Pick Me Up!

In the end, the thrusting skill failed to land on Ridgion.

He changed his stance and smoothly parried it. I looked at my trembling right hand lightly. The movement I had just made was sharper and more intricate than anything I had ever done before.

“It’s much better than last time.”

Ridgion lowered his sword.

Ridgion’s feet, which had not moved at all since we started practicing, took a step back.

“Is the efficiency of synthesis different?”

“To the Master, synthesis is not just about absorbing experience points.”

Ridgion lowered his voice.

“But be cautious. Higher efficiency isn’t always better. There’s a risk that the information between the Master and the target may become mixed, or it could have a negative impact.”

I gained some adjustments in swordsmanship through synthesis with Shay. It had certainly been a boost to my growth.

Low-level heroes with no remarkable abilities might benefit from it, but if a higher-ranked hero was synthesized, they could gain similar experiences.

However, it wasn’t entirely without drawbacks.

“If you overdo synthesis…”

Information gets mixed up.

“There’s a reason why Master who uses swordsmanship can’t learn defensive skills. There may not be much difference in the direction of talents, but…”

“We should be careful.”

There are no advanced heroes in Townia with a rank of 4 or higher yet.

However, as the waiting room expands and the number of floors increases, there will undoubtedly be a few heroes who will be synthesized into me in the meantime.

‘But I don’t decide.’

The Master of Townia is not me.

Even if I become a sub-master, I won’t be allowed the authority to synthesize.

But I could still have an indirect influence. I needed to consider this aspect.

“I raised one level in just one day. I thought it would take ten days.”

“Master’s talent…”

“Stop praising me. It’s embarrassing. Anyway, if progress is faster than I expected, one intermediate martial skill won’t be enough.”

“In that case…”

“I want to learn ‘Heavenly Sword Spirit.'”

‘Heavenly Sword Spirit is not a commonly classified skill.

As far as I know, Ridgion is the only hero who possesses ‘Heavenly Sword Spirit.’

‘Heavenly Sword Spirit’ is a unique skill with only one possessor.

“Gladly.”

Ridgion bowed his head to me.

“But before that, you must break through intermediate martial skills.”

“Is there a restriction on that?”

“Not really, but at this stage, it will be less efficient to learn. And I apologize, but even if I do my best, the Master may not be able to learn it.”

“That doesn’t matter. I won’t blame you for my lack of skill.”

Ridgion is giving it his all.

If I can’t learn it, it’s my deficiency.

‘I should change my schedule a bit.’

It seems that I’m gaining more than I thought from this.

I needed to invest a little more time.

‘I must exclude stamina training.’

Stamina training is a training that can be done even after returning.

But sparring and training with Ridgion are invaluable experiences that cannot be obtained anywhere else. I should ask Yurnet to set up an evening session as well. Leaving it alone for too long might get me caught, but I had already figured that out when I brought him here.

“Then, the next practice…”

“Master.”

A familiar voice was heard.

Looking to the side, I noticed Nisled, who was pulling a multi-layered cart. On the cart, there were various dishes placed on high-quality plates.

“It’s mealtime. You can take a break while eating.”

Nisled fluttered her apron and a small wooden table appeared.

Nisled set up the chairs, laid out various dishes on the table, and then bowed before disappearing. She was still the same busybody. I put my sword in its sheath.

“I guess we should eat first.”

After finishing the meal, I took a short break.

And then I faced Ridgion again. I tried to recreate the feeling I had when I raised my weapon skill level by one.

“It’s not going well.”

It felt like beginner’s luck, and the sensation was faint like it was coming and going.

But it didn’t completely disappear. It lingered faintly in my hand. I looked at Ridgion. The posture remained the same, no greetings were needed. I raised my sword and rushed in.

Clang!

The swords collided and produced a loud noise.

Every time I cut and thrust, Ridgion smoothly redirected his sword, deflecting and blocking effortlessly. Even after hours of observation, his movements remained mysterious.

“Your techniques have improved,” Ridgion said, effortlessly parrying my diagonal slash.

“That’s because I didn’t use Frenzy.”

For the afternoon sparring session, we decided to fight in a different way.

While the morning session focused on strength and speed, this time we planned to test a more technique-oriented approach, even if it meant being a bit weaker and slower.

“The unnatural movements that occasionally appear in the Master’s swordsmanship seem to be because of that skill,” Ridgion commented.

“That’s not the only thing,” I replied, swinging my shield.

The sword drew a half-circle as it brushed against the shield.

Ridgion paused for a moment and then continued, “When you reach level 10, you should consider separating your skills.”

“I was already thinking about that.”

To change skills, you needed a special item called the “Awakening Elixir.” It required various rare materials and advanced alchemy, but here, it was as common as pebbles. Bringing a few wouldn’t even raise suspicions.

There was plenty to do.

Broadly speaking, adjusting and learning swordsmanship was the priority. I had to achieve this even if it meant giving up other things.

Secondly, I needed to change my type of swordsmanship.

The shield was undoubtedly useful equipment. I have overcome numerous crises thanks to it. However, it didn’t suit my aptitude. Just by looking at my inability to learn defensive skills, it was clear. To advance to higher-tier swordsmanship, I needed to change from shield-swordsmanship to regular swordsmanship.

The third goal was to acquire the “Heavenly Sword Spirit.”

The principle might be complex, but the effect was simple: it amplified the power and speed applied to the weapon. If properly harmonized, it would give wings to my Frenzy. It was equivalent to receiving two adjustments to my stats.

The fourth was to adjust Frenzy.

As I had felt and Ridgion mentioned, activating Frenzy seemed to incur a penalty in swordsmanship. If I could somehow offset this penalty…

‘Is it too much to go this far?’

Time is tight to accomplish even just one.

Even if I get it right to the third one, I will become incomparably stronger. Thus, I decided to keep the fourth goal in mind but not overdo it.

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