The room in front of felt spacious. However, this was mainly due to the general lack of.. well, anything of note in it, really.
Opposite of the door stood a large wooden desk, with a large, luxurious armchair behind it. On the desk was a pen stand, but beside it, it was completely empty, the pristine, waxed surface reflecting the light of the hanging oil lamp.
Beside the desk there were a few wooden drawer cabinets, and a shelf half-filled with books.
Really, it didn’t seem like John’s office had seen frequent use, besides maybe a few administrative tasks.
Still, that didn’t make the chair I sat on any less comfortable, nor did it detract from the importance of the upcoming conversation.
“So.. I take it you only know the very basics of Path advancent? That is, just enough to reach one?”
I nodded.
While Harold did tell a few things beyond the initial scope, I didn’t really trust his ‘teachings’, nor did they hold any significant clues regarding further advancent.
“Then let's start there. What are the thods you know?”
“Of reaching a Path? Well, as a rule of thumb, one way is to get any mix of six Techniques, Abilities and Traits. Or was it seven?..”
“Correct, that is the most common thod.”
“The second thod is to get fewer techniques, but train them to mastery.. Whatever that ans.”
“Techniques tend to have tiers, also referred to as ‘levels’. Most have 5, while so may have up to 10. Upon learning it to a sufficient degree, the world itself recognizes your ability, and grants you a certain boost – that’s called ‘proficiency’, and is also the 1st level. The 2nd level is called ‘advanced proficiency’. The 3rd one is called ‘expertise’. Next cos ‘advanced expertise’, and finally, ‘mastery’.”
“I see.. What happens if you train a Technique past that, though?”
“The Techniques you can perform in the Rising realm are called just that, Techniques. However, there exist higher level techniques, called ‘Advanced Techniques’. In so cases, there exists a path to improve a regular 5th level Technique into a 1st level Advanced Technique. In so cases, two or more regular Techniques can be combined to reach such a result.”
“Oh…”
“This is purely educational at this point, though. Those techniques typically require 3rd Realm attributes to be perford, or a combination of multiple high 2nd Realm ones.”
“I see.”
“Regardless, for the purpose of reaching a Path, both Techniques, Abilities and Traits have certain ‘weights’. A mastered Technique is worth slightly more than two level 1 Techniques, so achieving mastery in two techniques, and learning one more, is usually enough to gain a Path.”
“Alright. From the way you asked those questions, though.. it almost sounded like there was another thod.”
“It did?”
John raised his eyebrow.
“Well, when you asked the last question, you sounded like there was more to it…”
“Ha.. I didn’t really an to get into it, but sure. There is a third thod.”
It would seem my high perception accidentally picked up on sothing even the trainer himself didn’t an to discuss.
“Well, what is it?”
“Have you heard the legend of ‘The 100-year-old Sword Master’?”
“...no.”
‘I really should go to the Guild library sotis.’
“I won’t bother you with the full tale, but to summarize:
Once upon a ti, a young soldier had returned to his village after the war, only to find it lying in ruins, his family and friends long gone, their makeshift graves standing atop a nearby hill.
In his grief, he decided to build a house on that hill, and live in exile, dedicating his life to tending the graves and training with his sword.”
The man paused for a mont with an expression of deep thought, likely deciding which details to omit.
“75 years have passed, and a passing devil worshiper noticed the lone cabin, and asked the man inside for respite. During his stay, he witnessed the man’s training, his movents too fast for the eye to see, each swing parting the air with a force that caused shockwaves to erupt in its wake.
Before leaving, he reported what he saw to his patron. The devil then ca to the man in his dreams, offering power, riches, and even to extend his life – if only the man would beco his servant.
“All I need rests upon this hill. Begone, vile fiend.” the man said.
Over the next ten days, the devil had sent his servants, one more powerful than the last, in order to destroy the man’s humble ho and desecrate his graveyard, as to drive him to despair.
However, each of his servants had t the sa fate – struck down with a single swing of the man’s sword.
On the 10th day, the devil ca himself – only to share his minions’ fate.”
John had finished his tale, clearly skipping over so of the entertaining parts.
“This.. devil sounds quite stupid.”
After a few monts, a short laugh escaped the trainer’s throat.
“Heh… he does, doesn’t he? Why in the hells would he send his minions to die one by one?”
A mont later, his face turned serious again.
“However, one part of this tale was believable.”
“The old man’s strength?”
“Yes. Although, he wasn’t that old by the story’s finale.”
“Not that old? Didn’t you say he was a hundred years old.”
“The whole point here was that he managed to reach the Transcendent or Legendary Realm training only one Technique, as well as his Sword Mastery Trait. For soone at that Realm, 100 isn’t that old.”
“It… isn’t?”
While I managed to understand the intended ssage, the new information was far more surprising.
John, on the other hand, looked at with equal confusion.
“You stepped on a Path without even knowing that?”
“Knowing what?..”
For a mont, we both sat in silence, before the Slayer trainer shook his head and took a deep breath.
“A Pathless human usually lives to 70, sotis 80. With the best care, they could live to 100. However, even a 1st Realm Path-bearer can live up to 100 with no problems, often living as long as 120 or even 130.”
I opened my eyes in surprise. This was definitely not sothing I’ve ever heard before.
No, actually, I vaguely recalled the ‘old priest’ ntioning sothing that could allude to this, but I guess back then, I wasn’t in the state of mind to think deeper into it. And even if I was, I doubt this would be my conclusion.
“Does this.. also apply to higher Realms?”
“Of course! The life expectancy for a 2nd Realm Path-bearer, barring unnatural deaths, is around 150 years, with so surviving a few decades past that. The Transcendent Realm is around 200, and Legendary Path-bearers can live for 300 years, even longer in many cases.”
For a few seconds, I just sat there, speechless. The man in front of simply shook his head once more.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not ant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Then.. forgive if it’s inappropriate, but how old are you?”
The middle-aged(?) man in front of chuckled.
“It’s usually considered rude to ask, but I really don’t mind. I just turned 50 last spring.”
I threw another glance at the man. While he definitely didn’t look young, on Earth, I’d place his age at around 30 to 35, but definitely not 50.
“Ehem.. sorry. I got carried away from the main topic.”
“No need to apologize. It’s your gold that’s lting, after all.”
Quickly pushing unrelated thoughts aside, I regained my focus.
“So then, I take it the requirents for advancing a Path are different from gaining it?”
“You are correct. Although, in a way they are similar.”
“...”
After a short dramatic pause, he continued.
“For the purpose of advancent, the ‘cutoff’ for skills to count is the 5th level. In other words, you need to master skills relevant to your Path in order to advance.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Does this an that if I stepped on this Path through the ‘mastery thod’, I’d have started at level 3?”
John chuckled.
“Not quite. You’d still need to train a few relevant Techniques to basic proficiency, or gain a few Traits or Abilities. Sure, it’d take less ti than training them to master from the start, but the total ti to reach the higher level would stay the sa. In a way, you’d simply be delaying the initial advancent.”
“If so, what even is the point of using that thod?”
The trainer gave a knowing smile.
“Usually, there is none. In a few rare cases, presumably, it can be used to unlock Rare or even Hidden Paths. However, there are also such Paths that can only be unlocked via the common thod, so it’s a question of knowledge and intent, if anything.”
I nodded. After all, considering my Rare Path was reached via the 1st thod, there was clearly rit to the man’s words.
“So basically, all I can do is continue training my Techniques?”
“Not only training, and not just training.”
I threw him a questioning gaze, before he continued.
“First, while Traits don’t have the sa tier structure as Techniques, so of them do have different tiers. Judging by your Attribute realms, for example, as well as your swordsmanship in general, I bet you’ve reached the first, maybe second Sword Proficiency tier.”
Once again, I could only open my eyes in surprise at his accurate assessnt, promoting a slightly amused smile on John’s face.
“I’ve been doing this for many years now. You might have talent, but don’t underestimate experience.”
I regained my composure, and he continued, in the sa serious tone.
“If you train diligently, your mastery with the sword will rise, and so will your Trait’s tier. Eventually, its ‘weight’ will be counted towards your advancent.”
He was about to continue, but swallowed his words, a look of recollection on his face.
“By the way, a ‘Major Weapon Proficiency’ Trait is required to advance to the 2nd Realm. So, unless you are planning on switching to a different weapon, training your swordsmanship is essential, at least if you plan on becoming a High Slayer.”
“Oh? Are there any other requirents?”
“That’s the hardest one. Beyond that, it’s mainly about mastering Techniques. However, be advised that reaching that level of mastery is easier said than done – with this type of Trait, each subsequent tier is exponentially harder to reach.”
I nodded. It was clear the path ahead was long and arduous, but that’s sothing I’ve co to expect from this world.
“You may possess other ‘dynamic’ Traits – raising them will also count towards your Path progress, as long as they’re relevant to it. Ah, and of course, you might also obtain other relevant Traits which are ‘heavy’ enough to count – although, I wouldn’t count on it.”
As I was contemplating whether that last sentence was his attempt at a pun, the man continued to a different - but relevant - topic.
“As for Techniques – while training is important, not all training is similar.”
“Oh, I think I heard sothing about that. A mage told that, unlike them, our optimal training requires real combat.”
“Ho... That mage sure knows so interesting trivia. Yes, indeed, training your Techniques in mortal combat - one where your life is on the line - is, by far, the most efficient thod. The second one, in terms of efficiency, is sparring. However…”
John’s expression beca more solemn.
“Not only is it less effective than ‘mortal’ combat, or ‘true’ battles… Sparring, at its core, requires restraint. Such restraint dulls your blade, and if done excessively, will reinforce bad habits, which might cost you your life in a real fight to the death down the line.”
He looked in the eye.
“The baseline ratios suggested by books are usually 1 to 1 to 2 for true battles, sparring and personal training, respectively. However, I personally found 1 to 1, eliminating sparring entirely, to be the most efficient ratio. ”
I nodded once more, taking in his words. With how danger seed to have followed throughout my journey (or rather, how I’d managed to find it), I sohow held little doubt in my ability to find ‘true battles’, which implied opponents that weren’t trivial.
“Also, rember – this is only the ratio for optimal progression. Realistically, you won’t be able to find this many true battles outside an actual battlefield or wilderness expedition. Moreover, battles which aren’t extrely deadly are only marginally better than sparring – and the idiots who chase those, hoping for a shortcut to power, almost always find a shortcut to their graves, instead. So, focusing on regular training in the anti is more than fine. Still…”
This made sense, too. It’s not like the city was a ‘PvP zone’ with dedicated ‘monster farming spots’, even if the Crimson Shadows made the 1st part a bit questionable.
He hesitated, before adding sothing else.
“At the very least, you should strive towards a 1 to 5 ratio between true battles and training. That is, if you truly intend to do more with your blade than swing it for show at battle arenas. You could easily achieve this by taking appropriate requests at the Guild, keeping your downti to a minimum.”
As I nodded one more ti, John paused for a few monts, deep in thought.
“Hmm.. this isn’t related to progression, but know that the main source of Attributes is your ‘Path Proficiency’. The Attributes improve at the start of every Realm, and every 2 levels thereafter, known as the ‘2-5 Rule’. The remaining 2 levels improve sothing other than Attributes.”
“Alright.”
“By the way… There are also Traits, like different Weapon Proficiency Traits, which provide overlapping Attribute bonuses. For example, if you have Sword Proficiency, and Minor Spear Proficiency, you’ll still only receive the Attribute boost from the forr, at least for overlapping Attributes.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Judging by his tone, and the subsequent pause, the trainer had run out of relevant things to say. Since the hour was nearly up, anyway, I didn’t really mind. Just the information provided here was likely worth those 25 gold, not to ntion the earlier training session.
“By the way.. It’s a bit unrelated, but could I ask you sothing about a mission? If you’re done with the Path progression stuff, that is.”
“Yes, this is pretty much it. What did you want to ask?”
“Do you know why patrolling tomorrow pays so much? I an, 5 gold for half a day’s work seems quite high, even for a level 1 Path-bearer.”
John looked at with a slightly skeptical gaze.
“5 gold? Do they really pay this much for patrols nowadays?”
“This was an MIS request.”
“Ah..”
A look of understanding dawned upon his face.
“It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
“Do you rember what day cos after tomorrow?”
“The war.. The 2nd War Of Valor’s rembrance day?”
“Indeed. Large-scale celebrations are when a city is at its most vulnerable. Thus, while the regular Watch is occupied with the crowds, the MIS tends to raise its level of security as well, going as far as to send their regulars on random patrols, looking for anything unusual.”
“Doesn’t it an.. this mission is quite dangerous?”
The man scoffed.
“In most cases, it should be no more dangerous than simply enjoying the festivities. And, in truth, the chances of anything happening are slim – most Iron adventurers would jump on the opportunity for a quick and easy reward.”
He shrugged.
“Consider yourself lucky for having that clearance at this early stage of your career. Usually, those are reserved for veterans-turned-adventurers.”
“I… see.”
Seeing that the conversation was at its end, I stood up, with John following half a heartbeat later.
“Thank you for everything.”
“No problem. Now, if you’d just sign this…”
He took a standard form, filling a few lines. Throwing a quick glance at what looked to be an ‘Official Guild Training Session’ receipt, I quickly took the offered pen, and signed my na, giving him all but a single gold coin soon after.
Now, I only had around 7 gold remaining, with 6 of it being silver and copper coins in my other pouch.
“I wish you luck, Sebastian. If you have any more questions, or if you find another sword fighting style that interests you, co find .”
“I will. Thanks again.”
After saying our farewells, we both left John’s office.
As he went sowhere else, my first destination was the stairs leading to the lower floor, and the bank branch located there.
Having withdrawn my 100 gold (at a 1 silver fee), my pouch now felt full once again.
Next, I quickly descended once more, registering the mission at reception. Although, in truth, it wasn’t that I registered it, but rather that I notified the Guild of my earlier registration. It would seem that clicking that ‘accept’ button did not notify the Adventurer’s Guild, but rather the MIS. Thankfully, I didn’t need to recite the request number (which I didn’t even write down), which ant they probably had their own way of checking it.
With all my tasks there complete, I looked at the watch, which showed 3:37.
‘Three-and-a-half hours.. I wonder if I should train for a bit.’
After so contemplation, I decided against it.
Considering how much I paid for 2 hours with the Slayer trainer, I could only imagine how much Anne’s ti was worth. Coming late would be beyond insulting.
Just getting to the northern gate of Central would take an hour, including the ti I needed to ‘park’ my horse, and since the city map I bought didn’t actually show the noble district, I would have to ask the guards there for directions, and who knows how long reaching Anne’s address would take.
With those thoughts in mind, I exited the Guild, making my way to the nearby stable.
My basic Slayer training was complete – now, it was ti to learn more about magic.
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