Soul of the Warrior

Chapter 214: Perfect Foundation

Reivyn held one of the war hammers from a specialized squad in one hand and his sword in the other. He hefted them each, weighing them and feeling the difference between them. He swept out with the sword, paying attention to how it cut through the air and the whistling sound it created. He followed it up with an identical sweep with the war hammer. He noted the differences in how it moved through the atmosphere.

He continued to wave the weapons about, focusing his full attention and utilizing his Divine Sense to get every minute difference he could perceive. He put his sword aside and grabbed a battle axe to perform the same exercises. He moved through different combinations of weapons forming a baseline for each as well as their differences.

Once he was satisfied with many different combinations of weapons, he moved to a training dummy. He performed the same exact maneuvers while striking the training dummy over and over again. He used his Divine Sense to focus on the impacts on the dummy. He ingrained the effects each weapon type had on the training dummy. He was building an extensive mental library of all the intricacies of all the weapons he could command. With is experience fighting monsters and people, he extrapolated the damage to the training dummy to a body of flesh and blood. He wasn't going to indiscriminately mutilate even a monster for his training even if he had access to one, but he didn't have to.

"Hmm..." Reivyn out the weapons aside and sat down cross-legged to contemplate over everything. He unconsciously entered a state of Meditation.

His father had told him that with constant training between the different weapons, he would naturally get a feel for them. He had long since gained a natural affinity to all the weapons he could use with his Skill. There wasn't anything he couldn't pick up and know exactly how to use it as an effective weapon. Some things, like a leaf, required additional Skills like Mana Manipulation and Mana Affinities to bolster its durability, but the way his Skill worked was that it gave him a natural understanding of how to do so. If there were any applications even without additional bolstering, he could perform those actions as well, though reality limited what was possible.

My Weapons Master Skill and my father's Weapons Prodigy Skill are different, Reivyn thought. He is limited to actual weapons, while my Skill makes anything I can think as a weapon a weapon. Maybe instead of trying to replicate my dad's ability to make any weapon function as any other weapon, I should instead be focusing on making any mundane item work as a weapon even without the additional bolstering. I could work on making a floppy blade of grass an actual sword instead of an imitation of a sword...

Reivyn had been focusing on shoring up his natural instincts and understandings granted through the Skill with actual, concrete examples. He felt he had fully grasped the nuances of all of his weapons, but that was only half of his Skill. If he wanted to breach Level 100 with the Skill, he couldn't ignore an entire aspect of the Skill.

There had been no need for him to be able to pluck anything from the environment and use it as a weapon as he was always armed. Even when he didn't have a physical weapon on his person, he could always manifest one with his Mana. He had been completely ignoring half of his Skill.

Reivyn exited his Meditation and stood up once more. He looked around for something to experiment with, but he was in a compound without even any grass growing nearby. He could take the time to go gather some resources to use, but if he wanted to embrace "everything is a weapon," he needed to get even further out of his mindset.

Instead of going off to find a stick, some grass, or some leaves, Reivyn bent down and scooped up a handful of loose dirt and gravel. He swished it around in his palm as he looked at it for a moment. He looked up at the training dummy and threw the dirt at the dummy. He didn't activate his Skill for the first throw, and the dirt just dispersed in the air.

Reivyn nodded to himself as he inspected how the dirt projectile worked. He bent down and grabbed another handful. He mentally flipped a switch, and once more threw his hand out. Instead of dispersing in a cloud of dust in the air, the individual specks of dirt and pebbles flew straight and true, but they simply clattered harmlessly off the training dummy.

Ok, so first step, imitate a throwing knife, Reivyn mentally checked off a box. Now I just need to get it to actually pierce the training dummy and be a throwing knife.

Just dirt won't be enough, though.

Reivyn signaled to a passing mercenary.

"Yes, sir?" The man asked respectfully.

"Gather a working party and gather up some sticks, leaves, and grass," Reivyn said to the growing confusion of the mercenary. "Quality doesn't matter. I just need a lot of them."

"Yes, sir..." The confused man offered a salute and ran off to carry out the order.

Reivyn had plenty of dirt, dust, and gravel to work with, so he spent the next hour throwing the dirt at the training dummy. He ignored all the strange looks directed his way by the mercenaries training nearby. They all only knew that he was unusually good with a very high number of different types of weapons, but they didn't know about his Skill.

Reivyn had a mental picture of walking up to a huge, steel door. It was a metaphorical representation of his Skill and the barrier of reaching Transcendence. He had assumed he was already knocking at the door by reaching Skill Level 100, but he felt he was only at the metaphorical door-step. He still had a couple more steps to take, and as he refined his dirt-knives, he felt himself inching closer and closer to the door.

The working party he had ordered worked quickly, and he had a pile of sticks and leaves and such nearby. When he reached a point where he felt he wasn't making as much progress, he picked up a stick and advanced on the training dummy. He used it as a sword without applying any kind reinforcements. He could easily swing it around like a sword, and he could even use it as such against an unskilled or weak opponent, but if he was to face off against his father with the stick as a sword, it would shatter on first contact.

He needed the stick to be a sword. He continued his practice for some time. He wasn't holding back and used his full Strength to swing the stick. The first couple dozen sticks couldn't withstand the strength of the blows and instantly shattered into saw dust, but as he struck more and more, the shattering grew less and less until he only cracked a stick with his first blow.

Reivyn nodded to himself and tossed the cracked stick aside like the rest. He picked up another, but the stick was no longer a sword. It was a war hammer. It shattered upon impacting the training dummy's head.

He continued his practice. The sticks continued to shatter, but there were less of them until he reached the point of only cracking one. He switched up his weapon again, and picking up a slightly longer stick, he used it as a battle axe.

Reivyn continued destroying the sticks, and he went through all the basic types of weapons one would normally see someone use. He didn't delve into all the exotic differences weapons could take. He used a sword, a war hammer, a battle axe, a hand axe, a dagger, a spear, a staff, throwing knives, and he even used them as arrows in a bow.

By the time he finally rotated back to using a sword, he swung out with his full might and the training dummy shattered. He looked down at the undamaged stick in his hand and nodded. He looked inward, and the metaphorical steel gate was another step closer.

Reivyn switched out the sticks for some grass and leaves. He ran into the same problem, initially, but it took a fraction of the time to keep his chosen weapons from shredding from the force of his strikes. His Skill amplified his ability to incorporate the natural slackness of the impromptu weapons in his favor.

He was another step closer to the steel door.

Reivyn looked down at the pile. There wasn't anything else for him to do with them, so he scooped up another handful of dirt. He immediately tossed the dirt at the training dummy, and the dirt, dust, and gravel pierced directly through the obstacle as if they were sharp metal instruments. Reivyn bent over and picked up a sizeable rock from the ground and tossed it up and down in his palm. Without thinking about it too much, he threw it past the training dummy.

Boomerang! He mentally shouted.

Reivyn watched as the rock sailed past the training dummy, curved in the air all on its own, and returned to strike the dummy in the back of the head. It also pierced through like it was a knife instead of a rock.

Two-in-one! Reivyn threw his hands up in triumph.

He looked inward once more, and his mental self had his hand on the steel door, but he hadn't walked through it. Reivyn stood there in thought for a moment before once more sitting down in the lotus position and entering Meditation.

So I've fully transformed being able to use any object into any weapon. So much so, that it can be multiple different types of weapons at the same time... But I'm still only at the door. I haven't stepped through it, yet. Hmmm...

Reivyn stood up and went looking for his father. He needed to spar. Just performing the actions in a controlled environment wasn't enough. He needed to be able to freely adapt to different situation as they came at him, and the best way to do that was to put himself under stress.

It didn't take long for him to find his father. He was doing his own training off by himself. He had his shirt off while going through the motions of his weapons forms. Sweat dripped from his face and torso indicating just how serious his father was taking his current training session.

Reivyn thought he was performing his sword forms as he was using a sword, but with his own understanding from his earlier training, he realized his father was performing staff forms with the sword. He wasn't gripping it any differently, but the motions, trajectories, and even air resistance all matched what Reivyn understood from using a staff.

Reivyn waited for his father to finish his current set before speaking out.

"Dad," Reivyn called out. Refix immediately looked up and smiled at his son. "I feel I'm on the cusp of advancing, but I need a sparring partner."

"Excellent!" Refix immediately agreed excitedly. "Let's get to it!"

Reivyn smiled at his dad's enthusiasm as the two moved back to Reivyn's pile. He bent down and picked up a fairly flimsy stick. It wasn't anything special, but it wasn't on the opposite spectrum of being brittle or droopy. Refix quirked an eyebrow at him as Reivyn assumed a ready stance, but he didn't say anything, He was the one person in the camp that knew about his Skill. He was the one who had set up the conditions for Reivyn to get it, after all.

Everything is a weapon. Everything is a weapon. Everything is a weapon... Reivyn chanted in his mind. He entered a mindset where the frail stick in his hand was a solid metal sword.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Without preamble, the two men advanced on each other. Reivyn was fully focused on his mantra for his weapon, but he wasn't at a disadvantage because he had his Divine Sense. Not only the Skill itself was a big help in informing him of his father's every move, but having the Skill at all had greatly increased his ability to focus on multiple things at once. Others might be distracted to the point of not being able to keep up properly if they were fully invested in maintaining their mental grip on their stick-sword, but Reivyn didn't have that problem.

The two danced around their training area, the mercenaries forming an impromptu crowd around them. They all paused their own training to watch the strange spectacle: Their Captain was using a stick to spar with their Vice Captain, a man they finally realized was a high-Tier 5 Classer. They had all known he was powerful, but they hadn't realized just how powerful, but he was almost looked up to more than Reivyn was. Those in the know understood that Reivyn's ability to put up any kind of fight against his father was proof enough of his prowess and worthiness of being someone to aspire to.

Everything is a weapon. Everything is a weapon...

The sparring intensified, and the stick held up. As the fight went on, though, Reivyn wasn't just able to make it perfectly match a sword. He was slowly utilizing its natural properties a the same time. The stick could bend and whip like it normally could as a wooden stick, but it fended off the strikes from Refix just the same.

Everything is a weapon...

Reivyn's eyes flashed with intent, and Refix subconsciously shied back. He lifted his sword to parry the strike directed at him, but the wind-force from the stick whistling through the air continue on and felt like knives slashing into his skin. Refix's eyes opened wide in surprise, but a grin formed on his mouth while looking at the deep concentration on his son's face.

Why am I limiting myself to the stick in my hand? An errant thought intruded on his mantra. Everything is a weapon!

Reivyn dashed forward, his body twisting and turning about like an acrobat. The stick lashed out and struck his father in the ribs. Refix attempted for another parry, but Reivyn reached out with his empty hand and swatted it away. His hand was a sword, after all. The stick landed another strike.

Refix backed up to regain control. Reivyn continued to press him. If Refix unlocked all of his Stats, he would be able to out maneuver Reivyn with no problems at all, but he was in perfect control of his physical being. He perfectly matched Reivyn's Stats, and for the first time, he was the one unable to keep up with his son's onslaught.

Reivyn's vision seemed to light up with paths his body and stick-sword could take to bypass Refix's defenses. Blow after blow landed on the older man's body. Torso, legs, arms. Everything was struck. Refix wasn't a Legendary Class for nothing, though. He eventually caught up to the new rhythm of his son, and his sword once more intercepted the attacks sent his way.

Everything is a weapon!

Even Refix's own sword was Reivyn's weapon! Reivyn's stick struck Refix's sword, and Refix flinched like he had been smacked in the arm. A look of confusion crossed his face, but he quickly moved to intercept another strike. His confusion turned to astonishment as no matter what he did, his sword could not find a way to parry Reivyn's stick.

Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Reivyn's mantra had shifted at some point.

Blows rained down on Refix. He was unable to block a single one, and he looked like a toddler floundering about with a stick against an adult with a sword. The complete opposite of the truth. The crowd of mercenaries around them was completely silent. Nobody cheered. They all had slack jaws as they witnessed the beating.

Reivyn was in a world of his own. His father had disappeared from his mind's eye, and there was just him, his stick, and his opponent. Paths he had never noticed before opened up to him. His body moved naturally to take advantage of every miniscule alteration. The stick could not be stopped, and hit flesh over and over and over.

"op... top...STOP!"

Reivyn came to a halt, his hand held high, stick ready to smash down on his father who laid on the ground, hand out in entreaty toward him. Reivyn's eyes went wide and he tossed the stick aside. He grabbed his father's hand and helped him to his feet.

"Are you alright?!" Reivyn asked, nearly panicking at the realization of what he had done. "I didn't mean to."

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Refix waved it away. He stood and dusted himself off. He actually was perfectly fine. "You must have subconsciously still used your stick as a stick, because none of your strikes did more than a single point of damage to my Health, but man! That hurt! I'm going to be covered in bruises tomorrow."

"Again, I'm sorry, dad," Reivyn hung his head in shame. "I don't know what came over me."

"Look at me," Refix commanded. Reivyn peeked his eyes up and looked into his father's face. There was nothing but undisguised joy. Reivyn was a little confused at first. "You breached the threshold of Transcendence. You were in the midst of an epiphany, and I tried to let you bask in it as long as you could, but I could only take so much." He chuckled.

"Right... Let me check - AAAaaahhhh!"

Reivyn had still been a bit out of it at the distress of seeing his father like that, but as soon as he focused his attention on the madly blinking Notifications, his body locked up and he was assaulted by pain. His muscles spasmed, and his head felt like it was going to burst. He could vaguely hear and feel the concern of others as they grabbed his body to keep him from collapsing, but all he could do was scream. His Pain Resistance did nothing to stop it.

After what felt like hours, the pain slowly faded away, and he was finally able to pay attention to his surroundings again. Now, he was the one on the floor, and his father was holding him against himself to protect him from his own thrashing.

"You better, now?" Refix leaned back and looked at Reivyn with concern in his eyes. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Reivyn shook his head. His father helped him stand up once again. "Let me check..." Reivyn grimaced as he pulled up his Notification window, but nothing happened this time. He scrolled through the contents with wide eyes.

Skill Leveled Up!

Tier 6

Weapons Master (100) ->(101)

Achievement!

Exceed Level 100 with any Skill!

+10 Physical Stats

Transcendence: True Strike

Tier 6

Weapons Master

Ability: Your strikes cannot be Blocked, Dodged, or Parried. You see all paths to strike true, and if there aren't any, you make one.

"That's not what I was aiming for... but, wow!" Reivyn subconsciously spoke allowed. "This is probably better."

"What's that?" Refix inquired. Reivyn looked up at his father. He formed a Mana-tether to him so as not to reveal anything to anyone else.

"My Transcendence ability is True Strike," he subvocalized. "I can't be blocked, dodged, or parried."

Refix gave a low whistle.

"That explains what you did to me, but what happened to you?"

"Haven't gotten that far, yet," Reivyn replied. He turned back to his Notification window.

Achievement!

Unlock the Perfect Foundation!

+100 All Stats

Reivyn pulled up his Status Page after seeing the Notification.

Status Name: Reivyn

Class: Imperial Liaison: Grand Arcanist Lvl 60

Fighter

Age: 14 (20) Health: 10,280/10,280 (+310) Stamina: 19,870/19,870 (+410) Mana: 12,735/12,735 (+50) Physical Stats Mental Stats STR: 959 (+10) INT: 1,124 (+4) VIT: 1,028 (+31) MAG: 1,423 (+6) DEX: 958 (+10) CLA: 961 (+1) CHA: 322 (+1) PER: 960 (+1) LUK: 302 (+1) Bloodline: Lvl 1 Unknown 236,443/10,000,000,000 Experience: 6,377/15,000

Ahh, I see what happened, Reivyn thought. The only other time I've suffered that kind of pain was when I was in the alchemical bath. It appears that not all of that pain was from absorbing the contents of the soup, but the massive increase in Stats I gained. I usually just feel a tingle when I get a Stat boost from an Achievement, but I just gained 900 Stat points all at once. It would be weird if it didn't hurt.

"I figured it out," Reivyn subvocalized once more. "I got a Stat boost."

"I see," Refix nodded his head. He froze and gave a double-take to his son. "That was from a Stat boost?"

Reivyn nodded his head. Refix gave him a knowing look.

"I have one more thing to check out," Reivyn said out loud.

The Achievement said he had unlocked the perfect foundation. Everyone knew that the first three Tiers of Classes were the foundational Classes. He must have finally unlocked the ultimate Class. He quickly pulled up his Class Selection Page.

Tier 3 Classes Available

Common

Expert Dancer

Expert Hunter

Expert Laborer

Expert Mason

Expert Miner

Expert Performer

Expert Story Teller

Expert Tracker

Expert Woodsman

Fortune Teller

Uncommon

Cataphract

Charming Dancer

Charming Performer

Expert Hunter *Wood

Expert Laborer *Earth

Expert Mason *Earth

Expert Miner *Earth

Expert Miner *Metal

Expert Tracker *Wood

Expert Woodsman *Wood

Marksman

Politician

Recon

Soldier

Soldier of Fortune

Wizard

Rare

Arcanist

Assassin

Chevalier

Elemental Swordsman

Magic Swordsman*

Mystic

Siege Engineer

Shade

Sharpshooter

Sorcerer *Air/Earth/Fire/Water

Veteran

Wizard *Air/Earth/Fire/Water

Epic

Arcane Elementalist

Battlemaster

Champion

Death Knight

Foundation Establishment

Juggernaut

Sorceror *Dark/Light

Warlord

War Wizard

Legendary

Edge of Duality

Embodiment of Elements

Grand Arcanist

Justicar

Master

Perfect Foundation

Royal Commander

Mythic

Carnage

Incarnation of Darkness

Incarnation of Light

Lost Soul

Pillar of Truth

Soul of Duality

Hero

Reivyn stared at the screen for a moment. He finally looked up at his father.

"It's time," he said. "I have my Class."