There are only three options for him. Meditation will be out of the question; his cold healing seemed to be just the better version of it to Rue.

  (Frost Snap – (Common)) The deadliest spell is one that hits you before you know it. Compress Frost energy in your palm and blast it forward in a burst, applying the Frost property to the target.

  (Cold’O Wisp – (Uncommon)) A Mage is useless when they can’t count on their spell, especially if said spell turns on them. Bend the magic of your target, injecting them with Frost property to overwhelm them and explode, applying Frost property on the target. Only work for those with equal or lower in Arcana.

  (Frost Shrapnel – (Uncommon)) Barely anyone could avoid rain, what if you imbued them with a cold anyone would regret even touching? Shoot up a package of Frost Property to the sky, upon reaching an appropriate height, shrapnel of Frost will rain down upon the target below.

  He had barely encountered any Mages so far. It probably has something to do with Goblins and Kobolds being more of a brute rather than a smart fighter. If he had to think for this tutorial stage only, he would skip over Cold’O Wisp. Not to mention, he wanted a long-range Frost spell for quite some time now.

  Ever since I got the class. Rue grumbled.

  Now the only options left are the other two. Frost Snap seemed to be a more reliable one; he can hardly miss with this, but it appears more suited for close quarters, like pulling a trick against an enemy, such as throwing dust in their eyes, but to an extreme degree. This suits him just fine since he does not plan to shy away from close combat, but again, he wanted that long-range spell.

  Which brings him to Frost Shrapnel. This sounds very powerful and could be a good sneak attack, depending on if he can hide these packages, the skill is talking about. It also sounds like he can control how much frost he can send out.

  Rue decided to go with Frost Shrapnel.

  -Skill (4/15)-

  - Fireball (Common)

  - Time of Obsidian Ice (Rare)

  - Frost Shrapnel (Uncommon)

  - Sword of Frost (Uncommon)

  Finally, he has a skill that matches the build he is pursuing. A small weight left Rue's body. Now, he needed to ensure he used it more than Fireball. Actually, does usage even matter? The skill didn't have its own tier system. Its power depends entirely on his Arcana and is limited by his Mana pool and Magic Vein.

  Considering his constant problem with his Magic Vein, Rue can't help but worry about his future. On the other hand, his sword had been very, very reliable. At first, it's not reliable as it breaks even against a Common Kobold spear. Hell, Rue was even considered giving it up for those common spears.

  But now with Time of Obsidian Ice, he has a very deadly weapon and constant healing. A skill synergy is what he should chase after. Still, he is not giving up on his pursuit of Mage, either. His high Mind and Arcana stats will surely pay off much later.

  He moved on to the second skill option.

  (Colden Cocoon - (Uncommon)) An ice mage ought not just to use cold, but welcome it. Surround a willing target with a cocoon of ice, envelop them in absolute cold.

  “A willing target?” Rue mumbled. This is a support spell. But, unless someone has cold healing like he does, this will just harm them. Still, this spell should help him immensely in his recovery. That is, considering if he has someone to guard him when he freezes himself.

  (Icen Frost - (Rare) (Passive)) A mage's sleight of hand is the most deadly. Add a chance for a burst of spike ice to manifest from an after-attack of Frost property in the target body. The size of the ice will depend on the amount of Frost applied to the target.

  A rare skill…

  And this one synergizes with Frost Shrapnel very well. It will also work with his Sword of Frost, too. This seemed to be a no-brainer pick.

  He hated to skip over the Ice Cocoon, but taking it over Icen Frost just sounded like an incredibly bad decision to him.

  It almost took Rue everything not to take the skill immediately. But he managed to reel himself back and proceed to examine the others' skills.

  (Basic Sword Style) - (Common) (Passive) Your interest in the sword has been seen; this shall be a path to your mastery. Hammer in the base of the sword to your body - no, to your very being. Every practice you do from now on will be enhanced by the knowledge inside your brain, by the familiar movement your body recognizes. In combat, your sword shall sing and move as if it’s your third hand.

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  Has the system recognized his usage of the sword? This is not a skill you offered to a Mage, looks like skill usage does affect your future class, although he’s not sure to call his sword skill a skill. The mere thought is still foreign to him, in a way more than magic does. Not a week ago, he was just incredibly bored, and now he was waving a sword around and killing monsters with it.

  Besides, does he really need this skill? He could just keep practicing normally, couldn’t he? And it says basic, too.

  Better ask someone who knows better. “Rita” Rue called the Hu Goblin. She raised her eyes to him. She just finished stabbing a skewer of meat into the ground around the fire, and Rue could make out the mouth-watering sizzle dripping down from them. “I got offered a Sword Skill”

  “Oh, which is it?” She asked.

  “Basic Sword Style”

  “Don't take it, Rue, you could learn by yourself. Generally, you wanted two weapon skills in your passive, both covering each other's weaknesses. But the basic one doesn’t take you to a master swordsman level.”

  “So you can get offered various sword styles?”

  “Sure do! I got the Sword Dance style passive skill. Usually, there are two options people in my village have. One, as I mentioned, picks two to cover each other's weaknesses, and the second one is to pick another passive skill that supports your main style. Just like I did, I have Dancer Step to go hand in hand with my main sword style.”

  Rue hummed, tapping his chin. He appreciated the explanation, and it made a lot of sense. But, something does bug him. “So if you take one of these sword styles, are you just going to master it?”

  “No! Of course not. You still need to practice, but your practice will be much smoother, and you can get good enough for combat in a very short time, which is why - Don't bother picking the basic style, you will learn them once you get a specialized style anyway.”

  “That is good to know,” Rue muttered, with a quick thank you to her. Rita, on the other hand, began eating the skewers Eve and Yom just delivered. People started to trickle in around them, most of them just plainly tired, and their faces gaunt.

  “Here,” Yom handed both Rino and Rue a serving on top of a wooden makeshift plate. He settled right in the middle between both of them. He was about to start a conversation, but they were still clearly reading the text in the sky.

  “Sorry, Yom, I will be done soon,” Rino said. “Just finished reading the whole thing twice.”

  Rue accepted the plate; it was jagged and a bit dirty, with the meat stuck in the wood. But Rue did not care. He began eating, as he did, he scanned the last skill.

  (Frost Enchantment - (Uncommon)) Many weapons had plenty of weaknesses, so many glaring potential flaws that would make any enhancer shake their head. Imbue the property of Frost into a weapon of your choice. The effect will depend on the weapon's natural quality and its immersion in Frost property. To the perfect weapon, the effect shall be permanent.

  This seems like a skill he should take if he plans to become a blacksmith somehow in the future. Rue could easily imagine people would want to line up, so their weapon could be imbued. Although he is not sure what kind of steel or material will be compatible with the Frost property. Maybe it's not that simple.

  He decided to skip this skill. The choices this time are easy. He settled with Icen Frost.

  Name: Rue.

  Level: 12

  Race: Human.

  Class: Frost Apprentice Lvl 13

  Magic Vein (Wood): 95%

  HP: 620/885

  Mana: 87/720

  Strength: 42

  Vitality: 40

  Dexterity: 35

  Arcana: 104

  Mind: 111

  Perception: 36

  -Skill (4/15)-

  - Fireball (Common)

  - Time of Obsidian Ice (Rare)

  - Frost Shrapnel (Uncommon)

  - Sword of Frost (Uncommon)

  -Passive Skill (3/10)-

  - Cold Resistance (Uncommon)

  - Cold Healing (Uncommon)

  - Icen Frost (Rare)

  Satisfied with his current status, Rue laid his head back on the trunk, only to have a prickle of wood stab him. He winced, shaking his head. Now, they need to wait for Paxwell, and then to Cel. There’s guilt inside of him that insists on him to go already and save the stag, but, knowing the Cel he has seen is not real, shuts the feeling down.

  Rue examined the five survivors who were currently eating silently. Emily and Eve had gotten two of them to talk with them, both around Rue’s own age. Alquin also did the same with the other three, though if they did not get asked a question directly, they would just stare lifelessly at the ground.

  “Want another?” Yom asked, offering him another steaming serving of skewers.

  Rue looked down at his makeshift plate to realize he had eaten everything. “Ah, thanks.” He took it and began eating again, his body now demanding this Mana-enriched food. The taste is not exactly tasty, as it is chewy and just a bit crisp, but the refreshing soothing sensation the food brings inside of him is quite addictive.

  He watched his Magic Vein – and it's not going down at all. It looks like sleep is a must. He should climb up a tree later to expose himself to the cold as he naps.

  “So, what with the Goblin?” Yom asked, still eyeing Rita. His hand twitched at the sword by his hip. Rue winced, seeing that.

  Rino noticed it, he then said. “Why don’t we ask her?”

  “No, it’s fine-“

  “Rita!” Rue called. “Yom here wants to ask you a question”. The Hugoblin looked up to them, she was busy wiping the night colored needle swords.

  “Sure,” She answered, sheathing the sword, and moved right beside Yom. She stretched her shoulder and her neck. “So? What is it?”

  “Uh, well,” Yom's eyes widened in panic. They went to Rue and Rino, who both just shrugged. “Are you also the tutorial participant?”

  Rue inwardly nods at the question. He had asked this, too, but her answer was merely…

  “No, what is a tutorial?” She gave the same one.

  After she shot that question, all eyes in the camp turned to her. Chatter died like flame, distinguished by sudden water, but the campfire still rattled, cracking wood as the only source of sound. The heat now seemed overbearing, and Rue thought he might be too close to the fire.

  “What?” Rita tilted her head. “I really don’t know.”

  Like a dam broken, multiple questions suddenly hurled at Rita, Mere curiosity as Emily and Eve asked, but then, from the recent five survivors, their questions were filled with rage.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know!” The girl beside Emily growled. The scout looked like she was about to lounge over the campfire to Rita.

  “Your kind destroys us! Even Albert…” A woman mage sobbed. Eve put an arm around her shoulder, hesitantly bringing her crying face to her clothes.

  “What are you talking about?” Rita question. Her eyes wander to everyone, especially the party member, then they land on Rue, who is the first one that come in contact with her. “Rue?”

  “This will take some explaining, Rita.” Rue started, it had been bothering him, how she appeared out of nowhere, and claimed wanting to help the animal, who existed because of this quest of his. “I think- I think you don’t exist, to be more accurate, I think you existed in the past. Right now, we’re playing a fragment of memory of my…” Rue paused, trying to find the right word. “Of my friend”