Medium

Under grueling training and study, the days flew by, and before long, it was August.

It was recruitment season at St. George University, and Sulu, a graduate who'd shamelessly freeloaded on the dorm's resources, could no longer stay there.

The Combat Club.

"Congratulations on graduating!"

Donald enthusiastically gave Sulu a hug. "And... your scholarship, along with that 'reward,' is all here!"

"Finally!"

Sulu grumbled as he received the reward after waiting more than half a month, then eagerly looked at the desk.

Twenty Gold Dragons lay in a thick stack inside the wallet, making it bulge with a satisfying sense of abundance.

For most ordinary people, it was a considerable fortune.

But Sulu's attention was focused more on the handwritten notebook beside it.

"Professor Alanis's research on the Gulam Language!"

Donald pushed the thick notebook toward him. "This is the abridged version. The Church removed some sensitive and dark content... I copied one out too! It was a huge learning experience!"

"Of course!"

Sulu picked up the notebook and looked at the twisted, snake-like characters on its pages with a smile. "The Gulam Language is known as the 'oldest language.' It has a history even longer than Ancient Hebraic, possibly stretching back to the Dark Era, before human civilization began... I'm very interested."

Sulu hadn't spent the past half month learning nothing from Rhode.

Although Rhode didn't know the Gulam Language, he'd shared all the related knowledge he could.

"Well then... it's been a pleasure working with you!"

Donald shook Sulu's hand. "Where are you planning to go after graduation?"

"I got an invitation from the Green Tree Castle Research Institute! I might go there," Sulu replied absentmindedly.

That had originally been part of his plans after transmigrating, but now... things seemed to have changed beyond recognition.

"Green Tree Castle?"

Donald looked genuinely shocked. "Then congratulations! I hope everything goes well!"

Hmm?

Sulu sensed something was off.

Donald had become even more enthusiastic after learning that Sulu was going to Green Tree Castle.

Could Green Tree Castle hold an even higher position in the Federation than his previous research had suggested?

Clutching the thick notebook, Sulu returned to the dorm, pondering the matter along the way.

Sean wasn't there. He was probably still fretting about finding a job, though with his personality, he'd manage wherever he ended up.

Sulu went into his bedroom, closed the door, and spread the Gulam Language notebook across his desk.

As he read, his Attribute Panel suddenly changed:

[ Ding! Skill book detected—Gulam Language Notebook! Would you like to learn it by spending 50 Experience Points? Yes/No? ]

"Actually, I could learn the Gulam Language on my own with enough time, but... learning a language isn't easy!"

Language learning—especially speaking—depended heavily on the foundation built in childhood. That was the crucial period for developing a pure accent and the instincts of a native speaker.

For example, Sulu had learned Ancient Hebraic well as a child, and Rhode still hadn't caught up to him.

Of course, effort later in life mattered too. With enough hard work and talent, mastering any ordinary language wouldn't be too difficult.

"But... I don't have much time!"

Learning the Gulam Language properly might take months, or even half a year. Sulu didn't have that kind of free time.

So he chose to cheat!

"Yes!"

As soon as he firmly confirmed his choice, the Attribute Panel changed.

[ 50 Experience Points consumed. Learned the Gulam Language. Current Level: LV1! ]

In an instant, Sulu clutched his forehead as he absorbed the information that flooded his mind.

A complicated language, awkward to speak, appeared in his thoughts. The countless twisted, black-snake-like characters in the notebook suddenly had meaning.

"I'm not very proficient yet, but reading it shouldn't be too difficult!"

Sulu glanced at his Attribute Panel:

--------------
Name: [Sulu Portley]

Profession: [None]

Rank: [0]

Title: [None]

Strength: [1.6], Agility: [1.3], Constitution: [1.2], Spirit: [1.6]

Skills: [Corpse Maiden Creation LV1], [Krav Maga Combat Arts LV5]

Passives: [Common Hebraic LV3], [Basic Physics LV4], [Demon Hunting Lore LV3], [Ancient Hebraic LV2], [Gulam Language LV1]

XP: [60]
--------------

"After half a month of intense training, my Constitution went up by 0.1? Demon Hunting Lore also increased by two levels?"

Sulu was elated.

People shouldn't underestimate that 0.1. An ordinary person would have to train for who knew how long to gain that much.

His attributes had increased thanks to Rhode's brutal daily training, as well as the mysterious ointments and essential oils nourishing his body.

Now, he could even see a faint "+" after [Gulam Language LV1]!

"So passives can be improved with Experience Points too; they just need a prerequisite... For the Gulam Language, I need the notebook I'm holding. But it can only get me to LV2 or LV3 at most, close to Professor Alanis's level!"

Sulu was still reluctant to spend his Experience Points, so he chose not to upgrade.

He took a deep breath and pulled out several battered sheets of parchment—the items he'd found in the sewers.

Judging by Catherine's earlier suspicions, she must have had some connection to the mysterious person in the sewer!

Although his Gulam Language level was still low, Sulu managed to painstakingly decipher the parchment:

"January 21. It's been six months since the cult assigned me to infiltrate Nia City. Thanks to the Dark's favor, I discovered two followers: Catherine and Alanis... With that, I successfully completed my mission and infiltrated St. George University... I'm sure I'll find something worthwhile in the future."

"February. Catherine is well suited to the [Shadow Binder] profession. I plan to take her on as my Apprentice... As for Alanis? Her constitution isn't suited to the path of shadow magic, but she's a good fit for another profession—the [Medium]! I'll have to recall it and write it down so I can teach it to her..."

What followed was a description of the information and rituals needed to advance to the first rank of [Medium]!

"[Medium]?"

Sulu read on carefully and discovered that it was a profession focused on dealing with spirits. A first-rank [Medium] had keen senses and could see or detect Wraiths and ghosts that ordinary people, and even other supernatural beings, couldn't. They could also allow spirits to possess them, enabling spirit mediumship.

"Overall, it's a profession specifically suited to dealing with spirits. It's not very effective against ordinary people. It only has two ways to attack: one is to crush the opponent with their own spirit, which counts as an area attack, and the other is to condense their spirit into a piercing spike that can attack only one person at a time..."

He immediately remembered his encounter with Alanis in the woods. She must have already become a [Medium] at the time!

"But... [Mediums] excel at perception and dealing with spirits, while their physical abilities don't improve much. No wonder Alanis was the first to die when they were surrounded!"

Sulu shook his head, hesitating.