The Author's Viewpoint Chapter 7 - Hand Seals

There were several ways to join a Gaia Rift expedition, and technically, Tave already t the minimum requirent by reaching the Gaia Apprentice stage.

However, eting the requirent was one thing. Actually getting in was another challenge entirely.

The first option was through the Adventurer Association. This was the most accessible path, as every newly discovered Gaia Rift within the kingdom was registered and made available for bidding. Adventurer parties that t the required qualifications could apply for access, with Rifts assigned based on their rank and reputation.

The second option was through the City Knights. While the Knights were primarily responsible for protecting the kingdom, enforcing law, and fighting in wars, they were also tasked with eliminating Rifts that adventurers failed to clear.

However, unlike adventurers, the Knights didn't get to choose their assignnts. The Rifts assigned to them were often the ones too dangerous or too difficult for adventurers to handle.

And this was a huge problem.

Because Gaia Rifts had tiers.

A low-tier Rift could sotis be cleared by a group of adventurers, but the high-tier ones? Those were rarely completed by adventurers alone, mostly due to the limited number of high-stage Gaia Awakeners in the city.

As a result, many high-tier Rifts were left unfinished.

This was why, despite their already overwhelming responsibilities, the Knights were forced to step in and deal with the Rifts.

But even they weren't enough.

Because at the end of the day, Dissidia Kingdom lacked the resources to handle the sheer number of Rifts appearing within its territory.

Especially those ranked Tier 5 and above.

This was precisely why the Dissidia Kingdom maintained strong ties with the Forest Elves of Vensalor.

It wasn't just a political alliance. It was a necessity.

The Forest Elves regularly sent their warriors to assist in clearing higher-tier Rifts, reinforcing their bond with Dissidia. But it wasn't just out of goodwill. Because Gaia Rifts weren't just threats, they were also opportunities.

For those strong enough to conquer them, Gaia Rifts contained treasures, relics, and power beyond imagination.

So rather than just relying on the elves for protection, Dissidia Kingdom struck a deal.

In exchange for their military aid, the Forest Elves were given priority access to high-tier Rifts, allowing them to strengthen themselves with the rewards inside.

This was the real reason why the Dissidia Kingdom had survived for so long. Not because of its own powerful warriors. But because it had Vensalor's support.

For most people, joining the Adventurer Association was the logical choice, especially for soone at Tave's level.

The problem?

Adventurers had to build their rank and reputation before they could even bid for Rift access.

That ant completing low-tier commissions, grinding through petty tasks, and slowly working their way up.

And Tave? He didn't have ti for that.

That left him with one alternative.

The City Knights.

Unlike adventurers, the Knights were automatically assigned Rifts that were Tier 3 or higher. For soone who had just barely broken through to Gaia Apprentice, this was suicidal.

But Tave wasn't choosing this path blindly.

He had a plan.

And he knew exactly what he needed to do.

As soon as possible, he would enter a Rift rich in Fire Elental energy, awaken a Fire Spirit, and bind it to his sword.

His first relic was waiting for him.

Tave and Lily continued their walk toward the Knight Training Center. Along the way, Tave was absorbed in a book detailing Hand Seals, flipping through the pages as he walked.

Hand Seals were, in essence, specific fingers and hands formations, each with a na and difficulty level, starting from Basic and beyond.

Their purpose?

Hand Seals were the key to triggering Gaia Force activation within the human body. By chaining multiple seals together, one could activate a skill.

Simply put, in this world, skills weren't activated by shouting their nas or pressing buttons like in an MMORPG. They were executed through Hand Seals.

He sighed.

Why had he made the system so complicated?

Wouldn't it have been easier if people could just yell out their skill nas? "FIREBALL!" Boom. Done.

No, instead, they had to morize an entire sequence of hand gymnastics just to punch harder.

Instead, with this system, even close-range fighters had to be careful with how they fought.

They needed to maintain a safe distance while activating their skills, or risk leaving themselves open to attacks.

anwhile, long-range fighters had more advantages.

With their positioning, they could perform Hand Seals at a distance, safely triggering their abilities without the risk of imdiate retaliation.

And to make things even worse, Hand Seals had to be executed perfectly, with precise timing.

A single mistake in timing? It could lead to an inefficient skill activation, wasting excessive energy or stamina.

And even worse, if the sequence failed completely, the skill wouldn't activate at all.

That was why mastering Hand Seals was a fundantal requirent for every Gaia Awakener, regardless of their stage.

Following Lily, he held the book between his chin and chest while attempting the Basic Hand Seals.

He positioned his hands, forming a small triangle with his index fingers and thumbs.

[ Ember Seal successfully ford. ]

Next, he shaped one hand into a fist while the other circled around it.

[ Hollow Crest Seal successfully ford. ]

Lily glanced back, noticing his strange movents. She frowned but only sighed, stepping beside him.

"What are you doing?"

Tave continued flipping through the book, testing each seal from the Basic Hand Seals category. There were hundreds in total, but for each difficulty level, most people only recognized around a hundred that were commonly used.

Back when he was writing the novel, he had mindlessly listed as many Hand Seals as he could think of, classified them into Basic, Interdiate, Advanced, and Forbidden, and moved on.

And no. He had never morized them.

He simply wrote them down and imagined what they might look like.

He wasn't crazy enough to rember every single one.

Even worse, he hadn't bothered to detail which Hand Seals were needed for specific skills.

And now, he had to deal with the consequences of his own half-baked worldbuilding.

"Lil, how many Hand Seals have you morized perfectly?" Tave asked, still flipping through the book and forming seals as he read.

Lily barely glanced at him. "Hmm... only the ones I need. About 30 basic, 17 interdiate, and 5 advanced."

Tave nodded slowly, taking in the information.

That number was far from small. It was actually impressive. He knew firsthand how complicated Hand Seals were, and how different combinations could result in entirely new skills. morizing just a few seals already took ti and dedication. To have mastered that many ant Lily was far above the average Awakener.

And yet, even knowing that, Tave understood sothing else. She probably didn't use all of them regularly. Most likely, she had morized them in case she ever needed them in the future, even if she didn't have a practical use for them right now.

But sothing felt off.

Every ti Tave perford a Hand Seal, the execution was flawless. It wasn't just that he was getting them right, he was getting them right on the first try.

His hands ford another seal.

[ Fading Light Seal successfully ford. ]

That made 40 seals in a row.

And yet, he had never actively practiced them before.

By now, he could even start chaining multiple seals together to form basic skills. If not for his elental limitations, he might have already tested out so combat applications.

Unfortunately, he was restricted to Dark Elent skills. And even then, his access was limited.

Still, the ease with which he could execute these seals bothered him.

His gaze shifted to Lily, who was making space for him as they walked so he wouldn't accidentally bump into others while practicing.

"Tell , Lil... why can I execute these Basic Hand Seals so easily?"

Even though he had inherited the original Tave's mories, they were mostly broad recollections. He couldn't just recall every single detail at will.

Lily turned to him with a confused expression. "Because you're a pathetic, obsessive workaholic."

Tave blinked. "Huh?"

Lily sighed, clearly annoyed. "You've mastered nearly 90% of the Basic Hand Seals and almost 50% of the Interdiate ones. You practiced them every single night. How could you forget that?" She narrowed her eyes. "Did you hit your head when you passed out? Did you lose your mory?"

Tave stopped in his tracks.

Oh.

Oh, hell.

That explained everything.

Every ti he muttered the na of a Hand Seal, his body instinctively ford it.

It was already ingrained into his muscle mory.

The original Tave must have dedicated an insane amount of ti to training these seals.

He smirked. Damn, old Tave... I really, really love you for this.

He quickened his pace, overtaking Lily.

She gave him a suspicious look. "Where are you going?"

Tave glanced back. "Lil, I need to get used to fighting. Spar with at the Knight Training Center."

Lily frowned, looking even more confused. "What? Why all of a sudden? I'm not even a front-line fighter. I'm a support role."

"You can still fight. And your raw power is leagues above mine. That's more than enough."