Chapter 135
Chapter 135: Sword Seals and Army Divisions
Job advancement wasn’t something that was rare in this world. On the contrary, almost every single expert who had reached a certain level would choose a job suited for them to advance to.
For them, it was a necessity upon reaching a certain level, while in my System interface, there was a much more direct view on it.
LV60 Warrior/LV7 Weapon Master; LV60 Justice Knight/LV2 Castigator; LV60 Mage/LV1 Fate Weaver. The former were the basic jobs whereas the latter were job advancements. For the basic job, one would have to continuously temper oneself and mature through the Iron, Bronze, and Silver ranks before they could reach the standards required for a job advancement.
Actually, there wasn’t much of a difference among the various basic jobs and most of the skills and abilities each job possessed were shared by the others. The main differing factor for their strength were their talents and basic stats. Choosing a job advancement meant choosing one’s future path and what one was going to specialize in. At the same time, it meant giving up on the other countless possibilities. Even so, specialization significantly boosted one’s strength. At Legend-rank, some of them were able to use the single specialization of theirs to crush everything else.
For example, a certain more and more Beifeng individual whose name must not be spoken of had the basic job of a Ranger. After which, he advanced to become a Beastmaster, which was to say, he had given up on his previous Ranger skills—his archery, survival, trap setting, tracking, dual wielding, and numerous other common Ranger skills, and instead, chose to specialize in controlling and taming wild beasts.
When he had reached Legend-rank and forged that bizarre Guardian of Universal Love Soul Imprint, his skills in taming beasts and proficiency in controlling them were raised to his limits.
It was said that during that battle in the ocean back then, he managed to cause a momentary hesitation with the Sea Monster. If not for the relentless cannon bombardments, he might have even successfully tamed it. It was unthinkable for a Legend rank to induce such an obvious effect on a Sea Monster that was at minimum Myth rank.
If he had really managed to tame a Sea Monster as his pet, his fighting prowess would be raised by a few hundredfold in an instant. This clearly showed the massive benefits specialization could bring to an expert.
What? This fellow had been overpowered from the very start, and he wasn’t a good representation?
Yeah, your words weren’t really wrong. I doubt that there would be another Beastmaster who would love their responsibility to the extent of forging their soul with their will, and deriving their strength from their soul. In fact, a normal soul was the limiting factor of mortals. The more obsessed and frenzied a soul, the more fearsome the potential it possessed. To a certain extent, he was a far distance away from the concept of normal. He is a ridiculous existence, but one with unlimited potential.
At this point, I couldn’t help falling into contemplation.
“If he were to continue rising up the ranks like that, given how the Jurisdiction of Wild Beasts and the position of Beast God is still empty, if he were to really step into the realm of SemiGod, there might be nothing to stop him in the most difficult step in ascending to Godhood…. That’s too terrifying!”
I can’t help but picture what would happen if Beifeng Herault were to really become the Beast God. I feared that the world wouldn’t fare well then.
Alright, seemed like I went on a tangent. Let’s not talk about the fearsome future for now. At the very least, I definitely would not allow that to occur. Let’s get back to the main topic at hand, yeah, job advancement.
Job advancement meant choosing a specific path to specialize in. As a simile, it is like climbing a mountain. The further one goes, the narrower the road gets. However, when one turns back to take a look, one would realize that he had soared above the others.
Using a much more down-to-earth comparison, an ordinary law student had focused in finance law when he was in his Master’s, before going on to specialize in international anti-monopoly cases in his Doctor of Philosophy research.
This was an example of going from a broad range into a specific genre. It may seem as though one is walking into a narrow path, but in actuality, they are climbing higher and higher. After all, was it possible for them to just forget the law knowledge they had studied? Of course not. It’s just that there wasn’t any need for it anymore. For them, their specialization would more than suffice.
My situation was slightly more unique. Other people only had a single path, but I had four paths mingled together. If I were to diverge my efforts into training them one by one, not only would I tire myself to death, I wouldn’t be rewarded greatly either.
Thus, I decided to pave my path like how the rivers lead into the sea. The four rivers would eventually converge together as one into the ocean. Thus, what I had to do was to find the point of convergence for the individual rivers. Then, extracting the strengths of each field, I would pave my own way, and this time, my goal wasn’t just a mere SemiGod.
It was a difficult path to tread, but it wasn’t an impossible one. That was also the reason why I made up my mind to research the magic swords.
After reaching a certain level in my path of magic swordsman, it was only a matter of time before I had to create a job advancement suitable for myself. Rather than being forced to make a choice when I come to a bottleneck, I might as well plan ahead of myself.
As for the reason why I chose to create a new job advancement rather than to utilize an existing job advancement for magic swordsman was because, although creating one’s own path was difficult, it was bound to be the most suited for oneself. On the other hand, one might progress quickly upon walking the path of another, but it would be difficult to surpass the strength of the creator.
Of course, from a certain viewpoint, it was a luxurious difficulty. Given the short lifespan of ordinary humans, it was sufficient as long as they could rise up the ranks fast enough. Such a difficulty was normally the privilege of the Elves and the other races blessed with longevity.
The appearance of experts whom even true Gods feared after Magic Machinery Research reached its advanced stage proved the unlimited potential in this path.
“Star Shatterer—Tonight, please remain with me. I will knock down the brightest North Star for you!”
“A single person fleet—Billions of cannon towers, billions of radiance. My final goal is the Milky Way!”
“The undefeatable passionate fool—My ship-slaying blade is capable of cutting through everything!”
“Using cannon bombardments to make friends, the Super S Mobile Calamity—That… Please believe me! I only wanted to make friends with you. I didn’t intentionally destroy your city.”
“The führer of the Jedi Order—How infuriating, all that hinder my path are trash!”
TL: In China, Hitler is labelled as the ‘moustache’ for his moustache.
At this moment, when the light of the new generation was presenting itself before me, giving me an opportunity to lead the era, if I still failed to grasp it, I would truly be foolish.
Of course, the other Sword Saints were unable to see that far ahead. However, as long as they trust me and support me, that would be more than enough.
Under the efforts of the craftsman, the sacred sword Pale Justice had been modified. There was an additional aperture at the hilt of the sword to insert attribute magic cores, while the entire sword was an Olivia’s Magic Box that had a complete magic circulation system.
“Sword Seal of the Vermilion Bird!”
A red-colored attribute core had been inserted within and the complete magic box immediately activated. Under my control, an apparition of a crimson-red divine bird appeared on top of the seal and scarlet magic flames enveloped the sword, extending beyond the tip of the sword for several centimeters.
Every single slash was reminiscent of a shooting star severing the skyline, the radiance of the flames leaving a trail behind it while the fire sparks fell from it, creating an extraordinarily beautiful sight reminiscent of the Milky Way.
Furthermore, every single target thrown at me, upon getting struck by me, would swiftly incinerate. At the same time, the enchantment on the sword would be consumed and the apparition of the Vermilion Bird gradually darkened.
After dozens of blows, the sword seal finally vanished altogether. Along with a kacha sound, the empty attribute core flew out.
“49 attacks. That was better than I expected.”
“Is it possible for it to be improved?”
“There is a limit to the maximum capacity of portable energy sources. Unless we expand the magic box and the attribute core, which means that the size of the weapon will be increased, it will be difficult. However, if we were to do so, the value of it would be lowered. Anyway, in a practical battle, that much is enough. At most, one just has to bring more attribute cores to switch it out. Let’s go on into the second segment.”
The attribute core was an extremely miniaturized version of Olivia’s Magic Box (portable energy source) with a specific attribute to it. On the other hand, the larger magic box that it was slotted into was an attributeless energy source. When the attribute core was activated, the entire energy source would be converted into the corresponding element. When the energy source had consumed entirely (Most of the time, the attribute core would be expended while the attributeless energy source still have remaining energy.), it was possible to use the attributeless energy core to charge it up.
Allowing the magic boxes to maintain the sword seals by themselves let the wielder focus on using their weapons, thereby preventing the suicidal action of diverting one’s attention onto multiple actions.
The researchers by the side burst into commotion, while the Sword Saints and craftsmen were looking over interestedly. From the very beginning, most of them grudgingly chose to help out either in deference to me or for the wages. However, upon seeing the technology take shape and gradually proving the worth of its existence through facts, the endless wonders of the new object started to pique their interest.
“Sword Seal of the Black Tortoise!”
Just like before, a snake-tortoise sword apparition was activated and a pale white frost started to diffuse. I raised my sword, and facing the target ten meters away, I swung the sword with great force.
“Sword Seal Burst Mode!”
Accompanied with a furious howl was the apparition of the snake-tortoise flickering, and a snow-white arc was released along with the swing of the sword.
The speed of the snow-white arc wasn’t exceptionally fast, and cold air diffused from it during its trajectory, causing ice crystals to form along its trail. It was an incredibly beautiful sight.
Kacha! Cha!
The target was immediately sliced into two before freezing and shattering upon contact with the floor.
When the sword seal was activated, its default form was an enchantment on the sword, making it suitable for physical battles. On the other hand, this sword seal burst mode refers to using the remaining mana left in the energy source for a single long-range burst attack.
Currently, there were only these two offensive models, and the four sword seals that corresponded to the four classical elements, under my suggestion, had been named after the divine beasts which never appeared in this world.
Of course, due to this inconceivable persistence in the eyes of the others, I suffered much criticism, especially from the Goblins, who surrounded me to complain resentfully in an attempt to gain the rights to name it.
“I would be able to understand it if the Fire Phoenix was the divine beast of the fire element, but why did you have to name it the fire element sparrow (The Vermilion Bird in the view of the Goblins). This is obviously a low-level magic beast. That Black Tortoise is even more inconceivable. I have never heard of a magic beast who is a tortoise on one side and snake on the other.”
“As for the Azure Dragon, it probably refers to Green Dragons. Their talents obviously consist mainly of manipulating the plants in the forest…. Alright, since it is able to fly, I can barely accept its relation to the wind element, but White Tigers are only a rare mutation breed. Even if its skin is beautiful, as an earth element divine beast… To tell the truth, we have always thought that Ruby Sword Seal, Gold Sword Seal and Jade Sword Seal sounded nicer! Please respect our opinion! As the craftsmen, we also have the rights to its name.”
Facing all kinds of opinions, a single reply of mine settled all of the disputes.
“I am the sponsor.”
Alright, this was one of the aspects I loved about the Goblins. Anyone who had money was the boss. The moment I said those words, every single complaint disappeared.
This was also the only explanation I could offer them. After all, am I to explain to those of a foreign world that the divine beast of the north, Black Tortoise, has a water attribute, and the ice attribute was an extension of the water attribute, while the divine beast of the west, White Tiger, is of metal attribute, so it had to make do with the earth element? As for the Azure… There was no wood element in the four classical elements, so I could only correspond it to the wind element.
The reason why it was named Four Element Swordcaster was because there were only four main sword seals, modeled after the four classical elements created. The fire attribute is called the Vermilion Bird Seal, the wind attribute is called the Azure Dragon Seal, the water (ice) element is called the Black Tortoise Seal while the earth (metal) attribute is called the White Tiger Seal.
Of course, these were only the commonplace basic sword seals, there were still a bunch of additional ones. For example, I possess ice mana. If I were to use the Black Tortoise Seal, I could refill the energy of the attributeless energy core directly. As long as I were to swap the cores quick enough, there were no restrictions on my ability to conduct prolonged battles. Also, I had privately created some sword seals that were unsuitable to be released to the public.
“Pride Sword Seal—O’ Holy Light, who gave you the authority to dictate what justice is, and to incriminate others through your own justice?”
“Wrath Sword Seal—Anger against villains and injustice is the propelling force of the Law. However, excessive justice will only harm you and others. Calmness is of necessity. Never allow wrath to cloud your rational thinking.”
“Sloth Sword Seal—Death is the sweetest slumber. However, it is a pity that it isn’t time for you to get off work yet. Thus, make good use of your time to continue living an exciting life.”
These three sword seals were created in correspondence with my other three powers, Holy Light, Law, and Death. I was using Olivia’s Magic Box and the job advancement to sort out my chaotic and diverse energy systems, so that I could make these rivers converge together into a single ocean, creating an even more powerful fighting prowess.
Of course, these three energy systems weren’t suitable for public release. The current four sword seals were more than enough for those rookies to study.
In the midst of the development of the sword seal, I had some epiphanies. The future road of development for this job should be to develop a certain systematic combination of sword seals, to create and grasp new and higher-leveled sword seals, or to seek more and better ways to exploit greater use out of them.
For example, the Azure Dragon Sword Seal could be used to create a hurricane to propel or negate arrows while the Pride Sword Seal could be used to disperse Undead. I could already foresee these magic warriors gathering as one and turning the tides of a battle.
As for the Magic Gunner that was disclosed along with the Four Element Swordcaster, in actuality, it was only turning the Sword Seal Burst Mode into a model suited for common use, turning the sword seal enchantment into a last resort when the enemy happened to close in on them. If some conspicuous difference had to be pointed out about them from the Four Element Swordcaster, it was that most of the weapons they chose were bows, rifles, and staves.
Of course, the strength of an individual was limited. Thus, without any hesitation, I decided to dump this responsibility on others so as to pool in the wisdom of others.
“Fendark and Lani, didn’t you two complain about being unable form your own division? I will leave these original prototypes with you all. Fendark will be responsible for training the Four Element Swordcaster whereas I will entrust the Magic Gunners to Lani. Periodically, we will try out different variations and new battle styles. Together, we shall perfect this job!”
When Fendark and Lani delightedly accepted the posting, I jolted abruptly. The familiar sound of System notice rang out in my ear once more.
【Ding! Congratulations on triggering the unranked quest (At minimum Epic-class): My Struggle】
【Quest objective: To the greatest extent of your ability, perfect the abilities and techniques of the Four Element Swordcaster. Also, open up its job advancement, construct an army, and turn this brand new job into the new favored one of the era.】
【Quest rewards: It will be decided based on the level of completion of the quest. There will be no upper cap to the rewards. If you are able to uncover the potential of this job up to SemiGod-rank, then the rewards will be SemiGod-tier as well. (Notice: As this is a long-term quest, the rewards will be released irregularly.)】
【Quest failure penalty: None. However, this is your own path. The moment you fail, your road to the summit also comes to an end. Without any strength, you are unable to challenge those experts. As a result, your goals also become illusions. This is already the harshest penalty.】
【System Notice: Under your diligence, a brand new fighting class walks on the stage of history as well. The development of the Magic Machinery Research had been brought forward by fifteen years and the strings of fate that lead to the end of the world have already been tangled up. All prophecies are destined to be unfulfilled…. Well done, please continue to overturn everything. Only through this can your insane goals be realized one day. Also, the massive amount of Fate Points you will gain as a result will allow you to stand up against any opponent, even if the enemy is the legendary Goddess of Creation!】
What else can prove that I am treading on the correct path than this rarely serious System notice? Thus, I smiled gleefully.
“Fendark and Lani, I will be depending on you two. Right, the name of the new division isn’t fixed yet, so why don’t we call it…”
“Please don’t! Your naming abilities had too much of an impact on the morale of the troops! Even now, Lord Bastion still rages out instantaneously at anyone who dares to call him by that nickname, growing into a small mountain in an instant.”
“Your Highness, it is better to leave such a minor matter to us. The name of Olivia’s Vibrating Egg has already gotten out and, initially, she was happily going around bringing up this name you came up for her. That is until Tracy’s adult toy shop opened…. The depressed Olivia holed up in her dwelling for ten days straight, and everyone is still trying to console her. Your naming abilities are way too formidable. What if we fail to recruit a single person after you named the division?”
“Indeed, if not for the name of our division being changed from Night Watchdogs to Red Hunting Hounds, everyone would probably be embarrassed to be walking around. It was all thanks to Lord Bastian going all out to veto the name.”
“Cough, Roland. I think you better give up on it. The names of the four sword seals may be slightly bizarre, but they are barely acceptable, so my impression of you just improved by a little. Everyone knows that your naming abilities are still stuck at the level of an elementary grader. If another Xiao Hong, Xiao Bai, Xiao Gou were to pop up, everyone’s impression of you, which had just barely risen slightly after so much effort, would go down into the gutters once more. You must reconsider your decision.”
Alright, the few knights who had been following me all along became agitated. Even Adam jumped out to join in the commotion. However, why do I feel some traces of gleefulness from his heart-rending expression?
Looking at the agitated crowd who were trying their best to persuade me otherwise, I swallowed back the name that was on the tip of my mouth helplessly, and grudgingly muttered silently.
“Twin-headed Chihuahua Division is obviously such a great name. Not only does it fit the concept of the division, it also sounds cute as well…. Or, since the first prototype of the magic engineered weapon is a silver sacred sword, why don’t we call it Silver Sword Division?”
Looking over, although everyone had clearly heard my “silent mutter,” everyone was busy doing their own things, pretending not to have heard my words. But when I walked out the door, the cheers of “Victory!” that sounded from my back made me harden my resolution.
“Later, I will go to the military barracks to register the name of the division. I choose you, Super Silver Sword Division!”