The halls of the Academy were still.
A faint wind pressed against the arched windows, and the glow-crystals dimmed with night protocol. Somewhere in the dorms, students dreamed of heroism, rankings, and fame.
I moved through the quiet like a shadow.
Not a trace of mana leaked from me. I can thank the mana heart for that.
I waited until midnight, when even the night patrols grew lazy.
There was a place I had to go to—a broken shrine hidden in the eastern sector of the Academy ruins, just outside the barrier. Originally sealed off for being "unstable," it was actually a developer-planted event. One only a true completionist or dev could know.
And I was both.
'It should still be there,' I thought to myself, pulling my coat tighter. "Concept Breaker."
A skill I buried in the world as a late-game quest reward.
A skill meant to shatter the rules of magic.
*****
[Eastern Sector – Abandoned Shrine Grounds]
The vines clinging to the stone arch felt wrong—unnaturally warm. A quiet hum vibrated through the soil, a leftover resonance of divine rejection.
I stepped through.
No turning back.
The shrine itself was broken and hollow—no deity remained. Only stone pillars and a circle carved into the floor, forming a jagged rune.
As I stepped into the ring, something cracked in the air.
A voice—not divine, but systematic—echoed around him.
> [SYSTEM EVENT: DEVELOPER KEY DETECTED]
[Unlocking: Skill – "Concept Breaker"]
[Warning: Incomplete Conceptual Framework]
I smirked. "Still recognizes me after all this time."
Kneeling in the center, I bit my thumb, and drew a spiral over the runes.
A piercing light burst upward, clawing into the sky like a pillar of white fire.
> [Skill Acquired – Concept Breaker (Unique)]
— "The ability to destroy abstract concepts and absorb their fragments."
— "The more powerful the concept, the higher the cost in mana."
— "Fragments may be converted into permanent stat increases or fused to form higher-tier concepts."
I let out a gasp—the sensation was like swallowing fire. My chest throbbed as the skill carved itself into my mana circuits.
Then silence.
I looked down at my hand.
A small rune now glowed faintly on my palm: a jagged X forming a broken ring.
"Step one complete," I muttered to myself.
Then suddenly, something rumbled.
"I don't remember adding anything like this."
Not wanting anything to do with a monster that is most likely impossible for the current Caelum to defeat. I did the logical thing, and ran away.
Breathing heavily and with sweat covering my forehead, I stopped at the gap I used to escape the Academy grounds.
"Haa... Haa... Sometimes I forget that this isn't a game anymore."
****
[Later – in my Dorm]
I sat on my bed, wrapped in a towel from my post-mission shower. My left knee rested against my chest as I traced the symbol over and over.
"Flash… Slash… Thunderstep…"
Concepts danced in my head like embers in the dark.
All of them—abstract ideas tied to movements, philosophies, elements.
And now?
I could consume them.
No… redefine them.
I checked the status window to see my new skill.
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[Concept breaker (U)] - The ability to break down concepts and absorb them. Absorbed concepts is equal to learning the movement or practical use. Grows with user's mana.]
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This was going to be more useful than any legendary sword ever would be.
A survival tool for someone like me.
******
[SYSTEM NOTICE: "Concept Breaker" may now be integrated with active skills.]
This skill was useful for practical training. I stretched out my arm and slashed through the air downward.
A notification flashed across my vision.
[Concept Analyzed: "Slash" – Incomplete Understanding]
[+0.1 "Slash" gained]
[Slash: 5.1/20]
Focusing on the system I started experimenting
"Can I fuse this with flash yet?"
It had to be noted that skills are not concepts, so while I can fuse skills like this. I can't obtain them the same way.
So I can't get more "flash" through [concept breaker] but I can upgrade my "slash".
[Fusion Attempt: "Flash Slash" – Locked: Insufficient Mana Capacity]
"Knew it."
My lips curled into a faint grin.
I leaned back against the wall, eyes fixed on the glowing rune etched into my palm.
"So this is it… the key to breaking definitions."
My voice was a whisper,
"To cut through magic that was supposed to be unbreakable."
I chuckled under my breath, bitter but amused.
"Funny. Back then, I added this as a final reward for those who chose to defy fate. A 'you broke the game' gift."
I flexed his fingers slowly.
"But now that fate's mine… I'm not just breaking the game. I'm rewriting it."
My gaze shifted to the window, where the moon still hung like a quiet eye in the sky.
"Flash isn't enough. Slash isn't enough. If I want to fight the monsters that come later… the ones I coded… I'll need more. Faster. Sharper."
I paused.
"And if I lose myself along the way…"
My voice dropped.
"Then I'll carve my way back."