since you led me onto this path, why don't you take a guess?" Edith suddenly asked.

"What guess?"

"Guess what the condition is to advance to Berserker." Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, eager to hear his reasoning.

Olgan took a moment to ponder while Olex's ears perked up. The surrounding atmosphere quieted as well, the sentries on guard paying close attention to their conversation. No one would pass up free knowledge about Class Ascension.

Before Olgan could respond, he caught Edith giving him a discreet wink, her gaze briefly scanning their surroundings before settling back on him.

He realized her intention.

Edith was doing this on purpose.

First, it would lessen the attention on her, Lenna, and especially Olgan. As long as they provided direction for their inquiries, the Empire would likely refrain from pestering them without reasonable excuses. After all, it was just a common Class—nothing groundbreaking that warranted an investigation. Once they had their own Berserker, interest would quickly wane.

Secondly, with Olex and other high-level sentries present, if Olgan guessed correctly, he'd earn considerable recognition, which could accelerate his growth.

Lastly, she harbored a more selfish motive; she hoped that with this knowledge, fewer people would succumb to madness from [Rage], as various factions might invest resources into experimenting with the skill. Moreover, Olgan's speculation wouldn't expose the methods to learn or exploit [Rage]. By the time they learned to control it without losing their sanity, Edith would have already maxed out [Berserk].

While Olgan has grasped the first reason behind her wink, he could not infer the second. It required him to adapt to the world's nuances, unlike Edith, who had grown up in Varocia, understanding how much recognition could boost someone's EXP.

After all, such mechanics didn't exist in the games he had played on Earth—at least, not in the same way. Most recognition systems were tied to kingdom-building and management sim games, not to character's skills.

Olgan hesitated for a moment before answering, "The condition is to unlock the skill [Rage] and have a high enough VIT, right?"

Edith clapped her hands, grinning. "Amazing! You guessed… wrong!"

"Eh? Then what's the condition?"

She paused dramatically before smiling, "Actually, you were correct, but it also requires me to have an INT potential of at least 5—something you lack."

"Oh, you little… just for the record, my INT Potential is now at 5.01." Olgan feigned annoyance, lightly punching her shoulder. She was momentarily surprised but quickly retaliated with a playful punch of her own, a cheeky grin spreading across her face.

It made sense. How could it be a legitimate Class if one had no control over it? Thus, sufficient INT was a necessity.

At that moment, he felt his EXP surge rapidly, leaving him stunned.

He was now Level 13, and his [Guidance] had also reached Level 5.

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Skill: Guidance (Passive)
Level: 5 (07.98% EXP)

Description: Your insight and experience will contribute to your students' growth. Increase the Skill EXP gains of your students as long as they understand and find your teaching useful.

Warning: Students under the effect of Guidance will have all of their attribute decrease by 1% every 10 minutes. These decreased attributes could be gradually regained over the course of 12 hours of resting.

Skill EXP gains: +14% + (2% of INT)% = +15%

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Is this…? He was stunned for a moment before realizing what had happened, turning to look at Edith, who beamed at him, puffing out her chest as if to say, "Aren't you proud of me?"

The low increase despite having a lot of people here stronger than Lenna, made sense. They acknowledged him for guessing a completely new Class, but their admiration likely wouldn't be as sincere as Lenna's. After all, he had gotten one detail wrong.

Still, reaching Level 13 and having one of his main skills hit Level 5 right after Class Ascension was a significant achievement, making him smile.

As for spreading knowledge about this skill? Wasn't that his duty as a Mentor? Following his skills' description, he deduced that the more people regarded him as their mentor, the greater the benefits he would reap in the future.

Besides, with a skill as dangerous as [Rage], it was better to equip more people with knowledge to guard against it.