"Ugh. 20 seconds!"
After what felt like more than a hundred tries, Vince finally achieved a 20-second speed for the 20-meter swim. But it still wasn't enough. Raine had given him an absolute 7-second target, and it was clear that there was no bending that rule. Raine was sweet and kind to him, but she was a strict mentor.
Now he understood why she was the captain of Demon City's guardians.
She wasn't just a beauty. She was also highly capable, which was reflected in the ruby stone on her forehead, indicating her power class as Senior Regnant.
Her power class was six classes above his own. How funny was that?
Vince had read everything in the book Raine had given him, and with his photographic memory, he had memorized it all. He had this ability back in his world, and thankfully, he had brought it with him here because it was extremely helpful.
These were the power classes:
Dormant (black onyx stone)
First Class Awakened (wooden brown, referred to as sandstone in the book)
Second Class Awakened (metallic stone)
Third Class Awakened (amber)
Fourth Class Awakened (pale blue/aquamarine)
Fifth Class Awakened (emerald)
Regnant (amethyst)
Senior Regnant (ruby red)
Arch Regnant (blue sapphire)
Supreme (diamond)
Divine (mark of the moon)
Vince also discovered that it wasn't easy to rise through the classes, no matter what kind you belonged to.
Even for the most gifted and powerful bloodlines, it would take years and years of hard work and self-improvement, and despite all the painstaking efforts, sometimes it still wasn't enough.
Bloodline was also a factor, which is why only a small fraction of the population was fortunate enough to be at least Fourth Class Awakened.
The book also mentioned that the higher your class, the slower you aged. However, the higher the class, the harder it was to move to the next one. Sometimes, a person couldn't advance to the next class even until death.
This was one of Vince's motivations to improve himself and move out of his dormant stage. He wanted to live longer in this world and do things he had never done before.
Vince looked at the afternoon sun in the distance while standing atop the cliff.
The wind brushing past his body was refreshing and a little cold, but the chill was bearable.
"Do you really want to be a city guardian, Master Vince?"
Vince turned to Fiona, who was standing beside him. She wasn't flying because she was conserving energy to carry him back to the cliff after swimming. He noticed the doubt in her cute voice.
"Why? Are you against it?"
"No, I just think it's out of your character. You have a great physique, you're good at combat, and you're smart too. But you were a lazy bum who was never interested in being a hero. You wanted to live in the outskirts of the city and bask under the sun. I thought that's probably why you remained dormant—because you weren't interested in getting stronger from the beginning. After all, cultivating soul force isn't just all about physical aspects."
From what Fiona said, Vince realized that he and the Vince in this world were similar in some ways.
Both of them wanted a comfortable life with fewer responsibilities. Being a hero meant taking on a lot of responsibilities.
Like they say, with great power comes great responsibility.
"If he wasn't—I mean, if I wasn't interested in getting stronger, why am I good at combat, then?"
"Your family has a farm in the outskirts of the city. You love staying there and taking care of the farm. But sometimes wild animals appear out of nowhere, ruining the crops. Bandits would sometimes come too. That's why you learned martial arts, because you hate those scums. Most of the time, bandits are powerless fools, so you could easily handle them in physical combat."
"Sounds like a decent person," Vince blurted out.
"I am happy that you are changing now, and you are seeking self-improvement. I can see that you have potential, Master Vince. I guess Lady Raine saw that too," Fiona said with a sly smirk.
He was glad to have met Raine in this world full of strangers.
He would strive to become strong enough to protect himself and build the life he wanted, but he wasn't sure yet if he wanted to be a hero.
Vince jumped off the cliff for the 50th time.
He closed his eyes and felt the water rushing around him. This time, there was no fear in his system, instead, he felt a thrill.
When he knew he was close to the pool of water, he opened his eyes, and his body, in a straight position, plummeted deep into the pool.
He immediately swam downstream. When he was far enough from the waterfall's base, he began swimming horizontally with powerful strokes.
He was swimming fast when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
A moving object approaching him.
No, it wasn't an object.
Wait, is that a glowing SHARK???!
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You can also view the power ranking system in the auxiliary chapter (before the prologue) so you can easily get back to it while reading! :)