Chương 11: The Path to Transcendence

'If I'm already this powerful, I wonder how powerful the holders of special classes at the same level are.' Kyle wondered. While common classes such as [Warrior] and [Shield Bearer] each had their weak and strong points, he heard that special classes were not only stronger overall but also came with their special skills.

'If I were to use game terms from my past life…' [Swordsman] Explosive Power ★★★★★ Strength ★★★☆☆ Speed ★★★★☆ Stamina ★★★☆☆ Endurance ★★☆☆☆ [Warrior] Explosive Power ★★★☆☆ Strength ★★★★☆ Speed ★★★☆☆ Stamina ★★★☆☆ Endurance ★★★☆☆ [Shield Bearer] Explosive Power ★★☆☆☆ Strength ★★★★☆ Speed ★★☆☆☆ Stamina ★★★★☆ Endurance ★★★★★ These were roughly the bonuses each class had.

He wasn't sure about special classes, since he hadn't encountered a person with one, nor had anyone told him about it, but they probably had 4 to 5 stars across the board.

'It doesn't really matter though.' Kyle stopped thinking about special classes and started to think about the use of his talent [Transcendence].

'Now that I've reached the professional level, it's time to determine which skill I should train for the near future.' His talent was extremely powerful, but it needed time to take effect, so he had to limit his training points to a few.

'Generally speaking, physical strength, mana, and swordsmanship are the foundation of my path. I have to focus on them, but the issue is that raising them takes time.' He furrowed his brows. He needed more weapons for his arsenal. These points alone wouldn't be enough to protect him in the early stage.

'The best course would be to focus on a few special skills for now. For example, my combat skills can serve as a template to manifest some skills from my past life's anime, games, etc…' Kyle quickly thought of the cool moves he saw on TV in his past life. With [Burst Step] and [Superspeed Slash] as a foundation, it shouldn't take long to create stronger, similar moves from his previous life.

'Of course, that's provided that I don't aim too high.' Kyle searched for similar moves in his memory.

'The technique most similar to [Burst Step] that comes to mind is [Soru] from One Piece. The difference is also not too big. If I train with it in mind, I should acquire it within a few months.' This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

'A few techniques come to mind when I think of something similar to [Superspeed Slash], such as Thunderclap and Flash from Demon Slayer or Kenshin's sword drawing technique, but their priority isn't high for now. My attack power is already good enough for now. The thing I most urgently need is…' Kyle thought back to the time he got ambushed by goblins. Perception-type skills. Most of my future quests will be conducted in complex environments like forests, caves, and dungeons.

Besides, as a solo adventurer and a swordsman with relatively low defense, a perception-type skill is crucial.'

'The issue is that I don't have a template skill. I have to develop it from scratch, and this will take a lot of time, slowing my progress.' Kyle was in a dilemma.

'Should I start developing the crucial perception-type skills similar to [En] or [Observation Haki] now or wait until I acquire a template skill? In the meantime, I'll develop other techniques to enrich my arsenal…' After thinking for a while, Kyle came to a decision.

'It's better to wait until I get a template skill; I'll try developing [Soru] for now.' He decided. He had been thinking about his talent [Transcendence] and its optimal uses for a while now, and he came to the conclusion that there are two main aspects for its use. Stats and Mechanics. Stats were his basic attributes, such as physical strength, mana, mana control, etc… Mechanics were cool, special techniques. He only needed a concrete image in mind and then training with it as a goal.

Of course, the training had to be relevant to the technique. He couldn't set an energy explosion technique in mind, then start jumping in place. Both stats and mechanics are paths that could lead to the peak of the world. The most rational decision would be to focus on developing one until he was invincible before emerging from seclusion. No one would be able to control him, and he would be able to act as he pleased. However, that was not what Kyle wanted to do.

He couldn't bring himself to follow just one routine in a single location for years. With a magnificent world waiting for him to explore, he couldn't just remain cooped up in one place. As for which path he should take, he decided to develop them both at the same time.

'Developing just one path might quickly lead to power, but that will leave me helpless against an opponent of the same level. Besides, cooping up in a corner and doing the same thing over and over is not what I want to do.' Kyle looked at the sword in his hand silently. After a while, he finally sheathed it. He made up his mind.

'Until I find a perception-type combat skill, I'll use [Transcendence] to develop [Soru]. It will probably take around two to three months. After developing it, I'll focus on my stats, with a 10-10-10 ratio. 10 days for physique, 10 days for mana, 10 days for swordsmanship, setting aside time to develop other techniques in between.' After all, stats could be raised with just basic training, but mechanics needed transcendence to be manifested.

After making up his mind, Kyle gathered up his backpack and looked up at the sky. There was still some time before noon.

'Around 9 or 10 am? Damn, it's hard to tell without a watch. Anyway, there's still enough time to go and take on a quest. Now that I'm a [Swordsman], I should speed up my quest-taking speed and intensity. I'll only become a true adventurer when I reach copper-grade.' Kyle thought as he walked back to the town. The adventure guild hung new quests every day on the quest board before it opened at dawn, so all the good quests should have been taken by other adventurers by now.

Nevertheless, he had decided to just take up the quest for killing slimes today. It was his privilege as a newbie adventurer anyway. He wouldn't be able to take on such a task in the future. He would have to try his luck tomorrow at the guild to see if he could find a decent quest. A few minutes later, Kyle was walking on the streets of the town. He pondered for a moment before deciding not to head back to the inn and take a shower. He can soak in the Ber River after dealing with the slimes.

He entered the adventure guild, then headed straight towards the quest board, took the hunting slimes quest, and headed towards the counter.

"Good morning, Miss Celia. Please register this quest for me," Kyle said as he placed the quest on the counter.

"Good morning, Kyle. Sure, please wait a moment," Celia replied with a smile, then proceeded with her work. Kyle boredly looked around the guild while waiting for the quest to be registered. He noticed that the guild was quite crowded. Normally, at this time, most adventurers would be on a quest, so the guild would be quite empty. The times when the guild is the busiest are early morning and late afternoon/evening.

"The hunting quests are getting fewer and fewer." A young adventurer said while polishing his sword.

"Yeah, the number of magic beasts is decreasing." Said another adventurer while eating in the guild hall.

"I heard that most have migrated to other sections of the Silberbark Forest."

"It's quite strange, indeed." Kyle listened to adventurers conversing while leaning on the counter.

"Here you go, Kyle. Good luck on your quest." Celia said as she handed him a copy of the quest registration form.

"Thank you." Kyle nodded, then walked towards the guild door.

"Please wait a moment!"