Once they finished their dinner, the two of them exited the canteen together, walking side by side. The passing students cast strange looks at the duo; in particular, they directed harsh glares directly at Max.
'These people truly hate me,' Max laughed inwardly.
"Have you already joined a Party for the Dungeon Expedition?" Moon asked.
"Not yet. I might have to find a Party within the next two days," Max replied.
Upon mentioning the topic of Parties, Max realized he would soon need to either find an existing Party or form one of his own. He could gather a few individuals from his own Class, or he could recruit first year students from other Classes. However, as far as he could tell, no one would be willing to let him join their Party, nor would they acknowledge his call if he attempted to form his own.
"If you wish, you may join my Party. There is currently one spot remaining," Moon casually offered, inviting Max to join her team.
Max instantly fell into deep thought regarding whether or not he should accept her invitation. She belonged to an entirely different Class. In his own fantasies, he was supposed to join Isabelle's Party, and he had half expected to encounter her during dinner. Unfortunately, she had not shown up; she must have eaten her dinner before Max arrived.
He could no longer rely on his own fantasies. If he were to miss this opportunity, he would certainly struggle to join any other Party later, and joining a Party was strictly mandatory in order to participate in the Dungeon Expedition.
"Sure, if you are fine with it," Max stated.
"Excellent. Then I shall see you tomorrow at this exact same time alongside the other members," Moon said as she walked away toward the female dormitory building.
Max watched her retreating figure for a brief moment before turning to head toward his own dorm room.
The following morning, after freshening up, Max directly proceeded to the Swordsman training grounds. As usual, he was early.
However, his early arrival today held a different purpose. After successfully activating the Skill Proficiency for his other two Skills, only one Class Skill remained, the very one he had put a lot of effort into. Thus, he was eager to activate his Swordsman Skill, which was why he had arrived so early.
He directly walked toward his regular spot and stood there, holding his sword. Everything had started in this location. It was at this exact spot that he had felt the first sensation; following that, in quick succession, he had improved his Skills exponentially.
Without waiting for anything, he went through every step exactly as he had done the previous evening.
Along with a ticking sensation, the Skill activated. A gust of wind materialized around the dummy, forming ten inch moon blades composed of white energy. The moon blades violently landed upon every part of the dummy, leaving cleave marks in their wake.
[Sword Tempest]
Skill Proficiency: 2%
Description: Unleashes a violent storm of rapid sword strikes, continuously slashing all enemies within the user's surrounding area. The attack persists for a short duration, dealing repeated damage to every target caught within its range.
The gust of wind existed for exactly five seconds, during which a total of at least fifty moon blades landed on the dummy. It was truly a divine Swordsman Skill.
The only disadvantage of this Skill was that it drained almost all of his Mana reserves. He needed to master this Skill to the point where he could naturally utilize a single moon blade, instead of attacking with fifty blades simultaneously, which was overkill. Furthermore, if the attack did not land on the enemy, Max would be in danger, as he would have expended all of his Mana.
Max did not think this was impossible. A few days before, he was not capable of even utilizing his own Class Skills, yet now he could use them at any time without fail. Therefore, with practice, he would perfect his Skill slowly and steadily.
Currently, he possessed an offensive Skill. Now, he wanted a defensive Skill that could block incoming attacks. He already possessed a defensive Swordsman Skill. All he needed to do now was wait for his Mana to recover, and then he could activate that Skill as well.
[Sword Barrier]
Description: Forms a protective barrier of sword energy around the user, reducing incoming damage from all directions for a limited duration.
He had never attempted to use or even practice this Skill before. He had felt it was a complete waste of time; since he could not even utilize his first Skill, what use was there in attempting the others? As a result, a total of four Swordsman Skills were left aside to gather dust. However, it was now time for him to retrieve them from the dust and polish these Skills, as its need for him had greatly increased.
Max waited until his Mana pool replenished. This process occurred quickly, as the training grounds were Mana enhanced; one could absorb double the standard quantity compared to a regular location. Therefore, students did not need to waste their time waiting for their Mana pools to fill. Furthermore, they were instructed to utilize their Mana skillfully, as doing so would increase one's overall strength.
For example, with a single Skill usage, Max had expended all of his Mana. If his enemy were not an inanimate dummy but an actual monster, Max would be bound to die on the spot. Max, who had never put any thought into this topic earlier for obvious reasons, now needed to begin Mana conservation training as well. Although he knew how to conduct this training theoretically, he needed to put that theory into actual practice.
Max conducted regular sword practice while he waited. As more students began to arrive, they snorted upon seeing Max as the first person present. To them, it seemed obvious that Max was merely trying hard to build a reputation for himself.
Soon, his Mana pool had recovered enough to utilize the Skill.
He assumed a stance and executed the steps according to his own understanding, the exact method that worked for him. Instead of holding the mere intent to utilize the Skill, which had never worked, he projected a strong desire for the Skill's actual effect. Thus, his entire desire focused on the Skill enveloping his body within a protective sword barrier that would shield him from incoming attacks.
Next came Mana Channeling, which was easily accomplished. Finally came the Action. Instead of executing a sword slash, Max grasped the hilt with both hands and held the sword firmly in front of his body.
This was the textbook action required to activate a defensive Skill. Soon, the steps were completed, and sword energy instantly surrounded him. This energy appeared similar to the moon blades that had attacked the dummy earlier; however, instead of taking the form of blades, it manifested as a solid barrier.
Max maintained the action for three seconds before the barrier automatically dissipated. Exactly as the description stated, the barrier only remained for a limited duration, even though his Mana pool was not fully depleted.
With that, Max successfully activated another Skill, a highly important one. He possessed two more Skills to activate, but he felt that these two would be sufficient for now.
[Sword Barrier]
Skill Proficiency: 2%
Description: Forms a protective barrier of sword energy around the user, reducing incoming damage from all directions for a limited duration.
If he worked hard and practiced to increase their Proficiency, he could eventually attempt the other Skills. After all, activating them definitely applied a lot of pressure, as he also had Class Skills from his other Classes to work on. For each Class, he would solely focus upon two Skills until he felt completely confident in their activation, Mana consumption, and various other aspects.
Once the Sword practice concluded at noon, Max had his lunch and proceeded directly to the Healing practice class. Yesterday, he had spent very little time on healing, leaving in a state of giddiness to test his Archery Skills without even attempting the Skill a second time. Now, however, he had an entire half day at his disposal. Thus, he could properly assess how well he could utilize his Healing Skill, which would definitely prove useful during difficult times within a Dungeon.
Upon entering the room, Max noticed his fellow students engaged in the exact same practice as yesterday. As he walked forward to pick up his own withered branch, several pairs of eyes shifted toward him. Some displayed reactions of disgust, while others exhibited reactions of surprise. Max could clearly discern the differing reactions among the crowd. Some were angry that a youth with below average talent had successfully completed the practice session yesterday, while they, who considered themselves the best of the best, still struggled to achieve it. The few who bore surprised expressions on their faces were individuals who had already achieved full success in the practice.
Disregarding their reactions, Max simply picked up a twig for himself and moved to his regular spot. Yesterday, before the twig could fully turn green, his Mana had been completely drained. Today, however, he not only intended to turn the entire twig into a green sapling, but he also wished to practice Mana conservation. He needed to learn how to utilize his Mana efficiently so that he would not drain all of it in a single instance.
Previously, when he had struggled to activate his Skills, he had never put any thought into Mana Channeling; he simply used his energy lavishly, as all of his focus was poured solely into activating the Skill itself. Now that he had overcome his greatest struggle, he needed to concentrate on how Mana Channeling truly worked, determining if he could use as little Mana as possible to achieve the exact same effect as when his Mana was expended lavishly. For this particular practice, the Healing Skill would aid him greatly.