Timeless Assassin - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Expectation Chapter 58: Expectation After receiving their skill holograms, Professor Powell instructed the students to review their scrolls, ensuring they grasped the fundamental concepts before he provided further explanation.

As per his instruction, all students activated their assigned holograms, as detailed diagrams and explanations flickered into view before them.

Each hologram contained a mana circulation map, illustrating how to activate the 360° View technique assigned to them and while the foundational concept was the same, the specific functionality of the move varied depending on the grade of the skill.

For the majority of the class-those assigned the technique ‘Peripheral Vision’-the skill functioned as a passive sonar.

It alerted them to movement in their blind spots at all times, but without providing a clear image.

It was like having an internal radar constantly pinging disturbances behind them, but without precise details.

The limits of their senses only alerted them of projectiles coming their way and of the rough size they were, however, it did not reveal the exact shape.

It was impossible for a user of ‘Peripheral Vision’ to distinguish between a pebble coming their way versus a dagger, however, having the ability to sense projectiles coming their way from their blind spot was already a big boon.

In contrast, students who were assigned the skill ‘Full Vision’, had access to a more advanced perception method.

Instead of a general awareness, their perception became three-dimensional.

They could sense depth, shape, and distance, creating a mental image of objects in their blind spots.

They could actively focus on a specific area without turning their head to search for enemies behind a tree in their blind spot, or to make sure allies were tagging along, making it far more refined than just an alert system.

However, there were still limitations to this method.

Using this technique one can still not perceive colors and other sensory information from their blind spots, making it less effective to see through illusions, however, still an excellent technique to master.

Finally, at the highest tier, ‘Absolute Vision’, had none of these restrictions.

Rather than using sonar-like awareness or three-dimensional mapping, this version of the skill eliminated one’s blind spots entirely.

Through advanced mana manipulation, the user could directly perceive their surroundings as if they had eyes on the back of their head, giving mental imagery akin to real eyes.

Using this skill, the brain processed information exactly like normal vision, creating a seamless 360° field of sight, incorporating everything from color to precise depth perception.

Once mastered, a user of this skill could even perceive the world with their real eyes closed and they would never feel the difference.

With this skill fully mastered, ambushes against the user became next to impossible, as stealth attacks would lose all meaning.

It was a complete removal of the natural limitations of human sight, and the limit of what a perception skill could be.

********* As the students studied their scrolls, the difference in difficulty between the diagrams on each table became apparent.

Those with Peripheral Vision had a simple circulation pattern-just enough to expand their awareness.

Full Vision required a more intricate mana flow, allowing for three-dimensional spatial mapping.

But Absolute Vision had the most complex structure.

The user’s mana had to be precisely controlled, and their brains had to be continuously fed with visual input without causing sensory overload.

It wasn’t just a technique-it was a complete rewiring of how their brain’s perception functioned.

Hence, while most students were simply trying to grasp the basics, Leo and Su Yang tried to make sense of the sheer absurd diagram in front of them.

With Leo in particular, finding the text in front of him, extremely hard to understand.

********** Leo read the instructions on his scroll that read, “Circulate the mana as shown in the diagram in front of you-” and realized that he did not remember how to circulate the mana in his body at all.

It was the same restriction he had faced the previous day when he had spent hours trying to practice his newly acquired Meditation Manual, only to fail miserably.

No matter how much he focused, how much he willed his body to comply, there was no reaction.

He could not sense, let alone manipulate, the mana flowing within him.

At the time, he had come to terms with the fact that he would need to learn the basics of mana sensing and circulation before making any meaningful progress.

However, what he hadn’t expected-was to land in a situation where his inability to perform such a basic function would become a problem the very next day.

And yet, here he was.

Leo’s gaze flickered toward the diagram projected in front of him.

The intricately detailed mana circulation chart mapped out the exact flow paths needed to activate the Absolute Vision technique.

The concept was simple enough in theory-follow the channels, direct the flow, and engage with the surrounding mana to create a seamless perception field.

But for Leo, none of this meant anything if he couldn’t even take the first step.

“Damn it.” He exhaled sharply, his words leaving his mouth in a soft curse, as he blamed his memory loss for placing him in this unnecessary situation.

However, before he could wallow in self pity, it was Professor Powell who grabbed everyone’s attention, as he began explaining his take on mastering the technique.

“Alright everyone, pay attention to me for a second–” he said, as he drew everyone’s attention to himself.

“I’m going to share my experience on how to master this method, and while the specifics will vary person to person, you will all broadly face three stages of problems to master this technique.

In the first phase : You will learn how to replicate activating this technique without needing to look at the diagram.

This is the easiest step, and all you need to do to complete it is to memorize the technique perfectly and learn how to perform it at will.

Using it once will provide you with 3-5 seconds of 360° vision, which is fine for now.

In the second phase : we learn how to make it last forever.

Basically what you need to do is, you learn how to activate the skill within the timeframe of taking one breath, basically training your brain to perform the move so fast that it becomes second nature to you.

This is the hardest stage and many of you will struggle here.

In the final stage, you will learn how to do it Subconsciously.

Make it a passive skill that’s active at all times, even when you sleep.

You will start performing it effortlessly without even needing to think how to perform it, and that’s when you will hit (Basic) mastery.

My expectations from all of you is that you will hit (Basic) mastery for this skill within the first four weeks of this class, with every session between now and evaluation day being more or less a doubt solving session to help students who have seen their progress stagnate at some particular part.

You can choose to attend or not.

But come evaluation day, I expect all of you to attain (Basic) mastery for passing marks and (Intermediate) mastery for full marks.” Powell said, as he concluded today’s lecture on this note.