The return trip from Mosswood Cavern was nothing like the anxious journey going in. The student wagons rolled through the forest with a newfound sense of pride. Some groups cheered loudly, celebrating small victories. Others groaned in exhaustion, dragging their sore limbs like wounded soldiers.
Team 7 sat quietly.
Selwyn leaned against the wagon's wooden side, eyes half-closed but alert. Kain hummed happily, still riding the high of smashing monsters. Ruth stroked her spirit fox, its form flickering in and out of visibility. Lara scribbled notes about healing spells, expression earnest.
Leon sat with his back straight, gaze steady on the forest passing by. He replayed the dungeon run in his mind—not emotionally, not nostalgically, but analytically. Every movement, every decision, every shift of the dungeon's mana.
Luck hadn't saved him.
Luck had simply… smoothed the path.
Turned danger into inconvenience.
Turned mistakes into harmless slips.
Turned risks into manageable problems.
He didn't rely on it.
He simply accepted its presence.
The wagons reached Silverbrook Academy just before noon. Students jumped out, some kissing the ground dramatically, others laughing, a few crying from relief.
Damian sprinted toward Leon the moment he appeared.
"You're alive!" Damian yelled. "I knew it! I mean—I doubted it at least thirty times—but I KNEW IT!"
Leon stepped past him. "Move."
Damian clung to his sleeve. "Tell me everything! How many monsters? How many tries did you almost die? Did you trip? Did you stab one? Did you see treasure?!"
"No," Leon said.
Damian gasped. "No treasure?! What kind of scam dungeon is that?!"
Before Damian could start a second round of interrogation, Instructor Hale waved the team forward.
"Good work," Hale said. "All five members returned, so the academy marks this as a clean success. Now—each of you follow me. You will receive your evaluation, dungeon score, and first reward."
Kain pumped his fist. "Reward time!"
Selwyn smiled faintly. "Don't get too excited. Beginner rewards aren't that grand."
Lara giggled. "But they're important!"
Ruth nodded shyly.
Hale led them to a sealed training room where a long table stood lined with documents, stones, and crystal orbs. A faint mana barrier enclosed the room, humming quietly.
Hale sorted the papers and cleared his throat.
"A dungeon run is graded in three categories," he began. "Efficiency, coordination, and performance. Your team performed well above average."
Kain puffed his chest. "Of course we did!"
Selwyn elbowed him. "It was teamwork."
"It was my shield smashes," he insisted.
Ruth whispered, "It was all of us…"
Hale continued, "Team 7 receives the highest score of all fifteen teams."
Even Selwyn's eyes widened slightly.
Damian, who had somehow snuck behind the door, screamed, "I KNEW IT!"
Hale closed the door in Damian's face.
"Now," Hale said, "your individual rewards."
He handed Selwyn a thin crystal shard. "Skill shard: Piercing Shot. Beginner-level, but synergizes well with Arcane Shooter."
Selwyn bowed. "Thank you."
Kain received a glowing stone. "Stamina Burst. Enhances physical endurance temporarily."
Kain nearly cried. "A buff skill! For me?!"
Ruth was given a small talisman. "Minor Beast Call. Lets you summon a second-tier forest creature for a short duration."
Ruth hugged it to her chest. "I'll use it well."
Lara received a staff ornament. "Healing Breeze. Low-tier healing circle skill."
Her face lit up. "Really? Thank you!"
Finally, Hale turned to Leon.
Everyone watched.
Even the mana barrier seemed to hum louder.
Hale placed a skill orb in Leon's hand—a transparent crystal with swirling silver light inside.
"This," Hale said slowly, "is a unique reward. It isn't normally given to beginners. But after the Awakening… and after watching your dungeon performance… the academy believes this fits you."
Leon observed the orb silently.
The moment he touched it, the orb reacted—glowing brighter, resonating with his mana.
Hale continued, "Skill shard: Mana Blade."
Selwyn inhaled sharply. "That's a hybrid combat technique."
Lara whispered, "Isn't that rare for beginners?"
Kain leaned forward. "Lucky!"
Ruth hugged her fox. "It suits him…"
Hale explained, "Mana Blade creates a short-range mana slash, or coats a weapon with compressed mana. Perfect for mid-range combat. Perfect for a Battlemage."
Leon nodded.
Hale added, "Normally, this skill is unstable for beginners. But your control in the yard yesterday… proved you can handle it."
Leon pressed the orb lightly.
It dissolved into motes of light.
A cold flash swept across his consciousness as knowledge entered his mind.
New skill acquired: Mana Blade (Beginner)
Skill Rank: F
Description: Channels mana into the weapon, releasing a cutting wave or enhancing striking power. Efficiency increases with mana control.
Kain shouted, "You got your first skill!"
Damian, still pressed against the door, shouted muffled words, "WHAT DID HE GET—?!"
Leon closed his eyes briefly, understanding the feeling of the skill.
It wasn't comfortable, not yet.
But it wasn't foreign.
It aligned with his flow.
Luck pulsed faintly.
Very faintly.
As if pleased.
Hale handed the evaluation papers to each member. "Dismissed. Rest for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow, regular training resumes."
Kain practically dragged Selwyn out. "Let's spar! I want to try my new skill!"
"No. Absolutely not," Selwyn said.
Lara waved timidly as she left with Ruth.
Leon walked toward the exit.
The moment he stepped outside, Damian tackled him.
"LEON! WHAT DID YOU GET?! TELL ME!"
"Skill," Leon said.
"WHAT skill?!"
"Mana Blade."
Damian froze.
Then—
his eyes widened.
His jaw dropped.
He clutched his chest dramatically.
"That's—THAT'S SO COOL! I got nothing yesterday but trauma!"
Leon stepped past him.
Damian stumbled after him like a loyal but exhausted puppy. "Wait! When are you going to test it?! Can I watch?! No—can I be your target?! No no, bad idea. But maybe?!"
Leon ignored him.
In the quiet yard behind the dorms, he lifted his dagger.
Mana flowed.
Steady.
Clean.
Aligned.
He called the new skill.
Mana Blade.
A thin crescent of blue energy extended from the dagger's edge, sharp enough to cut the training post cleanly.
Damian screamed, "I KNEW YOU WERE A DEMON!"
Leon lowered the blade.
He was beginning.
Slowly.
Silently.
Efficiently.
The path to strength had opened.