Lev rolled the matriarch's core in his palms. The suns were in the process of rising, which meant he had some time before the lecture started.

  [

  Juvenile Gray Spider Matriarch Core - Weakened

  The core has been harvested from a severely weakened dungeon monster. Possesses potent magical properties. Useful in crafting.

  ]

  It had taken a bit of effort to harvest the core safely. Unbelievably, the matriarch had almost dodged the falling tree, which resulted in it only getting half squished.

  The core was still whole and undamaged. Lev knew it would fetch a pretty penny, but he was more inclined to keep it for himself. Not to mention he could sell the 39 other cores in his ring for money if need be.

  The 'weakened' bit in the description confused Lev. It wasn't the core, that he knew for certain. So, was the matriarch weakened? If so, Lev shuddered to imagine how strong it would be normally. The monster was already very strong for its level. His worldview was a little skewed by fighting solo, sure, but he doubted most teams his level would be able to kill it.

  Then there were all the notifications. Out of all the new 3rd rank skills, only one had provided a new benefit, while the attributes from the title went to Wisdom. Obviously.

  [

  Superior Senses - 3rd Level 1:

  Perception is increased by 192%. The effects of Perception on your eyesight are increased.

  2nd Rank: Whenever you are about to be hit by a blow that would kill or incapacitate you, your perception will spike massively for one second. The strain of handling the increased perception will be lessened significantly.

  Can trigger once per day.

  3rd Rank: The effects of Perception on your other senses are also slightly enhanced.

  ]

  The skill's name now made proper sense. Lev always wondered why it had 'senses' in the name while only enhancing his eyesight. The third rank made it clear, and also set the tone for any future evolutions.

  Sighing, Lev took a detour and stopped by Bronze Bids. He was greeted by a petite girl instead of Samuel.

  "Greetings, how can I be of service?"

  "Hey," Lev greeted back, showing his tier three membership card he'd grabbed a day ago. "I wanted to inquire about a core."

  She glanced at the card before straightening. "What kind of core do you want to know about, sir?"

  Lev shivered under the armor, "Drop the sir. Take a look at this,"

  "Oh, that is rare," she instantly commented, grabbing the matriarch's core. "It is one of the best cores for all forms of enchanting and crafting before Master, at least in terms of conductivity."

  That answered Lev's question about if the spider's screech was a magical attack. Nodding once, he took the core back.

  "How much would it sell for?"

  The girl rubbed her chin. "Let's see. If you want to sell it right now, I can take it for one gold and thirty silver after taking our cut. If you want to put it on an auction, the price may go quite a bit higher depending on luck. Just note that we do not take single cores for auction. If your team can provide a bunch of these or a bundle of similarly potent cores, they will attract a nice bid."

  Lev considered his options. "So either I sell it right now for a fixed price or risk it in the auction as long as I sell a bunch of them. How many do I need, minimum?"

  "Ten, at least," She grinned. "Nobles still buy good cores by the dozens, and we aim higher than their standards."

  "Fair enough," Lev replied, noting the mention of nobility. "I'll see if getting more of them is possible."

  "Will there be anything else?"

  "Just your name, and a bit of infused water." Lev belatedly asked.

  "I'm Nina. You can find me here in the morning shift any day of the week. For infused water, I can sell you a litre for a silver."

  "Thank you," Lev dipped his head and left the office with the jar of infused water in tow.

  The class was already full by the time Lev arrived, attracting the gazes of everyone present.

  The hell are you all looking at?

  Not paying them any attention, he took his seat in the usual corner and waited for Edward to arrive.

  "Lev," Nolan called out, "Do you know why Edward is late?"

  Lev frowned. He had an inkling there was something brewing but not what. He was about to deny when Edward entered the class, a scowl on his face.

  "Hunter Lev," Edward said without missing a beat. "I was asked to find strong and willing hunters to join patrols in the caverns below us. Are you up for it?"

  "Levels of monsters?" Lev questioned, not averse to the idea. Edward must have reached out to him for a reason.

  "Very rarely above the second threshold. Mostly kobolds, cave trolls, snakes, insect types, and cave spiders."

  If he is asking this in front of a class of classless kids, it must be important, Lev mused. There's also no harm in joining. If things are worse than expected I can prevent unnecessary loss of life. Besides, it might have been caused by my presence.

  "I am," Lev answer after giving it some serious thought. He could escape if worst comes to pass by flight.

  "Excellent, see me after the lecture."

  The whole room watched the exchange in silence, each contemplating the meaning of such an abrupt recruitment. Neither Lev nor Edward answered them. Still, he was curious about why Edward had reached out to him. Sure, as a Master, Edward could read his aura and tell that he was a mage, but the lecturer didn't know Lev's level. Just that he had evolved once. The blocking stone prevented all forms of Identification. Beyond that, he only knew little about Lev's strength.

  "Today, and for all our remaining lectures, we will focus on acquiring the enchanting skills. With the basics you have, the rest of the lectures will cover theoretical knowledge."

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Finally. Let's see if I can get an extension skill tailored for my barriers.

  "It is pretty easy, as you are all no doubt aware. Just recreate the exercise from yesterday with the intention of getting a general skill."

  Lev did just that. Tuning out the world and closing his eyes, a large round disk formed in front of him before he started carving pathways inside the inch-thick surface.

  His will slowly pierced through the durable surface, slowly and methodically hollowing out the barrier in the desired shape. The cutoff rune formed first before the three main temperature runes formed at its sides. Overload runes formed after each of the main runes, regulating the mana input.

  When the last rune finished forming, Lev sent a trickle of mana into the temperature runes one by one. The overload runes worked perfectly, scanning the entire input, before letting it pass. The barrier disk heated up before it called down, and lastly the temperature matched the room, courtesy of the third rune.

  When Lev opened his eyes, everyone was silent. The whole class was observing him with their mouths ajar and even Edward was smiling.

  "Congratulations. I will eat paint if that somehow didn't get you a skill," Edward quipped.

  Lev chuckled and checked his notifications.

  [

  You have earned a General Skill: Barrier Carving

  Time and Practice. You have utilized both and earned this skill. Extension of the class skill Arcane Barrier Manipulation, this skill utilizes two general skill slots.

  Mana conductivity of enchanted barriers is amplified, increasing the efficiency of runes and formations.

  ]

  Perfect.

  "Extension skill," Lev allowed, not wanting to let down the entire room.

  Most of them cheered, which was a novel experience. It was the first time someone had cheered for him, and Lev decided it did not feel bad.

  ****

  "Most of you should get a rune repository skill within the remaining lectures. If you don't, that is fine too. Do not panic and simply tell me. I have notes prepared for forcing an unlock to the best of my ability."

  The idea of a rune repository skill was pretty intriguing. The skill allowed people to 'store' runes and access them later at any time.

  But from the meaningful glance Edward sent his way, Lev was going to be working towards something else.

  The lecture ended not long after. Today's lecture had covered a textbook description of how to feel the conductivity and durability of a material, and to best determine how much punishment it could take.

  Most of it was useless for Lev. His barriers provided accurate mental feedback due to their arcane nature and close ties with Lev's mind. Some of it was interesting, still. Lev now knew that materials rarely straight up cracked or exploded under strain.

  He should've guessed that enchantment overload disintegrated the structure of the material instead. The iron plates from the day before had, too.

  Edward and Lev remained in the class as everyone else slowly trickled out. When they were alone, Edward summoned a small notebook and handed it to Lev.

  Lev took a single glance at the title of the notebook but didn't do anything else. "How much is this worth?"

  "Something like this would normally cost a few golds," Edward smiled gently. "But I didn't create a copy to sell it. Since it's focused on combat crafting, nobody has any issues with sharing the knowledge freely. Don't worry, I asked many famous people, even your teacher."

  "You know my mentor?" Lev asked as he opened the book.

  "Know? No, of course not. He was already one of the most famous crafters when I first started. But your armor has his signature style of enchanting and blocking off prying eyes. The rest was easy to deduce when you used barriers."

  [Wanderer's Repository]

  The famous skill, as per Leah's will, was to be distributed freely among new combat crafters so they could take flight after a few steps instead of stumbling in the dark.

  The requirements to unlock a skill are simple. The System encourages all humans to explore and discover, and unlocking the skill is no different in its purpose. To acquire it, simply meditate and convince yourself about exploring the world thoroughly, to such a degree that getting another type of repository becomes impossible.

  You will then get the general skill with a simple thought.

  "This is…" Lev swallowed, "much greater than anything I expected."

  "It is," Edward agreed, still smiling, "which is why it is given freely. The stronger you become, the better. Leah was, after all, one of the strongest Masters to have ever existed. Monarch knows we need more people like her."

  ****

  While they both made their way to the Hunters Guild, Lev speculated about the skill.

  Frankly, it sounded absurd.

  Even if there was no description in the notebook, there was enough information to formulate one.

  If Lev was to unlock the skill, he would, somehow, find runes by exploring the world.

  How epic was that?

  Lev was going to get that skill, no matter what.

  "Now that we're alone, can you explain what's happening down there?"

  "What makes you think it's down there?" Edward questioned back.

  "I don't hear any bells."

  The man snorted at the deadpan delivery. "Right, obvious in hindsight. There is not much to go on right now but the monsters are agitated. They are always acting on instincts but now they seem… frantic. You will see."

  Lev supposed he would. Entering the Hunters Guild, Edward led him to the second floor. It was a large hallway with over a dozen different rooms. They entered one where a bunch of hunters were already waiting.

  "How many left?" Edward questioned those already present.

  "We're all here, Edward. Who is that?"

  The question came from a burly man, fitted in armor thick enough to make even Lev worry about the cost.

  "This here is Lev, one of my students," Edward gave him a hard stare. "He's a barrier mage and will save over asses more than a few times. Let's roll out."

  To Lev's surprise, no one complained. Then to his surprise again, they went to the basement instead of heading out. Lev used Identify in the meantime.

  [Warrior - Level 202]

  [Warrior - Level 180]

  [Bulwark - Level 205]

  [Mage - Level 175]

  [Mage - Level 154]

  [Healer - Level 159]

  The notifications went on and on. Everyone present was above level 150 except Lev, though he doubted anyone would question his capabilities.

  "How many teams are here right now?"

  "Four," Edward replied without looking back. He led them to an even deeper floor before walking up to a wall. The wall was utterly mundane to Lev's senses, which was why he stared in amazement as Edward's mana entered it. Within a few moments, the wall was receding like an elevator door.

  [

  Mana Perception has reached 2nd Level 1

  ]

  Lev ignored the skill. The second rank merely allowed different mana types to be easier to distinguish.

  "The mountain of metal here," Edward waved to the guy who had asked about Lev earlier, "is Bernard. He will keep us all alive by taunting the hordes below."

  I don't even need to ask about the rest of his class. Being identified as Bulwark is enough. Lev thought, somewhat amused.

  "The ones walking next to him are his team."

  They were two mages and a healer. Lev gave them a nod, which they returned.

  "That warrior is Elias, the leader of the radiant squad here," Edward pointed at the team to Lev's left. Lev perked up at the mention of a radiant squad. There were only a few for each rank, and they were all famous for their incredible strength. Lev identified the team.

  [Warrior - Level 177]

  [Warrior - Level 182]

  [Mage - Level 181]

  [Healer - Level 179]

  Quite the balanced composition, too.

  "I don't know why you're here, boy," Bernard stared down Lev, "but you better be worth bringing along."

  Lev just tilted his head a little. "You will see, I guess," he brushed off the big guy's taunt. That had to be one of the worst attempts Lev had ever seen.

  "Bernard, please," Edward sighed.

  "What? Pipsqueak here has no accomplishments to speak of," Bernard shrugged. "I don't approve of bringing a solo silver hunter with us."

  Edward shook his head and looked at everyone else present. Nobody spoke up in Lev's favor. It was understandable too, they didn't want a rookie to join them.

  Guess I got no choice, Lev thought.

  He summoned the matriarch core in his palm. "I cleared the spider dungeon myself by solo killing the Juvenile Matriarch last night."

  Everyone stopped. Slowly, a smile bloomed on Edward's face while Bernard paused.

  "I was also apprenticed under Alec Zar. Is that enough?"

  Edward walked up to him and clapped him on the back. "I'm sure it is, right guys?"

  Nobody refuted him.