Chapter 340: Student of the Ages

I woke up in my dingy room, dozens and dozens of notifications waiting for me, along with a minor surge of nausea that quickly vanished.

[Learning Languages] had gotten shuffled around.

[*ding!* Congratulations! [Beloved of the Wind – Wind] has upgraded into [Student of the Ages – Wood]! ]

[*ding!* [Student of the Ages] has leveled up! 8 -> 32 +5 Free Stats, +10 Dexterity, +10 Speed, +10 Vitality, +10 Magic Power, +10 Magic Control, +10 Mana, +10 Mana Regen from your Class per level! +1 Free Stat for being Human per level! +1 Magic Control per level from your Element!]

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Wood Affinity]!]

The basics. Figuring out how affinity skills worked was on my list, and by all the tasty mangos in the world, my list was getting too damn long. I needed to start crossing things off.

Still, everyone believed the affinity skill was worth it, and it was an easy decision to make to take it.

Something that was important for me to consider was this class was temporary. It was a fleeting moment of a class, something I’d only have for a year or two, unlike my other classes that I expected to get decades of use out of. As a result, I also had to consider the long-term benefits of each skill I could possibly get.

What did I want from my class?

I wanted to learn things. To improve my knowledge. To find my feet in the world, and position myself well. It’d be nice if I could also position Artemis and Julius as well – Amber seemed to have already found her niche.

As a result, I should aim for skills that either directly or indirectly helped with learning, and cut the fluff.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Dabble]!]

Dabble: A little bit of this, and a little bit of that, [Dabble] lets you try out the things you’re learning, to see if it clicks and to better learn how it works. Restricted to trying things out in a class or lab setting.

This was one of THE skills I was eyeing up, and what made [Student] so attractive in the first place. There was no way I wasn’t taking the skill.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Efficient Notes]!]

Efficient Notes: Good note-taking is critical to learning. This skill will help you efficiently select what needs to be written down as a note to study later, and what can be ignored and left out.

I liked the look of the skill. It immediately made my shortlist, but neither high nor low. It wasn’t the remembering part of the skill that stood out to me, it was the part that helped me select what was important that attracted me.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Something Doesn’t Look Right]!]

Something Doesn’t Look Right: From homework questions, to long essays, bubbling potions to drawn runes, anatomy labeling to ingredient weighing, this skill will help nudge you when your knowledge should let you know that something isn’t quite right with what you’re doing, and help you find your mistake to correct it.

After [Vigilant], and later [Bullet Time], I had a healthy respect for any skill that quietly nudged me when there was a problem. Shortlist!

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Mental Calculator]!]

Mental Calculator: Math is hard! Make it easy with a handy mental calculator that’ll do the math for you! No need to calculate the right ratio of bat’s wings to newt’s eyes, no need to figure out if an enzyme level is too high, no need to carefully triple check how many mg/kg are needed for a medication, [Mental Calculator’s] got you covered!

It sounded like this skill had a bunch going for it, and I’d be more interested if I was a doctor back on Earth who needed to carefully calculate medications and read labs. As it was, I didn’t quite have a need for tons of calculations in my life right now, but that could all change as life went on.

It made the shortlist, but I was ready and willing to cut it for better skills.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Timekeeping]!]

Timekeeping: Tick, tock, you need a clock! [Timekeeping] will help you stay on schedule! Want to take a five minute break? Set a five minute timer to remind you when to get back to it! Need to study five different subjects, and only have one evening? Break your remaining time into five equal chunks, letting you know when you should stop with one subject, and go onto the next! Need an alarm in the morning? This skill’s got you covered! Set all manner of alarms, timers, and mental reminders to yourself, to keep yourself on schedule and attending class in a timely manner!

This was something that looked incredibly useful. I just hadn’t been on my own schedule in a long, long time. As a Ranger, I’d been on Julius’s schedule. As a trainee, Ranger Academy had run things. As a Sentinel, I basically had all the time in the world.

I wasn’t exactly the best organized individual, and the skill looked plain useful.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Handy Quill]!]

Handy Quill: There’s nothing worse than losing your quill, and showing up to class without a way to write. Never fear! [Handy Quill] will always ensure you have a writing utensil on hand.

It wasn’t likely that I’d take the skill. I already had one quill, I didn’t need more, especially if I could remember to keep it…

… maybe I should take [Lost and Found] again just in case…

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Amber Safety Goggles]!]

Amber Safety Goggles: A pair of stylish goggles using crystalized sap as the protective lens, ready for you whenever you need them! For protecting those fragile eyes against all manner of assault.

I’d had to regrow my eyeballs in the past. I could do it again. Fun to see little wood-themes slip their way into the skills!

I wasn’t taking the skill though.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Erase Mistake]!]

Erase Mistake: Oops! Ink spilled all over your essay! A wrong line got drawn in your rune! Too much powdered snake skin went into the vial! [Erase Mistake] is here to save the day! It’ll clear up the ink off the page, perfectly erase the line, and correct the amount of powdered snake skin in the vial! Note that if things start to mix and react, that’s not reversible, nor are powered runes exploding in your face, or medicine being swallowed.

The skill sounded decent, but the sheer number of warnings on it strongly implied that it was much weaker than it sounded. From everything I knew of the System, it meant that it would, in a way, only fix things that I could’ve mundanely fixed on my own. I could carefully erase a drawn line, but I couldn’t un-mix a potion, for example.

It probably got stronger in combination with skills like [Something Doesn’t Look Right]. An interesting synergy to note.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Study]!]

Study: Not going to learn things simply by having a perfect memory, or hearing it once! [Studying] is a skill, now also make it a Skill and learn faster!

Solid skill. It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t amazing, it wasn’t a huge display of magic, but it was important. It also stacked with [Passionate Learning], in the same way that [Training] had stacked back in Ranger Academy.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [A Tree Never Sleeps]!]

A Tree Never Sleeps: Trees don’t sleep, and students get minimal rest! Take the skill, and pull off all-nighters while still feeling good in the morning!

[Sunrise] was like a shot of coffee and raw energy, letting me operate with minimal sleep, but this negated a large portion of sleep entirely! Exciting stuff!

I was getting old. The small, subtle skills were enough to excite me. [Fireball] just didn’t do it for me the same way anymore.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Willowy Handwriting]!]

Willowy Handwriting: An ageless style, on par with [Calligraphers], your handwriting will be a thing of beauty – and more importantly, healer,LEGIBLE.

Ouch. I felt mildly attacked by the skill description.

My handwriting was…

…

… the less said the better.

Shortlist.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Blueprint Memorization]!]

Blueprint Memorization: The tree’s roots grow and spread through the earth, making traces of themselves like memories will instantly imprint and help you memorize complex diagrams, anatomy figures, tricky recipes, and runes in an instant!

I crossed the skill off my list. I had [Immortal Recollections], a top-tier perfect memory skill. I didn’t need another one.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Drafting]!]

Drafting: A deft hand and a quick quill will quickly get blueprints, diagrams, and the like. Mistakes will correct themselves!

Similar to [Willowy Handwriting], but different. Focused on an area of drawing, versus writing. I flipped back through my notifications to double-check [Willowy Handwriting], and yeah. It also worked on drawings.

I wanted to be flexible, and adaptable. The skill was narrow, but powerful.

I axed it. [Willowy Handwriting] was better if I wanted a skill like this.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Many-Leafed Notebook]!]

Many-Leafed Notebook: It’s always nice to have a writing tool, but what’s even better is having a notebook to write in! The [Many-Leafed Notebook] will always have another page to write in.

Not bad, but not exactly making me jump for joy.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Every Surface is a Desk]!]

Every Surface is a Desk: You did it. You found the perfect reference, deep in the library. There isn’t a writing surface to be seen. How do you copy the notes out of the book? Well, when [Every Surface is a Desk], it’s easy!

Nope.

I could take the damn time to find a surface, and most of the time I’d be in a classroom. With a desk. It was also one of the only pieces of furniture they’d provided me here. That was before my perfect memory skill kicking in and helping with things like this. I could simply read a formula once, and always be able to recall it. It didn’t mean it would be quick or easy – the whole point of learning and studying was to make it second nature – but I didn’t exactly need to be scribbling notes in the middle of a library so I wouldn’t forget a recipe.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Find the Reference]!]

Find the Reference: Where was that little tidbit of knowledge stored again? Ah right! Fantastic Potions and How to Brew them, 9th edition, 6th page, halfway down. Remember where references are stored, and easily know where to find new knowledge!

Nope. More memory related skills.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Know Your Limits]!]

Know Your Limits: Sometimes, you’re in over your head, and you need help. The experiment has gone wrong. The zombie plague has been released from the lab. The medicine isn’t quite the right color. [Know Your Limits] will help prompt you when it’s time to get more professional help in a field.

Another little nudge skill. I wasn’t disregarding any of them, although this seemed to be more of a “I’m in over my head” skill than anything, and, being arrogant for a moment, I was Sentinel Dawn. My limits were far, far past the average student’s, and most of my training was around being the absolute best. About being the one that solved the problems, that helped others when they reached their limits, not the one who hit limits herself.

I reluctantly kept the skill on the shortlist – any nudge skill would make it – but I doubted it’d make the final cut.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Research]!]

Research: Pushing the boundaries of knowledge, discovering new things, [Research] will help you build the foundation of all elvenoid knowledge on Pallos.

If I was inclined to take the [Researcher] class mentioned in the big book, the skill would be the way to direct my class in that direction. As it was, I just… had no interest in expanding elvenoid knowledge.

I’d already done that. Gotten [Mother of Modern Medicine] out of it. Already had a job.

It was weird. Reading this one skill crystalized something I’d always subconsciously known and danced around, but hadn’t properly realized. I didn’t want a work class. I didn’t want a profession class. I wanted a hobby class.

Mage classes were on the top of the list because I loved magic, and it integrated nicely into my Sentinel job. Well, I’d figure out a new career, but [Butterfly Mystic] hadn’t gotten tons of use when I wasn’t fighting for my life, and I’d need to consider what a peaceful life looked like. Boatloads of offensive magic were unlikely, I had a job class already that should, in theory, make me a comfortable living wherever I wanted, so yeah.

A hobby class jumped to the top of the list. Preferably one that would help me survive in a pinch, but that I could indulge in when my life was peaceful.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Shuffle Text]!]

Shuffle Text: Your essay is written, but paragraphs 2 and 3 are in the wrong order. Do you erase all your hard work, only to put quill to paper and redo it all? No! Just [Shuffle Text] to flip the order of the words! Easy as snapping your fingers!

Unlikely I’d take the skill. It was fairly niche.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Take Cover]!]

Take Cover: The experiment has gone wrong, the potion’s bubbling over, the rune’s exploding. [Take Cover] will help you find cover, and protect yourself from the worst effects!

Nope. I could just heal through virtually any issue that came up. I’d have serious questions about what the hell was going on at the School if I ended up in any situation that could genuinely threaten my life.

The key to that was to just not be there in the first place!

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Memorization]!]

Memorization: Learning is all well and good, but sometimes, you just need to memorize the contents for an upcoming test. You’ll –

I stopped reading there, ditched the skill, and moved on.

First, I was here to learn, not get passing grades.

Second, I already had a memory skill!

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Editing]!]

Editing: The bane of writers everywhere, and students alike, editing becomes a breeze with this skill! Quickly know what fixes a sentence needs to polish things up, get an idea for the overall feel of the work, spot typos and mistakes quickly, and quickly fix them all!

On one hand, editing the Medical Manuscripts had been the bane of my existence once upon a time.

On the other, it had been so bad that I never, ever wanted to edit anything ever again. First drafts straight to delivery, forget reviews and revisions.

I reluctantly kept the skill, privately swearing to find an excuse to ditch it and never use it.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Plagiarize]!]

Plagiarize: Look, sometimes you just need to quickly get that assignment done. The class doesn’t matter, the paper isn’t important. Just get it done in a snap by [Plagiarizing] someone else’s work! Quickly translate papers from one language to another, have a mental thesaurus handy to make word replacements to make it even harder to catch you, and zip off to have some fun, or to study for the actually important classes!

Fuck no.

I had integrity.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Plagiarize]!]

I gave the second instance of the [Plagiarize] skill the side-eye, and moved on.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Peek]!]

Peek: A quick look at someone else’s notes, the professor’s lecture, the test answer key, the recipe in the closed book, or… something else…[Peek] lets you get a glimpse of whatever it is you need to see! Within a limited range.

I was suspicious that the only use I could get out of this skill were sketchy ones, but it wasn’t enough to automatically axe the skill.

I doubted it’d make the cut, but it didn’t warrant immediate exclusion.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [No Peeking]!]

No Peeking: You don’t want to get accused of cheating if someone else looks over your shoulder and copies your answer! Protect your reputation for integrity, along with the hot new research you’ve been working on, and dismay [Peeping Toms] and intrusive governments all over the world with an automatic privacy skill!

The fact that there were ways to cheat magically made me unhappy, and the skill description did have a number of small uses that would just make day to day life less worrisome.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Organization]!]

Organization: Being well-organized is a skill and a half, and people pay good money just to have other people organize their lives for them! Grab the skill, arrange your schedule, and always know where your quill and parchment are located!

I was somewhat chronically chaotically messy. The skill not only made the cut, but immediately jumped to be near the top of my list.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Cheating]!]

Cheating: You’ve cheated Black Crow//White Dove, you’ve tricked the fae and gotten away. Now cheat your fellow students!

I gave up reading the skill description in disgust, immediately axing it.

No.

Just.

Fuck no.

The only good that came out of seeing the skill was knowing that it was possible that other people with a [Student] class could have those types of skills, and I might need to defend myself against them.

[No Peeking] went up a few notches on my list.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Ignore Chatter]!]

Ignore Chatter: The gossip girls in the corner. The sports bros in the back row. The nerds in the front seat. All of them are chatting with each other, making it damn hard to hear the important person in the room – the professor! Tune them out with this skill, and get to the important parts.

Eh. Not amazing, but I was awfully distractible… anything that reduced distractions couldn’t be immediately dismissed out of hand.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Can You Say That Again?]!]

Can You Say That Again?: The most important pieces of knowledge are always said at high speed, in the middle of a bunch of unimportant details. [Can You Say That Again?] will let you mentally replay snippets of conversation, letting you tease out the details and have enough time to write everything down.

Nope. More memory-related skills. Next!

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Olive Branch]!]

Olive Branch: Extend an olive branch, pass a note subtly with this skill!

I wasn’t in high school. I could just wait a few minutes and talk with someone else after class, plus I was here to learn, not be some [Gossip] ignoring the professor.

If I didn’t want to be in the class, I wouldn’t be in the class!

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Repetition is the Mother of Learning]!]

Repetition is the Mother of Learning: Pete and repeat were in a boat. Pete fell off. Who was left?

Repeat.

Pete and repeat were in a boat. Pete fell off. Who was left?

Repeat.

Pete and repeat were in a boat. Pete fell off. Who was left?

Repeat.

…

…

Easier learning when repeating processes to learn.

This was the longest skill description I’d ever come across, and it was possibly longer than the rest of my System notification log, combined.

Still, it had a great point that repeating actions was how I learned them. Practice made permanent, and all that, and something that helped me practice?

That was how I’d learn, and the skill shot up to the top of my list as something to take.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Living Thesaurus]!]

Living Thesaurus: Branch between words easily, immediately know what words substitute with other words! Great for sprucing up essays.

I wish Librarian was here to let me know if it would help with cross-language acquisition or not. That could be helpful!

Otherwise?

Nope.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Know-it-All]!]

Know-it-All: You know it all. You better make sure everyone else knows you know it all!

Nope. This sounded like a “how to annoy everyone around me” skill, and if I was a burly 6 foot 1 blonde warrior I might be tempted to aggravate people in fights to tank, but I wasn’t.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [It’s pronounced LeviOsa, not LevioSA]!]

It’s pronounced LeviOsa, not LevioSA: Proper pronunciation is important, especially when chanting spells! It’s also useful in medicine, clearly saying ‘adduct’ versus ‘abduct’, ‘assure’ versus ‘ensure’, ‘creatine’ versus ‘creatinine’, and more!

I had a little bit of a short circuit moment with the skill. It could help me learn languages faster, but it was also potentially entirely useless.

Shortlist… but near the bottom.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Mischief]!]

There was no way this skill was going to be useful. Next!

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Teacher’s Pet]!]

I really hoped that I wasn’t out of nice skills, and that everything left were joke skills…

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Restore Draft]!]

Restore Draft: “My phoenix burned my homework” isn’t an excuse most teachers will accept, even if they believe it. “My wyvern ate my essay” also isn’t accepted. Never fear! [Restore Draft] will reassemble and recreate your paper for you!

I thought about Auri’s love of burning things, and how frustrated I’d be if my homework went up in flames.

Good chance I was taking the skill.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [I Have to do the Entire Group Project Myself]!]

I Have to do the Entire Group Project Myself: You know how it goes. By divine decree, you’ve ended up with the three slackers in the class for the group project, and you now need to do it all yourself. Well, that just won’t do. Improved thinking speed, speed, and dexterity per level when all the work gets handed off to you!

Ehhh… The skill was so niche as to be worthless.

[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Public Speaking]!]

Public Speaking: Makes your voice louder and squashes those fears and insecurities when speaking in front of large groups!

Nope. I’d lectured in front of Ranger Trainees, barked out orders to groups, and lectured at Artemis’s School before. I had no fear of public speaking, nor did I need my voice to be louder.

[*ding!* Your General Skill [Learning Languages] has evolved into the Class Skill [Learning Languages]!]

[*ding!* Would you like to upgrade [Learning Languages] to [Technical Tongue]?]

Technical Tongue: Learn technical terms and precise language more quickly with this skill! Precise language is extra important, especially when a single letter in a word can make all the difference, and the complex language is where the complex ideas reside.

Hmm.

HMMMMM.

I liked being able to pick up languages quickly with [Learning Languages], but I also did need to pick up a large number of technical terms quickly.

I kept [Learning Languages], figuring that I’d pick up the technical terms relatively easily from my Medical Manuscripts, then be able to use that as a dictionary for a number of other languages. I was also planning on taking the introductory courses for most things I was interested in, which would naturally include lessons on the technical terms. Lessons aimed at people without the language skills I had.

Finally.

I was at the end of my list of offered skills. Time for a quick rundown of what skills I liked, along with where I’d mentally rated them.

[Wood Affinity]++

[Dabble]++

[Efficient Notes]+

[Something Doesn’t Look Right]++

[Mental Calculator]

[Timekeeping]++

[Handy Quill]

[Erase Mistake]

[Study]+

[A Tree Never Sleeps]+

[Willowy Handwriting]

[Leafed Notebook]

[Know Your Limits]

[Editing]

[Peek]

[No Peeking]+

[Organization]++

[Ignore Chatter]

[Repetition is the Mother of Learning]++

[It’s pronounced LeviOsa, not LevioSA]

[Restore Draft]+

Taking all the skills I’d mentally rated highly had me at seven out of eight skill slots. I grabbed them all.

[Class 3: [Student of the Ages – Wood: Lv 32]]

32

[Wood Affinity: 1]

1

[Learning Languages: 32]

32

[Dabble: 1]

1

[Something Doesn’t Look Right: 1]

1

[Timekeeping: 1]

1

[Organization: 1]

1

[Repetition is the Mother of Learning: 1]

1

Right, one skill slot left.

What was I missing?

What did I need?

I decided to look at the five skills I’d rated “useful, middle of the pack” first, since I thought highly of them. I was aware I’d essentially grabbed skills on an individual use basis, without looking at any sort of total synergy.

[Study]+

[A Tree Never Sleeps]+

[Efficient Notes]+

[Restore Draft]+

[No Peeking]+

Ok. The whole point of being a student was to learn things. [Restore Draft] was nice, but it didn’t help me learn. Similarly with [No Peeking].

It brought it down to [Study], [A Tree Never Sleeps], and [Efficient Notes].

[Sleeps] would buy me more time, but I wouldn’t need more time if I used the time I had well. Which, given how long it had been since I was a student, and how distractible I was, wasn’t a guarantee that I would use it well. [Organization] should help with that, but there were no promises. [Study] would help me study better, stay focused and on-track, and learn better.

It didn’t matter how efficient my notes were if I wasn’t using them well, and taking good notes was a skill I could develop on my own. If nothing else, my innate speed and dexterity stat would let me write far faster than my peers, and I could just… be inefficient with my notes, and still get most of the information in.

[Study] was my last skill.

[Name: Elaine]

[Race: Human]

[Age: 22]

[Mana: 582,590/582,590]

[Mana Regen: 275,006 (+520,863)]

Stats

[Free Stats: 348]

[Strength: 974]

[Dexterity: 2,071]

[Vitality: 14,480]

[Speed: 14,512]

[Mana: 58,259]

[Mana Regeneration: 58,360 (+52,086)]

[Magic Power: 23,028 (+590,668)]

[Magic Control: 23,055 (+591,361)]

[Class 1: [The Dawn Sentinel – Celestial: Lv 513]]

[Celestial Affinity: 480]

[Cosmic Presence: 315]

[The Stars Never Fade: 11]

[Center of the Universe: 451]

[Dance with the Heavens: 513]

[Wheel of Sun and Moon: 513]

[Mantle of the Stars: 471]

[Sunrise: 411]

[Class 2: [Butterfly Mystic – Radiance: Lv 357]]

[Radiance Affinity: 357]

[Radiance Resistance: 357]

[Radiance Conjuration: 357]

[: ]

[Nectar: 357]

[Solar Corona: 357]

[Scintillating Ascent: 337]

[Kaleidoscope: 357]

[Class 3: [Student of the Ages – Wood: Lv 32]]

[Wood Affinity: 1]

[Learning Languages: 32]

[Dabble: 1]

[Something Doesn’t Look Right: 1]

[Timekeeping: 1]

[Organization: 1]

[Repetition is the Mother of Learning: 1]

[Study: 1]

General Skills

[Long-Range Identify: 376]

[Immortal Recollections: 300]

[Companion Bond between Elaine and Auri: 128]

[: ]

[Oath of Elaine to Lyra: 513]

[Sentinel’s Superiority: 513]

[Persistent Casting: 315]

[Passionate Learning: 382]