"Now, we will begin with skills and abilities. Skills can be described as techniques that can be trained to become stronger through practice and perseverance. For example, [Blade Mastery], [Power Blow], and [Mana Manipulation] are all skills that can be learned and trained to become stronger. You may think of them as 'natural techniques.' Obviously, the higher the skill level, the stronger it becomes. They can be trained all the way to level 100. After LVL 100, depending on the skill's rank, it may advance to a stronger version or become a Transcended Skill. Transcended Skills have their own skill levels that you will learn in the future. Getting to that point, however, is incredibly difficult." Giffard explained patiently as he sat comfortably.
"How powerful is a Transcended Skill compared to a normal skill?" Lucian asked as he sat upright in his seat. This was vital information to him specifically.
Giffard shook his head from side to side as he released a melancholic sigh. "That, I do not know. However, I do know that they work far beyond a normal skill level. So much so that the user may transform a world with a single use!"
Lucian grew excited with the topic. Considering his innate ability, Lucian believed his difficulty would be much less than most when leveling skills. He hypothetically should be able to gain Transcended Skills faster than most.
Lucian asked another question. "What skills can produce Transcended Skills, and at what point do people usually get to the Transcendent level?"
Giffard suddenly sat still as he gave Lucian a deep stare. His face grave as he spoke. "I suggest you do not fixate on getting to the Transcendent level," he said.
“Why not? Isn’t it a part of the skill track?” Lucian asked in confusion.
Giffard shook his head. "No, it is not. The Highest rank that can be achieved by a Skill is Rank SSSS+. However, even then, it is not guaranteed that a person might attain Transcendence with that skill. Transcendence is not part of the ranks but a deviation of it."
Lucian nodded in understanding as he grew lost in thought. It would take more than levels to strengthen skills in the future.
Sighing, Giffard continued with his explanation. "At certain levels, skills can be combined with another compatible skill to form a whole new skill or a skill system. Skills systems are formed when 3 or more skills are combined together to work in tandem with each other. It is also one of the main building blocks of legacies left behind by powerful experts. However, the success rate of combinations relies heavily on your comprehension. Most people tend to fail and destroy their skills permanently, including geniuses! Therefore, I strongly recommend against it. It is much better to obtain a strong legacy than to risk your strength. Another identifying feature of a skill is its lack of any form of cooldowns or prerequisites associated with it."
Hearing this, Lucian thought of when he combined [Quick Draw Stance] and [Aerial Steps]. It seemed like an easy process. However, he wasn't going to let his limited experience land him in an unfavorable situation. He would take the advice and tread lightly moving forward.
"On the other hand, Abilities are actions that cannot be trained through normal means. They usually have cooldowns and prerequisites that limit who can and cannot use them. For example, a [Meteor Strike] spell is an ability that has a 30-second cooldown, which is pretty short, with a medium range of impact. As an Ability, it does a lot of damage and has a large range. However, the fire affinity is a requirement coupled with the mage class. Another example of ability would be the Dawn warrior's famous [Radiant Channel] domain ability. It has a longer cooldown of 10 minutes but sports a more extensive range and lasts roughly 3 minutes. It has multiple prerequisites for the class, level, affinity, and more. Abilities do not level up. Instead, they evolve based on the evolution slot that they are put in. This is why having enough Evolution slots is very important. "
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Hearing this, Lucian couldn’t help but ask. “How many Evolutionary slots are there supposed to be”
Giffard responded candidly. "On Average, roughly 5 Evolutionary slots are available to people. Some geniuses can take that number to 8 or 9. Some are even born with 10, which is incredible!
"However, don't fret if your evolutionary slots are not up to par. Once you become a fully-fledged warrior under the Kingdom, you will have access to many opportunities to increase your evolutionary slots to a certain extent. Most of the time is through dungeon rewards." He said as he stared at Lucian with a knowing smile.
Lucian frowned. He merely had 2 Evolutionary slots. Did this mean his affinity with Abilities was weak? Luckily, there was a way to subvert this by gaining specific dungeon rewards. Whether he acquired the Kingdom's help was still a question the future would need to answer.
"They are quite limited, but most abilities tend to be far stronger than skills overall. This is one of the main reasons why mages are the strongest class one can pick. Mages also gain innate abilities that work with their cultivation similarly to abilities given by the system, allowing them to surpass other classes on all fronts of performance with Abilities."
“Hoh? Then why doesn’t everyone choose to be a Mage then?” Lucian asked in surprise.
"Well, that primarily depends on talent and affinity. Most people would love to become a mage or a magical hybrid. However, unless you have the talent for it, it is nearly impossible to attain.
But that is a discussion for later.”
Nodding in understanding, he asked another question. "Is it possible to create skills stronger than abilities?" Lucian asked.
"Yes, it is," he said with a smile. "It would take an incredible amount of time and dedication, not to mention talent and comprehension, to accomplish, but it is doable. However, at the same time, putting into an ability would yield far more results, especially in an evolutionary slot.
"Now, there are different ways to augment the strength of Skills and Abilities," he continued as he paused to take a sip of his wine.
"One of those ways is to begin communicating with the higher powers of this universe. The Mandates.
"Mandates are considered the start of the path of Dao. They can represent anything and everything under the heavens. A Mandate could be a Sword Mandate that increases the sharpness of your sword skills. Others could be Body Mandates, which increase the strength of your body."
"These abilities give a small increase to the effects of your attributes. However, they give the most benefit in augmenting your skills and abilities, making them stronger and more versatile than before. Most people only encounter mandates past their first transformation, but some geniuses have touched upon them before their transformation to the next grade.
“Another way to augment skills and abilities is through Heavenly Souls.
"Before your evolution, a calling requested by the Heavens will challenge your power and reward you accordingly. I can't say much about it due to Heaven's restriction, but some of those rewards can dramatically transform your skills," Giffard concluded as he got up from his seat.
"We will end here for now. Now we will begin your weapons training." He suddenly disappeared, appearing 50 meters away in the blink of an eye.
"You have picked the Katana as your first and main weapon of choice. With my expertise, I will teach you my skills. However, you must learn to practice with other weapons as well," Giffard said as he pointed toward the arsenal.
“Pick the next weapon you wish to learn.”
Lucian nodded as he walked towards the arsenal. He quickly searched through the arsenal as he passed previous weapons he dismissed. He would have to learn them eventually, but right now, he would like to see the other weapons in store for him.
Browsing through, he found different weapons, including scythes, rapiers, and long swords, but he wasn't sure if they were the right pick. Honestly, he was looking for a weapon to use his natural abilities. While he enjoyed using the Katana and he planned on continuing his practice, he also wanted a weapon he could use for its weight and power.
That was when he saw an inconspicuous weapon hidden at the farthest end of the arsenal. It was roughly 2 and a half meters in length, with a pole taking up a good meter and a half of it. The bar was attached to a long and sharp blade 1 meter tall. It had a wide, one-sided edge connected to its pole by a dragon's head. On the other side of the bar was a sharp spear-like end. It was a Glaive!
Lucian immediately grabbed it and tried swinging it. It was much heavier than his Katana, making it a bit slower. However, he instantly felt its power as a violent wave of wind radiated out of his vertical swing.
Lucian nodded to himself. This was going to be the second weapon he would learn.
Walking out of the arsenal with the Glaive in hand, Giffard's eyes widened in surprise before a small chuckle escaped him. "Now you pick a glaive? Are you trying to get hurt?" He asked with a weird smile. Had he chosen another adventurer's weapon again?
Lucian rolled his eyes. Now what?