Forgetful Teacher
It was getting darker after I returned from the slum, so I rented a room in a tavern and went inside.
It was a strange day. My clothes were muddy and dirty from the fight. The leather armor I had was damaged, and I was sure it would break soon, so I decided to buy a new one next time.
I took a shower. Thanks to the extra money I had, I could enjoy the magical shower head connected to a mana core.
"[Status Window]"
[ Action
Lv: 37
Race: Human
Age: 1
Class: Classless
Titles: Misrouted ~ No Longer a Beginner ~ Solo Cleaner ~ Balthazar Heir
—————
Strength: 20
Stamina: 20
Agility: 26
Sense: 20
Mana: 18
-Additional Stats Points: 26-
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Special Skills: Save & Reset Lv. Max ~
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Skills: Swift Cut Lv. 2 ~ Shadeless Lv. 3 ~ Material Liquefier Lv. 3 ~ Fast Reading Lv. Max ~ Potion Apply Lv. 1 ~ Mana Sense Lv. 1 ~ ]
I looked at my personal information as if I had never seen it before. Sometimes, I felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity with my surroundings, even though I knew more about this world than my previous one. I pushed aside my strange sensations and distributed my Points into Stats.
[ Strength Increased by 6
Stamina Increased by 5
Mana Increased by 15 ]
Many might think that increasing one specific stat, such as strength or agility, is better than increasing all the stats, but that's wrong. Uneven stats can cause imbalance issues and could lead to death if not rectified. If you only increase your strength, low stamina would make it impossible to use that strength, or only agility could make it impossible to walk without a high sense.
I wanted to test something regarding my [Mana Sense], so after I got out of the shower, I lay on the bed in the room. It was a calm night, unlike how it normally was in a tavern.
Cling— I woke up early in the morning and ate a typical breakfast in the tavern. While eating, I reminded myself to learn cooking when I had free time.
I left the tavern and bought a new leather suit and some new clothes. I also grabbed some knives at the blacksmith, as I found them helpful in the minotaur subjugation.
Lastly, I stopped at the place I had planned to visit the previous night, the city's graveyard.
Brass Entwine was a good magician, maybe one of the best in Aloraz, so learning magic from him was a good option. I pulled out my sword from my [Inventory] and put it on my waist to access it in time of need.
"[Save]"
[ Skill "Save & Reset: Save" Activated ]
[ 987/02/03 6:12 has been saved as the new Checkpoint ]
I entered the graveyard after saving the time. The graveyard was just as it was the last time I entered it. The creepy vibe of the dead could be sensed even before entering.
"What are you doing here?" said a voice in the mist.
I turned towards the voice and said, "It's me, Action."
After I declared my name, a skeleton emerged from the mist in the direction of the voice. Apparently, Brass was using his [Vision Sharing].
"Sorry, I'm busy right now. You can just tell me like this," Brass said through the skeleton.
"I'm here to ask for something," I said seriously.
"Tell me. I'm not in a good mood right now," he said grumpily.
"… I want to be your disciple."
"…"
[ Brass Entwine Deactivated "Mist Maker" Magical Tool ]
Suddenly, the clouds of mist gradually disappeared. The sun, which had been shining all along, brightened the graveyard's darkness.
A familiar man, without his usual wand, began to walk toward me. The skeleton that was used for our communication collapsed and joined the soil.
"Long time no see," I said with a smile.
"What are you talking about? It hasn't been a week since we fought that lunatic necromancer."
He was right. Normally speaking, it hadn't been long since I saw him, but I went through a lot in the Treasure Dungeon and did a lot of resetting, so I lost track of time.
"Oh, you're right. Now then, let's get to the point. I want to be your disciple, just like you asked me that night."
"Are you serious!?" he said, shocked.
"Why do you find it surprising?"
"Well, I thought you wouldn't want to be my disciple. Why did you make that decision?"
He was right again. I wasn't planning to be his student, as I was confident in my understanding of magic, but one thing led to another, and here I was.
"Do you want me as your disciple or not?" I tried to avoid answering that question.
"… Fine. You can be my disciple. I'll teach you the right way of commanding the dead, and in return, I want you to restore my legacy. Was I clear enough?" he said proudly.
"I will."
[ Congratulations! ]
[ You have been Appointed as Brass Entwine's Disciple ]
[ From now on, You will gain skills and experience through "Disciple Quest" Managed by Brass Entwine ]
"As your first task, I want you to fix your past mistakes and make me proud." He then turned the handle of his hammer towards me.
[ Disciple Quest: Grave Fixation Part 1
Difficulty: E-
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Recreate the Broken Hut to the best of your Abilities 0/1
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Time Limit: 7 Days
Upon Failure: Increase the Difficulties of Future "Disciple Quests"
Reward: Decrease the Difficulties of Future "Disciple Quests" ]
"F-fine," I accepted my fate with a forced smile.
After becoming Brass's Disciple, I began a routine of training and working.
Apart from ridiculously strange Quests with their ridiculous Penalties, he taught me much about magic. Of course, since I wasn't a [Necromancer], I couldn't use skills like [Skeleton Summon], but I gained some non-exclusive skills thanks to Brass.
Daily, he injected me with mana to enhance my senses and connect with mana. At first, it was hard and even painful, but I managed it and improved.
After 2 and a half months as Brass's Disciple, I mastered the unknown sense.
[ Skill "Mana Sense" Leveled Up ]
[ Skill "Mana Sense" Reached Max Level ]
Phew—I could feel it… the mana in my veins and my surroundings. I could control it effortlessly and precisely.
"Why did you learn [Mana Sense] to begin with?" one might ask. I will explain with an example.
Imagine a swordsman who owns a high-end slash skill but lacks sword experience. Upon confronting an enemy, although he owns a high-end slash skill, he can't damage his enemy due to poor swordsmanship.
Magic is like that too. To use their skills properly, one must learn mana control.
[ Skill "Dead Flame Ball" Activated ]
With perfect Mana Control, one can handle the power, trajectory, and speed of each magic to its maximum efficiency in battle.
BOOOM—! Without proper mana control, no matter what skill you own, you'd be better off dead.
"Wow, that was cool. But did you finish your TASK?" said the angry man beside me.
"I'm going to finish it," I said.
"Ugh, truly marvelous. Who would have thought that you could learn perfect Mana Control within 3 months?" he said, holding a little grudge.
For a normal person, learning this would take over a year of non-stop practice, so I understood Brass. I wanted to see his reaction after telling him about the talents of 10 playable characters, but I decided not to.
"Hey old man. What are you going to do now?" I asked with a soft smile.
"(Did he call me old man?)… I don't know. What are you going to do?" he replied.
I looked at the sky, and the new graveyard without the magical mist made the scene even better. While looking at the sky, I made a serious gesture.
"… This world needs me, but I don't need it. I'm not a hero, yet acting like one seems fun. This world did me a favor, so I'm going to do one."
"…" The old man listened intently. He probably couldn't understand what I was saying, yet he stayed quiet. What a good man he was.
"I don't know what will happen to the memories left behind, but for the sake of the world and myself, I need to start from the beginning. [Reset]."
[ Skill "Save & Reset: Reset" Activated ]
[ Restarting From the Recent Checkpoint ]