Chapter 114: Special Ability (Second Update)

Recently, Bowen found himself unusually sensitive to anything related to money. Not only that, but whenever he overheard others talking, his first thought wasn’t about the details of the matter, but whether he could gain enough benefit from it.

Bowen only became aware of the military’s “pig slaughter” operations because his mind automatically connected the dots. He deliberately researched and, from subtle clues, uncovered the military’s secret “pig farming” activities—otherwise, such a covert matter would never have come to light.

Moreover, he discovered that during conversations with Lehman, even without the aid of his chip, he could detect his emotional responses. This effect was surprisingly similar to the “Mind Detection” spell!

It wasn’t until Bowen found a new special ability added to his attributes that he understood what was happening.

Special Abilities: Reflective Evasion, Rapid Movement, Serene Mind, Light Body Fall, Immunity to All Diseases, Jack of All Trades.

Bowen’s mind briefly beeped—what a joke.

[Jack of All Trades] was labeled a special ability, but it was more like a specialty! Similar to [Master Craftsman] or [Weapon Proficiency], though [Jack of All Trades] was somewhat underwhelming.

Jack of All Trades: The ability to use any skill not previously trained, even those normally restricted to trained users. Even if the skill is rare, one can grasp its basics.

If Bowen remembered correctly, this should be an ability of the [Golden-Eyed Messenger], a profession he only knew from games—a highly debated class.

But Vorgen hadn’t been released yet, so how could he have obtained such an ability?

Monk skills resembled Buddhist supernatural powers in Bowen’s memory.

In his past life, Buddhist monks who reached a certain level of cultivation mastered the Six Spiritual Powers.

Special abilities were developed through the monk’s Qi, unlocking human potential.

What on earth was Jack of All Trades?

But when Bowen tried dueling Uncle John with two swords, he realized just how powerful it truly was.

The Knight Commander also had [Dual Weapon Mastery]. When dueling Bowen, the Knight Commander was shocked to find that, despite being a high-ranking knight, he couldn’t dominate Bowen the caster in terms of technique. Although he had deliberately held back to a mid-tier level, it was still unbelievable.

What shocked him even more was that any move he used could be immediately countered by Bowen—a sparring session that left the Knight Commander questioning his own life choices.

Magic could be explained by talent, he understood that. But martial techniques and tactics had no such thing as innate talent—learning them didn’t guarantee mastery. The way one executed moves, the timing, all required countless hours of practice and real combat experience.

And the opponent was a caster. The Knight Commander knew Bowen’s talent well, having seen it since childhood. It was abysmal—born nearly dead, surviving only by the grace of some hidden deity. His innate constitution was poor, with weak reflexes. Without the ‘Qi’ passed down from the Eorum family, Bowen would have struggled even to qualify as a mage.

Yet now, without any magical assistance, Bowen almost matched him in skill. It was unbelievable!

“What kind of new magic is this?” the Knight Commander asked seriously.

He couldn’t fathom how, without magic, someone with such poor aptitude could improve so much. If this truly was magic, it would be a nightmare for all combatants!

“Hmm, it’s not exactly magic. It’s more like a special ability,” Bowen replied, sensing the Knight Commander’s concern. He briefly explained the special abilities, emphasizing only the synergy between [Jack of All Trades] and ‘Qi,’ leaving out any mention of the chip.

The Knight Commander nodded, visibly relieved. He knew Bowen was hiding something, but as long as it wasn’t a magic everyone could use, it was acceptable. Otherwise, it would be terrifying!

Nearby, Viscount Gordon’s jaw dropped in astonishment. Every time he saw Bowen, he felt utterly defeated.

Bowen’s outstanding arcane talent was one thing, but when did his martial skills become so formidable? Gordon had been striving for years to reach mid-tier combatant status. Bowen had silently achieved the same, leaving Gordon in the dust across every aspect. As a father, he felt crushed, especially knowing Bowen had recently stunned a group of elders with a teleportation spell.

Space teleportation magic...

It seemed that, aside from Bowen, no caster in Nasser below the high tier could master it.

Even his father, Count Eorum, and Director Conchino only learned it after ascending to the high tier.

“Sigh...” Gordon sighed softly.

Since Bowen came to Seventon, he had been diligently training in the countryside. Gordon had finally reached mid-tier but could only surpass the elders, never the younger ones. Now even the younger generation had overtaken him completely, dominating in every way.

“Bowen is already an excellent heir to the family!” Suddenly, Gordon had an epiphany.

Thoughts of ideals, family, and love flooded him. It was as if a heavy burden lifted from his shoulders.

This sudden change elevated his spiritual energy, immediately catching the attention of Bowen and the Knight Commander nearby.

The Knight Commander looked at Viscount Gordon with curiosity, while Bowen was surprised to see his surrogate father in such a state.

As a caster, Bowen felt this most keenly—it was a transformation of spiritual energy.

“System, scan and record data!” Bowen quickly ordered. Such valuable material was rare.

Though he didn’t know the cause of Viscount Gordon’s sudden spiritual shift, the change was clearly beneficial. The two stood quietly nearby, guarding against interference.

Strangely, Gordon’s spiritual transformation didn’t resonate with mana; instead, it activated his ‘Qi’...

Gordon entered a peculiar state.

The Viscount had once been trained as an arcanist by the Count but was ultimately deemed unfit.

His spiritual change instinctively rejected mana elements, causing him to unconsciously practice breathing techniques. Especially after Bowen’s realization of ‘Qi’ through breathing, Gordon had practiced often. Even if he couldn’t fully grasp ‘Qi,’ his breathing exercises after martial training helped accelerate recovery.

Years of perseverance had ingrained the breathing method into his body’s instincts. Now, his spiritual transformation resonated miraculously with the breathing technique, causing a faint white light to appear around him.

Bowen sensed this lightly—indeed, it was ‘Qi.’

If Bowen’s ‘Qi’ was fierce and aggressive, Gordon’s was pure and peaceful.

After a moment, as the ‘Qi’ around Viscount Gordon faded, he returned from his state of insight.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the Knight Commander and Bowen, then smiled gently.

“So pure!”

Both the Knight Commander and Bowen were momentarily stunned, the same word flashing through their minds.

...

(End of chapter)