[Gained 47% EXP | Star Quality EXP: 113/100%]
[Gained 0.011% EXP | Flowing Swordsmanship Mastery EXP: 0.0456/100%]
[Leveled Up | Permanently Gain Combat Power: +0.32 | Sammuel: 1.82 (7/10)]
[Star Quality: 1 | 7/10 | EXP: 13/100%]
Another night filled with practicing [Flowing Swordsmanship] went by. Sammuel had broken through once again and earned a decent amount of Combat Power. It was still a far cry from the city guards yet it was still progress.
Sammuel took the food prepared for him on the table and took it away. He sat by the entrance of the library where he continued to eat it. It was still slightly dark out yet it gave off a feeling of a refreshing day. As he bit into the bread, Marie walked beside him.
“I’m sorry…”
“What can I do? I can’t accept your apology.” Sammuel shook his head. He brought out a small doll that he had purchased the night before. “I can only accept it if you accept my gift.”
“Eh?” Marie didn’t expect Sammuel to do this. Although her mother had said that Sammuel would accept her apology, a gift like this was unexpected. Sammuel didn’t waste time and placed it in her hands.
“Apology accepted.”
Marie felt the soft fabric of this doll. It was higher quality than the clothes she wore and by the looks of it, it was more expensive. Sitting down beside him, she took out a piece of bread and consumed it alongside him.
Time passed by as Sammuel watched on.
Eventually, a few tourists showed up and were curious about this place. After Sammuel explained the general gist of how this place worked, they felt curious enough to enter.
“Do you have anything relating to Aganth’s history?” A scholar wearing blue silk robes said.
“Here.” Marie brought it out from the side of the counter. Sammuel sighed, he still wasn’t finished reading that yet. With no other choice, Sammuel watched the opposite establishment in a conflicted mood.
It was empty. Everything was either broken or stolen. The restaurant that thrived in the area disappeared. And although it wasn’t entirely his fault, he had a part in it. Thinking about just how life was like this the thought of it resonated with his practice sessions.
[Flowing Swordsmanship] followed the flow. Superimposing the stances with the scene before him, he reached something of a subtle understanding. There were just things that you cannot change and only things you can change. Going against something far stronger than what you could handle would only mean to ‘still’ your flow.
[Gain Affinity Level: +9.2% | Flowing Swordsmanship: 10.4%]
A great increase. Even Sammuel was caught off-guard by such a drastic improvement. He felt a gigantic barrier impeding his progress suddenly melt away. The great dam that was blocking his improvement was shattered.
Sensing that this technique had a greater implication, he had a feeling that he could practice it using his mind. His understanding has reached a deeper level that he could enact it mindlessly.
After practicing for a mere ten minutes, his progress shot up drastically.
[Gained 0.016% EXP | Flowing Swordsmanship Mastery EXP: 0.0472/100%]
An entire night’s progress was achieved within ten minutes.
That’s so much progress. Is that what Affinity Levels do? Make you progress so much faster than everyone else? If that’s the case, Sadin must be enjoying having everything he ever desired. I guess that’s why [Perfect Affinity] is so game-changing.
Sammuel closed his eyes, prioritizing his mental practice of the technique. After continuing on for a bit, he had managed to figure something out. Affinity Level didn’t only serve as an amplifier but instead, a barrier as well. It seemed as if 10% was the barrier from increasing from Novice to the next level.
This meant that someone couldn’t just mindlessly do the same task over and over again to become strong, they needed a certain amount of understanding before continuing on. From an Affinity Level of 0%, they could reach from Amateur to Novice but from Novice to Experienced, it required the base Affinity Level of 10%.
What’s more, was that mental practice wasn’t as effective as practical practice. When Sammuel practices late at night, he would improve by leaps and bounds.
Following the routine of guarding the library of for around ten days and practicing, Sammuel had managed to finally reach the current limit for [Ego: Goblin].
[Name: Sammuel Arthus
Ego: Goblin
Card Quality: Colorless
Star Quality: 1 | 10/10 | EXP: 0/100%
Affinity Level: 0.02%
Combat Power: 3.03]
He had managed to break through to the end. It was finally time to face the wall preventing his progress.
[Assimilation Requirements:
Evolution Condition: Reach 5% Affinity Level for [Ego: Goblin] | Reward: Colorless to Bronze and Level Reset
Condition: Reach Base Card Quality Bronze | Reward: First Kill
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First Kill: The first time a creature from a species would be killed it would guarantee its Card Drop.
Condition: Reach 10 Combat Power | Reward: Increased Card Drop Rate
Condition: Gain 3 Ego | Reward: Increased Detail]
Sammuel understood it at once. He needed to increase his Card Quality to increase his level limit. It was simple and straightforward forward yet the journey there was a hassle.
It was then that Sammuel realized something.
[Condition: Reach 10 Combat Power | Reward: Increased Card Drop Rate]
He could do this one right now. Grabbing his rusty sword, he fully activated his skill.
[Equipped: Rusty Longsword of a Fallen Noble | Gain Combat Power: +1 | Sammuel: 4.03]
[Flowing Swordsmanship | Gain Combat Power: +7.22 | Sammuel: 11.25]
[Condition Cleared: Reach 10 Combat Power | Reward: Increased Card Drop Rate]
Even though it said that it didn’t necessarily feel like anything changed. At the very least, it should be real. After that condition was cleared, another one filled its place.
[Condition: Slay a creature with 10 Combat Power or higher | Reward: Increased Card Drop Rate]
A harder task than the last one yet it gave the questionable dubious reward. Although it did what it said, it didn’t help Sammuel understand just how much it helped him. Regardless, he needed to test this out.
Talking to Fian, they managed to secure a day when Sammuel would be free to test his skills. The library was closed down while Sammuel went outside Aganth to try and test out his ability.
Wearing the same plain black cloak, he equipped his sword and explored the nearby areas. It was a completely different feeling when he returned here. Back then he was so lost that anything that moved made him afraid. But now, he had a greater understanding of the contents of this place.
Despite being on the border of the Plains of Divinity, there were a lot of lower-tier monsters plaguing the area. They are lured by the terrifying forces inside. Sammuel made use of this day to see what he could do.
After reading so much about Aganth, Sammuel eventually read about its surroundings, and from his understanding, the place he was going to was relatively dangerous yet would yield him a decent amount of progress.
[Equipped: Rusty Longsword of a Fallen Noble | Gain Combat Power: +1 | Sammuel: 4.03]
He no longer needed to be so afraid as last time. Although it was still recommended to have a party, Sammuel didn’t feel the need to do so. If anything, they would only be suppressing his motions.
This time, he had two main goals: find anything that had [Card Quality: Bronze] and gain an [Ego] from another monster. Preferrably both. Sammuel focused his sights on a certain small group of mystical mindless beasts. They looked like wolves yet their claws were sharper than most due to mineral growing instead of keratin. As for their mouths, they didn’t have fangs and instead, dull yet sturdy rectangular mouths.
Sammuel had read about these creatures, they were one of the few creatures he was keen on getting an [Ego] from.
[Species: Mineral-Clawed Ferron
Card Quality: Colorless
Star Quality: 1 | 3/10 | EXP: 54/100%
Affinity Level: 13%
Combat Power: 2.74]
Consuming rock and dirt, their bodies would metabolize and turn those that they cannot ingest into a malleable form to grow out their horns and claws. Which essentially meant, the deeper underground one found a Mineral-Clawed Ferron, the more dangerous they would be.
Sammuel didn’t know how its ability would transfer over but that was something he needed to think about later.
Scouting out their pack, Sammuel carefully considered how strong they were. Their Combat Power ranged from 2.34 to 3.53, it was clear that these creatures were much more formidable than goblins. Yet there was yet another creature, something much more terrifying than the rest.
[Species: Mineral-Clawed Ferron
Card Quality: Colorless
Star Quality: 1 | 10/10 | EXP: 0/100%
Affinity Level: 21%
Combat Power: 11.43]
This one was exactly like the others except for that it was maxed out. It had already reached the limits, just like Sammuel. Leading the pack, this Mineral-Clawed Ferron kept the group away from danger.
Creatures like these usually traveled vast distances from safer areas, lured by the divinity of the lands beyond. As such, these were weaklings unable to fight back against the strong. Then again, from time to time, even formidable beasts get lured here, like this 11.43 Combat Power Mineral-Clawed Ferron.
Weak humans that aimed to quickly get stronger risked their lives in fighting against such creatures. Unfortunately, not everyone could properly assess just how strong these creatures are like Sammuel.
The lead Mineral-Clawed Ferron had rougher claws and even more defined horns. There were a few shades within these claws, starting from a lighter tone to a darker shade, showing that it sheds its claws by changing them for even sturdier material.
“Other than this one, I can get rid of everyone else. This might be the coward’s way but I’ll have to sneak attack it.”
A goblin’s strength relied on its nimble body and overwhelming numbers to strike their prey. Using this to his advantage, his body would be able to easily blend into the background. As such, Sammuel hid away in the bushes while tightly holding his sword.
As he was doing so, he was calming his mind. Using [Flowing Swordsmanship] had let him to understand another key aspect of this technique. The difference between a +5 and a +20 using this technique solely relied on how well he applied the concept of this technique. Finding the perfect time to strike also relied on his understanding of the flow of battle.
Time slowly passed, as minutes eventually turned into an hour. This entire time, the pack of Mineral-Clawed Ferrons bit and tore rock apart. They continued consuming the boulder. The strongest Mineral-Clawed Ferron noticed something from the distance, its eyes warily looked over.
Sammuel’s perceptive eyes looked at the direction it stared at. His keen eyes saw that it was nothing but a bird. This was the best opportunity to strike, when the enemy has its guard up against another foe.
[Flowing Swordsmanship | Gain Combat Power: +9.19 | Sammuel: 13.22]
Already positiong himself as advantegously as he could, he aimed for the Mineral-Clawed Ferron’s weak point, it’s underbelly. With a stab forward piercing its stomach, Sammuel brought his blade down, severing it open. Bloody red organs flowed down from his cut, fatally injuring it.
There was no notification for killing it. The limit existed for a reason.
Not being complacent at all, Sammuel faced the other Mineral-Clawed Ferrons before him. They were far too weak to fight back as they were all slaughtered easily. The difference between Combat Power was far too drastic for them to overcome.
Sammuel was losing hope, he had killed 8 Mineral-Clawed Ferrons yet he still hasn’t recieved anything noteworthy from it. With the 3 Mineral-Clawed Ferrons left, it seemed bleak. With two quick slashes, only one remained.
[Gained Ego: Mineral-Clawed Ferron | Card Quality: Colorless | Star Quality: 1 (3/10)]
Sammuel’s eyes buldged wide open. It turned out that it was finally time for him to earn another [Ego]. His smile of excitement made the remaining Mineral-Clawed Ferrons afraid of what’s to come.
[Switch]
[Name: Sammuel Arthus
Ego: Mineral-Clawed Ferron
Card Quality: Colorless
Star Quality: 1 | 3/10 | EXP: 22/100%
Affinity Level: 0.12%
Combat Power: 12.68]
The current number given was an inflated version, removing the additional Combat Power from [Flowing Swordsmanship] and the sword, he only had a base Combat Power of 2.49. Despite only being level 3, it was already around 80% as good as his current [Ego: Goblin]. This was a phenomenal improvement.
With such a disparity, killing the remaining Mineral-Clawed Ferron was an extremely easy task.
[Earned 12% EXP| Star Quality EXP: 34/100%]
Killing other creatures truly was the fastest way to get stronger. Overall, this was a good day. And there was something that made it even better.
Condition Cleared: Slay a creature with 10 Combat Power or higher | Reward: Increased Card Drop Rate]
[Condition Cleared: Gain 3 Ego | Reward: Increased Detail]
“Now it was time to figure out just what this is.”