The next day.
Ethan woke up early in the morning and went through the usual routine he had formed over the years while working within the Lockhart clan.
He woke up, washed his face with cold water, then went for a short, medium-speed run that lasted about half an hour.
After that came light stretching, followed by roughly forty-five minutes of simple exercises.
Once he was done, he freshened up and headed down to the common area.
By the time he arrived, four of his housemates were already awake and chatting with one another.
The twins Sasha and Tasha, Cedric Warder, and Celia Romirus.
The rest were either still asleep or busy diligently clearing dungeons in hopes of acquiring more skills.
It wasn't unusual for awakeners to clear dungeons for days without rest.
Many continued raiding throughout the day and resumed again the next morning.
Sasha was the first to notice Ethan approaching.
"You seem early... Haven't you been dungeon raiding?"
"I already got all the skills I need before I returned," Ethan replied.
"Already? Damn, that was very fast," Celia said with a sigh.
Everyone present knew that Ethan had acquired his first skill upon reaching level 5, and that he had now been allowed to choose a second skill from Sir Shawn's collection of [Comprehensive Skill Cards].
After that, he went to acquire his third and final skill, a profession-specific skill, from the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] dungeon.
Even if it was only one skill, it was considered one of the hardest to obtain.
Clearing that dungeon alone could take days, and most people had to clear it again and again until luck finally favored them.
Ethan had acquired it in just three days, when it normally took weeks.
It was hard not to feel discouraged.
"I only managed to obtain one skill, and it is not even profession-specific. I heard you were clearing the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] dungeon. Did you get the profession-specific skill card?" Celia asked.
"I did," Ethan nodded.
"Then what were you doing, going in and out of the dungeon?" Tasha suddenly asked.
She had been curious ever since that day.
Ethan's repeated appearances at the dungeon hall had drawn the attention of quite a few people in the Awakener's Hall.
"I was clearing the dungeon. What else?" Ethan replied casually, not thinking much of it. "I did not take any breaks in between. That is why I kept going in and out."
To the others, especially Sasha and Tasha, his words carried an entirely different implication.
Celia and Cedric had also heard from Sasha and Tasha about Ethan's strange behavior in the dungeon hall.
"Wait a minute. How many times are you saying you cleared that dungeon exactly?" Tasha asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Seven times," Ethan replied calmly.
"You are joking, right? You are telling me you cleared such a large spaced dungeon seven times in just over three days? That is plain bullshit," Tasha snorted.
She flatly refused to believe it.
The [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] was infamous as one of the hardest and longest Tier-1 world-type dungeons to clear, yet Ethan was claiming he had completed it not once, not twice, but seven times in barely more than two days.
"I do not know what to say to that except that I am telling the truth…" Ethan replied.
Still, he felt strangely targeted by Tasha's disbelief.
It was a feeling he had noticed for quite a while now.
He had not interacted with her much, but whenever he did, it left him with the impression that she either hated him or, at the very least, did not like him.
Wanting to prove himself, Ethan took out the seven [Poison Snake Spears] he had received as rewards for each successful clear.
Tasha and the others examined the spears carefully.
Slowly, their expressions changed. Surprise came first, then realization, and finally shock.
He really had cleared the dungeon seven times.
The seven [Poison Snake Spears] were undeniable proof.
There was no way they could be fake, and the thought that they might have been bought elsewhere did not even cross anyone's mind.
Not only that, he had also obtained his profession-specific skill within just three days of arriving at the university.
Of course, they did not know the truth.
Ethan had not obtained just one skill, but seven of them.
However, those skills had already merged with his existing summoning abilities, and he had no intention of revealing that fact to them.
"Damn, you might actually be more ridiculous than Marcus," Cedric sighed.
"Oh? Did Marcus obtain the profession-specific skills as well?" Ethan asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"He has been challenging the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] as well," Cedric replied with a small smile. "I think he is on his fourth run right about now. I honestly thought Marcus would be the first among us to get that profession-specific skill card, but I never expected you to surpass even the gladiator."
"I agree. Marcus is very strong, probably the strongest among us, but even so, you cleared that dungeon faster than he did. I suppose we underestimated you because your profession is a summoner and all. Seems like we really shouldn't be judging people based on their profession, huh?" Celia added.
"I don't know if I'm stronger than Marcus, but I think I'm not too bad myself," Ethan said with confidence.
"You seem more confident than before," Sasha observed slowly, as if trying to gauge whether her impression of his reaction was correct. "Is it because you acquired a powerful skill?"
"You have no idea," Ethan replied with a sly grin, offering no further explanation.
There was no need for them to know the specifics of his skills. They weren't that close yet. After all, they had only met three days ago.
"Are you guys meeting with Sir Shawn?" Ethan asked.
"No," Sasha said. "We're continuing dungeon raids. We still haven't acquired any skills yet. I'm raiding an Ice-type dungeon, which has a chance to reward an Ice Elemental skill card. My sister is doing the same. She is aiming for a Fire Elemental skill card from a Fire-type dungeon."
"And you, Ethan?" Sasha asked, smiling slightly. "Aren't you going after the [Skill Enhancement Cards]? Compared to acquiring skill cards, those are pretty easy to get."
"No. I have some things to discuss with Sir Shawn," Ethan said. "By the way, do you guys know anything about the incident last night?"
"Yeah. I checked a few minutes ago. About thirty-eight people died. Everyone is saying it's the work of the High Imperium," Cedric added.
"It's most likely them, right?" Celia asked.
"I don't know. I don't see why they would attack on a random, busy road. As far as I know, the organization has clear goals and ambitions. They won't do anything without a reason. Maybe it's just an unfortunate accident," Cedric shrugged.
"Yeah, nowadays everyone seems to blame every bad thing that happens on the High Imperium," Tasha added in annoyance. "We already have enough to worry about. Now we have to worry about them too. What a drag."
"Let's go, Sasha," Tasha said, turning and walking away.
"Bye, Ethan," Sasha waved, specifically at Ethan, while also glancing at the others as she followed her elder sister.
...
After a brief chat, Ethan, Celia, and Cedric went directly to Sir Shawn to attend the early morning class.
There was no one else around.
After greetings, Ethan and the others reported their progress to him.
Ethan was surprised to find that both Cedric and Celia had already filled one of their three empty skill slots, not with profession-specific skills like his, but with skills well-suited to their professions.
Cedric's profession was known as [Wall Breaker], a hybrid class of Combat and Controller.
He had acquired an offensive skill.
Celia's profession was [Duel Ranger], a pure Combat class skilled in both short- and long-range abilities.
Some of the skills of her profession closely resemble those of Magic class professions, and she had acquired offensive-type skills.
Ethan, on the other hand, reported that he had acquired support skills.
He didn't openly explain how the skill worked, only that it was a passive skill, and passive skills were mostly support-type.
As for the other two skill slots, Sir Shawn already knew that Ethan had gained a skill when he reached level 5, and that he had learned an additional one from his collection of comprehensive skill cards.
Among Sir Shawn's ten personnel, Ethan was the first to fill his skill slots.
"I really underestimated you. To think you could clear such a large dungeon in such a short time. It is beyond impressive. I don't think I have ever heard of anyone clearing that dungeon this fast. You may have set a new record," Sir Shawn said wholeheartedly.
After a few more minutes of discussing their reports, Cedric and Celia left and headed toward the Dungeon Hall.
"What do you want to talk about?" Sir Shawn asked, seeing that Ethan was still there.
"You said the awakeners would take their time figuring out their path of growth before they reach tier-3, right?" Ethan asked.
"Yes. That is because skills can be manipulated in many ways. The skills people awaken during profession awakening are random, and awakeners are forced to rely on those skills to level up. But once they begin acquiring new skills and learning how to manipulate them, they can potentially change their way of fighting," Sir Shawn narrowed his eyes.
"I assume you are asking because you figured that out..."
"Yes. I acquired a skill that could potentially let me fight on the front lines instead of from behind my summons," Ethan nodded.
"Interesting… now that you've acquired such a skill, you want to be a melee fighter, is that it?" Sir Shawn asked.
"Yes, and I think I can definitely manage it just fine," Ethan replied confidently.
"Hmm," Sir Shawn murmured, rubbing his chin.
Then he snapped his fingers, and two wooden swords appeared from somewhere and landed in his hands.
He tossed one to Ethan.
"Show me what you can do," Sir Shawn said, taking a defensive stance and waving his hand at Ethan. "Come at me with everything you have."
Ethan didn't hesitate.
He assumed a stance he knew well, took a deep breath, and activated his new skill for the first time.
[Herald of the Fallen: Passive Skill Activated]
[Entering the State of [The Undead Herald]...]
The instant Ethan activated the skill, he felt incomprehensible changes happening within him.
Sir Shawn could also sense these changes with his heightened supernatural perception.
Ethan's aura and presence transformed instantly, unlike those of any awakener from the four known classes. It was strange, yet not entirely unfamiliar.
[You have inherited the skills of the [Summon Undead Knight]]
[You have inherited the skills of the [Summon Undead Mage]]
[You have inherited the skills of the [Summon Undead Tank]]
[You have inherited the skills of the [Summon Undead Healer]]
Ethan had already stored five of each summon in his [Undead Graveyard].
He opened his eyes with newfound focus and activated one of his inherited skills.
[Frenzy: Skill Activated]
[Your Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina are increased by 15%.]
A faint green aura enveloped Ethan.
In the next instant, he took his first step and charged at his teacher with full speed, far surpassing his original pace.
Within seconds, he was in front of Sir Shawn and swung his wooden sword.
Sir Shawn simply absorbed the attack by placing his own wooden sword in its path, blocking it effortlessly.
...
[A/N: If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider adding it to your library and supporting it with some Power Stones. Arigato!]