'She fell asleep? I'll let her rest, even if it costs me some LP. She went through all that pain just to upgrade her body so we could train more efficiently. The least I can do is let her sleep.' a part of his earlier wariness diminished seeing that she was able to endure the pain 'for him' in a way.
'What I don't understand is why gaining stats caused her so much pain. There are only two possibilities I can think of—it's either because she received a massive stat boost all at once, or it's due to her body being fundamentally different since she's an artificial intelligence.'
Mikael remained by her side, not moving for thirty minutes, until he finally felt her stir.
"Ahhhh… I'm too comfortable right now…" Kiara murmured, eyes still closed, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
A peaceful smile adorned her face as she nestled closer, still clinging to Mikael with a firm but gentle grip.
He gave her a slight shake and said calmly, "Kiara, can you get up? I know you're awake."
Her eyes fluttered open at his words, and she looked around with a dazed, sleepy expression. Then, as realization set in, a deep blush instantly spread across her face.
She leapt to her feet in a fluster, only to notice that her white outfit—somewhere between a dress and medieval armor—was completely disheveled. After hastily straightening her appearance, she cleared her throat and said, "You wanted to train your swordsmanship, right? Can we go now?"
Mikael couldn't help but be amused. She was speaking with all seriousness, yet there was still a trace of drool at the corner of her mouth. It was obvious she was just embarrassed and trying to change the subject. He simply replied, "Sure, we can go train now."
Without wasting a moment, Kiara briskly turned and started walking toward the dojo. Still, she couldn't resist sneaking a quick glance back at Mikael as she walked.
When they arrived, the two stepped into a newly constructed area that hadn't been there before. The space was wide and open, with a few training dummies scattered around and wooden racks neatly lined with various training swords.
"What type of sword do you want to learn to use?" Kiara asked.
"I have a shortsword, so I'd like to start with that. But later on, I might switch to using two shortswords," Mikael answered.
"Then let's take one each. I'll show you how to use it."
Mikael grabbed a wooden shortsword with his right hand, testing its balance.
"The first thing you need to learn is how to hold your sword," Kiara said seriously. "Anyone can swing a blade, but not everyone knows how to properly slash. Holding your weapon the right way is the foundation of everything."
She demonstrated the correct grip with calm precision, then moved over to adjust Mikael's posture. For the next ten minutes, she focused on correcting his stance, hand positioning, and footwork.
"Your posture is acceptable for now," she eventually said, stepping back. "Next, we'll learn the two core positions—attack and defense."
Kiara positioned herself and performed a clean vertical slash.
Swish.
"That's one of the most basic attacks—a vertical slash," she explained. "We'll stick to the fundamentals for now. Once you're comfortable with those, we'll move on to sparring."
"I'm fine with that. Let's start," Mikael responded.
For the next hour, he trained diligently, repeating the basic attack and defense postures under Kiara's guidance. Just as sweat began to bead on his forehead, a notification flashed before his eyes.
[Your swordsmanship has reached the required level.]
[You have learned the skill: Swordsmanship Mastery.]
[Swordsmanship Mastery – Tier 0, Level 1
Description: This skill represents the user's accumulated knowledge, practical experience, and growing mastery of swordsmanship.
Benefits:
Accelerated learning and application of all sword-related techniques.
+20% attack speed when wielding a sword.
+10% attack damage when wielding a sword.]
[Swordsmanship Mastery – Tier 0, Level 1 Skill
This skill can be leveled up if the following conditions are met:
Your accumulated knowledge and practical experience in swordsmanship must reach the advancement threshold. Current progress: 0%
Cost to level up: 20 LP]
'Another skill labeled as "mastery", just like Footwork Mastery. It seems these mastery-type skills are different from regular ones like 6th Sense.'
'Mastery skills not only accelerate how fast you absorb and apply related knowledge, but they also grant passive bonuses. Maybe they act as foundational skills—necessary stepping stones for learning stronger abilities or advancing into more specialized techniques. I wouldn't be surprised if something like Sea Parting Slash required a Swordsmanship Mastery at a certain level first.'
'Honestly, even if mastery skills weren't needed to unlock more advanced techniques, they'd still be incredibly valuable. Just look at the martial arts mastery—improving that would directly enhance my martial ability in combat, effectively making my current stats more impactful.'
"New skill?" Kiara asked, glancing over curiously.
"Yeah. It's the fourth skill I've learned," Mikael replied with a faint smile. "Honestly, thanks for the help. You really made a difference."
"Don't worry. It was my pleasure."
"We've still got around two hours left," she said, brushing her hair back. "Let's use that time to spar a bit, help you apply what you've learned in a real combat scenario."
"Sounds good. Let's begin."
Over the next two hours, Mikael trained intensely, sparring with Kiara and focusing on practical application of his newly acquired techniques. His improvement was not only visible—it was measurable.
[Your progress in the Swordsmanship Mastery skill has reached 54%.]
After wrapping up the session, Mikael offered his sincere thanks to Kiara, gathered his belongings, and made his way to the hub.
Once inside, he addressed the Records. "Find me a low-powered world—one without magic, aura, or any other energy systems. I want a world where physical strength alone determines power. Ideally, the world should have a monster-filled setting, preferably in a place structured like an adventurer society."
"The world also must not have any gods or divine entities capable of sensing my soul's uniqueness and killing me instantly."
[Suitable world found.]
[Aedris World
World Type: Unique World
World Power Level: Mid Tier 2
Description:
Aedris was shaped by two opposing deities: Daana, the goddess of light, and her eternal rival, Ghnimera, goddess of the night. Daana gave birth to the light races—humans, elves, and demi-humans (humanoid beings with beast-like traits). In contrast, Ghnimera spawned the dark races, monstrous creatures such as orcs, goblins, and other beings of chaos.
The light and dark races are locked in perpetual enmity. Though the world was originally meant to host magic, both goddesses ultimately perished in a cataclysmic battle, cutting off access to the mystical energies they once bestowed.
A millennium has passed since that fateful clash, yet progress never truly stopped. The world's technological level now mirrors that of the medieval era. In the absence of magic, the inhabitants of Aedris have developed a unique form of cultivation known as Body Refinement. Rather than relying on traditional arcane arts, this technique focuses on absorbing the latent energy found within the cores or essence of defeated foes.
Humans, for example, must harvest and refine the energy stored within the cores of monsters to grow stronger. Conversely, monsters empower themselves by devouring the essence contained within the bodies of light race beings. The world's power structure is organized into a ranking system that ascends from F, E, D, C, B, A, and culminates at the peak—S rank.
Optional Quests:
[F-Rank Hunter
Description: Become an F-rank hunter.
Reward: 200 LP]
[E-Rank Hunter
Description: Become an E-rank hunter.
Reward: 500 LP]
[D-Rank Hunter
Description: Become a D-rank hunter.
Reward: 1,000 LP]
[C-Rank Hunter
Description: Become a C-rank hunter.
Reward: 1,800 LP]
[B-Rank Hunter
Description: Become a B-rank hunter.
Reward: 3,200 LP]
[A-Rank Hunter
Description: Become an A-rank hunter.
Reward: 5,000 LP]
[S-Rank Hunter
Description: Become an S-rank hunter.
Reward: 8,000 LP]
[My Words Are Law
Description: Become the king of the Luminous Empire.
Reward: 15,000 LP]
[Buddha
Description: This world is engulfed in conflict and suffering. Bring peace between the light and dark races.
Reward: 25,000 LP]
[The Purge
Description: This world would be far more peaceful without all the noise. Eliminate 90% of both the light and dark races.
Reward: 50,000 LP]
'Wow, this is even better than what I was hoping for. It has everything I wanted and more—including body refining techniques I could potentially learn. The only downside is that it looks extremely dangerous.'
'If I compare the goblin chief I killed, which gave me 500 LP, with the Aedris world's quest where becoming an E-rank hunter also gives 500 LP, then the difficulty seems roughly equivalent.'
'I'll need to be very careful. Otherwise, I might end up dead before I even know what hit me.'
"Records, I want to go to the Aedris world."
[Teleportation initiated in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…]
A moment later, Mikael vanished in a flash of brilliant blue light.
He reappeared in the midst of what seemed to be a forest at night. However, he barely had time to survey his surroundings before a thunderous roar echoed through the trees.
ROAAAR!
The sudden sound startled nearby birds, sending them scattering into the sky.
'I don't know what made that roar… but I definitely don't want to meet it,' Mikael thought as he immediately bolted in the opposite direction.
Swissh
His instincts kicked in, and he dodged sharply to the right. A massive claw swept past him, missing his body by only a few centimeters.
As Mikael steadied himself, his gaze quickly swept his surroundings—and what he saw made his blood run cold. He was now surrounded by three wolves, each easily over two meters tall.
The first of the beasts lunged at him without warning, its jaws wide open. Without flinching, Mikael drew both his sword and firearm in a single fluid motion. He swung the blade in a clean arc, aiming for the wolf's exposed neck.
The strike landed perfectly, halting the creature's charge. A deep red line appeared across its throat, followed by the gruesome sight of its head falling to the ground.
[D-Rank Giant Wolf killed. 2,500 XP received.]
Not wasting a moment, Mikael raised his gun and fired a precise shot at the farthest wolf. The bullet pierced its skull, killing it instantly.
[D-Rank Giant Wolf killed. 2,500 XP received.]
Then, without slowing down, he rushed the last remaining wolf. Sensing danger, the beast retaliated with a swipe of its powerful claw.
Swiss
Mikael threw himself to the ground, narrowly evading the deadly blow. As he rolled forward, he launched a brutal kick directly into the creature's ribs. The impact sent it crashing into a nearby tree, dazing it just long enough for him to leap up and deliver a final, decisive slash.
[D-Rank Giant Wolf killed. 2,500 XP received.]
[Class: Martial Artist has leveled up x2.]
[Global Level x2.]
Still alert and breathing heavily, Mikael wiped the blood from his blade. 'Fuck… that was insanely dangerous. I could've died right then and there in that damn ambush.'
His face grew pale as the adrenaline began to wear off. 'If I didn't have the Sixth Sense skill, I'd probably be a corpse right now.'
He glanced at the ground—dark, soaked in blood, and littered with the mangled remains of his enemies. Then, without wasting another second, he resumed running, this time with greater caution and a slower, more deliberate pace.
The remainder of his journey through the forest passed without further threats, though it still took him a couple of hours to finally reach its edge.
In the distance, under the veil of night, he could make out what appeared to be a medieval city surrounded by a tall stone wall. The sight brought a rare sense of relief.