CHAPTER 4: Successive Level ups in Minor Sword Mastery

With an expecting look on my face, I added 1 Undistributed Stat to the Strength attribute and instantly felt my muscles squirm along with some increment in muscular strength.

Undistributed Stats: 5 ➝ 4 Strength: 12 ➝ 13

I tried lifting my mini trekking bag and amazed to find that my bag feels even lighter than its actual weight.

I became sure that I can distribute Stats into Attributes and carefully pondered which attribute I should increase for higher survival chances.

I finally concentrated on increasing the 3 main physical attributes, namely Strength, Agility, and Endurance.

With that in mind, I added 3 Undistributed Stats to the Agility Attribute and 1 Undistributed Stat to the Endurance attribute.

Undistributed Stats: 4 ➝ 0 Agility: 10 ➝ 13 Endurance: 12 ➝ 13 Stamina: 60/60 ➝ 65/65

Moderate pain coursed through my body since I added 3 Stats to Agility at once, but it was still bearable.

My reflexes, reaction speed, and control over my body increased by a notable amount with increased 3 stats in Agility Attribute.

I tried punching in the air and found that I could punch way faster than my average punching speed and also felt my body become lighter than usual.

I felt that my body became more sturdy because of the increase in the Endurance attribute, and even my skin felt harder than before.

Because of the change in ‘Endurance,' my ‘Stamina’ increased.

I thought back to the word ‘Common’ beside Lv.3 [Night Vision] Skill and wondered about what the Skill’s higher grades might be.

Suddenly I remembered about finding more information when I accidentally concentrated on the word, 'LOOTED STATUS.’

So, I tried to do the same thing by opening the [STATUS] tab and concentrated on the word ‘Common Grade.’

It worked, and another notification appeared beside my [STATUS] tab.

These are the 10 Grades for Skills and Spirit Items in downward ascending order.

**********

Common

UnCommon

Rare

Epic

Legendary

Mythical

Sovereign

Ancient

Divine

God

**********

With the recent information, I understood what existed above the Common Grade. I found that these Skill Grades are also the same for Spirit Items.

Thinking about Spirit Items, I noticed the Rusty Sword I placed beside my trekking bag.

I picked it up, and since the sword was rusty, I tried to go close and observe the cracks on the blade, and suddenly a notification popped up.

Because of your actions, you have gained Lv.1 [Inspect] (Common).

Lv.1 [Inspect]: able to find information about anything, as long as the Skill's grade and level meet the requirements.

I learned that I could gain Skills by doing particular actions. I was also glad to get such a convenient skill. Still, its level was pretty low, so I started using it on everything in my vicinity by starting with the Kitchen knife.

Kitchen Knife

A knife that is intended to be used in food preparation.

It does not increase any Stats since it is not a Spirit Item.

Mini Trekking Bag

A bag that is intended for carrying things for long distances on climbing terrains.

It does not increase any Stats since it is not a Spirit Item.

By the time I completed using the Skill, [Inspect] on all the things in my bag, the Skill had increased in Level.

Lv.1 [Inspect] (Common) ➝ Lv.2 [Inspect] (Common)

Finally, I used Inspect Skill on the Rusty Sword, and its description appeared.

[Rusted Short Sword] (Common Grade)

A heavily chipped yet somehow sharp Sword that got abandoned because of weariness of time.

Effect: Strength+3^

Requirements: 10 Strength

Condition: Decayed

Durability: 38/100

Do you wish to form a bond with [Rusted Short Sword]?

I accepted it mentally and instantly felt a surge in my strength as my muscles painfully squirmed for a few seconds. My muscles got bulkier, and well-defined abs showed up.

Strength: 16 (13+3^)

Even though I work out daily, I never had such defined muscles and abs.

I didn't feel such a change when I only added 1 Stat to Strength Attribute, and now that I added 3 Stats, my strength increased visibly.

I felt a mental connection with the Rusted Short Sword, and through this, I could sense the Short Sword’s condition. With the increased strength, the weight of the Rusted Short Sword felt almost negligible.

With a bit of experimentation, I noticed that even if I let go of the Rusty Short Sword after the bond formed, I still had the extra 3 Stats in Strength Attribute. The Stats added from Spirit Item got marked with Caret (^) symbol.

After going through that, I turned my attention to the 'Weapon Mastery' section.

I wanted to try out the [Minor Sword Mastery] and [Minor Dagger Mastery] when I got after killing the Goblins but waited for the right time to test it.

“Now that I got a proper understanding of details in both of my Statuses, it is time for me to check out how Weapon Mastery works.”

I held on to the [Rusted Short Sword]. I tried to practice the Sword stances and moves from the Lv.1 Sword training methods that I received directly into my mind when I gained the Lv.1 [Minor Sword Mastery].

While practising Lv.1 Sword training methods, I felt like I already knew how to use the basic Sword moves and stances. Still, my body didn't have the required muscle memory to perform those exact Sword moves.

It felt a lot easier to practice knowing how to practice precisely, and I went into a state of concentration.

After 5 minutes of intense practice, a light grey-coloured plasma light appeared flowing around the [Rusted Short Sword] in my hand.

Congratulations! You unlocked Lv.1 [Sword Aura] by comprehending Lv.1 [Minor Sword Mastery].

Lv.1 [Sword Aura]: Damage Output increases by 10% when used on Sword Spirit Item.

Cost: 1 Spirit Energy per minute.

I didn't find any difference when I practised by coating the Sword Aura around [Rusted Short Sword].

So, I slashed at the ground once, and for the next slash, I deactivated the Sword Aura, and the damage behind the Sword slash was less than when I coated the weapon with [Sword Aura].

To put it simply, if my attack can bring out imaginary damage of 100 points, then when I add Sword Aura for the same attack, the imaginary damage output will be 110.

I also noticed that the durability of the [Rusted Short Sword] decreased while using the Sword Aura.

Due to using [Sword Aura] on Rusted Short Sword for prolonged periods, its durability decreased by 1.

Durability: 37/100

With that, I deactivated the Sword Aura to save durability and continued with my practice.

After another 5 minutes of practising with Sword, a notification appeared to congratulate me.

Congratulations! You have advanced to Lv.2 [Minor Sword Mastery] by comprehending Lv.1 [Sword Aura].

Lv.2 [Minor Sword Mastery]: Lv.2 Sword Training methods will get transferred into your mind.

Lv.1 [Sword Aura] will advance to Lv.2 [Sword Aura] by comprehending Lv.2 [Minor Sword Mastery].

My familiarity with Sword increased yet again, and I felt like I had been training with swords for a month. Information about some advanced Sword training methods appeared in my mind.

Typically, to learn a skill, it would take dedicated years of training and dedication. Still, by assimilating with the System, I could learn at an extreme pace, and it felt magical to learn so much in a short 10 minutes.

I became excited about the new prospect and set my priority to practice and increase my Minor Sword Mastery Level to increase my survivability.

I even brought food that could last me for 2 days if eaten conservatively; I didn't worry about food for some time and started practising the Sword training methods.

After a few minutes, I got another notification.

Congratulations! You have advanced to Lv.2 [Sword Aura] by comprehending Lv.2 [Minor Sword Mastery].

Lv.2 [Sword Aura]: Damage Output increases by 20% when used on Sword Spirit Item.

Cost: 2 Spirit Energy per minute.

When I closely watched, I found an interesting point. When my [Sword Aura] increased from Level 1 to Level 2, the Light grey coloured Aura became brighter and caused 20% more than my actual damage.

I didn't stop at that, and the Intense practice continued for 12 hours with many brief breaks in between to recover my Stamina. The result of my hard work appeared in the notification.

Congratulations! You have gained Lv.11 [Minor Sword Mastery] by comprehending Lv.10 [Sword Aura].

Lv.11 [Minor Sword Mastery]: Lv.11 Sword Training methods will get transferred into your mind.

Lv.10 [Sword Aura] will advance to Lv.11 [Sword Aura] by comprehending Lv.11 [Minor Sword Mastery].

After acquiring Lv.11 [Minor Sword Mastery], Even though I got mentally tired, I persisted in practising to advance to Lv.11 [Sword Aura].

Previously when I advanced to Lv.10 [Minor Sword Mastery], the grey coloured Aura grew brighter to the point it wasn't Grey anymore. When I gained Lv.11 [Minor Sword Mastery], a few Cyan coloured sparks started appearing within the pure Grey coloured Aura.

I became eager to know what might happen to Lv.10 [Sword Aura] when it reaches Lv.11.

After another 30 minutes of training, I laid exhausted on the ground while looking excitedly at the newly popped up notifications.