novelraw Chapter 51 : Chapter 51
Chapter 51 : Chapter 51
Chapter 51 : Classification
"Now, everyone. Welcome to your first Skill class!"
The professor standing on the podium spoke energetically.
"I am Professor Lombardi. My hero name is Forte. I want to get to know all of you taking this class, but before that, there is something we need to know first. It is about your abilities, or to be more precise, which Essence category those abilities belong to."
Lombardi raised his hand to bring up a screen.
The content appeared on a screen large enough for the entire Cohort to see.
"Everyone, please do not touch the Cores on your desks yet. We will use those later during the first practical session. Instead, please look at the screen in front first. What you are seeing now is the list of known Essence classifications for skills. Take a moment to think about where your abilities belong. If you are confused or have any questions, please do not hesitate to raise your hand."
Essence Classification
● Mental Type
● Mimicry Type
● Influence Type
● Invention Type
● Movement Type
● Body Manipulation Type
● Body Transformation Type
● Energy Manipulation Type
● Enhancement/Replication Type
Lombardi walked in front of the screen and pointed at each item one by one.
"Let me explain briefly. The Mental Type exists in very diverse forms, but it is different from the Influence Type or Energy Manipulation Type. It is literally the ability to manipulate the mind. For example, things like telepathy, mind control, precognition, and clairvoyance."
He turned toward the students and listed the items with his hands.
"For reference, some abilities might seem like they belong to other categories. For example, there is a lot of debate about whether teleportation is a Mental Type or not, but in this class, we will classify it as an Energy Manipulation Type."
He immediately moved on to the next item.
"Next is the Mimicry Type! This is a slightly complex classification, so if you think you might belong here, please listen carefully. The Mimicry Type allows the user to absorb some characteristics of monsters or creatures. That does not mean you completely transform or clone them, but rather it is a method of enhancing specific stats like strength, speed, or eyesight. Most people in the Mimicry Type often do not even know they belong to this category. If you are unsure, I will help you, so ask questions anytime."
Sal looked around the lecture hall.
Seeing the Essence categories floating on the screen, many students were looking confused.
It seemed his ability would fall under the last item, the Enhancement or Replication Type, but the problem was that he had a secondary ability.
His secondary ability looked closer to the Invention Type no matter how he looked at it.
Sal suddenly wondered if there were other students who had two or more abilities like him.
Divinity, sitting next to him, was leaning back in her chair quietly waiting for the explanation to finish.
Her ability clearly belonged to the Mental Type.
Just then, Professor Lombardi pointed to one of the students who had raised their hand.
"Yes, what are you curious about... Victoria?"
When Sal turned his head to look back, a female student was standing with her hand raised, wearing a sweet smile.
"I think I am like that, Professor. My ability is releasing Essence to affect the opposite sex.... But I control it with my mind. Then does this belong to the Mental Type, or is it the Influence Type?"
Lombardi smiled brightly and clapped his hands.
"That is an excellent question! Let us go a bit deeper. Do you make the opposite sex open their hearts easily, or do you completely control them? For example... if you ordered self-harm, would the other person really act on it?"
Victoria blinked in surprise and stammered as if flustered.
"No way.... I do not do things like that. And... um, I do not think it would even be possible."
Lombardi spread his arms wide.
"Good. Then let us test it directly. Try using your ability on me."
At those words, Victoria's face turned pale in an instant, and the entire lecture hall buzzed.
She looked around to check if she was the only one finding this situation strange.
The worried expressions of other students told her she was not alone.
"Professor, that is a bit...."
Lombardi smiled gently and said.
"It is okay, Victoria. My ability will automatically activate and protect me, so no harm will come to me. Do not worry and give it a try."
Victoria hesitated, then raised her hand and activated her ability on the professor.
After a few seconds of silence passed, Lombardi broke the silence by clapping his hands.
"You did very well, Victoria! Your ability definitely belongs to the Influence Type. However... do not be surprised. It might be of a completely different nature than what you think. I will explain this more in a little while!"
Sal watched Victoria's face turn pale before his eyes.
It was natural, since she had heard that not only did her ability not work on the professor, but it was also completely different from what she had originally thought.
And at that very moment, all the students in the lecture hall finally began to take this class seriously.
Dozens of hands went up all at once, but Lombardi laughed and pointed to the screen.
"I will tell you when the time comes! Now, let us move on to the Influence Type. Abilities like persuasion and Charm usually go into this classification. However, in Victoria's case, to be precise, it is Association. If you polish and train your Essence properly, you will be able to affect not just the opposite sex but other targets as well. Do people not easily feel affection for you? Do people naturally gather around you? Of course, it could be because you have a good personality, but the influence of your ability is also significant, so you must learn how to control it."
Lombardi returned to the screen to explain the next category.
Victoria sat there blankly.
In just a few minutes, her identity had been completely overturned.
"Good, next is the Invention Type. This category includes Upgrade, Restoration, crafting, repair, and so on. Of course, there are arguments that things like crafting or repair should be put into the Energy Manipulation Type. However, according to the principles of creation theory, making something into a new state is invention. In fact, most of those who oppose repair being in the Invention Type are guilds trying to gain benefits in tax categories."
Lombardi laughed at his own joke and moved on to the next classification.
"Next is the Movement Type! You might get a sense of it just by looking, but you must be careful as it is easy to confuse with teleportation. The Movement Type does not mean simple spatial movement, but the improvement of movement speed or reaction capabilities. Speedsters are the most common, and those with acceleration abilities are more numerous than those with reflex abilities. If trained well, you can become a very powerful combatant, or for those who do not want to go to the battlefield, you could become an optimal express delivery person."
He turned toward the students and raised both hands.
"The next category can be a bit sensitive, so I hope you accept it maturely. The Body Manipulation Type refers to the ability to transform the user's own body. It includes enlarging or shrinking parts of the body, and physical alterations to improve physical performance are also included in this category."
Snickering laughter burst out here and there, and Sal also smirked.
However, Lombardi did not mind the peculiar double entendre at all and immediately moved on to the next explanation.
"This also includes body enhancement, speed, and sensory improvement. However, it is different from the Mimicry Type. Because it is a completely individual ability, not mimicking the characteristics of others. Body Manipulation Type users usually have excellent Essence Control abilities. That makes them truly terrifying opponents to face in combat."
At that moment, Divinity turned her head, and Sal moved his gaze to follow hers.
A female student sitting in the second row was smiling brightly, her mouth practically hanging from ear to ear.
Lombardi also noticed the interest focused in that direction and smiled.
"Oh, it seems we have one here? Very good! She will probably fly around during the practical later. Let us look forward to it!"
Sal nudged Divinity with his elbow, requesting an explanation of the situation.
Divinity looked puzzled for a moment, then spoke as if the memory had come back to her.
"Ah, you know there was a combat practice where skill usage was allowed, right? You were in the infirmary after finishing skill registration. That day, she completely crushed her opponent. She grew giant and kicked the opponent around the room, and eventually, that side surrendered."
Sal muttered while looking at the female student who was still smiling.
"Oh, that is a bit scary."
"Now, next is the Body Transformation Type!"
Lombardi continued while pointing at the screen.
"Sinclair, you all know him, right?"
At those words, people flinched here and there as if goosebumps had risen.
No answer was needed.
"Correct. Sinclair is a typical example of the Body Transformation Type. There are partial transformations and full-body transformations, but it does not just mean transforming into another life form. Abilities that turn parts of the body into weapons or armor also belong to this classification. Defensive skills like solidification, transformation, and hardening all go in here too."
Lombardi clapped his hands and pointed to the next item.
"Next is the Energy Manipulation Type. It used to be called Essence Manipulation. Nobody knows why the name changed. Do not ask me. Flashy skills like teleportation, Phase Shift, amplification, and barriers mostly fall into the Energy Manipulation Type."
No one was distracted during the explanation that followed immediately.
"And the last ones are the Enhancement Type and Replication Type. They are different from the Mimicry Type. Replication can copy the actual skill itself, not just mimic characteristics. Enhancement upgrades existing skills, but it is different from abilities that only apply to objects like Upgrade or repair. Like the Body Manipulation Type, Replication Type users also have very excellent Essence Control abilities, and likewise, many possess tremendous combat power. Is there anyone who thinks they fall into this classification?"
Professor Lombardi looked around the lecture hall with an expectant face.
Sal cautiously raised his hand, and seeing that, Lombardi reacted with a bright smile.
"I have conducted classes with three other Cohort classes so far... but you are the first Replication Type user! This class has a Body Manipulation Type and even a Replication Type! I can look forward to this Silver Cohort, can't I?"
Unable to hide his excitement, he stepped back a few paces toward the podium and looked at the students sitting in tiers like an auditorium.
"Good, now raise your hand if you are not sure what your category is! No need to be shy!"
While he pointed out students who raised their hands here and there and took questions, Sal listened to the conversations around him and paid attention to the ability types of other students.
The Body Manipulation Type female student from earlier was still looking at Sal with eyes full of curiosity.
Sal hurriedly turned his head as if to avoid that gaze.
"Great, everyone did well. Now let us summarize everything. Those who think they are the Mental Type, please raise your hands!"
Quite a few students raised their hands.
Seeing that, Lombardi nodded as if satisfied.
"Let us count the numbers too. Fortunately, the Cohort size is limited to 100 people, so calculating percentages is very easy!"
He walked around the lecture hall counting hands and inputting numbers into his tablet.
"Mental Type is 14 people! Next is Mimicry Type? ...Good, 8 people! Influence Type? Exactly 4 people? Invention Type... Mental arithmetic always gets hard at this part. Let's see...."
Lombardi began counting the students one by one from left to right, assigning numbers to each student to avoid confusion.
"Invention Type is a total of 34 people! Wow, this year will be really competitive. Upgrading will be difficult!"
Sal turned his body to look around without realizing it.
He could not believe so many people were in the same category.
'But why didn't I see them in the crafting class? How on earth do the other kids use their abilities?'
"Now, next is the Movement Type?"
As soon as the Invention Type students lowered their hands, the Movement Type students raised theirs.
"21 people! Good, that is a nice number."
Then Lombardi asked an interesting question.
"I am asking just for reference... but if you do not mind, those among the Movement Type students who are thinking of a combat role, please keep your hands raised."
Some students hesitated to lower their hands, afraid they would look like cowards.
But Lombardi did not mock them.
"There is no need to be ashamed of wanting to enter a Supporter role. However, the five of you interested in combat, let's talk for a moment after class. There are a few training methods that are exceptionally effective if started early. Starting from the second week is perfect!"
Lombardi pointed to the female student sitting in the second row.
"Here we have our Body Manipulation Type user. Are there any more friends belonging to the same category?"
He looked around, waiting for hands to go up.
When no one raised their hand, he tapped his tablet and continued speaking.
"There are usually one or two Body Transformation Types in every Cohort... Ah, there are 9? Very excellent!"
Sal looked around.
He saw students smiling and feeling proud whenever their category was mentioned.
They were all being given another identity outside the ranking system.
In particular, some of the lower-ranked students seemed to gain strength from those words.
That this flow was an intended direction could be known from the fact that Lombardi asked them to raise their hands, even though he could guess that the remaining students were the Energy Manipulation Type.
"Energy Manipulation Type? ...8 people! Excellent. I am also from this category. I can probably give you a few tips to maximize training results."
Before turning back toward Sal, he asked the students who were raising their hands.
"By the way, is there anyone who is an amplifier? It is a sub-ability belonging to the Energy Manipulation Type."
Seven out of the eight hands went down, and only one female student anxiously looked around with her hand still raised.
Lombardi pointed at her with a gentle smile.
"Everyone, this is a friend who will become the most precious existence in the Silver Cohort."
Glancing down at his tablet, he smirked and said.
"Is it Whisper?"
She nodded quietly, then quickly lowered her hand and hid herself in her seat as if conscious of the gazes.
It seemed she wanted to hold her breath as all eyes focused on her.
Lombardi laughed lightly and added an explanation.
"Pain follows when you use your ability, right?"
Whisper's eyes snapped up toward Lombardi.
At that look, Lombardi's expression softened considerably.
"I have the same ability. Let's talk for a moment after class."
Then he looked down at his tablet again and said.
"Now, then lastly... Mr. Salvatore?"
He continued speaking while looking at where Sal was sitting.
"Which line do you think you belong to, Enhancement or Replication?"
The distinction between the two did not clearly resonate with Sal, so he asked back instead.
"My skill name is Skill Master. I can replicate abilities, and I can remove knots in the process."
Immediately after saying it, Sal realized that it was something impossible to understand if one did not know about knots.
Just as he was about to sigh deeply inside, surprisingly, Lombardi was looking at Sal with a frozen expression.
A momentary silence enveloped the classroom.
Lombardi quietly walked over to the seat where Sal was sitting.
"May I check your Q-Card?"
At his words, a quiet murmur arose among the students.
When Sal handed over the card, Lombardi checked it and let out an exclamation along with a whistle.
He returned the card and shook his head side to side as if regretful.
"This is getting more and more interesting. This class might truly become a dream combination."
He was just about to leave when he saw something on his tablet and lowered his head again.
Soon, his gaze turned toward Divinity.
He asked in a low voice so that only Sal and Divinity could hear.
"You are the student assigned to the Skill Tuning Chamber, right?"
When Divinity nodded slightly, Lombardi smiled.
"Then, was the person who untied the knot of your ability... also this friend?"
At those words, Divinity could not hide her bewildered expression for a moment and looked at Sal.