Right now, Lukey and Roman were alone in one of the rooms on the second floor of the guild. Roman said that deeper information about a person was typically kept private, so they agreed to be isolated for the session.

  “Alright, Lukey. Stand still for a minute while I get some information.” Roman said.

  The scholar then raised his palm towards Lukey, which began glowing as streams of aether were pulled from Lukey to Roman. To Lukey, this all felt like being prodded by a series of needles attempting to dissect him, which didn’t feel pleasant at all. The process went on for a while, but before Lukey could raise a complaint, it was all over.

  “Ok,” Roman said, putting his palm down. “I’m looking at your attributes, arts, and achievements right now. It’s very good progress, all things considered.”

  That was when Roman furrowed his brows, confusion written all over his face.

  “What in the world is that? An ‘Aethereal Brand’? Where do you even get something like that?”

  “In a vision,” Lukey replied, “is it special?”

  “I’ve never heard of an Aethereal Brand,” Roman denied. “But I have heard of an Aethereal Mark. Basically, they’re given to certain people by the labyrinths for different reasons, functioning sort of like a calling card of the labyrinth.”

  “Why was I given the brand to begin with? Can it be used for anything?” Lukey asked excitedly.

  “Hold your horses.” Roman said, halting Lukey’s excitement. “There are records of incidents where people obtained visions, either in their sleep or by touching an object, and then received a mark. In almost all those cases, the mark could be used to seek out the labyrinth; perhaps your brand works the same way?”

  “Wait, you mean I can find the Alpha Breach? Great! How do I activate it?” Lukey asked with renewed vigor.

  “Assuming you’ve identified it with [Insight], just insert some aether into it.” Roman said.

  Lukey hadn’t managed to identify it yet, so he tried again. He used [Insight] on his body, but the only thing that came up was his status screen. He tried it again and again, each time yielding the same results.

  “I can’t identify it!” Lukey barked. “All that comes up is my status screen!”

  “You’re using [Insight] automatically; try using it manually.” Roman said, rolling his eyes. “You have to really search your internal channels to identify an Aethereal Mark.”

  “What? Automatic? Channels? What are you talking about?” Lukey asked in confusion.

  Roman looked at him in disbelief, then his face changed to one of comprehension as he began to understand something.

  “I see. So that’s what the old man meant by giving you a lesson in the finer technicalities of arts.” Roman sighed. “Very well, let’s go back down with the others, and I’ll start the lesson. I think I’m going to need their help explaining all of this.”

  …

  “Now, unless there are any objections, I’m just going to assume you know nothing and begin from there, alright? Roman asked, looking to Lukey for confirmation.

  Right now, they were both back in the main gathering room, with Roman standing and Lukey sitting down near one of the tables. Triton and Saphina were a short distance behind Lukey, ready to chime in if there was anything that needed explaining. Lukey, meanwhile, had his pen and quest log on the table, prepared to take notes.

  Lukey gave Roman a nod, and the lecture officially began.

  “Good, then let’s start with your Aether Bank and Aether Drive,” Roman began. As he spoke, he adopted the calm, enlightened tone of a lecturer, a tone that had always annoyed Lukey ever since he began school.

  “Your Aether Bank refers to how much aether you can store in your body at any given point; your Aether Drive refers to how quickly you can draw and prepare aether when using arts. To put it simply, there are limits to how much aether you can use at any given point, so you need to be aware of these things whenever you enter a fight.”

  “How do my Aether Bank and Aether Drive affect me? As far as I can tell, I can keep using art forever without getting tired.” Luke asked.

  “That’s because you don’t have any Combat Arts. As far as I can tell, all your current artwork passively works in the background and has minimal aether usage. You’re never using more aether than what your Aether Drive can pull, so you’ve never exhausted your Aether Bank.”

  “Once you start using more aether-intensive arts, you’ll have to start paying more attention to these aspects. If you overdraw your bank, you’ll pass out from exhaustion. Conversely, if you overload your bank, you’ll be racked with pain and eventually pass out.”

  “Remember the stalker, and how you passed out after defeating it?” Triton chimed in. “That’s what happens when your body gets more aether than it can handle.”

  Lukey nodded in comprehension, and the lecture continued.

  “Your Aether Bank and Aether Drive will gradually increase as you level up, letting you use more advanced arts and wield them on a larger scale. As they increase, you’ll be allowed to use more aether-intensive arts, allowing you to create some truly spectacular abilities. It’s also generally recommended to avoid fighting anything more than double your level.”

  It was a lot of information, so Lukey tried his best to summarize it all in his journal. Once he was done, he confirmed his understanding with Roman.

  “So, I have a limited supply of aether in my body, and I regenerate it constantly?” Lukey summarized. “Also, I should avoid using more than I have or trying to use too much.”

  “In essence, yes,” Roman confirmed. “Now, onto internal and external aether!”

  Then, the lecture continued.

  “There are two parts of your body that are used to control aether: your Internal Channels and your External Field. Internal Channels are used to control aether within your body, whether it be to control your muscles or perform transformations. Your External Field controls the aether outside of your body, typically to launch attacks by controlling your surroundings.”

  “Fun fact,” Roman chimed in, breaking from the lecture. “Aether used to be referred to as ‘magic’ or ‘qi,’ depending on where you’re from, but now we know that it’s just the same thing used in two different ways.”

  “Arts will either use Internal Channels or External Fields depending on what they intend to do; however, the best arts generally require a mix of both. Keep in mind that when altering or creating art, mixing both disciplines can get pretty complicated. With your lack of experience, I would recommend focusing on one or the other for now.”

  “Now allow me to demonstrate!” Roman announced.

  The scholar suddenly fell into focus, staring dead ahead of himself. Lukey started to wonder what the scholar was trying to do, and that was when he noticed that his quest log began to float.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Behold!” Roman said with all the grandeur he could muster. “[Telekinesis]!”

  While Triton was thoroughly unimpressed by the display, Lukey and Saphina were looking up in wonder at the floating book.

  “Wow, you can make things float! The scholar class must give you some amazing arts.” Saphina gawked.

  “Well, not exactly.” Roman dismissed, making the journal float back down to the table. “It’s mostly arts that improve reading, writing, and comprehension skills. [Telekinesis] is mostly just for picking up small objects from far away. I planned on upgrading it with control over air, but I’ve yet to find the opportunity.”

  “So, [Telekinesis] uses your External Field exclusively. Right?” Lukey confirmed.

  “Right, meanwhile arts like [Fisherman’s Stance] and [Wild Trapper] utilize your Internal Channels exclusively.” Roman explained. “Speaking of arts, the most recent art you got from your class is very interesting.”

  My most recent art? Oh, right, the art I got at level twenty. I haven’t even bothered to check it out yet.

  A quick use of [Insight] brought up the art in question, and finally reading it made Lukey equal parts excited and confused.

  “It’s another sensory art, as if I needed another one,” Lukey sighed. “What exactly is so special about it?”

  “I’ll explain later,” Roman hinted with a smile, “but suffice to say I might consider picking up fisherman as my second class just for that art. For now, though, just remember that internal channels run through your body, whereas your external field is an extension of your mind. If you understand all that, then we can move on.”

  Lukey was confused but put the topic aside as he scribbled down some shorthand notes.

  Internal channels work inside the body; external fields work outside; arts can use either or both.

  “Now, onto the last aspect of arts: automatic and manual!” Roman announced. “This is easy to understand but complicated to master. Basically, "automatic" means using art exactly as it's described, without any direct control over it. It requires less concentration but is less efficient on aether usage and makes arts weaker in strength.”

  “Manual, on the other hand, is probably the toughest aspect of art to master. It involves taking direct control over the flow of aether, allowing you to get a little more creative with your arts. Manual usage has greater aether efficiency and can boost arts past their limits but requires far more concentration.”

  “That doesn’t seem like such a big deal,” Lukey dismissed. “How big of a change can controlling aether manually have?”

  Roman just deadpanned at Lukey, then gave him an even stare.

  “Do you remember the art I used upstairs when I looked at your attributes and art?” Roman suddenly asked.

  “Yeah, what was that by the way?” Lukey pondered. “It seemed pretty strong to invade my body like that, so it must be a special art.”

  “That was just [Insight],” Roman stated, adjusting his glasses. “It’s the first art you get in the Scholar class; nothing different from what you have.”

  Lukey, Saphina, and even Triton gawked at that statement. Everybody had this art, and they were all aware of its limitations; it only ever gave surface-level information, nothing that would be useful. Yet, Roman was able to master it to the point he could use it to view a person’s status, in-depth no less.

  “It took me months before I could use it on that level. The Codex requires every member to master it before we’re even considered for employment. This isn’t even counting the other arts from my class, as well as the arts I’ve modified or gained from achievements.” Roman explained.

  “I have to do that for all of my arts?” Lukey despaired. “That could take forever!”

  “Well, not all your arts exactly. Just the ones you use frequently,” Roman interrupted. “Besides, if you’re planning on modifying your art, you probably don’t want to waste your time mastering what you plan on changing anyways.”

  “So, what do you recommend?” Lukey asked.

  Roman already knew Luke's attributes and arts, plus the scholar already had far more experience when it came to these things than he did. If anyone knew the best way for him to progress, it would be the person who already went through all of this and made it to the second stage.

  “According to the rules of my guild, I’m forbidden from telling you exactly how you should progress. However, I can make some general recommendations.” Roman said. He then adjusted his glasses once again. “Just to make things simpler, combine [Tyrant Sense] and [Labyrinth Sense] with [Ripple Sense]. This should allow you to perform all three functions simultaneously, in addition to extending their reach. As for which arts to master? [Fisherman’s Stance], [Insight], and [Ripple Sense], in that order, should be your primary focus.”

  “Wow, that was… unusually helpful. How come you weren’t like this earlier?” Lukey questioned.

  “Because I don’t get levels for answering stupid questions,” Roman spat. “I do, however, get levels for performing lectures, debating, and acquiring knowledge. Speaking of which…”

  Roman then turned to his side, and his eyes immediately lit up a moment later. Confused, Lukey used [Insight] to check his title again.

  [Roman Barzola (Advanced Scholar) Lv. 85]

  He increased his level twice just from giving out that lecture. Incredible.

  Lukey was envious at how easy it was for a scholar to level up, but he didn’t delude himself into thinking that Romans class was better. The Scholar class probably had limited combat capabilities, focusing more on learning and passing on that knowledge to others as opposed to fighting.

  Finally, Roman turned back to Lukey and his group.

  “Alright, so to summarize. Be mindful of how much aether your arts cost to use, check if the art uses your External Field or your Internal Channels, and finally, if you want to use it automatically or manually.” Roman explained. “With all that in mind, we can finally move on to changing your arts!”

  Lukey finished scribbling the information down in his journal, but before he could say anything, Triton interrupted.

  “Actually, I think this is enough for now.” He spoke. “The practice of changing arts is a completely different discussion, one that can wait until after the boy has completed his first mission.”

  “Hmmm, good point,” Roman contemplated. “Alright then. For now, I guess you should simmer on everything I’ve discussed. At the very least, it’s something to keep in mind during combat.”

  “Fine,” Lukey relented. “But before I leave, can you at least tell me one thing? You seem to put a lot of stock into [Ripple Sense], but is it really that good? It seems kind of plain to me.”

  Roman stared at Lukey, then gave a look towards Triton that seemed to ask for confirmation.

  “It’s fine,” Triton dismissed with a wave. “As a matter of fact, I’m quite curious myself. I’ve never seen much use in it beyond sensing things from a great distance. Perhaps a scholar might have different ideas on how to use it?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” Roman stated with a devious smile. “As far as I can tell, [Ripple Sense] uses pulses of sound, undetectable mind you, to give you an image of your surroundings and anything nearby. Now, the art itself isn’t that special, but you can’t imagine the things that are possible when you can control sound in that way.”

  “In other words, you want the art to modify it into something else.” Lukey confirmed.

  “Think about it!” Roman prattled on excitedly. “Emitting waves that can disrupt the aether to prevent arts from being used; emitting waves that disrupt the enemies’ senses; even in its basic form, [Ripple Sense] could be used to find hidden areas and treasure in labyrinths! The possibilities are endless!”

  “Woah… I didn’t even think about that,” Lukey said, then a thought occurred to him. “Wait, what would happen if you inverted the art, for example?”

  “Inversion? That’s a bit advanced, don’t you think?” Roman questioned. “Well, I suppose instead of relaying information about your surroundings to you, you would instead relay information about you to your surroundings. Basically, you would turn into a massive lure, though I don’t know why you would want to do that.”

  I can think of a few reasons.

  “Well, then!” Triton said. “This has all been very enlightening, but now I suppose it’s starting to get late. Lukey, you should start heading home; Saphina, you too. Roman, there’s an inn down near the harbor; you can stay there.”

  “Today was pretty boring.” Saphina drawled, standing up with a stretch. “Please tell me we’ll be leaving on that mission soon.”

  “We will, don’t worry.” Lukey said.

  “I’ll stay here for a bit,” Roman said. “I’m going to do some research on that Aethereal Brand. Maybe it could lead to a special labyrinth?”

  Lukey, Saphina, and Roman then began leaving the main room and walking up the steps to the main entrance. None of them said anything on the way up, each one intending to part as soon as they left the building. Before Lukey could leave, however, Triton stopped him.

  “Before you leave, there is something I need to teach you. Focus your mind.” Triton said.

  Lukey was caught off guard but did as the old man asked. Then, after a few moments, Lukey began to feel something as a thread of aether began to enter his mind.

  “Can you hear me?” A voice buzzed in his head.

  “Ah!” Lukey shrieked. “What was that!”

  “It’s called [Whisper],” Triton replied. “You’re welcome.”