Chương 3: Forced Improvement

I took a nervous gulp as I considered the question I had been asked about my future. There was only one answer that I felt in my heart and with every fiber of my being.

"I want to become strong. A legend like you," I declared resolutely, and my mother nodded at this, like she had been expecting it all along.

"You can scream and cry. I know I did, many times. To excel is to suffer. But to become great, one must endure and train one's willpower. It is not a stat, but it can be trained. It is what separates those who achieve great things from those who don't. You may not complain or let me hear your complaints." I nodded as she continued speaking.

"You will listen to me and the tutors I assign you as if they were me. Now, another test. As my Squires will tell you, I like tests." I quickly realized that. We had only communicated in a couple of letters after she left, and my actual memory of her in my early years was quite foggy.

"I can handle whatever you throw at me," I replied with determination, and my mother shook her head slowly at this declaration, but I didn't miss the slight smile on her face. While she might doubt me, she would not discourage me.

"I like your attitude, but it will be tempered in time like a fine blade quenched in blood and fire. Well, the cursed skill is only annoying in the short term. We will work around it for now. It will be dealt with, eventually. Why is it a bad idea to take you to fight weak monsters? To quickly gain experience, levels, and stat points through power leveling, disregarding the cursed skill?" I didn't know the answer off the top of my head and reflected.

"It will affect my future somehow. Class selection once I gain levels," I finally said. I haven't covered class selection yet. Class selection only happened at levels 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 150. There were several factors that determined what the system presented to a person.

"That is true, but vague. Precision is important, my child. A finger width can be the difference between life and death. But you did well in working out that much. You must learn to focus on your critical thinking. Always strive for perfection. Each stat point is harder to get than the last. The more levels you gain as a person, the harder it is to increase the level of your skills. Levels represent the strength of your soul. Right now, your soul is like soft clay, easily shaped.

My soul is hardened steel, very hard to change."

"What about classes?"

"Like a cloak one wears. It is difficult to change, and the more weighty your level. Many people look to delay their leveling, wanting to get better classes. Too many people get hung up in classes. You get good class options at each leveling milestone based on everything about you. Focusing on classes to improve is the wrong way to look at your future," she explained as everyone else in the room was quiet and listened to our conversation.

"Then I should get as many skills as possible before leveling, then?" I asked. My mother gave me a look with a small smile before answering.

"A good question. You may ask more questions if they are as intelligent as that one. The answer is no. Higher tier skills require a stronger soul, especially for tier 4 skills and higher. Otherwise, there are grave consequences," she trailed off and brought up her hand and closed it into a fist.

"Boom. Your body will explode. The two Tier 2 skills you have are fine. Most tier 2 skills won't overly pressure your soul or body, even at a low level. Your stats also help quite a bit, especially the Mind stat. While it helps with learning skills, it also supports your soul in developing additional skills. Normally, there is one Mind stat point for each tier of skill you have. So, a tier 1 skill would count once, a tier 2 skill would count two times for this soft cap."

"Um, why didn't my tutor tell me this?" I asked nervously while I glanced over at Damian.

"Because most children aren't like you, and your training plan was already set. Your father might have taken some liberties, but it is not a problem. Your stats and skills are far beyond what normal children would have at this point." Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"But I am already set on the path of a legend. With the skills I have, it would be hard to change," I replied, and my mother shook her head.

"There are specialized System Priests who can remove tier 1 skills from a person with their consent with ease. Many do so who want to pursue the specialties of their parents, specifically those in a craft profession. I would have paid for such a service if you had wanted it. For now, we will focus on breaking through the skill barriers in your skills and increasing their level." A skill barrier, or bottleneck, occurred at specific levels for each tier. The lower the tier, the fewer the skill barriers.

To get past one, one needed to perform a feat with that skill and break through. For tier one skills, this wasn't too hard, and I had already broken through several.

"Do I need all these weapon skills?" I was planning on becoming a spellblade like my mother, which meant Sword Skills were necessary. I was unsure about the other weapon skills. It was still confusing how many tier 1 skills had the word 'skills' in their name, but it was something I was getting used to.

"Yes, skills can be combined or upgraded once they are capped. While it is tough to reach level 100 for any skill above tier 3, it is doable for lower-tier skills without too much hassle. If you walk the path of a spellblade like me, I will ensure you have the strongest foundation." My mother then pulled out a glowing silver bracelet with several tiny runes on it and set it on the table.

"Since you have made your choice and because of the cursed skill, the best option is to train with one of my Squires. You will improve steadily under their guidance. You will put on this bracelet, which I have crafted specifically for you. It will prevent you from leveling, but allow you to increase your skills and stats without worry. Skills and stats improve most under pressure."

"You want to get the best of fighting without me leveling, to improve my skills quickly. Also, it will stop whoever cursed me from getting any experience from me," I said, repeating some of what she had already told me to make sure I understood. A technique I had learned from my tutor, Damian.

"Yes. It won't affect your stat growth either, which is important. One of my Squires will take you to the first level of the dungeon, where you can fight basic monsters and train while I deal with other matters, like the curse you have been afflicted with. While it doesn't affect my training plans for you, it is a blade pointed at your future."

"Um, you won't be taking me to the dungeon?"

"Child, I love you, but I would go mad with boredom watching you kill basic monsters, and I have a duty to my Squires to train them like they will train you. I will perform other tasks, like looking for natural treasures in the dungeon to aid you and removing that cursed skill. My presence is not required for your training at this time," she said. I didn't hesitate and picked up the glowing bracelet.

I put it on without hesitation and felt a tingling sensation inside my body as the bracelet resized and fit snugly on my left arm.

"This bracelet and others like it were heavily tested by the College of Advancement, which deemed them safe. I would never give you anything I am not sure about. I don't suggest using it or giving it to anyone over level 20 once you are done with it, since their soul will be too strong by then and overwhelm the enchantment." She then pulled out a spiky green fruit and set it on the desk between us while everyone looked on.

"I also picked this up during my travels. It is a soul fruit. Eat this. All of it, even the seeds and skin. It will help your growth over the next couple of months." I did not know how valuable such an item was, but I could imagine it was insanely valuable by the looks the Squires were giving it. I picked it up and took a bite. It had a slightly sweet taste and was juicy yet firm. I devoured the entire fruit. There were no seeds inside the fruit.

It had a slightly sour taste that made me want to pucker up, but I wolfed it since my mother told me to.

"Ah, no hesitation! Truly like me in that regard, my child. Now rest. Tomorrow, your true training begins. I expect great things from you. Great things." That was clearly a dismissal, so I left my mother's study and made my way back to my room.

"You did well, Justin," Tutor Damian said.

"Thank you. How valuable was that Soul Fruit?" I asked.

"A precious natural treasure of the dungeon. A green soul fruit is beyond rare. By doing this, your soul will become less rigid, which makes it easier to learn and improve. It is not something you can easily purchase with money, but with favors from an adventurer who has found one. It would be comparable to the cost of your conception to put it into perspective." All my doubts washed away. My mother might be strict, but she only wanted what was best for me.

I was just glad that getting cursed hadn't ruined my future. I looked at the glowing silver bracelet.

"How valuable is this?" I asked.

"Quite valuable. It blocks all experience. Originally designed for noble prisoners to stop them from getting a level with its free stat points to live longer, or to help them escape. It is worth about 10 platinum coins because of the high quality, craftsmanship, and materials." My head was spinning a bit from everything I had learned, but I wasn't about to let my mother down. I vowed to be the very best legend, no matter what!