BXBX NOVEL Chapter 74: Sword
Cedric got the impression that the City Lord wasn't too fond of politics despite having his status so he imagined that he would respond negatively. However, that's not something that he should concern himself with, because as far as public opinion goes, Cedric was just like them; a normal but also endangered citizen of the Black Thread City.
He didn't contact Arishem either. He knew that the old man was facing pressure from the authorities just as much as the City Lord did. He must be really busy right now, so he decided to not disturb the old man just yet.
It was a miracle that they only had people injured in that fight instead of deaths. If they had serious casualties like that, the political mess would've been more unfavorable for them.
Still, with this matter exposed to the public eye, it also meant that the government could no longer underestimate the threat of the cult. If anything, this might've been the best thing that came out of this mess.
The government wouldn't have a choice on this. Arishem and the City Lord had all the records they needed to prove that the cult was far more dangerous than they were letting on.
On top of the fact that they managed to raise Tier 5 Demons while being hidden from everyone, there's also the 'drill' they confiscated that could siphon energy from the Ley Lines.
The fact that they could build such a thing should be more than enough to start a man-hunt. While Cedric still had some reservations against the government, he was hoping that they could see the bigger picture here.
On another note, Cedric already finished interrogating his captive...
Through some...unsavory methods he employed; something that he's not proud of, by the way, his captive sang like a songbird, revealing everything he knows about the traitorous organization and giving him a much better glimpse of the cult's forces as a whole.
That said, while his captive had more information than the ones at this city branch, it was still not enough. This one couldn't have known everything since he's just another 'recruiter' as Cedric calls it. While this guy might've managed to climb the ladder, his position was still too low to know more about the sensitive stuff that the cult was hiding.
Cedric was tempted to send all of this information to Arishem right away but he ultimately decided against it. Like what was mentioned earlier, he could imagine that the old man's rather occupied right now, and he didn't want to add more headache to him.
The old man deserves a break after all of the shit that just happened, and Cedric wasn't cruel enough to take that away from him.
***
Cedric was currently in the reinforced training area, finishing his daily training.
Symbols could be seen all over the place, they're lit up with energy, helping him conceal all the commotion happening within the area while also fortifying it to prevent him from destroying it with his skills.
His progress has slowed down considerably...well, slow for him at least. He couldn't complain though because he's still seeing progress anyway.
Aside from increasing his mastery over the 『Sage Arts』, Cedric paid more attention to his basic skills. Even though he had already reached mastery over them, he still felt the need to remind himself that he could always use them just to make sure that he wasn't neglecting them.
The basics are the root of everything — the foundation, more like. All skills - even the most complicated ones are born from the basics. Therefore, they must be respected and never be underestimated.
Those space-warping punches of the City Lord? At the very core of it, that was just a straight punch. Anybody could do that but the City Lord mastered that one simple move to a degree that it could now affect the very fabric of space itself.
Cedric diligently swung his sword with a sharp focus. All of his thought chambers were focused on this one task. He performs it with machine-like precision and perfect strength control.
It's precisely because he witnessed the City Lord's prowess that he knew that he still had a lot of growing to do. He was inspired, per se. And watching him fight was enlightening in its own way.
The sword in his hand didn't feel like a stranger. He had grown familiar with the way it felt - the sensation of wielding a sword since he had been doing it for a long time already.
But with his upgraded consciousness and connection to his surroundings, he was able to sense a lot of room for improvement. He had seen hints of it when he was watching the experts fight. They're all much stronger than him technically and the gap was caused by the sheer difference in the way understood how they used their skills.
He initially wondered why this wasn't taught to many as this would seriously help them a lot but he doesn't have time to ponder about that too much.
What's important is that he is now grasping the very same essence of using skills in a manner that fits his style.
Focused on the task, his absurdly high comprehension guided him to the correct path to follow...
As he swung his sword, the blade seemingly cut through the wind itself, leaving a white gash on its trail. Cedric wasn't using his Ki to do this at all, it was all due to the sheer mastery of that swing that caused this.
His actions were slow, even a kid could follow his movements clearly, however, the lethality of his strikes couldn't be easily duplicated by most.
With this newfound understanding of swordsmanship, Cedric felt elated. The sword in his hand feels more familiar than ever, it felt like another limb of his.
The way how he viewed the world changed accordingly too. Now, he was able to see 'traces' all over him. They're faint but noticeable. Deep in his heart, he felt like these lines were a guide for him, telling him to 'cut here' to achieve maximum effect on his sword strikes.
Allowing his instincts to take over, he swung his sword, making sure to trace the lines that he was now seeing.
There was no visible reaction during his first try which made him frown. He certainly felt that it should've done something more than that but nothing happened. The line was still there too.
Thinking that he must've performed it wrong, he focused this time. With the sword in his hands, he 'willed' himself to cut that line. The results this time around astounded him...
He had sliced through the reinforced concrete of his training area, bypassing the runes he scattered all over them.
The symbols were still there and the formation was still doing its job, but there was a clear visible gash left on the concrete flooring which should've been stopped by the formation he installed in the place.
This discovery caused Cedric's eyes to shine in excitement. Upon inspection, he noticed that the line he traced with his sword earlier disappeared too.
Now that's the effect he was looking for. Still, he was surprised by this discovery. It felt like he had taken a large leap towards breaching the gap between him and real experts of this world.
That said, he probably shouldn't do this a lot for now. That slice took at least half of his remaining stamina. He could feel his hands shaking in exhaustion.
Still, this was another trump card on his deck. If he could make it so that each slice of his sword brought on this effect, he could achieve a lot of things but most importantly, it could save his life in dire situations.
He kept his sword away and sat down to drink water. He then disabled the DND function of the System and that's when the string of alerts sounded in his ears:
[Through the skill: 『Focus』 and a magnificent stroke of inspiration, User Cedric has entered the state of Enlightenment.]
[Congratulations, User Cedric! Your skill: 『Sword Ki』 evolved to 『Sword Intent』!]
『Sword Intent』 (Lv.1/100)
: Sword Intent is a passive skill that embodies the wielder's profound connection with the art of swordsmanship. It transcends mere physical technique, delving into the realm of spiritual mastery. Those possessing Sword Intent are not just skilled with a blade; they emanate an aura that reflects the essence of their commitment to the way of the sword.
: +100% Attack Modifier on Sword-related Skills.
**
Cedric blinked upon seeing that skill. He certainly wasn't expecting to receive that.
He had read about Sword Intent somewhere before and honestly, he thought that only Swordsmen - or anything related to the class, could come in contact with this skill.
What's happening here?