Drewells976
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Chapter 345 - Sharp Advice
🕑 Added 2025-08-01 18:43:38 +0000 UTCA/N: Feeling better :) Hope you enjoy the chappy with Jolene! https://c10.patreonusercontent.com/4/patreon-media/p/post/135497153/f476416f3a
A/N: Feeling better :)
Hope you enjoy the chappy with Jolene!
https://c10.patreonusercontent.com/4/patreon-media/p/post/135497153/f476416f3a584998858ccda3b51321fa/eyJhIjoxLCJwIjoxfQ%3D%3D/1.pdf?token-hash=PklUdOebCX2MA1RYyqR7XDoUfIBG6IPxq5TvvCJt4cA%3D&token-time=1754179200
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Kai reached the Veridian Hall as a stream of second-years in burnt orange filed out of the double doors. The senior students passed him by without paying him any mind once they noticed the color of his uniform. He rummaged through his backpack to conceal using his ring to take the skill list, throwing a glance inside once the classroom emptied.
I remembered her schedule correctly.
Beyond the ranks of empty seats, Professor Thornwyn worked on the lowest level of the hall. Her gaze was fixed on the papers she was grading, though he had the sense she knew he was there.
Alright, I just have to ask her.
He lingered a second on the threshold before descending the steps toward the lecturer’s desk. Among all the professors he’d met, Jolene was probably the one he liked the best—and also the one he knew least how to handle. Where everyone else saw a lucky country bumpkin, she seemed to peer beyond his layers of bullshit.
Maybe it was paranoia. The longer he spent at Raelion, the more he understood nobody cared about digging into his background. He was one of many talented commoners who enrolled in the academy each year. The status snippets Professor Thornwyn had scryed during the intake were secreted by oath and lacked specifics. His secrets were safe. Her interest didn’t have to be a bad thing if it gained him better advice.
Reaching the bottom level, he already had his foot on the dais when he remembered students shouldn’t approach without permission—one of many pointless rules on student conduct from the Academy’s Codex. The endless articles and subsections were a stiff read and a drag to get through.
He shuffled back, trying to make the gesture look casual. Even minor breaches could result in demerits if he caught a cranky professor.
It’s like being back to Virya’s etiquette lessons when I was a child.
The witch always said his manners would be the end of him one day. Kai had no intention to prove her right.
Better not build bad habits—.
“What is it, Matthew? You look impatient,” Jolene said. Her austere tone left no doubt that she had been observing him since he entered the hall.
I knew it.
Approaching the desk, he squeezed his brain to recall the minutiae of the Academy’s Codex. “Good afternoon, Professor Thornwyn. If I could disturb you, I was hoping to raise a question for your consideration.”
Jolene lifted her gaze from the papers. She wore a pair of thin, gold-rimmed glasses, glowing with dense enchantments. One crooked eyebrow perfectly expressed her thoughts on his attempt at manners, making clear he’d better get on with it.
I’m trying, okay? I’m not the one who wrote the greetings in that stupid codex.
“Do you want to test another basic elemental proficiency?” she asked. “ I can set aside time in two days, if you have properly prepared.”
“Uhm, no. It’s not about that…” Kai coughed into his sleeve. Why was he even feeling nervous? He cleared his voice, speaking clear and steady. “I want to switch two of my skills for something that’ll be more useful at the academy. I wrote a shortlist of the ones I’m considering, but I thought I should ask for advice before committing to a choice.”
Her attention remained on grading the essays. “You’re overwhelmed by the choices in the library and can’t decide,” she said matter-of-factly, adding a sharp red mark to a paper and muttering in a lower voice. “The same story every intake…”
Kai opened his mouth. Then closed it. Seeing her motion with a slight huff, he offered the papers with the skill pairs he selected with Valela’s help.
Her eyes flashed over the grid of skill names, pros and cons, reading through the five pages in seconds. “Take Mnemonic Mastery and Swift Learner.” She handed him back the list.
“I… okay. Yes…” Kai clumsily took his notes. His gaze shifted between her and the papers—this wasn’t how he expected this to happen.
Jolene set aside the pile of essays and sighed at his befuddled state, watching him over her enchanted glasses. “What is it? Did you not come here to look for my advice?”
“I… yes. That’s what I wanted. Thank you.” Kai put the papers in the bag slung over his shoulders, taking time to think. Even if she didn’t mind his manners, he didn’t want to be rude. “It’s that… I didn’t expect to get a straight answer.”
His past teachers always answered his dilemmas with more questions. They never gave him straightforward solutions. Not before he had jumped through a dozen hoops and tripped in every ditch.
Huh, maybe I shouldn’t take that as the norm…
“Next time I’ll answer it in the form of a riddle if you prefer,” Professor Thornwyn said.
“I— no. I wasn’t complaining.”
“I see… There is a time to let students figure out their own answers, and a time when it’s better to give them straight to them. From your pages of pros and cons, you’ve spent long enough thinking about these skills. There’s no way for you to know which ones would be slightly better.” She looked him up and down; a lock of auburn hair fell beside her glasses. “You seem the type to obsess over these choices for weeks. Pondering a decision is wise, getting stuck in it is not.”
“I… I know.” Kai wrapped his arms around himself under her stare. “I don’t have decision paralysis. I just wanted to make the best choice since I’ll use these skills for a long time.”
“Decision paralysis, uh…” Jolene muttered, ignoring anything else he’d said. “That is an apt description. Paralyzed by having too many choices and fearing making the wrong one. Where have you heard of the term?”
Damn my mouth.
“I read it somewhere,” he smoothly replied.
Her keen gaze made him sweat cold. “Which book?”
Kai forced his hands to stop fidgeting with the strap of his bag. “I don’t remember. It was a long time ago.” Probably in another life, probably on a phone screen. Still, it was all true. “Can I know why I should take Mnemonic Mastery and Swift Learner? How are they better?”
What a totally-not-obvious way of changing the topic.
I mean, I do actually want to know the answer.
Her eyes squinted beneath the rim of her glasses. “When they find the main library, many students without heirloom paths pick skills that would take a decade to learn. Your list was all quite sensible.” With one last glance at him, she returned to grading essays. “Though I should probably thank Miss Hightide for that dose of realism. It’s good you know your flaws and ask for advice.”
Uhm, I’m not sure that was a compliment.
Her words carried the certainty of a statement rather than a guess. Was he really that easy to read? It couldn’t be a truth skill since he hadn’t said anything.
“How do you know I didn’t draft the list on my own?”
“Did you?”
“No, but I could have.” It would have only taken another couple days. Probably.
Still intent on her work, Jolene answered his earlier question with another question—much more familiar territory. “Have you ever encountered a fourth-circle mage?”
His stilled face seemed to be answer enough, because she continued.
“It’s all in your mana flow. Any green mage can read the fluctuations in your aura. Sensing the flow is easy. The hard part is interpreting it. Like a heart racing, quickening mana can mean a dozen different things. Any proper fourth-circle mage can learn to do it with the right skills and some exercise.” She met his scowl with a faint smile. “Don’t worry too much. You’re doing well for your age. Your fluctuations are evident because you’ve recently enhanced your race. It takes some settling when you receive a surge of attributes. You can adjust quicker with practice.”
Kai bit his cheek to hide his annoyance. The more he tried to calm his mana, the more it pulsed and churned. No one had found flaws in his mana flow since he was a child. Then again, he hadn’t interacted with many powerful casters after Virya. When Jolene mentioned fourth-circle mages, the term felt too reductive to think of her.
“Isn’t it rude to scan people with Mana Sense?” He asked. “I think I read something in the Academy’s Codex.”
Professor Thornwyn gave him a long, unamused glance. “I trust you don’t want me to start counting your breaches. As a teacher, I must ensure that my students don’t do anything overly foolish. Not that you’d know I was watching if I didn’t say it. If you don’t want to be watched, you should first recognize the skills.”
Okay, you do have a point.
Whether it was an excuse or a way to motivate him, it worked either way. No proof, no foul. Kai couldn’t fault her when he had followed that philosophy for years.
He needed to work on his mana control. Good for his age wasn’t good enough for him. Of his few advantages, he wouldn’t let any of them fall by the wayside.
Anticipating him, Professor Thornwyn placed a slip of paper on the desk before him. He had no idea when she had written it, but it contained a dozen book recommendations for aura exercises.
“They’ll be available at the main library. You need only pick one.” She underscored with a meaningful look.
Oh, c’mon! I don’t have decision paralysis.
“Thank you.” Kai stored the note, planning to stop by the library on his way back to the dorm. Now, he only needed to—
“I imagine you’ll spend another week overthinking if I don’t explain why I recommended Mnemonic Mastery and Swift Learner,” Professor Thornwyn anticipated him again. “I’ll simplify since the full explanation is decades of experience and knowledge that requires hours to explain. All the skill paths you selected are viable, but you need ones that will be useful immediately. Reading skills are notoriously slow to learn and train. You’d need months before it made a noticeable difference. Quick Recall is strong, but too narrow until you specialize it…”
She rapid-fired facts about each ability, saving her actual suggestion for last. “Mnemonic Mastery is harder to learn, but you’ll notice its effect immediately once you do. It also levels quicker if you actively focus on it. At least, compared to other abilities of its kind…”
Her quill never stopped working till she finished. “I can’t criticize a student for considering Mind skills, but they’re of limited use for your needs. Too slow to level unless you have access to special means. Swift Learner would be the ideal choice even if the skill paths weren’t paired. It’s not very strong initially, but it’s flexible. With your interest in multiple magic fields and elements, you should train it decently fast. Do you have questions?”
Kai needed a moment to parse the deluge of information, increasingly eager to add Mnemonic Mastery to his roster. Naturally, he had questions, though more out of curiosity than confusion. “Are there better skills I missed?”
Even with Flynn and Valela’s aid, he had only checked one corner of the library. It was possible—no, probable—that some great skills never entered his consideration.
Jolene shook her head, managing to mix both exasperation and warning. “Any skill is better than one you haven’t picked because you can’t decide, Matthew. Your choices are fine. Focus on training them. Before Green, a couple of levels will make up the difference between similar skills.”
“I only asked out of curiosity," Kai said sheepishly. His voice didn’t sound very convincing even to himself.
Do I really have decision paralysis?
No need to overthink it.
“Do you have more discerning questions?” Jolene asked. “I still have twenty-two essays to grade. Since I'm giving you advice, I’ll do it properly. I’ve only a partial understanding of your status, but I can see you received an unorthodox education. Most commoners struggle enrolling during Winter Intake.”
“I’m doing alright,” Kai snorted. “As well as many educated patricians.”
“Disgruntlement won’t help you,” she said with the irritating patience of someone who knew they were right. “I was born among the lowest of the Houses, barely clinging to our title. There is nothing to gain by denying the reality of your situation, or disparaging their advantages.”
“Yes, I…” Kai paused, suppressing his grouchy mood. The mention of commoners and social classes triggered him too easily. “It’s that the highborn in my classes haven’t been particularly impressive.”
“Tell me that again when you join the other first-years. You judge from the lowest, instead of looking at the highest. That won’t help you. Unless you’re aiming for mediocrity, of course.” Her smile seemed to goad him—and he was starting to think she was doing it on purpose. When she nodded at his frowning silence, he almost cursed.
Damn her Mana Sense. I need to fix my mana control. She’s doing it on purpose.
“I have six more minutes to spare,” Professor Thronwyn said, like the picture of stoic innocence. “Are there any classes you’re struggling with?”
Breathing out of his nose, Kai calmed himself. This opportunity was too valuable to waste. Copying her impartial tone, he honestly answered, going through each of the other six basic courses and receiving pointed advice for each. The direct answers still baffled him.
“Did no one warn you against enrolling in winter?" Jolene asked at the end. She had finished her essays, but showed no hurry to leave, lacing her fingers above the desk. Her gaze made him want to scoot away. “You’d have had an easier time enrolling next fall. And still be in the early age group of your year.”
He shrugged a bit. “I heard it wasn’t ideal, but I couldn’t get much information on Raelion.” The details he could find had been too vague to convince him.
Professor Thornwyn watched him knowingly. “Did you think you’d breeze through every obstacle? That the advice wouldn’t apply to you?” There was no snide tone in her voice—perhaps a hint of fascination at his questionable decision-making.
His face heated under the scrutiny. “I might have underestimated the challenge a bit.”
“A bit, yes… It's good that you can admit it. There is a saying about Raelion that the only thing bigger than a student’s talent is their ego. Having taught here for decades, I can’t say they’re wrong. Too many teenagers believe they're the children of the Moons.” She lowered her tone. “I know many highborns act like spoiled children, but you’re underestimating their knowledge and skills. Not everyone can enter the academy. Even during Winter Intake.”
Kai begrudgingly accepted her advice, thanked her, and took his leave.
“It’s my job to counsel students. Although you should consider getting a proper advisor. There is only so much advice someone can give you without knowing your skills and profession.” She waved him away with a gleam in her eyes.
Was she offering, or am I reading too much into it?
Would it even be a good choice? Kai shook his head, hurrying up the steps. That wasn't a matter he could decide now. What was certain was that she had advised him without asking for any credits—he didn’t think it was because she had forgotten.
Or does she do that for all her students?
He would need to weigh the risks and benefits of her interest. For now, he had two new skills to learn and train.
Comments
Peter Smith
The problem in this aspect is that you are relying on the assumption that the list given was all of the skills available. In this aspect it has been shown that even the slightest difference between skills massively changes the path of evolution. What kai needs is something to help him continue his current path, Jolene knows this. Even more umportantly she gave him the reasons why the dkills she chose are best for him. This isn't a lack of information but a clarification of information. Think of it like a restaurant giving you a glass of milk. Ig you don't know much about the milk and any milk will work it doesn't particuarly matter what and where the milk came from, however for a dairy farmer they have more of a clue on how generally healthy the cow was, what kind of plants they were fed, and in what way it was processed. What she did was the equivalent of telling the farmer what brand the milk came from, the farmer can easily figure out the rest.
Irgendwer Irgendwo
I like the character interactions in the last few chapters but the context of picking learning skills is really dull. Just in general, skills make sense to me for magical things like spellcasting, auras, magical pets, alchemy and so on. Having Skills for learning and memorizing is just strange and after three chapters on the topic, we still don't know what these skills are supposed to do. In fact, the characters can't seem to explain what any of them do or how they're really different.
Luboš Hemala
I was kinda hoping he would ask what is objectively the best skill he could get even if he had to suffer for half a year. He could still discard even the new learning skill if he unlocked one better.
Nick Pincus
It's a common earth phase he used, hence the problem.
bob semple
What's the importance of the phrase "decision paralysis" I can't remember it ever being said.
llenay
No! I don't want to know her thoughts. It's much more interesting to wonder about them, just like Kai does.
Bead
Would LOVE another Jolene POV (maybe a handful or dozen chapters down the line, when Kai inevitably does something interesting/suspicious
Bead
Jolene, please don’t take my man!
Anthony Goh
Totally agree
George
specialize is just jargon, skills can get narrower or broader at the milestones but you can also specialize in broad things in real life, like trivia
Trevayne
Thanks for the chapter. Nice to meet a professor that at least seems to be a straight shooter.
Heraclitus
Move over Val, Jolene is best girl now.
samwise
Last couple of chapters all feel kind of slow. I understand the need to build out the world but it’s starting to feel stale. Hope the pace and development picks up faster in the coming chapters
Pal. ie
‘Quick recall is strong but is too narrow until you specialize it’ I don’t think that works?
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter! :-)
Martingrant91
Kai can be such an arrogant control freak who doesn't handle criticism well at times lol. Reminds me of when Flynn was changing his profession and his issues with the professional and highly skilled/intelligent individual who performed it. Didn't like that the potions he procured weren't good enough. He's too used to being the big cheese. The special one among his peers/age group. That he completely forgot a lesson learned back in Book 2 regarding Mana Control. But that's what makes the character somewhat realistic. On one hand having decision paralysis on wanting to pick the best option and control all variables and on the other hand impulsively joining the Winter Intake despite being told the challenges from a reliable source.
Some Guy
TFTC
zdm
I hope Jolene becomes his advisor. Also, yay new skills! Looking forward to his journey of specialization!
bcd051
Need more Jolene
Kris Piskorski
Jolene is the best
Doug Wills
Jolene!
