Alex entered his room, closing the door with a soft click. He exhaled a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The distant chatter of students, the glow of mana lamps—everything felt muted.
His mind was elsewhere.
'The system… it's finally updated…'
Excitement flared in his chest like a spark catching fire. All the tension and fear from earlier evaporated instantly.
He needed to check it out immediately.
Alex sat on his bed, straightened his back, and summoned the interface. The translucent window unfolded before him—different now, a new option added.
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[Supreme Magus System]
[System Level: 4]
[Status] [Inventory] [Quests] [Shop] [Map]
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He tapped on it.
Instantly, information poured into his mind—smooth, seamless, intuitive.
He inhaled sharply.
This wasn't just a map. It was a navigation system straight out of an advanced RPG—but better. Cleaner. Smarter.
He could zoom, rotate, mark, track—terrain, rooms, paths, everything appeared with precise clarity. The layout responded to his will instantly, expanding and shifting like a living construct.
Markers blinked into place—location tags, item signals, hazards, even faint signatures of people.
Enemies, too.
"If something steps into range… the map shows it automatically…" Alex whispered, awe dripping from every word.
It wasn't omniscient—yet. Map data existed only for places he had visited. Everything else required system points.
Alex grimaced. "Pay-to-use… of course."
Still, something made him sit straighter. It had a fully detailed map of the Academy.
'…Even though I haven't explored half of this place.'
Whatever the reason—perk or gift—it was insanely convenient.
The best part?
Detection range was bound to his mana sense.
A few hundred meters right now—but even that made the system absurdly powerful. It felt like holding a miniature world in his hands.
Alex couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face.
Aurora drifted down, arms crossed. "Hmm? You look suspiciously thrilled. What did the new update come with this time?"
Alex explained the Map feature.
"A spatial navigation module?" she muttered. "With active detection… real-time markers… automatic hazard scanning…" Her voice sharpened with each word. "You're telling me you have this now?"
"Yep." Alex tried—very unsuccessfully—to hide his smugness.
Aurora groaned dramatically. "Your system thingy is a real cheat. It's so unfair."
But beneath the annoyance, she was clearly excited for him.
After exploring the map for quite a while—Aurora making increasingly snide comments with every new feature he uncovered—Alex finally tore his gaze away from the glowing interface.
"Alright… next." He opened his notifications, scrolling through the pending prompts.
[System Shop Update Available]
[Does the host want to update the system shop?]
[Update Time: 6 hours]
[Update Cost: 1000 SP]
[Y/N]
Alex blinked. "Huh… the shop can update now?"
Before, the experience required for a shop update was capped. It couldn't be upgraded at all due to the system level being too low.
Now, that restriction was gone.
"I've been waiting for this." He clicked the update immediately, excitement sparking through him. He had been wanting this for weeks—C-rank skills, higher-tier potions, new equipment options.
This update was going to be big.
As the system interface faded, Alex finally leaned back on his bed with a long exhale. Only then did his stomach give a deep, angry growl.
He had gone straight from the ceremony to Principal Elena's office, spent half of his day sparring, then being interrogated, lectured, advised, pressured, and recruited… and somehow hadn't eaten a single bite since morning.
He stood up, ready to head to the cafeteria.
But Aurora drifted in front of him, arms spread like a glowing, floating barricade.
"Hold it."
Alex asked "What?"
Aurora's expression turned grave, the kind of seriousness she only used when she was about to deliver bad news he didn't want.
"You may not have noticed," she said, lowering her voice a little, "but a lot of students are looking for you."
Alex froze. "Looking for me? I think I know why."
Aurora floated closer, tapping her chin. "Yes, and I doubt they want to congratulate you. Some are curious. Some are annoyed. Most are simply… jealous. They seem to want to pick a fight."
"…Of course they do." Alex muttered, lips twitching in exhausted resignation.
The only reason none of them were banging on his door yet was because—
He didn't have a roommate, and he didn't socialize much. So he was safe for now. But if he walked into a crowded cafeteria at this hour…
Alex visibly deflated.
After everything that had happened today—after the interrogation, revelations, stress, pressure, and emotional drain—the very last thing he wanted was to be swarmed by nosy teenagers who all wanted something from him.
'I just want one normal meal.' he thought tiredly.
He rubbed his face. "Yeah. No thanks. I don't have the energy for that."
Aurora brightened a little. "Then stay in. You still have food in your storage ring, right?"
"Right." He opened the ring with a thought, pulling out neatly packed meals he'd stored days ago as emergency rations.
Alex exhaled, finally able to breathe properly for the first time all day.
"Today was… a lot."
Aurora snorted lightly. "And tomorrow Elena starts training you. So enjoy the peace while it lasts."
"I'm doomed, aren't I?"
Aurora patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Absolutely."
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
[The shop has been updated!]
[New items are now available.]
'Alright… let's see what you've got for me.'
As expected, the C-rank skills had finally become available. A new row of potions appeared as well—dozens of them, each more specialized and polished than the last.
He skimmed through the potions first. There were many new options, and all of them looked useful in one way or another… but he felt no spark of interest.
'Yeah, the system's potions were amazing and useful during the Wilderness Training Course.' Alex admitted. But right now, potions weren't what he cared about.
He switched to the Skills tab. Six newly unlocked C-rank skills greeted him.
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[Skills]
F-rank skills: 50 SC
- Meditate
E-rank skills: 200 SC
- Bow Novice
- Spear Novice
C-rank skills: 10000 SC
- Bow Expert
- Critical Hit
- Medicinal Adaptation
- Spear Expert
- Swap
- Sword Expert
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Alex raised a brow as he scanned them.
Bow Expert. Spear Expert. Sword Expert. Direct evolutions of the weapon skills he already possessed.
'Good upgrades… but boring.'
His attention slid immediately to the other three. Critical Hit, Medicinal Adaptation and Swap.
These—unlike the weapon upgrades were really new. Alex leaned forward slightly, curiosity stirring as he tapped the first description.
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Skill: Critical Hit (Passive)
Rank: C
Description:
- Randomly triggers a critical-hit window when the target's health drops to 50% or below
- Requires the user to strike the designated weak point with precise aim and perfect timing to activate the critical effect
- Grants a massive damage boost upon a successfully executed critical hit
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A genuine, skill-based critical strike mechanic. He actually had that now.
"A guaranteed chance to deal multiplied damage when conditions are met… That's… insanely good." he whispered, unable to hide the thrill in his voice.
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Skill: Medicinal Adaptation (Passive)
Rank: C
Description:
- Allows the user's body to rapidly adapt to various medicinal substances, improving overall compatibility and absorption
- Increases the effectiveness of potions and elixirs while reducing or negating potential negative side effects
- Slows the buildup of resistance from continuous or repeated use of medicinal items, maintaining their long-term potency
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His eyes widened.
"So I don't have to wait between potions anymore?" he murmured.
Normally, chugging potions back-to-back was a terrible idea. The body needed time to process medicinal mana. Otherwise? Resistance buildup. Diminished effects. Unpredictable side reactions. Worst case—mana poisoning.
But this skill… neatly removed that entire limitation.
He could chain potions if he needed to. A soft grin tugged at his lips. This was broken. In a good way.
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Skill: Swap (Active)
Rank: C
Description:
- Allows the user to exchange the positions of two equivalent objects within a range of up to 10 meters
- Swap efficiency depends on the user's mental strength, with larger or denser objects increasing the strain
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A spatial exchange skill that let him instantly switch the position of two objects within a certain range.
Alex let out a low whistle. "So cool!" He could already imagine a dangerously perfect idea to use it.