Within the confines of the Risk Management Center, a figure could be seen dashing through the field, turning into a blurred shadow.
At the short moments when the figure becomes visible, whistles of the wind can be heard, followed by a muffled echo of an impact before the figure disappears once more.
If anybody sees this scene, they would most likely think that the figure was some sort of an assassin refining his skills, but the truth couldn't be any farther than that.
At some point, the figure stopped moving and his features could finally be seen. It was a man who had short blonde hair and a pair of bright golden eyes. His face glistened with sweat as his breaths automatically adjusted after the activity he had just done.
This was, of course, none other than Cedric. Today, just like the recent days that passed, he's still training his skills to his exhaustion, refining them to the best of his abilities to increase his overall strength.
It's been two weeks since he inherited the Divine Eyes, and he has been working hard since then. His efforts rewarded him greatly and its results were visible to the naked eye.
Cedric was no longer the bitter and sarcastic man that he was. He's no longer the guy who consistently cries about the unfairness of the world. His eyes now carried a confident gleam. His posture straightened out. Now, he no longer looked like he wanted to hide from everyone.
His physique also improved considerably. His body filled out and now his muscles are more refined and pulsing with strength. He wouldn't have achieved this state if he had just relied on the free food that the RMC provides. For this, he chose to spend Demon Souls, buying nutritious and filling meals from the System to support his needs.
Cedric also had a bit of a growth spurt. He estimates that he was six foot tall, he also became heavier but that's expected due to the improvement of his physique.
Sitting under the shade of a tall tree, Cedric wiped his sweat away. A small smile appeared on his face as he felt a small creature climbing up his body and perching on his shoulder.
It was a tiny squirrel, looking at him with a gentle and curious gaze. He took out some nuts from his inventory which the little guy stuffed into his mouth vigorously.
After doing that, Cedric seemingly stared out at a space but in truth, he was looking at his profile.
*
[Profile]
Name: Cedric Stormrider
Age: 21
Race: Human
Class: Tier 1 - Swordsman
Level: 2
Aptitude:
Body: C+
Energy: B
Spirit: (S) - Locked. Tier 2 req.
Final rating: B-
Skills:
Actives: Stab, Cleave, Parry, Block, Roll, Kickboxing Lv.5
Passives: Vision (M), Learning (M), Breathing Lv.7, Smell lv.7, Multitasking Lv.7, Taste Lv.5, Touch Lv.6, Listening Lv.7, Footwork Lv.5, Recovery Lv.7
Mandatory Task:
Hell Dive: Survive the Endless Undead Horde for 3 Hours. Current Record: 12 minutes
Rewards: 100% Demon Soul gain.
Failure: +1 Strike. Current Strike Counter: 1/3
*
His Body Rating improved once more but he isn't surprised anymore. Most of his skills already reached Lv.7 and progress essentially came to a halt at that point.
Lv.7 skills already go way beyond what his current strength could handle. The skills themselves are being held back by his current strength so he couldn't unleash their might properly.
This doesn't mean that they're unusable though. Far from it, actually. Cedric could use almost all of his skills to the limits that he's allowed to at his current level. The only reason why they leveled up so fast and grew way beyond what he could handle was that he's using them consistently.
Still, this was of no concern for him. Even with the skills growing way beyond what the current him could handle, it didn't harm him in the slightest. That's why, even though they hardly progress now, he's still training them.
'...with this much progress, I'm becoming more and more confident about my chances at survival.' Cedric nodded in gratification for his luck. 'Still, my work is far from over.'
Increasing the level of his 『Kickboxing』 had taken up most of his time lately. He focused on it since he learned that the skill sharply increases the control he has over his body.
At Lv.5, his punches and kicks carried sufficient strength to blow up those who were at the same level as his with minimal effort. Pair it with his 『Footwork』 and they wouldn't even know how they died.
Thanks to his constant observation of the people around him, Cedric was confident that he could fight a Tier 1 Lv.9 expert on equal terms. He's also confident enough to safely retreat from the pursuit of early Tier 2's.
But, like he just mentioned, his work was far from being done. Cedric has still many things he wants to achieve. His immediate goal was to, of course, clear his Mandatory Task. After all, it's been a while since he had cleared it and frankly, he needed a huge amount of Demon Souls to support his future growth.
'I have leveled up 『Kickboxing』 enough. It might already far surpass the other active skills I have.' Cedric mused.
It's rather embarrassing to think that his actives have fallen far behind compared to his passives. But Cedric did not regret his choices. In fact, even if he were to start all over again, he'd probably still follow the same routine.
Thanks to 『Learning』 skill, he had realized some truths about being a Superhuman. He chose to retrace his steps; starting from learning how the breathe properly, to once again learning how to properly throw a punch and a kick, this time, from the perspective of a Superhuman.
Ordinary Humans and Superhumans are fundamentally built different. It was particularly enlightening for him to view these skills with a fresh set of perspectives as well, which also supported his theory even further.
Now that he had managed to retrace his steps to becoming an actual Superhuman, it was time for him to learn how to properly wield these advantages.
Cedric opened up the System Shop, going to his cart to check out one of the items he saved there.
[Training Sword (T1)]
: A finely crafted sword with balanced properties. Especially made for those who are learning how to wield a sword properly.
: Special Effect - Sword Skill Experience +10%
Cost: 750 DS
*
'It's a little expensive, but I want it.' Cedric pursed his lips, slightly lamenting about his financial state.
Right now, he only has a little over 2,000 Demon Souls left in his pockets. He spent most of it on food and nutritional supplements to support his growth spurt.
'It's fine. I can earn a lot if I can clear my Mandatory Service this month. This is an investment.' Cedric bit his lips and confirmed his purchase.
A few seconds later, the transaction was completed and the Training Sword appeared in his Inventory. If there's one thing that he liked about the shop, it's the speed at which transactions were made. He had never once experienced a late transaction when using it.
Taking out the Training Sword, Cedric took a moment to appreciate it. The squirrel who was hanging out on his shoulder got alarmed by the sudden appearance of the sword and dipped. He felt a little bad about that but he just shrugged it off.
Cedric stood up with the sword in hand, swinging it a few times to get an accurate feel for it. After a couple of tests, his eyes lit up, essentially confirming the quality of the tool.
"Good! It's enough for my liking." He nodded.
The sword was on the lighter side but that's nothing to be concerned of. Like what was mentioned in it's description, the properties of the sword were balanced enough and it's perfect for those who are just starting to learn.
From the feedback he got from his senses, the blade of the sword was made out of Fine Steel and Refined Iron, both are Tier 1 materials. The pommel was crafted using a Tier 1 Oak Wood wrapped in leather. The sword had a cross-type hand guard which improved its balance even more.
The old sword he used looked just like this, only it's more tattered from consistent use. Actually, that one's nearly broken already. Cedric thought that he could probably use the new sword he purchased for the Hell Dive as well. It looks more usable compared to his old one anyway.
Of course, since Cedric has decided to start refining his knowledge about sword-wielding, he already did his research last night. He could now recall several videos of popular sword wielders who released a tutorial for public use.
"Alright, time to start! System, silence all notifications unless it's an emergency."
[Do not disturb mode, on!]
Converging his focus into a single thought, Cedric began recalling the lectures and began following the instructions.
And just like how it was for him during the past two weeks, Cedric became so engrossed in his training that he immediately lost sense of time.
When he returned to reality about an hour later to check his progress, he was bound to be shocked by what he saw...
『Cleave (M)』