Chapter 81 - Reaching Mid-Grade!
'Here it goes…'
Standing in the same position 5 months later, Leo savored the effect of his first mid-grade 'ascension'!
After accumulating new 'gaseous' Sword Breath by liquifying the old Sword Breath, the new Sword Breath was finally joining the liquified Sword Breath to become one.
Unlike every ascension so far, the main aspect of the process was reversed. The new Sword Breath wasn't the one that attempted to join up with the rest this time, it was the old Sword Breath that was forced to liquify that enveloped it and returned the favor. At this point, a third of the Sword Breath in Leo's body had turned into liquid.
However, this wasn't the end of it either. Just like the Sword Breath didn't occupy a single part of the body at the earlier stages, this time, the liquid Sword Breath also spread evenly throughout Leo's body, coexisting with the 'gaseous' Sword Breath in harmony.
'Mid-grade!'
When the Sword Breath finally settled down, a satisfied smile couldn't help but find its place on Leo's face. After all, this signified that he had finally completed his fourth ascension, joining the ranks of mid-grade Swordsmen!
Although grade-4 was just the start, it still was incomparable to the earlier grades. With a swing of his sword, Leo easily left a deep mark on the rock wall!
"Huap…"
Unfortunately, the smile on Leo's face didn't last much longer as the abnormality followed up once again. He was already starting to get used to the pain, but it was still excruciating.
Thankfully, despite this being the fourth time, the abnormality still didn't change its usual routine, it still reconstructed his muscles after tearing them up, allowing Leo to survive another close call.
Looking at himself in the water puddle that formed around the fountain, Leo wondered even deeply about Arthur's body. Unlike normal Swordsmen, he was able to physically strengthen himself after every 'ascension'.
Even though he still had a few months left to become 15 years old, Leo's current body had fully surpassed his original body as of this day. Other than still being a few centimeters shorter, he was already beyond every other physical attribute.
'Let's see.'
[ Book 1 ]
Name: Arthur (Leo Lock)
Age: 14 (18)
Role: Reader
Reading Points: 266
________________________
Personal Statistics:
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True Sword Breath: 400/400
Physique: 1.72
Mind: 1.4 (+1.99)
Sword Breath: 400.05
________________________
Personal Skills:
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'Intermediate Swordsmanship' - Chapter 2 - page 6/10
'Basic Horsemanship' - Chapter 1 - page 3/10
'Close Quarter Combat' - Prologue - page 10/10
________________________
Personal Abilities:
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'Universal Sword Breathing' - Grade 5 - 4/10
________________________
Events:
-------
- Teaching Crane - Unique
- Rewriting Destiny - Unique (2)
- Counter Elimination - Impossible
________________________
Calling out his 'Personal Book' to take a look at the first page once again, Leo nodded in affirmation of his progress.
This was just the first 4 grades and his Physique had somehow climbed this far. Although it was still within reasonable limits now, would his body become monstrous by the time he reached grade-9? Would he be able to beat Swordsmen using his bare hands?
In the end, Leo could only set aside these questions for the future. It was better to take each step on its own rather than worrying needlessly about the unknown.
If there was one thing that Leo was more concerned about was how difficult it was to advance 'Intermediate Swordsmanship'. Despite training well over the last 7 months, it still took two 'ascensions' for him to add one more page. It seemed like the larger the page number the harder it would be to increase it further. After all, this was but a measure of his actual skill.
'Does it still work?'
Looking at the sword in his hand, Leo seemed to be lost in thought before he started another 'Universal Sword Breathing' set, now that he reached grade-4, the effects of the 'Breathing Fountain' had to be tested again.
Swish! Swoosh! Swishh…
After the 'performance' was over, Leo quickly threw a glance over the 'Personal Book' that he had yet to dismiss, only to end up shaking his head.
'I guess it's time to leave…'
As one would expect from a Hidden Piece, the 'Breathing Fountain' had successfully allowed Leo to jump two grades in under one year, but it seemed like this was the end of it.
When Leo had first started training around the 'Breathing Fountain' as a grade-2 Swordsman, the effect of his 'Breathing' had been amplified by over 12 times, and even as a grade-3 Swordsman, it still buffed it by 8 times.
However, now that he became a mid-grade Swordsman, it barely had the ability to double his gains! That was precisely why a Hidden Piece like this could never compare to the real deal!
Training around the Sky-Piercing Sword would provide benefits regardless of the grade, but pushing a Swordsman to mid-grade was the extent of a by-product's ability.
'Sigh…'
Although Leo was fully aware of the limitations of the 'Breathing Fountain', having chosen it with reaching mid-grades as the target, he couldn't resist sighing in regret. After experiencing these carefree days of peaceful progress, he greedily wished they would last longer.
"Well, I just need to move on."
In the bigger picture, however, it didn't really matter. A change of pace couldn't be helped, but as a reader, there were still all kinds of methods that Leo could rely on to push himself forward even more!
After some thoughtful rest, Leo got up and left the rock chamber, crossing the water center to arrive beside his horse. He then proceeded to collect his belongings and load them into their bags before getting at the horse's back.
"Let's go, buddy."
Neighhh!
While Leo could just use the rest of the day as a break from the constant rush, he decided against it in the end. If he was going to rest then he might as well spend that rest on the road!
Going back to the village for a quick round trip to replenish his reserves, Leo said goodbye on a thoughtful note. Although the boy tried to see him off with a smile, a few tears still couldn't help but slip to his cheeks.
Knowing that he couldn't hold back now, Leo slowly rode his horse out of the village, embarking on his journey back to Swordkeep.