With the sound of the tearing of space, in a lonely, unknown, cold, and yet an ethereal place where the night was eternal, Derek arrived at the Ascension Training Grounds, recognizing the different scenery that screened in his profound vision, thanks to his Trait: Under the Night.
While in his stupor, notifications sounded in his ears, which jolted him awake.
...
[You have arrived at Ascension Training Grounds.]
[Your Stamina Regeneration increases by 500%.]
[Mana Regeneration increases by 400%.]
[Growth Power regeneration increases by 300%.]
[Growth speed increased by 200%.]
[You have set the Time Difference ratio as 1 to 3.]
[You cannot die in this place.]
...
Due to his Title: Resident of Chaos, as well as the mysterious "Symbol of Twilight", he thought that he wouldn't need such a trait anymore.
[Due to the existence of the "Symbol of Twilight", the Chaosweaver's Trait: Chaos will be strengthened.]
[Apart from the compatibility with Chaos, the Chaosweaver's ability to absorb the Chaos Miasma will slightly be strengthened]
The "Symbol of Twilight" Acted as a filter that would absorb chaos miasma and convert it to chaos aura.
According to what Derek knew, Chaos Miasma was the Chaos in the surroundings, while Chaos Aura was the Chaos that's circulating inside one's body.
The moment the Chaos in one's body escaped or leaked, it would be considered Chaos Miasma from that moment onwards.
That's why according to Lucius Everhardt's "Chronicles of the Unveiling", the definition of Chaos Miasma — though not thoroughly explained as humanity presently didn't have much knowledge about it — only says that "You have killed a monster with abundant Chaos Miasma".
But, it means that the Chaos Aura inside the monster escaped upon its death, turning into Chaos Miasma.
Although it's dangerous to some extent — even if it's not forcefully injected into one's body — it was manageable due to the existence of the Support-type Healer Professions.
He grumbled before looking around the place he arrived at.
It's a wide and massive square-shaped arena that's around 50 square meters, which was situated in the middle of nowhere in a literal sense.
It's a roofless training ground where the dark sky, along with resplendent stars could be seen.
Surprisingly, there were walls on the four corners outside of the arena — where normal-looking benches and weapons could be seen — but these corners looked like thick curtains made of small galaxies.
'It looks like the entire place is hovering above a void.'
Derek thought inwardly as he admired the scenery as though he was seeing something that could only be seen with LSD drugs in his previous life.
As his gaze darted around, he felt shivers down his spine as he looked again at the dark sky. He suddenly felt like he was being watched by the dazzling stars.
'…But that's impossible though.'
He firmly convinced himself that the stars above weren't some Constellations due to one reason: Mistress of Twilight's existence was veiled in utter mystery.
…
"I need to master the Basic Swordsmanship first before I start with the swordsmanship that "She" gave me."
He mumbled before he did some stretching before he went from inside of the arena to the weapon section outside, where the wooden swords, along with different kinds of weapons were hanging undisturbed.
After some time, he inspected the training sword that he picked.
...
Derek's eyes widened as he examined the wooden sword in his hands. It had been crafted by a subordinate of the Mistress of Twilight and was made from an ancient material known as Eldertree.
Despite being used for a million swings, the sword showed no signs of wear and tear.
Rank: Mythic
Classification: Weapon
Enchantment:
- Weight Modification
Effect:
The sword's weight could be adjusted based on the amount of mana injected into it.
- Origin's Restraint
Effect:
This sword was only permitted within the Ascension Training Grounds and could not be taken to any other world.
Derek's mouth hung open in disbelief. How could a wooden training sword be of Mythic rank? It was astounding.
...
Derek examined the wooden training dummy before him. It had been refined by the Mistress of Twilight herself, and it showed.
The dummy was of Mythic rank and was once used by the Mistress of Twilight.
It was said to be indestructible, able to withstand a million slashes. Unless, of course, you were the Mistress of Twilight herself, who could break it with a single swing without even touching it.
Rank: Mythic
Classification: ???
Enchantment:
Infinite Regeneration
Effect:
The training dummy would regenerate infinitely unless it broke from a single swing.
Counterattack
Effect:
The training dummy was an inanimate object with a consciousness that would counterattack the moment you attacked it. Be careful!
Intrinsic Effect:
Defensive Mechanism
Effect:
The Elderwood's mana conductivity was one of the highest, which allowed it to absorb attacks with mana.
...
Derek took a few swings to get a feel for the wooden sword before beginning the basic movements of swordsmanship.
He started with directional slashes, performing diagonal, horizontal, and vertical slashes.
He then moved on to basic stances, combining them with directional slashes. He held the sword in an "inside right" stance with his left foot forward and thrust it into the Refined Elderwood Training Dummy.
Whoosh-! Stab-! Bam-!
The wind in the training grounds seemed to guide the path of his wooden sword.
Derek repeated the process in different stances, but he noticed something peculiar. The Enchantment of the Refined Elderwood Training Dummy, Counterattack, wasn't activating.
He wondered if it was because he hadn't injected mana into the wooden sword.
After injecting a minuscule amount of mana, into the training sword, Derek attacked the dummy.
However, to his surprise, the dummy started counterattacking with beams of energy.
Derek was bewildered but quickly reacted, dodging and deflecting the beams as they came at him with intense speed.
He realized that the dummy had been enchanted, allowing it to regenerate infinitely no matter how many times he attacked it.
Undeterred, Derek focused on his defence and tried different approaches to land an effective blow on the dummy.
He infused the sword with mana, attempting to increase its power and impact.
Each time he struck the dummy, it would regenerate immediately, making it clear that this was not going to be an easy task.
As the beams of energy kept coming, Derek's training instincts kicked in, and he began to analyze the dummy's patterns and timing.
He studied the intervals between the beams, seeking an opening to strike.
He tried different combinations of attacks, using both physical strikes and mana-infused strikes, but the enchanted dummy proved to be a formidable opponent.
Despite the challenges, Derek refused to give up. He kept pushing himself, honing his reflexes and skills.
The training room echoed with the clashing of the sword and the beams of energy, and Derek's determination intensified with each attempt.
Hours passed, and sweat dripped down Derek's forehead, but he was determined to make progress.
He knew that this rigorous training was essential for his growth as a warrior. He continued to dodge, deflect, and strike with precision, striving to find a weakness in the dummy's defences.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Derek noticed a subtle pattern in the dummy's regeneration.
He adjusted his strategy and focused on disrupting the regeneration process. Using a combination of quick strikes and bursts of mana, he managed to momentarily halt the dummy's regeneration.
With a surge of determination, Derek seized the opportunity and landed a powerful blow, shattering a part of the dummy.
But before he could celebrate his victory, the dummy's regeneration kicked in again, restoring the damaged section.
...
After an unknown period of time, with his increased proficiency thanks to the Passive Skill: Swordsmanship of the Night (Zenith), and Weapon Mastery (S+), along with the Title: Resident of Chaos (Forbidden) that enhanced his Chaos-related Passive Skills, giving him a total of staggering 1200% sword weapon proficiency.
With this amount of proficiency, along with his efforts, and due to the Chaos Training Grounds benefits, his training was surely paying off as sounds of notifications rang in his head as he took some time to check them even though he was currently training, dodging some Mana Blast that came out of the Elderwood Training Dummy.
…
[You have been training for 4 Earth hours.]
[You have been training for 12 Chaos Training Grounds hours.]
[Your Basic Swordsmanship (F-) has leveled up.]
[Your 'Basic Swordsmanship (F-) has leveled up….]
[Your Basic Swordsmanship (F-) has reached level 10!]
[You have acquired the 'Intermediate Swordsmanship' (E+).]
…
...
While he was busy training his mind was suddenly overflown by strings of hundreds and thousands of messages.
[You have been granted 150 Author Points for completing the Oath of Vengeance plot line.]
[You have been granted 300 Author Points for displaying extraordinary courage and resolve.]
[You have been granted 220 Author Points for fulfilling the oath.]
[You have been granted 100 Author Points for vanquishing the D+ rank monster.]
[You have been granted 250 Author Points for harnessing the power of the spirits of vengeance.]
[You have been granted 380 Author Points for pushing your body and mind to the limit.]
[You have been granted 190 Author Points for narrowly avoiding retribution.]
[You have been granted 120 Author Points for demonstrating your worthiness to the spirits.]
[You have been granted 270 Author Points for gaining recognition from the God of Covenants.]
[You have been granted 170 Author Points for overcoming powerful adversities.]
.....
[You have been granted 1.5 million Author Points for snatching the protagonists opportunity and heavily influencing the future of the world.]
Author points: 2 million.