17: Dream team
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Today, I decided to take a group of strong knights under my family's management and have them train with me.

As I have trained by myself, I realized how necessary combat is, even more than the mana crystal.

Surprisingly, my nerves recover faster now. It's hard for me to believe it, but I am mere days away from control over my Superhuman Technique. I think the passive helps with that somehow, but there could be more.

I start the first round of sparring with an older man with a scar on his face: a war veteran that fought alongside my father.

We clash swords. It's our first time fighting so the knight didn't know what to expect of me and held back, probably due to the rumors. I let the first few strikes contain no mana, allowing Ignition to activate in an instant and Surges the mana to reinforce my body.

I want to use Body Strengthening as well but damn it is hard. Using two skills at once feels like a world away from me.

Oh, the knight is ended up humiliated by me. He wasn't able to reinforce his body fast enough and I disarmed him and pointed the blade at his neck.

On the other hand, the other knights took me more seriously.

Did I mention how strong my passive is?

It's great.

People with higher levels of mana usually have stronger bodies as it adapts to the force, and although I am highly trained, if we talk about the attribute, my Body stat is definitely lower. The only reason I can overpower them is because I am more skilled, and now I am even better as my, well, efficiency is better.

Breathing normally produces five times or so more energy than a normal human, and the decreased reliance on air serves to smoothen my movements even further.

I already want the other one.

When we sit down for lunch, I am the most exhausted as I sparred with everyone four or five times, and I eat a sandwich Katherine had prepared.

I've been thinking about the system for some time, and there could be more options I can use that I simply need to find on my own.

For example, the displays appearing mid combat, so I have been trying to change the “settings” and there is a bit of success. It shouldn't appear during moments of intense focus like in combat now. And if it works properly, I should find the keyword to view the messages I can't check in real-time.

So, after plenty of trials and errors, I've formulated a single word, muttering it under my breath in a low voice, “Log.”

Congratulations, you are now efficiently using your Mana Skills.

You have earned: 1000 gold

There are every message I got up until now, as I see by going backwards in the Log. I confirm the latest reward, watching my gold increase. Still, I don't buy a passive yet, waiting for the one I will get once I finish the Infinity quest.

Apparently, the point where all my skills improve my base is what they call efficient. Now that my skill usage reached the bare minimum, I hope I see some crazy development in there after I get to Elementary and Intermediate.

All I have are the Surge and Infinity quests left. There may be more, but I refuse to check for now.

I spar some more, still not a single skill leveling, and call it a day.

My growth is currently slow because I can only use one skill at a time and have to evenly distribute my training time over six skills. Furthermore, there is the other training like practicing Infinity and exploring how I can adapt my passive longside the breathing techniques Sage showed me

In the meantime, I ponder over the Status and its implications.

Why is there a title section? If the Superhuman Technique shows under its own dedicated segment, why is a title even necessary?

If I disregard common sense, then the solution would be looking at it backwards. There is no need for the Superhuman Techniques segment if there is a title.

Maybe for those who aren't Pioneers, there's a different title, Superhuman or something, but then, I don't understand what is even the point. Unless there could be multiple superhuman techniques, or the title affects me in ways I haven't realized. It could also be both.

But having more than one superhuman technique is impossible. If not for that, I would have stacked those a long time ago.

I still open up the Shop every now and then, hoping to see something new, but there is nothing, which made sense.

The Shop itself is weird. It produces items out of nowhere, and can potentially bring me passive skills, making it my only supplier aside from quests. But even as it can bring me thousands of different items and materials, I can't buy mana skills.

Does it mean mana skills and superhuman techniques are important? Or maybe passive skills aren't too important to have? As weird as Breathing Efficiency feels, I think the other skill types are weirder.

Regardless, the more I utilize the system and the more I have it, I feel like it changes me in ways only weirdos like Sage and Vania can sense. Next time I see them, it won't be as less noticeable as it was.

So many questions and no one to answer.

How awful.

Whatever.

I know I will keep using the system, because I am still far from what I want to achieve.

A ringing sound echoes, and I check the Log.

[Mana Skill: Surge (Basic) > (Elementary)]

Achievement: Elementary Mana Skill

Rewards: 2 Stat Points, 20 Gold

Finally!

I worked my ass off to level Manipulation and it ended up being Surge.

Somehow, I am not surprised.


“Did something good happen, Brother,” Juliana asks me as we dine together for the first time since I came back.

Theodore is missing, doing his own thing.

Was I smiling?

Is it possible to smile without putting your mind into it? Without looking like a disturbing psycho? Wait, do I look like a psycho now?

Expelling these thoughts, I answer, “Yes. I just made a decent progress in something I was working on. Did it look like I was happy?”

Juli averts her eyes, and I can't understand what I did wrong this time.

Oh, please! Is someone out there trying to make me a villain? This question is rhetorical.

Please don't answer this one, brain.

Goddammit.

“I just made a mistake... I dropped my fork,” she says embarrassingly, looking away as I scan the table for the missing fork.

I wasn't paying attention so much that I didn't even here it fall.

Oh.

I look at a servant. “Bring my sister a new fork immediately. What are you waiting for?” He bows, leaving hurriedly to fulfill my orders. “Sorry I wasn't paying attention. How was your day?”

Seeing how flustered Juliana is makes me feel guilty. I did pointed out many mistakes during meals before, but now it feels so unimportant.

After all, she saw me killing people.

It's like I lost the position of a brother, demoted to a stranger, trying to grasp what blood that still ties us as to not lose her.

I am willing to sacrifice a lot for Juli, and I know how much I already have, but the problem is that she doesn't. Not spending time with her came bite me in the back.

And damn, does it hurt.

My excuse is stupid as it is simple. After two years of rehab, which Juli used to develop her warrior skills, I was already disconnected from my siblings. I have... almost gave up reconnecting... especially after Chris, which I have a feeling they liked even more than me.

That's why Sage pointing out everything wrong with my disposition was so important. As annoying as it was, he made me do nothing but the kind of work I've been putting off for years, forcing me to leave the convenient shade the Pioneer title was and properly exploring what and who I am.

Was this his intention all along?

Fuck, I really hate that guy. He really shouldn't be allowed to teach.

Thinking bad stuff about my shitty master, I calmly wait until the day Juliana would naturally come to me herself.


Perspective: Theodore

I arrive at the location; a bar that has been closed down for us to meet privately.

Walking on the wooden floor nervously, trying to restore my cool.

Princess Adele sits on the counter. Her clothing are fit for the expedition; black pants with a white button shirt and a styled jacket on top, every piece of cloth durable as older armor. She ties her hair in a bun, which also look beautiful on her.

Note to myself: devils have seductive charms.

Would girls react the same towards Percival.

Waving at me, I greet the princess. Only then do I look at the other members.

There are two that I expected: Sofia Hawthorne, an elite warrior by her own right and the princess's personal guard. She is a noble of less known house, but her capabilities are outstanding. The other one is someone I consider at the same level as Percival, and that is Ethan Blade.

Markus, the Swordmaster, is a hero who fought alongside my father and the emperor. He was given the surname of Blade, a simple name representing his devotion to the sword. Unlike dad, his house is that of a marquis, a rank below mine, and yet Ethan is a great force that has been racking achievements and getting instructed personally by his father.

I wish dad could also teach me his Lagless or something. I bet I could master it too.

Ethan got blond hair and green eyes, in addition to a tall stature and slim, yet muscular body. A disposition similar to Sofia, except she is a head shorter and has dark brown eyes and short black hair.

Both are reliable from just rumors and even Percival said they are strong when I asked about them.

It's the other two I don't recognize: a short guy with black hair and streaks of blue, and the other is straight-up a kid with pink hair. They sit on the couch at the side, minding their own business, not even looking at me.

“Is everyone finally here?” Ethan asks, his gaze shifts to the couch in a questioning look as well.

“Not yet. There is one more,” The princess hums, perhaps in a good mood.

“Wait patiently, Lord Ethan,” Sofia adds coldly.

They are all from the same year, studying and competing each other for years, but they don't seem to get along. Actually, it's easy to imagine the princess simply bossing everyone around.

Yet, I have to remember those trio are all excellent in their own right in combat.

Sofia, a talent praised by many, the protege of the princess. She often contends with Ethan on equal footing.

Me, Ethan, and Princess Adele, who are the children of the heroes. Me being the son of two heroes and the princess the daughter of the emperor, who my father says rivals him to this day.

Two weirdos which I will ask about later.

And...

The final person finally enters, his steps are the embodiment of calmness and his expression almost lifeless.

He has brown hair and blue eyes, in addition to an unhealthy pale skin. The sword strapped to his waist is the same he used to kill those terrorists.

He looks straight at the princess, speaking in a monotone voice, “Quite the dream team you have here.”

The last person is Percival, the eldest son of two heroes, and the disciple of the hero teacher.

It's my crazy brother, whom I envy and fear and love.

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