novelraw Chapter 38 38: There are other ways to gain skills besides learning them from scrolls
Chapter 38 38: There are other ways to gain skills besides learning them from scrolls
"I'm going alone," Leon said evenly. "I'm not joining any team."
For a moment, nobody spoke, like everyone needed a few seconds just to digest what they'd heard.
Adam stared at him, brows knitting together, mouth parting slightly as if he couldn't decide whether to laugh or clutch his head and ask if Leon was serious. Marek, on the other hand, just let one corner of his mouth lift in a short, almost amused smile, the kind you wore when you'd expected exactly this from the start and never once hoped for anything else.
The lecturers exchanged uneasy looks, clearly trying to figure out whether this was courage, stupidity, or something sitting uncomfortably between the two.
Natalia spoke after a beat, fatigue threaded with irritation in her voice.
"Have you completely lost it?" she asked, staring at Leon like he'd grown a second head. "You want to go out alone after all this?"
Leon shrugged, like she'd asked about something trivial instead of his odds of dying.
"Whether I've lost it or not, you don't need to worry about my mental health," he said dryly. "Specialists decided years ago I've got a few screws loose."
A couple people gave nervous, uncertain laughs, still not fully convinced it was a joke.
Professor Kowalczyk scratched at his graying temple, hesitated, then tried again in a gentler tone.
"Leon…" he began. "The four of you have real strength together. As a group you can handle most threats. Going out alone, even for you, could be dangerous, especially if you run into something like that… violet marten again."
Leon shook his head once, short, final, no extra words. The decision was made. There was nothing to debate.
Natalia pinned him with a stare so cold it felt like it could freeze the air if it had weight. For a second she looked like she was about to snap something sharper back at him, but in the end she only nodded.
"Then go rest," she said, clipped and irritated. "Tomorrow you'll find out what task you're getting."
Leon looked over everyone gathered there, then gave them an unhurried nod.
"Goodnight," he said.
A few people nodded back, still watching him with a mix of uncertainty and fascination. Marek answered quietly,
"Sweet dreams," with a faint smile that looked more like a grimace from someone who knew nobody here was sleeping well tonight.
Natalia just snorted under her breath, never taking her eyes off him as he left.
When the door closed behind Leon, Adam stared at the spot where he'd disappeared and scratched his cheek.
"He seems… kind of cold, right?" he said, unsure.
Marek shrugged.
"Given how strong he is?" he replied. "I don't blame him for wanting to move alone. If I could blink in and out of places like that, I'd probably act the same."
Adam nodded, but the surprise was still there in his eyes. Leon was the first guy he'd ever met who could stay completely indifferent to Natalia's beauty. Even Adam, who people called exceptional, confident, had felt her presence pull at him, even if she'd never tried to create that effect.
Natalia's almost unreal beauty, paired with her icy, distant personality, had made her an untouchable point of reference on campus for years. Long blue hair that always looked like someone had put far more care into it than she'd ever admit. A cool, steady gaze with no nervousness in it. The way she moved and spoke made it feel like the world should adjust to her, not the other way around.
She wasn't warm. She wasn't approachable.
And somehow that exact combination drew people in even harder, because everyone who looked at her felt like they were standing in the presence of someone just a little higher up, even if she never said it out loud.
"Forget it," Natalia said at last, turning back toward the table and the map like Leon had stopped existing. "Let's continue."
Her voice was calm and practical, no emotion on the surface. Not because she didn't care, but because she did. She didn't want power. She didn't need people listening out of obligation. She just didn't want anyone dying for nothing.
But if that man refused to listen and insisted on moving by his own rules, she couldn't force him. In a world that was coming apart at the seams, everyone had the right to choose their own path,
Even if it ended in a lonely death.
***
Leon returned to the café, closed the door behind him, and leaned against the counter for a moment, like he was only now allowing himself to actually breathe. Valeria followed in silence, her steps nearly soundless.
Only after a long pause did she speak, resting a hip against the counter as she studied him.
"Why were you so cold to them?" she asked at last, her tone uncharacteristically free of teasing.
Leon looked at her, genuinely surprised.
"Cold?" he repeated. "Did it really come off that way?"
Valeria narrowed her eyes, like she was trying to decide whether he was joking or dead serious. When she saw his expression, she let out a quiet sigh.
"Leon…" she said more seriously. "Do you even have friends?"
The question hung in the air.
"Of course I do," Leon replied without hesitation, straightening. "I've got my group from high school. We've been gaming together for years. And…" He paused for a fraction of a second. "I know people at uni too. Group projects, hanging out sometimes. Normal stuff."
"So…" Valeria tilted her head. "Someone you can call at three in the morning and say things are bad?"
Leon opened his mouth, then closed it.
"That… depends," he muttered. "Not everyone has to be that dramatic."
Valeria watched him in silence. Then, for the first time that day, her expression softened.
She stepped closer and, to his surprise, gently patted his head.
"It's fine," she said more quietly. "Everyone's got their issues. I'm not going to judge you just because you're… a weirdo. People don't always know how to get close to each other. And either way, you'll always be my lover."
Leon immediately swatted her hand away.
"I'm not a weirdo," he scoffed. "And stop with the 'lover' thing."
Valeria lifted both hands in a mock-surrender and smiled innocently.
"Fine, fine. Let's say you're… special in your own way."
Leon rolled his eyes, clearly trying to kill the topic.
"Change the subject," he said. "Tell me something actually interesting."
Valeria thought for a moment, tapping a finger against the countertop, then nodded.
"Alright," she said. "Since we're here, I can explain a bit more about Essence Record and skills."
She hopped up onto the counter, bracing her hands on either side of her hips, and looked at Leon in that way that made it feel like time slowed down, like he'd suddenly stepped into the center of attention he wasn't sure he wanted. Leon stood opposite her, leaning against the edge of a table, arms hanging loose.
For several seconds neither of them spoke, like they were both waiting to see who would lose patience first.
Finally Leon let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
"So…" he said at last. "Are you going to start, or are we just going to stare at each other until morning?"
Valeria raised one finger, like she was about to scold him, then slowly wagged it with a faint smile.
"In ancient times," she began calmly, "when a master taught his disciples, the disciples sat cross-legged in silence and listened carefully to every word."
Leon stared at her, one eyebrow rising.
"You've got to be kidding."
Valeria only smiled, no answer, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Leon sighed long and hard, looked away, then back at her as if weighing whether this conversation was even worth it.
In the end he sank to the floor, sitting like someone collapsing after a long day. Nothing happened.
Valeria tilted her head and gestured subtly toward his legs, spread out messily, more exhausted survivor than "disciple."
Leon closed his eyes for a second, inhaled slowly, then, with obvious resignation, adjusted his position and crossed his legs properly.
"If this turns out to be a waste of time…" he muttered.
Valeria nodded as if she'd accepted the condition, and her expression finally turned serious.
"Essence Record," she said, "is an existence nobody has ever fully understood. It has no form, no body, no single definition. All we know is that it reaches worlds where mana exists and forces it into motion on a scale no civilization has achieved on its own."
She slid down from the counter and leaned back against it, speaking like she was reciting something she'd lived with for far too long.
"Mana has always existed on this planet," she continued. "Hidden. Passive. Almost dead. Essence Record acts like a jolt, like a shove that forces it to circulate. And the races and species living in that world…" She paused, meeting Leon's eyes. "…get pushed onto an evolutionary path."
She licked her lips, choosing her words.
"You've already noticed it. When you defeat enemies, you grow stronger because you absorb the essence of what they were. That essence isn't just energy. It carries a record of everything that creature was, its growth, its stats, its potential. You could call it a trace of its soul."
Leon didn't move an inch. He listened.
"A small portion of that soul is delivered to the victor by Essence Record," Valeria went on. "The loser becomes fuel, evolutionary pressure that pushes the winner forward. The stronger the creature, the denser the essence, the bigger the reward. And if the essence is powerful enough…" She shrugged lightly. "…you get a box, an artifact, or a skill scroll."
She fell silent for a moment, like she was debating whether to go deeper, then shook her head.
"That's enough for now. The rest would be more theory than anything you can use."
Leon snorted softly, resting his hands on his knees.
"Most of that you've already told me," he said. "Or I figured it out myself."
Valeria looked at him through half-lidded eyes, amusement flickering there, playing the weary teacher stuck with a stubborn, mouthy student.
She let out a long sigh, shifting her weight onto one hip, the sound perfectly matching someone who'd realized their "student" was going to take the longest possible route through every lesson.
"You're really rebellious for someone who was an ordinary student yesterday," she said idly. "And spoiled by the system, too. Stats, boxes, scrolls… and you still complain like you've got it all figured out."
Leon raised an eyebrow, but before he could answer, Valeria continued, this time without a hint of joking.
"What if I told you," she said calmly, dropping the words like a stone into still water, "that there are other ways to gain skills besides learning them from scrolls."