Chương 212: Chapter 209 - Cerul's tail feathers

"So Zedart, boy have I got an offer for you." The [Swordsman] looked up at the scheming [Rogue]. While Ryan hadn't quite managed to portray just how evil the Manager was, the [Swordsman] was quite willing to listen and accepted that he had a deeper purpose to his actions. It did startle Ryan just how much Zedart looked like he could pierce into your soul. While this next offer was genuine, it was clear Zedart could tell there were purely selfish motives for this one.

It wouldn't matter because the deal was just too good. Ryan thumped his own chest.

"You are now looking at the foremost expert at skill development across both worlds. I can help you learn your skills and guide you on the path you want to take. All I ask for this privilege is thirty million—thirty-thousand realmcoins." He was still getting used to thinking of money in realmcoins over dollars. It felt weird saying thirty thousand instead of thirty million. Like he was worth less because the numbers were smaller. Still, if Ryan understood his own value well, he was worth way more.

Thirty thousand coins was practically a steal. Zedart however, was uninterested.

"I've learned all my skills." Ryan's grubby smile slipped.

"Even your Epic?" Zedart nodded. Ryan was doubtful." I haven't learned a single one of my Trial Epics yet. You're realmbound. You can't even return to Earth and feel the difference, how could you activate your skill on your own already?" It wasn't even like there was that much of a benefit from activating a skill on your own. The benefits normally came in more granular control of cooldowns and how much energy you could put through the skill. None of which Zedart even struggled with. The [Swordsman] just shrugged.

"I have been focusing on my Epic after seeing what Valee could do with hers. You have multiple to practice with, which I assume makes it more difficult." Zedart was trying to make him feel better for his lack of talent. Gamielle laughed at the twitching expression on Ryan's face. He cleared his throat, and did his best impression of what he assumed was a good salesman.

"Well—I can do something nobody else can, I can help you resonate with your class, only fifty thousand realmcoin—""I believe I can do it on my own."" Dragonshit." Zedart hesitated for a moment.

"Can't do it, huh? Don't worry most people can't resonate with their classes on command. I've heard it's a performance thing." The taunting was enough for the [Swordsman] to make up his mind. Zedart stood up and closed his eyes. He held up his sword with warped enchantments and focused. Ryan's taunting smile fell off his face, his class activating [Conceptual Meditation] on its own. The Swordsman was pursuing greater heights to hone his edge. Perfection had merely been the first step.

The step he was on now was to absorb everything he could and incorporate that into his sword. That ephemeral step beyond mastery. Ryan blinked at the clarity of class resonance that was echoing out from Zedart. It was equivalent to any class he'd witnessed so far… if not the weight of the concepts, but the sheer level by which Zedart resonated with his class. Unbeknownst to him, Gamielle was watching Ryan, realizing he could see other people's concepts, and not just his own.

Ryan was still entranced, the context of Zedart's charge through the monster horde had changed. The way he willingly threw his sword and then parried an attack with his bare hands… the way he used the boar's charge to launch himself forward. That had been a move a [Rogue] would do. Not a [Warrior] or a [Swordsman]. And then the willful and conscious resonance…

"You're not a [Swordsman] you're [The Swordsman], aren't you?" Zedart nodded again, completely unsurprised Ryan could see through his class resonance so easily. Ryan just huffed in annoyance.

"That's so dragonshit. If I had half your talent with the sword I'd be ruling The Realm already." It wasn't the first time Ryan had been jealous of Zedart. As much as he had expanded his breadth of abilities, swordcraft would always have a special place in his heart. Quite a large part of him wanted what [The Swordsman] had. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Zedart was still making strides, learning and absorbing, growing.

Once again, Ryan felt a pressure from someone that was below him. If I don't keep growing, Zedart will surpass me in the future. Gamielle rolled her eyes and shook her head. … Of course, all good things had to come to an end. Gamielle gave them a warning that another adventuring group was coming and they had to send Zedart on his way. Cerul, Ryan and Gamielle watched [The Swordsman] head off, Rax's glove in hand, carrying the future of an entire species along the way. One sword with warped enchantments on his back.

Ryan had all the confidence in the world that Zedart would make it back safely. —— By the time the immunity period of the portal was up, only one other adventuring team had approached him. They had quickly fled after seeing what was waiting with wide open arms. … it was a bit disappointing if Ryan were to be honest. Yes, adventurers knew when to run, but still, where were the standouts? Where were the adventurers that saw a monster needing to be put down and risked their lives to do it?

He had only been in the fifth realm for a month now and his base stats weren't that much better than a sixth realm [Warrior]. In addition, there were no monsters to siphon fear from and this was an open battlefield. It should have been the perfect setup for a proper raiding party. Maybe that was a little harsh. Evolved adventurers made up the backbone of the Adventurer's Guild and they were probably all busy helping out with the mass evacuations.

Perhaps what the arrogant adventurer did not quite understand yet was the sheer amount of suppression he was having on anyone at his realm level. While others might not be able to detect concepts, one did not have to be a [Conceptual Metamorph] to feel the presence of multiple fully realized Epic rarity classes stacked on top of one person. When you added the titles, the shattersword soaked in aura and the mink robes designed for a Sect Leader by the Witch Tyrant herself…

well then you had someone whose sheer presence alone was approaching that of a dragonslayer. As Ryan stood, disappointed and ignorant, a notification appeared. The Immunity period has ended. You must now defend the inter-realm portal if you wish to retain access to its teleportation capabilities. Now the system portal was back up for anyone else to grab. Without something to cover the beam of light, the call of the system portal started to shine one the land once more.

This time Cerul did not wait nor ask for permission and dove straight in. The portal changed color to a bright blue. A moment later, a keening cry echoing out over the lands as a silhouette of a massive bird shone through the pillar light. Unlike in Lazhen, Cerul did not fly upwards in fear immediately. It stood presenting proudly, beak tilted at the air, wings spread out wide and puffed out chest.

Cerul was at least half a size bigger than it was previously, an enormous size differential from just a single portal considering the cerulean crow had been more than big enough for Ryan to comfortably stand on its back. Now, Ryan might be able to do his sword routine on Cerul's back. Though size wasn't the only thing that caught the eye. Previously, all of its feathers had a metallic sheen and were all the same color unless Cerul pumped mana through them. Now the feathers had gotten a makeover.

Throughout its wings, its back and wrapping around its eyes, were large artful light blue swirls. It was as if a painter had taken a massive brush and made perfectly symmetrical swirls that pulsed with mana. Ryan's [Spellweave Perception] was telling him that each swirl could work independently or as one enormous spell matrix. Siphoning ambient mana at unprecedented speeds—not that Cerul necessarily needed to.

Unlike when Shara had first taken a system portal, Cerul's entire body pulsed with perfect control over the system enhancements.

"Whoa. That's almost dangerous." Even Ryan couldn't help but be impressed. Gamielle nodded in appreciation at the preening crow.

"Cerulean Crows were one of the apex species in the Burning Lands. Tyrannical rulers of the sky that bullied everything around them that was weaker than they were. Which was everyone." Cerul puffed its chest out at the comment. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, he doesn't seem that strong for a twelfth realm bird that just took two system portals. Is Cerul a runt?" Instead of screeching at him, Cerul raised its beak even higher in the air and looked down on him, as if to say 'I'm above your petty insults now. Look at how small you are.' Ryan narrowed his eyes as Cerul tensed as well. Both of them were gauging the distance. If it was before, then Ryan could easily catch Cerul before he took flight… Now… Neither were sure who was faster.

Gamielle rolled her eyes at the standoff.

"That's because Cerul is still an adolescent. Even this big I think they're considered teenagers in their flock." Cerul squawked loudly in disagreement and started hopping around Gamielle. Showing off its patterns in the front, back and face, as if saying it was an adult because of its patterns. Gamielle smacked Cerul when it went too far.

"Get your tailfeathers out of my face!" Ryan then saw it for what it was. A teenager trying to impress a girl by being loud and obnoxious. All the excitement for a fight went out of him. He wasn't that low to pick fights with teenagers.

"If Cerul is just a teen, how big are the elders?" Some monsters had some enormous variations in size between adolescence and adults. Ryan was realizing he never heard much about Cerulean Crows in monster bestiaries before. Gamielle looked up at the sky.

"I only saw one of the elders from a distance, but their wingspan had to be miles long. When they start to cast magic… well, it was one of the few creatures to have ever made the Passive Tyrant use her Legend." Cerul stopped doing its mating dance at the mention of the Passive Tyrant. It lowered its proud head and turned its beak towards the distance. As if remembering something. Cerul had once spat on the Passive Tyrant's statue. Ryan knew it had a grudge but not just how deep…

he perhaps realized that Cerul had a bigger goal in mind than just getting stronger and courting Gamielle. You had to remember that Cerul could have easily retired to an easy life in the leveled zone of Sector Three. It was almost expected of a coward like Cerul, yet it had stuck it out. Ryan had been standing on top of Cerul when the Witch Tyrant's curse had been barreling towards him. Cerul had been torn apart by Pinkie's claws when she used both of them as a meatshield.

Cerul had almost died after ingesting too much of the local noxweed. Despite so many near deaths, the cowardly bird was moving forward, looking for system portals to gorge itself on. Ryan looked at the bird and shook his head.

"You're going to need a lot more system portals if you want to pick a fight with the Passive Tyrant." Cerul huffed and spat on the ground, indicating that it knew full well just how powerful the Passive Tyrant was.