Chapter 10: Skill Books

As they took a brief moment to rest, Althea rummaged through the bag they'd scavenged from the skeleton. She pulled out a small, dusty book with faded gold lettering across the cover.

“Hey, look what I found!” she exclaimed, leaning over to show Noah.

He looked up, intrigued. “What is it?”

“It’s a Monsterpedia... or, well, the more formal name for it would be a Compendium for Monsters.” She tilted her head, studying the cover more closely. “Actually, this one is specifically for the undead. It must have belonged to that skeleton. They might have been here to do some kind of monster census.”

“A monster census?” Noah raised an eyebrow, still skeptical as he leaned closer.

“Or something like it,” Althea shrugged, flipping open the pages. “Maybe I’m using the wrong word, but it could have been a researcher’s job to document what kinds of creatures live here.”

Together, they skimmed through the book’s musty pages until they found the entry for “Skeleton.” The section was filled with detailed illustrations and notes, describing the skeletal creatures and their typical behavior. According to the book, they were generally the weakest of the undead—easily outmatched once one knew their weaknesses. However, the page had a side note that caught Noah’s attention: some skeletons were what the book called “elite.” These special variants were almost indistinguishable from regular skeletons but showed signs of elevated consciousness.

“‘Elevated consciousness’?” Noah read aloud, frowning as he processed the details. “So, they’d actually be able to think?”

“Sort of,” Althea nodded, pointing to a passage. “They might have enough awareness to ambush people, drag down unsuspecting travelers, or even use tactics.” She glanced at him with a worried expression. “Sounds like what we just fought…”

Noah’s jaw tightened as he thought back to the skeleton’s relentless grip on his leg.

As Althea passed the Monsterpedia over to Noah, she went back to digging through the backpack’s contents, her expression shifting from tired curiosity to sudden delight.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed, her eyes brightening. “Look at this… Skill Books! There are three of them! I take back what I said about my luck. Or maybe it’s actually your luck rubbing off on me… but this is awesome…”

“What’s a Skill Book?” Noah asked, glancing over at her.

Althea beamed and held the books up. “Basically, they’re items that let you learn a skill instantly. All you have to do is touch one, let the system register it, and then confirm if you want to learn the skill.”

He blinked in surprise. “That easy, huh? Why haven’t I heard of these before?”

“Most people haven’t,” she admitted, noting his confused look. “Skill Books are super rare and the Superhero Association keeps a tight leash on them. They don’t want villains knowing about them, let alone getting their hands on them. Admittedly, most villains are kept out of dungeons as much as possible for a reason.”

Althea pushed each Skill Book toward him, one at a time, watching with hopeful anticipation. The first two books didn’t register, but when he picked up the third, a small notification blinked in his mind:

Do you wish to learn the Skill: Swordsmanship?

[Y/N]

“It’s called… swordsmanship.”

“It registered?” Althea’s eyes lit up. “Then go for it! Skill Books are crazy rare, so you’d be silly not to.”

Noah nodded, selecting “Yes” in his mind. Immediately, there was a strange, tingling awareness in his body, as if his muscles had received subtle instructions they hadn’t known before. He gripped the short sword, giving it an experimental swing, and felt a new precision in his movements. It was almost intuitive as if his body remembered lessons he had never learned.

“It’s strange,” he muttered, swinging the blade with a new confidence. “The skill… it feels natural, but there’s no explanation like there would be in a game.”

Althea looked down at the two remaining Skill Books and hesitated before glancing at Noah. “Is it okay if I use these?” she asked, holding up the ones labeled Purge and Fireball.

Noah nodded. “Of course. They’re no good just lying there, right? Besides, I’m curious—what’s it like using these Skill Books for you?”

A thoughtful look crossed her face as she explained, “It’s kind of strange… like suddenly growing a new muscle, or maybe an extra organ. It’s there and it works with your body, but it’s different, like it shares your stamina or energy. It’s definitely not something separate. When I got registered, they gave me a free Skill Book for Fire Bolt, so this wasn’t exactly my first time.”

Noah felt the same with his new Swordsmanship skill—this new “muscle” he could feel but still needed to train. He watched as Althea pressed her hand to the [Purge] book, which glowed faintly before the skill was absorbed. She then attempted the same with [Fireball] which similarly got absorbed.

“Looks like I don’t have enough stats for Fireball,” she said with a small sigh. “But I could manage Purge.”

“What does Purge do?” Noah asked, intrigued.

“It’s a versatile one,” she replied, smiling. “It can harm undead, blind enemies temporarily, purify water, clean objects, or even remove certain ailments and status effects. Really handy if you think about it.”

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He nodded, impressed. “That’s a lot for one skill.”

Althea shrugged. “That’s why people value these rare skills. But it’s also kind of funny—the Superhero Association doesn’t believe in ‘magic’ as people did in ancient times. They categorize skills differently: my Fire Bolt and Fireball are offensive skills, and Pyrokinesis is what they call a ‘super skill.’”

“And mine?” he asked, thinking of his Fly and Swordsmanship.

“Fly is a movement skill, while Swordsmanship is considered a technical skill,” she explained. Her gaze softened as she added, “I kind of feel bad for you, though. Swordsmanship seems so basic next to something like Purge.”

Noah laughed. “Hey, I’m grateful for any edge I can get right now.”

She continued, delving deeper into the skill categories. “Skills get divided up by their functions—there’s support, utility, offense, defense, movement, technical, and a few others. Each skills are all powered by our stats… and in a sense, they are fueled by stamina.

The system certainly operated on weird mechanics. To Noah, they seemed inferior compared to the games of today, but then again, there was something almost perfect about the simplicity. In a way, it made things easier to understand, even if it was less flashy than the complex systems in the games he was used to. He appreciated Althea’s lecture on skills, especially since it was information that was neither readily available to the public nor something his dad would have shared with him.

“How about stats?” Noah asked. “I heard from the internet that a Gifted could naturally learn a skill by raising their stats. That’s why the higher the number, the better.”

Althea took a moment to think before answering, clearly reflecting on what she’d learned from her own experiences. “According to my mentor, it depends on luck, your class, and your experience…” She paused, taking a deep breath before adding, “Sadly, I can’t tell you much about it. The only thing that’s clear is that having a high level is pretty much the consensus for raising strength.”

It wasn’t much more than he already knew, but it did help to hear it from someone with more involvement and with more experience. His mind wandered for a moment, but he quickly snapped back to the conversation when Althea grabbed the canteen and took a few small sips, clearly parched.

Noah followed her gaze for a moment, then added, “We should probably keep an eye on our supplies. We don’t know how long we’ll be down here.”

Althea glanced back at him, acknowledging his comment with a simple nod as she capped the canteen and placed it back in her bag. She then stretched slightly, her eyes scanning the cave around them. “Yeah… hopefully, we find some more supplies soon. I don’t like the idea of running out of water, or worse… potions.” She paused for a second with a wry smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “I guess we’re lucky this place is only a few hours old, huh?”

Noah chuckled, though the humor was faint. “Lucky... sure.”

It was nice to hear Althea thinking optimistically.

Noah stood up, flexing his arm slightly, feeling the tightness of the burn and the residual soreness from the earlier fight. He swung his short sword in a wide arc, testing the weight and balance. His movements were slow at first, but after a few practice swings, he felt the familiar rhythm begin to settle in. He grunted, more out of habit than necessity, and suggested pushing forward.

“Our chances have improved drastically… so how about we give it another go?”

Althea nodded, adjusting the strap on her bag. “I can use [Purge] three times,” she said, voice calm but carrying a hint of weariness. “And [Fire Bolt]... well, its effectiveness will decrease depending on how much I use it alongside other skills. The more skills I use, the less fuel I have.”

Noah nodded absently, eyes already scanning the tunnel ahead. The faint glow from the crystals bathed the path in an eerie light, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch endlessly. He didn’t activate his [Fly] skill, though the urge was strong. Instead, he toggled on his [Swordsmanship], not quite expecting to need it immediately, but the instinct to be prepared was undeniable. The skill felt taxing on his mind as if his body knew a fight was coming, and it was only a matter of time before his reflexes would be put to the test.

Noah needed to get used to his skill as soon as possible… fighting close and personal would scar him mentally and he knew it. No. He had anticipated it.

They moved quietly, each step measured, each breath controlled. He kept his focus sharp, eyes darting from one corner of the cave to the next, ready to react to any signs of danger. Then, they rounded a corner, and there they were.

Four undead skeletons.

They stood in a rough formation, their hollow, eyeless skulls turned toward them in unison. The first skeleton wore what appeared to be old, battered armor, and it carried a large mace in one hand and a shield in the other. It was the most formidable-looking of the group, a tank, Noah thought. The second skeleton, slightly behind, was an archer. Its high-quality bow was sleek and well-crafted, an impressive weapon by any standard. And in the rear, Noah noticed the last figure, a magic caster. Its robes seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light, and a faint aura of energy swirled around it. It was hard to tell how powerful they were, but the presence of a magic caster in the group made Noah uneasy.

Thankfully, they hadn’t noticed them yet.

Noah acted quickly, grabbing Althea by the arm and dragging her down, pressing them both against the cold cavern wall. He held his breath, watching the undead skeletons through the narrow gap between the rock and their bodies. They were still unaware of their presence, but Noah knew that wouldn’t last long.

“Stay quiet,” he whispered sharply, his voice low but urgent. “We need to be careful. Don’t make a sound unless we have to.”

Althea nodded, her eyes wide as she followed his lead, her fingers instinctively flickering with pinkish flames. “Any ideas?”

The skeletal formation was formidable. In addition to the heavily armored skeleton with the mace and shield and the archer, there were two others: one wielding a pair of swords, ready for swift strikes, and another robed figure, carrying a staff that looked similar to that of a mage.

He felt Althea’s gaze on him, waiting for some sign that he had a plan. But the reality of the situation was dawning on him, and he didn’t want to rush into anything without careful thought. Althea was the first to break the silence.

“Listen, I think I can use [Purge] to hit them all at once,” she said, her voice low and controlled. “We take down as many as we can with that, and then we make a run for it.”

Noah frowned, scanning the group of undead. The strategy had a certain appeal—striking fast and hard, then retreating before they could be surrounded. But his mind quickly ran through the potential problems. “You’re suggesting a hit-and-run?” Noah asked, his voice skeptical.

“Basically, yeah,” Althea nodded. “We hit them hard with my [Purge], and then—”

“—We run,” Noah finished, voice edged with doubt.

She nodded again, her gaze flickering from him to the undead. “It’s like kiting,” she explained, her tone more confident now. “We attack, pull them toward us, then use our distance to stay ahead of them.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “What if their movement speed was fast enough to keep you in range… the skeletal archer should have the required speed to kite us instead.”

Noah was familiar with the concept, but in the context of real-life combat, it seemed a bit more… precarious. The problem was, they didn’t exactly know the skeleton archer’s range. If Althea was left too far from him, she could easily be caught in the archer’s line of sight and become a target. And with the caster skeleton in the back, there was always the chance of being hit with some kind of magic as well.

He paused, reconsidering the plan. “What if the archer sees you? You won’t have enough time to get away before it shoots.”

Althea seemed to consider this for a moment, her brow furrowing. “True. But we need to try something. If we wait too long, they’ll spot us anyway.”

Noah smirked, “I think your hit-and-run suggestion… could still be improved.”