Chương 15: DASH

Seong-ho commanded for Dae-ho to be taken to healers and medical support at once. Meanwhile, Jimin was sitting on the ground, gasping and groaning, his arms limp, his legs shaking. The adrenaline had worn off. His entire body pulsed with a dull soreness, as if every muscle was protesting in response to the battle, he just had. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and the metallic tang of blood lingered in the back of his throat. Suddenly, a notification window popped up and a blue window unfolded in front of him.

—------------------------------------------------ [Training to the Limit!] Reward: +20 LP Total LP: 493 —-------------------------------------------------- He blinked. But he didn't show much reaction. Not because it didn't make him happy. But because he was already used to that. But another notification window popped up immediately. —------------------------------------------------------ [First Victory] The Manaborn has won his first battle.

Reward: +500 LP Total LP: 993 —--------------------------------------------------------- Jimin stared at the number; and he was stunned. Holy crap… Five hundred- He didn't even finish the thought. Something inside him just burst. Even though he was in terrible shape and felt like collapsing again, he still raised his fist weakly in the air and yelled; even with his voice cracking,"Hell yeah!!" Ding!! [+20 LP] And with that brief celebration of Jimin, the silence shattered.

The crowd of students; previously holding its breath, while still being unsure if what they witnessed even made sense; exploded into chaos. Cheers, gasps, curses, questions; absolute chaos. Voices overlapped everywhere-"What the hell just happened?!"

"Did you see that? Jimin moved fast… No, he almost teleported for a second!"

"That had to be Dash! No way it wasn't Dash!"

"But he doesn't have any skills!"

"Maybe he had learned it earlier? Dash is a common skill, right?"

"Does that make any sense?"

"Freak."

"Agh! I lost all my money! Damn those two idiots!"

"That damn Dae-ho. All bark, no bite."

"Damn it. Should've bet on that Sam Jimin… Who knew that he would end up winning?!" Jimin couldn't even process half of it. It went over his head, like noise from a fish market. Meanwhile, the medics had already taken Dae-ho away; two of them, carrying him on a stretcher at a brisk pace. A healer followed right behind them, hands glowing a soft glow as she chanted a recovery spell. Another healer knelt beside Jimin. Without even speaking, she touched her two fingers to his forehead.

A warm sensation trickled through him like lukewarm energy flowing inside his veins. Gentle, steady, comforting. But the pain didn't vanish; this wasn't some miraculous instant-recovery cheat; but the sharp pain had dulled. His breathing stabilized. Some strength returned to his limbs. Right then,"Jimin!" Yuna ran toward him, breathless, eyes wide with worry. She reached him and sat beside him, almost slipping on the polished arena floor.

"Is it hurting too much?! Are you injured anywhere? Does it feel too painful? Can you stand? Should I call another healer?"

"Take it easy. I'm not… too badly injured," he said between breaths.

"Mostly exhausted. Just used up my stamina."

"Still." She knelt, raising her hand.

"Let me help." Mana flared softly around her palm. A pale golden glow pulsed outward, bathing his whole body in warmth. The sensation was slightly tingly, like soda was fizzing under his skin. Within a few seconds, his mind started to feel lighter. The dull ache in his muscles eased further. Jimin blinked, surprised.

"Whoa! What did you do?"

"A skill I got," she answered with a small grin.

"It boosts mana and stamina recovery for about two minutes. It's not very strong, but… it is useful."

"That's… really handy," Jimin said.

"Thank you," she said, cheeks lifting as she smiled. Jimin couldn't help but grin back, despite the pain. But she suddenly leaned closer; asked curiously.

"By the way… you didn't have any skill earlier, right? His face froze for half a second. But then she suddenly asked, "Then how did you use Dash?" Dash… And just like that, the memory flooded in- —----- Earlier inside the arsenal… —-------------------------------------------------- Would you like to create this skill? [Yes] [No] —--------------------------------------------------- He didn't even hesitate; he immediately said, Confirm. A window with the full details appeared in front of him.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 【Skill: Dash】 Category: Active Type: Mobility Rank: Uncommon Level: 1 / 50 Description: A short, explosive movement burst in target direction. Increases movement speed by 5 times for 1s. Scaling: AGI → burst speed & control Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

VIT → stamina drain reduction Cooldown: 10s Cost: 15 stamina/use Required LP: 550 LP 【Create】　【Edit】　【Delete】 —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He'd nearly choked. Five hundred fifty LP?! He immediately checked his total LP. [Current LP: 693] The requirement was still too much. Way too much. He needed Dash; but not like this. He couldn't spend almost all the LP just for dash. So he began analyzing the components. The cooldown. Yeah…

That's it. The skill's LP requirement was so high because it was spammable. But he didn't need it to be spammable. I only need it once… to bait him. Or to escape sticky situations. I don't need to use it continuously. So, he started editing, adjusting the numbers. One edit. Another. And another; each time the system recalculated the LP requirement, [Required LP: 450] … [Required LP: 340] …

[Required LP: 290] Finally- —---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 【Skill: Dash】 Category: Active Type: Mobility Rank: Common Level: 1 / 50 Description: A short, explosive movement burst in target direction. Increases movement speed by 5 times for 1s.

Scaling: AGI → burst speed & control VIT → stamina drain reduction Cooldown: 60s Cost: 10 stamina/use Required LP: 220 LP 【Create】　【Edit】　【Delete】 —----------------------------------------------------------------------------"Perfect," he whispered. And he finally created it. Suddenly, he felt a spark; the rush of a new skill settling into his body. And then- BANG!! The arsenal door slammed open. —------ Back to present: So… did you learn it yesterday? Oh! Is that why you looked tired this morning?

You trained to learn 'Dash' all night, didn't you?" Jimin stuttered.

"Ah… Y-yeah. Something like that." In his mind: Yeah… Let's go with that. That is the safest lie I can think about right now. No way she'll think I miraculously created a skill out of nowhere. Yuna nodded, though still a little suspicious.

"Still… that's unusually fast. Learning a skill on the very first day? But again… Dash is quite a common skill." She continued, "Maybe because you didn't have any skill yet, you just learned one very quickly."

"Y-Yeah, maybe," he said quickly. Before she could dig further, a familiar voice approached.

"Good job." Both Jimin and Yuna turned. Ryu Seong-ho, still wearing the serious expression he had during the fight, walked toward them with his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze was sharp but strangely warm.

"Sam Jimin," he said.

"I did not expect a battle between two low level E-ranks to be this interesting." Jimin tried to sit straighter despite the exhaustion.

"Thank you… sir."

"You fought well," Seong-ho continued.

"Your decision-making and tactics were impressive. You read your opponent accurately and exploited his weaknesses. But…" Of course there was a "but."

"But some of your movements lacked stability. Your footwork, from the start of the duel, collapsed under pressure. You must train that before someone stronger punishes you for it."

"I understand," Jimin said.

"Still," Seong-ho added, "for a first battle… I am pleasantly surprised." Jimin's heart felt weirdly warm. Seong-ho gave a small nod to both him and Yuna.

"Rest well. And keep training."

"Yes, Sir. I will," Jimin replied. Seong-ho walked away without another word; with a satisfied yet stoic face. Uhm.. That was a good cover-up speech. Jimin thought, That's it? You pushed me to fight. And you are leaving just like that? Not even a reward! What an old asshole! The healer tending to Jimin stepped back.

"You're stable now. Take proper rest today. You'll be totally fine by tomorrow."

"Okay, ma'am."

"Then, I will take my leave.", She said and left the hall. Jimin slowly got up. His legs wobbled, but he managed. Yuna supported him lightly.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah," he exhaled.

"Much better."

"That's good." She stepped back slightly.

"I'll go ahead then. The instructor said that we are done for today. You should get cleaned up and go home as well."

"Yeah. I… need the washroom anyway." She nodded and headed off. Jimin walked the opposite direction, each step reminding him of how much punishment he took. He reached the washroom, pushed open the door, and slipped inside. The echoing quiet felt unreal after the uproar of the arena. He entered a stall, locked it, leaned his back against the door and exhaled deeply. Status Window.

—---------------------------------------------------------- 【STATUS WINDOW】 Name: Sam Jimin Age: 16 Rank: E Level: 1 HP: 250/250 STA: 120/120 MP: 100/100 PE: 150/150 STATS: STR: 5 AGI: 6 END: 5 INT: 8 WIS: 7 VIT: 5 CHA: 4 PSY: 11 LUK: 10 FREE STATPOINTS: 0 Unique Skill: Skillmaster Skills: • Telekinesis (Lv. 3) • Meditation (Lv. 2) • Growth (Lv. 1) • Dash (Lv. 1) He stared. It still felt unreal. Jimin rubbed his face. I was lucky that telekinesis leveled-up just in time. He shook off the thought.

"Telekinesis." he whispered. The updated window appeared. 【Skill: Telekinesis】 Category: Active Type: Offense / Control Rank: Rare Level: 3/50 Description: Manipulates objects at a distance. Consumes psychic energy and mana. Power, precision, control, and range increase with each level. Scaling: • PSY → Lifting capacity, power, precision • INT → Range, control Base Weight: 12 (+2) kg + (11 × 1) kg = 23 kg (+2) Range: 11 (+0. 5) m + (8 ×. 5) m = 15 m (+0. 5) Cooldown: None Cost: Mana and Psychic Energy, based on object mass Proficiency: 18% —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He grinned. The base weight went up… and the range too. This is really better. He took a deep breath, flushed the toilet to maintain the illusion he actually used it, unlocked the door, and stepped out. His body still felt tired, but it was manageable now. He washed his face at the sink and left the washroom.

As he walked through the corridor, the halls were quieter than usual; most students were still buzzing inside the hall or already left. Right then- He turned a corner. And froze. Ryu Seong-ho was walking toward him from the opposite direction. Jimin immediately lowered his head and tried to walk past quietly while giving him secret sideways glances. They crossed each other briefly.. Then-"Sam Jimin." The call came from his back. Seong-ho didn't even turn around.

His voice cut through the corridor like a command issued by someone who expected obedience by default. Jimin straightened, heart thumping.

"Y-yes, sir?" Seong-ho didn't move. Didn't look back. He simply stood there, hands still behind his back, gazing toward the far end of the corridor.

"Do you," he asked in a calm and authoritative tone, "want to say something to me?"