The next morning, I was escorted to the Skill Repository.
"Escorted" was a polite word.
Dragged along was more accurate.
The repository wasn't just a library.
It was like a vault.
A circular hall carved from white marble, layered with inscription arrays so dense my Spirit Intuition felt like it was walking through static. Thousands of crystal tablets hovered in multiple ordered ring shelves around a central platform, each one containing a recorded skill—sealed, catalogued, graded.
Elder Steve stood near the central platform.
As I stood in front of him, I started with a standard formal salute, followed by gratitude for recommending me as an elite heir at my awakening ceremony.
"Thank you. For recommending me as an elite heir, honoured elder."
He waved it off.
"It was my job," he said. "Promising juniors shouldn't stagnate because someone older is overly cautious."
That was not subtle.
"I'll try not to waste it," I replied.
"See that you don't."
He studied me for a moment, then continued in a calmer tone.
"You've been granted selection rights up to A-rank. That doesn't mean you should grab the flashiest option available."
I nodded.
"Choose something that complements what you already have," he said. "Don't chase raw power. Chase reliability."
He produced a small, rectangular card from his sleeve.
It was matte black, with a single silver A inscribed at its center.
"This will unlock whichever A-rank skill you choose," he said. "Once used, it dissolves. Think twice before you press it."
I accepted the card carefully.
"Any recommendation?" I asked.
"Control & Utility types," Steve replied without hesitation. "You don't need more damage. You already have 'aura' for that."
That aligned with my own thinking.
He stepped aside, gesturing toward the floating rings of crystal tablets.
"Browse carefully."
...
The outer rings housed C and B ranks.
The inner rings glowed brighter—A ranks, and deeper in, restricted sections marked with S symbols that pulsed faintly behind layered seals.
Even from a distance, I could feel the pressure from those.
I walked slowly, reading titles as they shimmered across translucent panels.
Body Reinforcement, A
Kinetic Redirection, A
Adaptive Guard, A
Spatial Step (Limited), A
Void Perception, S
I paused at that last one.
S-rank.
Sealed behind a higher array.
Even through the formation, the presence felt… heavy.
I moved on.
Flashy skills were tempting. But flashy skills were unreliable. And unreliable things got useless pretty quick.
Elder Steve's words echoed quietly in my head.
Reliability.
I circled inward, studying control-type skills. Energy stabilization. Aura compression. Impact dispersal. Sensory refinement.
Then—
I turned a corner too quickly.
And collided with someone.
Soft fabric. Light scent. Controlled balance.
I stepped back immediately.
"…I apologize."
For half a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe.
Silvery-black hair fell over one shoulder like polished ink. Her eyes were standard Ironcreed grey—but sharper. Clearer. As if they had been measured and refined before being placed in her face.
Composed.
Unhurried.
Beautiful.
My brain stalled.
Then—
My Spirit Intuition screamed.
Not discomfort.
Not caution.
Mortal danger.
I snapped back to myself and instinctively shifted into a defensive stance, aura flowing quickly all around my body.
The pressure didn't come from her.
It came from behind her.
An old man in the attire of a Grand Elder stood a few steps away, gaze locked onto me.
Murder intent.
Not concealed.
Measured.
Cold.
I dropped my stance immediately and bowed.
"Grand Elder," I said calmly. "My mistake. I was not watching my path."
The killing intent did not fade.
It drilled even deeper into me, testing my reaction or maybe for a weakness to exploit.
I held my posture.
Finally, the young woman spoke.
"Elder Ash," she said evenly. "Let it be."
The pressure vanished.
Just like that.
Grand Elder Ash's eyes lingered on me a moment longer before he stepped back slightly.
Only then did I register what that meant.
Even Branch Heads could not command Grand Elders.
Only the Patriarch could.
And yet—
She had dared to advise one.
I straightened slowly.
In her hand was a card.
Not black.
Silver.
Marked with a single S.
So she was here for an S-rank skill.
Interesting.
I inclined my head toward her.
"Thank you," I said. "For your magnanimity."
She studied me briefly.
Then extended her hand.
Polite. Controlled.
I took it.
As our palms touched, I activated Higher Appraisal (SS).
The family's formation blocked overt skill usage.
But I had learned something through Arial's Incident.
Formations suppressed external activation.
Internal can be used.
And Appraisal was an internal Skill.
And it required only the target's energy signature to activate.
That meant Physical contact was more than sufficient.
The information unfolded instantly.
---
NAME: Patricia Ironcreed
LEVEL – 221
CLASS: Oracle, X
SYSTEM STATUS(1):
1. Causality Backlash (12/30 Days):
• Luck -75%
• Mana Locked
STATS:
Authority – 23
STR – 409
AGI – 413
INT – 774
Charm – 45
Luck – 10/39
World Credit – 381
CLASS SKILLS:
Prophecy, X
Prophetic Glimpse, X (Passive)
Causality Resilience, SSS
Calculate Probability, S
SYSTEM SKILLS:
Mental Fortress, SS
Split Focus, A
Swift Slash, A
Minor Appraisal, D
ACQUIRED SKILLS:
Insta-Death Resistance, S
Martial Arts, A
Ritual Magic, A
Dagger Mastery, A
Pain Tolerance, A
Poison Resistance, A
Cold Resistance, B
Curse Resistance, B
Metal Magic, C
Shock Resistance, C
Formation Arts, D
Fire Resistance, D
BLOODLINE:
Iron Mare, A (UNAWAKENED)
ELEMENTAL AFFINITY – Metal
EQUIPMENT(5/5):
1. Location Sharing Rune, SSS [Linked: 'Ash Ironcreed']
2. Great Protection Talisman, SSS
3. Great Storage Ring, S
4. Silent Blade (Dagger), S {Hidden}
5. Hidden Armour, A
* Ironcreed Family First Heir Token, S
* Sage's Vision Academy Elite Student Badge, A
---
My grip almost tightened.
Oracle. X-rank.
Doesn't 'X' mean transcendent-tier, something out of fairy tales?
Authority 23.
Sage's Vision Academy Elite Student Badge.
She was already a student.
And a First Heir, aren't those any family's best of the best, even above inheritors.
Her lips curved slightly.
As if she knew exactly what I had done.
"You're searching for something," she said softly.
Her voice was calm. Measured. Not theatrical.
"Yes," I replied carefully.
"What you seek," she continued, "is in the east."
I didn't react.
"Not only the skill," she added, "but also something you will have to protect."
My pulse quickened.
East.
The eastern wing of the repository?
The eastern lands?
The eastern continent?
She released my hand.
"This is a debt," she said lightly. "You will repay it later."
Then she stepped past me as if nothing unusual had happened.
Grand Elder Ash's gaze brushed over me one final time before he followed her.
The pressure receded with them.
I stood there for a moment, staring at nothing.
Oracle.
X-rank.
Mana locked.
Causality Backlash active.
And she had just hinted at both my goal… and my mission.
Without me saying a word.
"…East," I murmured.
Nova unusually spoke.
[Be cautious: Oracle is one of the most dangerous classes, because it can calculate and indirectly interfere with destiny.]
[Do not respond. She has already calculated enough.]