Chapter 9: The Path to Mastery
Two more days passed in relentless training. My muscles ached, my mana felt drained, and my body was still adjusting to the changes from my transmigration. But there was no room for complaints.
I had a goal.
And that goal was to beco strong enough to survive.
Weapon Art Proficiency System
One of the most important chanics in the ga—and now in real life—was the Weapon Art Proficiency System.
Every combat technique had a proficiency level, determining how well soone could use it. The rankings were as follows:
1. Novice (0-19%) – Barely grasping the basics. Clumsy execution.
2. Adept (20-49%) – Basic understanding. Movents beco smoother.
3. Expert (50-79%) – High-level execution. Most professional knights fall here.
4. Master (80-94%) – Refined skill. Movents are instinctive, nearly flawless.
5. Grandmaster (95-100%) – Legendary level. Masters capable of dueling entire armies.
Each level was progressively harder to reach.
Novice to Adept? A few weeks of training.
Adept to Expert? A few months to years.
Master and beyond? Only true geniuses or lifelong practitioners ever reached that level.
And right now, my Phantom Edge Sword Style was stuck at 20%—Adept Level.
Not bad for a beginner, but nowhere near good enough.
A proficiency bar hovered in my system window:
---
Weapon Art: Phantom Edge Sword Style [2 star]
Proficiency: 20.7% (Adept)
---
The good news? Lower-ranked techniques were easier to master.
If I kept up my training, I could likely push this to Expert Level in a few months.
But first, I had to keep refining my basics.
Day 3: Refining Phantom Edge
I stood in the training yard, facing a wooden dummy.
The main principle of Phantom Edge was deception—tricking opponents with feints, unpredictable movent, and sudden speed bursts.
I took a stance, then moved.
Step. Fake left. Pivot. Slash from the right.
My movents were still stiff. I could feel it.
Again.
Step. Fake. Pivot. Slash.
Faster this ti.
Again.
Step. Feint. Slash. Retreat. Counter.
I repeated the drills hundreds of tis, sweat pouring down my face.
---
[Proficiency Increased!]
Phantom Edge Sword Style: 20.7% → 23.5%
---
I exhaled. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
Still, training alone had limits. What I needed was actual combat experience.
And I knew just how to get it.
Day 4: The Combat Dummies
On the fourth day, I changed my training strategy. Instead of just repeating movents, I activated one of the academy's combat dummies—special enchanted constructs designed to simulate real fights.
The stone figure stood motionless at first. Then—
WHIRR!
The dummy activated, glowing runes appearing on its chest. Its arms moved, taking a basic combat stance.
A chanical voice spoke:
[Training Mode Activated. Difficulty: Low.]
[Opponent Level: D-rank.]
A D-rank opponent? That was perfect.
I gripped my wooden sword and took a stance.
The dummy lunged first, swinging its own training sword straight for my side.
I sidestepped, my enhanced perception from the Sharingan letting read the movent in advance.
Then, I countered—a swift diagonal slash to its arm.
CLANG!
A tallic impact. No damage.
I frowned. Even though I landed the first hit, my attack was too weak to matter.
The dummy retaliated, slashing toward my shoulder.
I barely dodged, the blade grazing past .
Damn. I need to focus.
I adjusted my stance. This ti, I wouldn't just dodge.
I would deceive.
When the dummy attacked again, I pretended to dodge left—then abruptly twisted and attacked from a blind spot.
SLASH!
The impact left a visible crack on the dummy's stone body.
A grin ford on my face. Now we're getting sowhere.
Status Update
By the end of the fourth day, I was physically exhausted. My arms felt like lead, my legs burned, and my mind scread for rest.
But the effort was paying off.
---
[Status Window]
Na: Alden Blackwood
Rank: E-
Mana : E
Strength: E-
Agility: E
Intelligence: C
Stamina: E-
Skills:
[Mana Control (Basic) - E ]
[Sharingan - ???]
[Kamui (limited)]
Weapon Arts:
[Phantom Edge Sword Style (C)] – Proficiency: 28.1% (Adept)
---
Four days of training, and I had already improved.
My movents were faster. My dodging was sharper. My Phantom Edge Sword Style proficiency had jumped from 20% to 28%.
But I still had a long way to go.
Now that I had the basics down, I needed a new approach for the coming week.
1. Combat Sparring:
Fighting a dummy was one thing, but real opponents? That was a whole different beast. I needed to find soone to spar with—without revealing my real strength.
2. Mana Expansion Training:
Even though my mana control improved, my total mana capacity was still weak. If I ever wanted to use my Mangekyō Sharingan without running out of mana in seconds, I had to expand my mana reserves.
3. Find a Weapon:
The academy only provided standard-issue training swords. But if I wanted to truly excel, I needed a proper weapon—one that fit my new style.
Final Thoughts
I sat down in the training yard, staring up at the night sky.
Four days ago, I was nothing but a weak extra dood to die.
Now?
I wasn't strong yet, but I was no longer the sa powerless Alden Blackwood.
One step at a ti.
And soon enough?
I'd make sure no one could look down on ever again.
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