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Ascension Through Skills - Chapter 142

Published at 14th of February 2024 06:02:32 AM


Chapter 142

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Chapter 142

Taesan looked at the ghost, now possessing a physical body.

His hair was platinum blonde, straight without a hint of curl, swaying smoothly with every movement.

His appearance was that of a standard handsome man, with features neither too sharp nor too blunt.

His clothing was of very high quality, befitting his self-proclaimed status as a prince but practical enough for movement.

“This is...”

Bradley, still in shock, continued to groan. Panic was evident in his golden eyes.

“Hey, a mirror. Show me a mirror.”

“You know I don’t carry something like that.”

But Taesan had something similar. He activated an ice arrow. Seeing his reflection in the ice, Bradley stroked his cheek.

“Ha.”

Laughter escaped Bradley. A mix of emotions - resignation, joy - flickered in his eyes.

“This is something.”

He murmured in astonishment, barely calming down.

“Didn’t know this was possible...”

“Is that your body?”

“Yes. Quite handsome, right? The ladies used to swoon over me, you know?”

Bradley joked, puffing up. But his smile faded under Taesan’s expressionless gaze.

“Don’t be too shocked. I’m surprised, too.”

“A kind of trial, then.”The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.

“Probably. Seeing that I’ve been given this form.”

In Bradley’s hands were two wooden swords that he was lightly swinging.

“Probably a temporary body until the trial is over. Once it’s done, I’ll return to being a ghost. This is dangerous. I might not want to finish the trial.”

It could be decades or centuries. Bradley’s expression showed the emotion of finding his lost physical form.

“Still... I must fulfill my duty.”

Bradley pointed his sword at Taesan.

Taesan also drew two swords.

He checked the trial’s conditions in the system.

First condition.

Strike the ghost in an equal state with a single blow.

“Basically, this body’s stats are perfectly equal to yours. Shabby compared to my prime, but not bad.”

Bradley swung his swords, each strike becoming faster and more precise.

“That should do it.”

Swoosh!

His swords cut through the air.

Since stats directly affected the body, it usually took time to adapt to sudden changes. However, the ghost adjusted to his physical form in just twenty strikes.

“My proficiency... is the same as yours.”

The ghost’s sword movements were erratic. Taesan, who had learned the same techniques, knew it was the Dance of Swords.

But he couldn’t follow them. The erratic movements were hard to track.

“I can only use Dance of Swords and Wolf’s Fang, too. Looks like the conditions are indeed equal.”

“It doesn’t look equal at all.”

Proficiency and stats didn’t matter. The warrior before him was several levels above in swordsmanship.

“That’s what a trial is, I guess.”

Bradley chuckled.

Taesan recalled the second condition: prohibition of all skills unrelated to swordsmanship.

He had to abandon his strongest tactics and engage in combat.

“Confusing, but a good opportunity. As expected of the God of Swords. He knows exactly what you need.”

Bradley swung the tip of his sword.

“I can’t just wait around. Come at me.”

It was, as Bradley said. Condition 3. The trial doesn’t end until the conditions are cleared.

The result right before him proved it. Taesan had said he hit a wall upon entering the 31st floor. It seemed difficult to find a way forward, to progress.

That was inevitable.

The Stormscar Swordsmanship belonged to Bradley. It was his technique, not Taesan’s.

There was a limit to how far Taesan could go. The fact that he couldn’t land a hit on someone equal to him in stats was proof of that.

‘But that’s strong enough.’

With proper training and focus on the sword, he could reach a level effective even in deeper layers.

But what got Taesan this far wasn’t swordsmanship but the variety of skills he possessed. Swordsmanship was just a supporting area.

‘I can’t defeat you with my swordsmanship.’

He was a master of Stormscar Swordsmanship. Even if restricted by the system’s proficiency limits, that experience didn’t vanish. Taesan, even after hundreds of attempts, couldn’t reach him.

And it would be the same even if Taesan reached 100% proficiency.

After all, it was Bradley’s swordsmanship.

He learned it, developed it, and perfected it.

For someone else to handle it better than its creator was impossible unless they were a one-in-a-continent genius, and Taesan didn’t have that level of talent in swordsmanship.

‘But I can’t just abandon it.’

Stormscar Swordsmanship was already embedded in Taesan’s movements. Completely discarding it would be harder than starting over from level 1.

So, he had to absorb it.

Like Malesten did long ago, and like he himself did, he had to internalize what he learned and transform it into his own.

Bradley waited patiently.

An hour passed before Taesan opened his eyes.

His pupils flickered quietly. Bradley greeted him with a smile.

“Seems like you’ve got it now.”

“Somewhat.”

It wasn’t a perfect answer yet.

But it seemed enough to pass this trial.

[You have begun the creation of your swordsmanship.]

Bradley waited cheerfully. Taesan cleared his mind and grasped two swords.

He dismissed the noisy system notifications. Many rewards and information were displayed, but they were not important now.

This time, contrary to before, Bradley rushed at Taesan, who responded as if waiting for it.

Bradley’s sword whirled erratically. Though Taesan knew Stormscar Swordsmanship, he couldn’t properly block it; there was a subtlety in it he couldn’t grasp.

Taesan hadn’t been able to block that. Although it was the same swordsmanship, the difference in level was too great.

But now, it was different.

Clang!

The swords of Taesan and Bradley collided.

Bradley fluidly moved his sword using Dance of Swords, and Taesan responded in kind with the same technique.

However, his sword strikes were different from before. While appearing similar to Dance of Swords, the energy within was entirely different.

Dance of Swords was a technique that used curved motions like a dance to deflect the opponent’s sword, but Taesan’s movements were more aggressive and violent. The direction of the force was straight, not curved.

This sudden change would usually result in a disadvantage, but it was the opposite this time. Bradley couldn’t easily overpower Taesan as before.

‘But... it’s not that impressive?’

Bradley tilted his head, puzzled. The change was something he could easily overpower if he chose to. Indeed, when the ghost pushed a little harder, Taesan started to be overwhelmed.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

During the time Taesan had his eyes closed, he had thought hard.

The Stormscar Swordsmanship was not his. It was undoubtedly an excellent technique, but he couldn’t master it completely.

This was evident from the battles so far. He had used swordsmanship effectively, but it was always as an individual technique, not harmonizing with his other abilities.

He was different from a warrior.

Swordsmanship was not his main strength.

Then, what was his main strength? What did he rely on to come this far?

What should swordsmanship be devoured by?

The answer was clear.

[You have activated Acceleration.]




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