For the past two days, the stay at Queen's Reach Academy had been uninteresting for Darien Seaborn.
The new knight inductees were drilled thoroughly on weapon proficiency, sparring techniques, and foundational combat principles.
They were introduced to their assigned tutors and mentors, spending hours getting familiar with one another through drills and squad exercises.
Although he didn't look like he was, Darien was far ahead in physical aptitude and weapon control. Only a few lessons actually challenged him.
Because of this, he was regularly the demonstration student employed by their instructors.
"He might look a bit spare, but young Darien here seems to have the strongest physique amongst you all. And as we know, unmatched weapon excellence too. Please, do learn from Darien."
The attention from the teachers and fellow students didn't really move him. He still felt a lot was unaccomplished, so any moment he got, he left the knight-track, attending magus modules.
Whenever Darien was absent from the dojo where the knight students regularly gathered for morning Flow meditation, his absence never went unnoticed.
He was simply too bright to be missed, so everyone was always on the lookout for him.
In Queen's Reach Academy, no module was compulsory, no attendance enforced, not even training itself.
One could skip it all and no one would chase them down—but their growth would be their own burden to bear. It would be the most imprudent thing to do after coming all this way.
So while Darien couldn't be faulted for leaving, they still noticed.
That morning, Endor, the knights' primary tutor, sat cross-legged in a calm meditative stance before the gathered knights.
His eyes opened, scanning the rows.
Stopping his scan, he fished out the duo that often hung around the boy in question.
"Jakob. Mirielle. Where is your friend?"
Jakob and Mirielle glanced at each other warily.
Darien had told them he would be attending many modules, a claim they didn't believe, but he was doing just that.
They hoped that wouldn't anger their tutor, Endor. After all, it would be sad to learn the best knight student was finding interest in mage works.
"He said he was going to attend a class on History."
Tutor Endor sighed at Jakob's reply, but he didn't press further as he closed his eyes again. He also smiled faintly, savoring peace.
"Hmph… that boy. Well, let him. Now then—keep your breathing steady. You're doing well."
Darien had no trouble keeping up with the mage-track students in their modules; in fact, he stood out among them.
His mind was sharp, always attentive, and he grasped complex theories with ease, faster than some who had studied magic for years in their childhood.
History of the world, study of the Energy, elemental and mystical affinities, and dungeon ecology were his best modules so far.
Even though the curriculum was just beginning, Darien already felt like he had learned more useful things here than anywhere else before.
He knew he needed that knowledge, and much more, if he was to thrive in the deeper, deadlier ventures that lay ahead.
The history class was warm with thought, as the instructor turned from the blackboard to face her class. Her robe swept behind her as she glared hard at the seated students, who looked up eagerly and attentively.
After minutes of lecturing, it was time for a few questions to be sure they were tagging along.
"Some believe the dungeons were created by design, others claim they were pure accident, sudden fractures in the world's foundation. What do you think?"
A boy to the right in the middle row calmly raised his hand instantly. He didn't even need time to weigh his answer.
It was Darien, of course.
Noting his zeal to answer, the instructor picked him.
Darien answered with clarity, while the mages he shared the class with gritted their teeth in disdain.
"It was neither design nor accident. The dungeons were forged during the Celestial War, when the Old Gods clashed against the Newborn Pantheon. Their power tore through reality, and the dungeons, along with their Bridges, were remnants of that divine rupture. In summary: it's not design, not accident, but consequence."
A silent class followed after Darien's answer, all other students evaluating his words in their heads. But the instructor broke the silence with agreeing nods.
"Perfect answer, Darien. And sharp phrasing. That interpretation is not only historically supported, it's rarely spoken with such sublimity. Very remarkable. It's rare to find a knight so deeply engaged in the historical arcana. Keep at it, young man!"
Other students often seethed whenever Darien participated strongly in classes. He always answered and even posed queries of his own with ease, which won him the favor of nearly every instructor.
Other mage students felt like they were regularly bruised by this reality each time his insights were praised on topics that they, by all rights, were supposed to dominate.
Darien always ignored the whispers that trailed him after lectures, the scorns, and the jokes. He knew he wasn't here to get attached to the whatness of the Academy.
Competing, practicalizing, rune-making, alchemy, and all that—those were too deep. Darien had only come for the superficial academy arc.
He had only a few vital reasons why he was here, and enforcing them smoothly was the goal so he wouldn't mess up his progression.
But Darien didn't know that his very nonchalant attitude would even amplify the attention he received.
His indifference made him a thorn for his fellow students, as they couldn't stand that he didn't care for their rankings and still managed to shine in all lectures.
On a few occasions, they cornered him.
"Why don't you just drop the act and leave the real studies to us?"
"Go flex your swords in a sparring pit, fake mage."
"You don't belong in here. You just memorize and show off. There's no depth in that."
Fortunately for Darien, the Academy's laws were as firm as seals.
It was strictly forbidden to cast offensive spells or engage in any form of combat within the Academy grounds—or even within the capital city's walls, for that matter.
Those who violated this rule, regardless of lineage or family prestige, faced consequences.
Furthermore, nobility didn't hold weight in all academies—as they say.
Heirs of Dukes and Barons were treated like other students once within the Academy's gates.
This gave Darien a sense of freedom, because he knew they could only scowl and grumble—nothing else.
Eager to accelerate his understanding, Darien requested access to the General Library, and he was given one promptly. His commendable participation in classes had earned him a stockpile of student credits.
The library was enormously large, about fifty feet tall in ceiling height, with many hallways built of cold, dark stone.
There were tens of thousands of books, and there were also about a hundred sitting arrangements.
The multitude of books filled the towering shelves, arranged perfectly in accordance with the wall's enigmatic and fortified architectural appearance.
Darien's neck ached just by gawking upward at the lined racks filled with scrolls, everything entailing mystique and antiquity.
The General Library's meticulous arrangement was primarily collected by Source of the Knowledge.
This first classification divided the repository into Original works of the Academy, written by mages who qualified from Queen's Reach, or borrowed works from the neighbouring academies.
The other two classifications were Recovered Tomes, works sourced from ruins, dungeons, or from the Primordial World itself, and finally, Forbidden and Sealed works, the restricted section that was under magical locks.
Darien only had library passes for Original works, so he kept himself in that section.
By far, it was the largest of the three, and vast enough to contain the other two five times over—a library within a library.
Under Original works were classifications by Discipline, which included elemental studies, historical studies, mystical studies, astral studies, etc.
Darien moved to the quarters for historical studies because he wished to expand his knowledge much faster beyond the pace and scale of the lessons.
The history of Valurion wasn't just about understanding the impactful events of the past, but also about grasping the world's system and subtleties that could define much on a grander scale.
Darien ignored the stares of several robed mages who definitely didn't like the sight of him in the General Library when there were two secondary libraries he could visit.
Their sentiments were that knights belonged on battlefields, not among shelves of parchment and ink.
Unbothered, the foreign bastard strode to the towering cases he eyed and pulled free three volumes.
The first book was a detailed narrative about the ways the Descent had altered and reshaped the world. It was titled 'Veins of the Broken Dawn,' and its time-worn appearance entailed that it had been read by many.
The second book was 'Labyrinthum Primus: Beasts, Races, and the Primeval Realms,' a chronicle about the first and early explorations of the dungeons, their shifting themes, ecologies, and the bizarre creatures that seemed almost tethered to the bones of the Primordial World.
Darien thought this one to be the most important of all three he picked. Why? The Novice Dungeon would be his first true hurdle, apart from the Primordial Forest, and it would also not be his last.
To attack those halls and landscapes of the unknown with ignorance was deadlier than any kind of boss within.
Apart from descriptions, the book promised insights and patterns of the dungeons, the ways their environments could turn against the unprepared, and the peculiar instincts of the creatures bound to their ancient domains.
Some students were knowledgeable on this already. Darien knew he had to learn.
The third book was 'Early Paths of Warrior Orders.' This one explored the dawn of martial brotherhoods, both mages and knights.
Darien expected to learn some tactical doctrines and forgotten training moves over the years.
After confirming the contents, the young boy carried the tomes to a nearby seating arrangement, ready to drink in at one command each.
Darien opened his stat panel and smiled at the two skills he had made. Without them, he wouldn't even be able to read, nor could he consume three books in one library visit.
[Skill: Omnilingua]
[Type: Utility / Special]
[Level: (5-star)]
[Description: A skill that allows the user to instantly comprehend, interpret, and mentally translate any written or spoken language encountered, regardless of complexity or origin.]
It was Darien's first 5-star skill, and it had cost him a hefty 400 SP. But it was definitely worth every bit of the price, for as the saying went, "A tongue for all words is a key to all worlds."
The next skill immediately worked hand in hand with
[Skill: Instant Comprehension]
[Type: Utility / Special]
[Level: (5-star)]
[Description: A skill that allows the user, upon activation, to instantly extract, internalize, and retain the complete contents of any literary work or inscribed material within sight, bypassing the need for conventional reading time.]
Darien slyly glanced at his Skill Points balance, satisfied that he had way more than enough left.
[SP: 12800]