A bout of mad cough echoed. Crimson red splashed across the floor as the pale complexion of Zachary was getting closely similar to a dead corpse. He wiped off his bloody mouth as it was another failure of his risky attempt.
“I applaud your persistence, but I question why is this necessary,” Tobias said. On one hand, he held the recipe book while the other hovered above Zach’s body, emitting a light glow.
“Failure is the mother of success,” Zach weakly said. Grabbing the sword once more, trying to get on his feet.
“A beautiful saying. But I doubt the one who said it would approve of being this foolhardiness,” Tobias said.
“Isn’t that why you’re here,” Zach said. Implying he had Tobias as a safety net.
The healer shook his head. Focusing back on the book as Zach began another attempt. Again, the pain erupted. Blasting his pain receptors, driving his mind to the brink of being mad. Yet he persisted. Hoping to get it done once and for all, and achieved what he desired. Another skill under his belt.
He swung his sword down in a perfect stance despite the aches that riddled his body. Zach was determined. The mana finally reached the hardest part where the flow diverged into five separate paths. He cautiously directed his mana with sweat dripping down his back and forehead. It was an arduous task that he had failed many times. But the timing was everything.
It was an act similar to threading a needle, and he did it. A smile was carved on that pale face as the five paths moved in unison. Once they reached the tip of his fingers, he stumbled at another problem. From divergence to convergence. The mana flowed out of his body, spilling in the air, barely coursing into the sword he held. He didn’t know whether this was a failure or not, but at least he saw the mana turning visible. A shade of pale yellow, different from the faint white when he was cooking.
The faint mana in the sword kept on going, heading to the tip of the sword. Yet at the same time, something was coming up from the pit of his stomach, and he knew what it was. Another failure was coming, blood was rising up his throat as he was about to let out another bout of maddening cough. But he repressed it the best as he could. Putting mind over matter, telling himself this was all a mental game where the winner was the one who had the strongest mentality.
Then he did it. His mana finally reached the tip of the sword, and as he slashed it down, a sudden breeze came out of nowhere, blowing his hair in a mess. With a single slash, he managed to rip the empty air. The moment the action was done, every energy he had in his body flew away as his legs gave in, and Zach went crashing to the ground. His face fell flat on the ground with a thud. It was fucking painful, but he did not react, and not even a yelp. He just lay there listless, and motionless like a puppet cut by its strings.
Yet deep in his heart and soul, the lad was celebrating like it was a festival. His vision was greeted by the familiar box.
[A Master Swordsman in the making. The blend of mana and blade birth another path to the pinnacle.]
[Mana Sword(Lv.1)(Tier: Inferior[Penalized]): Imbuing the blade with the mana of the user. Further enhancing the sword's sharpness and destructive capability.]
[***Penalty***]
[Due to the crude method of discovering the skill. You had been subjected to a penalty for the newly learned skill. Properly adapt to the new skill, and the penalty will be lifted.]
[Time: 604800]
‘What?’ he was caught off guard. The unexpected penalty left him bewildered moments before blacking out.
It felt like a second, yet it wasn’t. Zach groaned as his consciousness started to return. The usual fog clouded his mind before he took a few seconds to gain his clarity back. “Hmm?” he heard something. The heavy footsteps and the shouts that came from outside. Zach got up, looking around as it was pitch black. Even underneath the sill of the door, there was no sign of light from the outside. Then it dawned on him.
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‘Shit, it’s already night,’ Zach said. His eyes scrambled in the darkness, searching for his sword. The moment he felt the grip, Zach grabbed it and made a run to the door. But contrary to his expectation, it wasn’t bad as he imagined. The bailey had people fighting against a few slipped tusk-ants while the entrance and the hole in the wall were guarded fiercely by men commanded by Orland and Cyrus. At a brief glance, he assumed these two had divided their territory of defense evenly across the whole fort. Well, he should have expected this since Gardwin and Shieldford never mixed well. He guessed this was the best course of action.
Rather than jumping straight into the action, Zach found himself a seat on the ground close to the wall. Watching these people fight for their dear life as the moonlight fell on them. To be truthful, it wasn’t bad for once, being this relaxed after all the fight he had done. Surprisingly, he saw Milly at the bailey. Holding to her sword with her two hands, teaming up with a few others to take down a single tusk-ant. Even from afar, he could see she was shivering like mad as the lass was probably frightened to death. But it was good enough for her. Despite how she was, taking her first step in doing the unthinkable was great progress according to Zach.
At the same time, he brought out his status and found the thing he was looking for. The new skill he earned had an unsavory condition attached.
He brought it up again, and read it more thoroughly.
[***Penalty***]
[Due to the crude method of discovering the skill. You had been subjected to a penalty for the newly learned skill. Properly adapt to the new skill, and the penalty will be lifted.]
[Time: 604800]
The only thing it showed there was time, and yet the numbers were not dwindling down. He frowned as he hoped the numbers were not like what he thought. If it was a timer then he prayed from the depth of his heart that it would be the lowest unit of time, and not hours or days. Even after all his effort, the system was really strict with him. It was only his assumption but from the look of it, the system was like putting a tight leash on him.
He shook his head. Thinking that he might be overestimating himself yet again. If he thought about it clearly, his method was indeed crude, but did have a choice? He adapted to the card dealt to him, and he succeeded. Well rather than complaining, he was just glad he earned another skill.
Tobias ran to the bailey. Monitoring the ones who were fighting as he was readied to give support at any moment. By luck, they found each other eyes. Zach gave a casual wave, and Tobias rushed towards him.
“My lord, I’m glad you have woken. But the situation is dire, the ants are relentless, and their numbers are not going down. By my estimation, we won’t be able to hold out, not unless we cull the first wave,” Tobias said.
“Is that so,” Zach said. Looking around, assessing the situation. “You sure? Because they’re doing pretty well if you ask me.”
Tobias frowned. “Indeed, for now it’s manageable. But the night is still early and the people’s minds are growing wearier than their physiques. As of now, they won’t last long,” Tobias said.
‘I’ll see what I can do,” Zach said. He got up and dusted off his silk boxer. Giving a pat on Tobias’ shoulder. The sound of battle was all around him. They won, and they bled, while some cried in pain, begging the pain to stop. But Zach paid no heed to them all. He reached the top of the battlement. Finding a gal with a bow, quickly moving along the battlement, raining arrows at the ants below. Her movements were fluid, from grabbing an arrow in the quiver on her back to shooting an ant down below with quick precision. It seemed her battling instinct had grown tremendously.
“Like what you see?” a voice drew his gaze to the battlement floor. A blond man resting on the floor like it was a picnic by the lake.
“You’re having it easy,” Zach said.
“Well, you know how it is. My skills only work in discretion, and see these arrows,” Mathias said, pointing at the arrows beside. “Just to let you know I’ve been given the honorable task as an arrow giver, and it’s hard work, despite what you’re looking at.”
“Arrow giver, huh,” Zach said. Turning back his gaze at the female version of Robin Hood. Then he noticed the subtle greenish glow in Teena’s eyes.
“Her eyes are glowing,” he said.
“Oh, she hadn’t told you yet?” Mathias piqued Zach’s curiosity.
“Told me what?”
“That glowing eye you see, well, she said she found something like a scroll that could bestow someone with a skill,” Mathias said. “Quite ridiculous if you ask me, but hey, in this world everything is ridiculous.”
The revelation caught him by surprise. Another method of gaining a skill was open to him, and questions about it made him gaze at Teena rather strongly.
It seemed her perception detected Zach’s strong gaze, and their eyes locked with each other. They gazed at one another, but then their senses tingled once more. Both glanced at the same time in the same direction, and it happened in an instant.
A pink flesh stabbed Teena in the torso and within a blink of an eye, she was gone. Zach traced where she was, and without hesitation, he jumped off the ledge of the battlement.