Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

Chapter 16

Lucia witnessed a faint Aura emanating from Kang Jin-hyuk’s hand.

Though it was hardly impressive—more akin to a weak haze than a true Aura—it still held potential.

“I knew he had talent, but he’s mastered it quicker than I expected.”

It was true that clerics typically learned to harness aura more easily than ordinary humans.

Since it relied on the power of faith rather than personal mana, it was as if they were skipping 3 to 4 levels compared to regular folks.

However, just because the conditions were lenient didn’t mean everyone could easily learn Aura.

If all clerics could master Aura, Lucia’s world would be overflowing with paladins.

“If he had a deeper faith, he might have awakened it on his own…”

Yet, Lucia was certain that would never happen with him.

She hadn’t seen any sign of the piety or reverence one would expect from a cleric in Kang Jin-hyuk’s actions.

If he hadn’t been using Holy Shield, she would never have guessed him to be a cleric.

“Ugh, there’s no time to investigate this.”

Since things were progressing faster than expected, her earlier plans to study the magic circle had to be revised.

Still, she felt no regret.

Even if she deciphered the magic circle, there was no way she could return to her original dimension with just her mana.

Continuing the research was merely a matter of curiosity.

She simply wanted to know why she had been sent to this place.

Lucia believed it was more appropriate to help Kang Jin-hyuk move on to the next step than to satisfy her own curiosity.

She understood the importance of his growth phase.

And as expected, Kang Jin-hyuk, having acquired a new skill, was brimming with enthusiasm.

“I can’t believe there was another way to gain skills besides class change…!”

Kang Jin-hyuk checked the details of the newly acquired passive skill.

[Application of Divine Power – Level 1]

In addition to specific skills, he could now use Divine Power at will.

Current Skill Level: F

Grants a holy attribute upon using Divine Power.

Increases attack and defense proportional to the consumed MP.

After reviewing the skill description, Kang Jin-hyuk felt puzzled.

“What do you mean I can use Divine Power with skills other than clerical ones?”

This could imply that Divine Power could be applied to skills not specific to clerics, but there was no way for Kang Jin-hyuk to verify that.

“I don’t have skills beyond cleric skills…”

It was disappointing that he had no way to experiment with his newly acquired ability.

Still, he felt no sense of disappointment for what he had gained since there were far more rewarding experiences.

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Lucia, having approached him without him realizing, noticed the satisfactory curve of his lips.

“What are you so pleased about?”

“I just acquired a new passive skill!”

“Passive… what?”

Lucia expressed confusion at his words, prompting Kang Jin-hyuk to feel another pang of oddity.

“You don’t know about passive skills? They automatically activate without needing a skill name,” he explained.

“I don’t know what that is. What’s a skill in the first place?”

Kang Jin-hyuk felt perplexed at her question.

“What I just used, the Holy Shield—wasn’t that a skill?”

Lucia replied as if in realization, “Oh, so you call your holy magic a skill, huh?”

At that moment, Kang Jin-hyuk experienced a profound sense of dissonance.

While he might believe it was merely a difference in terminology, a lingering discomfort remained.

He decided to confront Lucia to ascertain the perceptions of her world concerning such matters.

“Do you know what stats are?”

“What are those? It sounds like magic if it resembles skills.”

“You know, those windows of information that pop up in your head when you think about them. The stats shown there.”

Lucia tilted her head, questioning what he meant.

“Something like that doesn’t exist.”

It was clear that not only did she not understand stats or ability scores, but also the idea of a “window that appears in front of you” was completely foreign to her.

Through continued dialogue with Lucia, he finally recognized that such things simply didn’t exist in her world.

In Lucia’s world, one grew stronger through training their body or awakening mana.

They didn’t level up as if they were in a game, nor did they unleash spells merely by uttering a skill name.

“Our methodology is simple and convenient, but it does have drawbacks as well.”

Fortunately, they were not impossible to adapt to.

Just a short while ago, Kang Jin-hyuk had grasped a new passive skill after numerous repetitions.

With that concrete evidence, he believed that the methods used in Lucia’s realm would also work here.

If he only followed her training faithfully, he would be able to master plenty of skills.

Thinking this way, he found it impossible to remain idle.

“Teach me the next method right away. How should I utilize the Aura emanating from my hands?”

“I was just about to tell you that.”

Lucia was equally intrigued.

Skipping the process and casting spells solely through skill names was equivalent to a nonchant spell level in her world.

What kind of results would emerge when merging his abilities with her vast knowledge?

Lucia was very curious to find out.

‘This seems far more enjoyable than delving into spell formulas that offer no answers.’

Feeling the thrill akin to a true adventurer for the first time in ages, Lucia decided to guide Kang Jin-hyuk earnestly.

* * *

The suddenly passionate and focused training was grueling.

They practiced using Aura until Kang Jin-hyuk’s MP ran dry, and when it completely depleted, they would need to train their physique until it automatically replenished.

When Kang Jin-hyuk questioned why moving his body was necessary to use Aura, Lucia answered that it was all for his benefit.

“After sufficient effort, you might acquire a warrior’s skill!”

“Damn…! You say that like it’s guaranteed. Nothing’s for sure!”

“Why so negative? Even if you don’t acquire a skill, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, making it beneficial regardless.”

“That’s something we also say where I’m from.”

It seemed there were some universal truths across their worlds, even with different backgrounds.

While the thought held some merit, it sounded more like an elder’s rant when heard in a context of exhaustion.

“Alright, stop complaining and get back to it. How long do you plan on sitting there?”

Seeing Lucia wave her fingers in urging, Kang Jin-hyuk reluctantly lifted himself.

Without any preparatory stance, he swung at her like he was wielding a baseball bat.

His act towards a slender woman seemed excessive, but he felt no hesitation.

He had anticipated that Lucia would easily dodge, treating it as a trivial endeavor.

“Wow!”

Stepping back just a bit, Lucia said with a mischievous expression, “You startled me! Where’s the sudden swing coming from?”

“Try saying that after letting me graze you just a little.”

“Haha, that’s not happening. I have pride as an S-ranked adventurer; do you think I’d let you hit me?”

“I apologize for being a rookie.”

Lucia called it practice to gain real combat experience, but to Kang Jin-hyuk, it felt far from anything resembling a proper duel.

Off-balance, almost every swing fell short, lighting nothing but empty air.

At this point, it felt more like a seasoned player bullying a newbie.

“My shoulders are going to end up ruined at this rate.”

Kang Jin-hyuk felt as if his arm would dislocate after endlessly swinging uselessly.

“Wouldn’t it be better to practice against monsters instead?”

Lucia paused for a moment upon hearing his suggestion.

Even while avoiding Kang Jin-hyuk’s reckless approach, she began to think.

“Right, you said defeating monsters raises your stats, right?”

“To be precise, it’s leveling up.”

“Wow… so growing stronger means you can get better by killing them. That’s fascinating.”

To Lucia, the idea of gaining strength by defeating monsters felt ludicrous, akin to saying the more livestock you slaughter, the stronger you become.

While absurd, if it was common sense in his world, it had to be accepted.

“Then let’s see how much we can hunt monsters with Aura. Maybe you’ll earn that skill!”

“But I haven’t practiced enough; how could I possibly…”

Though he had gained a passive skill, Kang Jin-hyuk’s Aura only lasted a mere 0.1 seconds.

Moreover, its presence was so weak it sometimes felt dubious about even existing.

Lucia was well aware of this fact yet believed it was a minor issue contrary to Kang Jin-hyuk’s thinking.

“Just wait for the opportune moment to strike.”

After all, in that split second when the bat meets the target, it should be shorter than 0.1 seconds, far from long.

Thus, Lucia thought this was entirely achievable from a theoretical standpoint.

“Are you counting on success altogether at once?”

It was evident that he couldn’t pull off such exact control just yet.

As if asking a toddler to do a 100-meter dash was simply too much.

“Who said anyone’s achieving it in one go? Just keep trying until you can!”

With plenty of monsters running rampant in this dungeon, they had all the practice targets and locations needed at their disposal.

Kang Jin-hyuk had a foreboding sense of the hellish hours that awaited him.

“Try until we make it? Are you serious?”

“Why? Are you trying to back out now? You’re the one who asked me to teach you how to use Aura.”

“Uh… I mean, today feels really heavy… maybe we should continue next time instead?”

With exhaustion approaching, he tried to justify his plea, reinforcing the idea that he’d be more productive later.

But Lucia had no intention of accepting his reasoning.

She strolled up and firmly slung her arm over Kang Jin-hyuk’s shoulder.

“When you start making progress, you’ve got to push past until you’ve made it. Putting off halfway progress now only leads to further delays later!”

Once Lucia set her mind on something, she followed it through to the end.

Now that she had resolved to teach him, she would push him to exhaustion if necessary.

Seeing the color drain from Kang Jin-hyuk’s face made her smile wider.

“Don’t freak out so much. If you’re really about to die, I’ll help you.”

“Does that mean you’ll only help right before I die?”

“… Well, ready to start?”

“Hey, a little response would be nice!”

Kang Jin-hyuk began to wonder whether he had stirred up a hornet’s nest with a fleeting impulse.

His future seemed perilous as he sighed deeply at the thought of impending challenges.

Lucia slammed her palm against his back, exclaiming,

“Smile more! You’re being trained by this prestigious S-ranked adventurer; consider yourself lucky!”

Kang Jin-hyuk could barely comprehend her sudden enthusiasm.

All along, he had imagined she’d teach him as a way to kill time while deciphering the magic circle.

What wind could have blown in to make her adopt a teaching attitude with such zeal?

“…Fine, let’s do this.”

Realizing he had no way to evade, he resolved to seize this opportunity instead.

If he could emulate even half of the strength she demonstrated against the boss monster, he would acquire abilities far beyond a B-rank hunter.