Chapter 9: Seeing Results

Edwin POV

Edwin had volunteered to train Julius. The thought of training someone had never occurred to Edwin before, but for some reason, he wanted to with Julius. When he saw Julius training his [Spatial Perception], he knew there was something special. The fact that a child could acquire a rare skill like that was unfathomable to Edwin. Most people went their entire lives without earning a rare skill. Not to mention a skill that Edwin suspected was on the higher end of rare.

Edwin could recognize a fellow training maniac when he saw one. At thirteen years old, Julius was unlike any other child his age. Most of his peers were content running around playing games with their friends, but Julius was different. Edwin had begun Julius’s training over a year ago and was surprised at how dedicated Julius was. Many would see Julius as a child being pushed too hard by Edwin, and was only doing this much because he was being pressured. However, Edwin realized that Julius really, and he meant really, loved it. It was alarming how much Julius enjoyed getting beaten up and doing boring mana exercises for countless hours every day.

Even Edwin, who was known as a training junkie in his younger days, wasn’t this obsessed. Edwin knew that Julius’s work ethic would bring him far. He knew exactly what hard work could do for advancement.

The only things that had stunted Edwin’s advancement were his substandard foundation and lack of knowledge. He was a hard worker, but he didn’t know enough about his shadow affinity when he tiered up; thus, some imperfections limited his ability to reach Tier 5. Combat ability-wise, he was the cream of the crop of Tier 4, but until he cleaned up his path, he would forever remain a Tier 4.

That was one of the main reasons he accepted Lukas’s offer all those years ago. He already knew his foundation would be what prevented him from advancing further. And Lukas had offered him the resources to fix it.

Tier 5 was a barrier that separated the good from the great. Most talented individuals could reach Tier 4 with time, as long as they survived. However, Edwin believed what separated the Tier 5s from the Tier 4s was their ability to push themselves. Unless one goes beyond their limits, they won’t ever become Tier 5.

That was why Edwin chose to train Julius. He truly believed Julius had what it took to cross this barrier. He certainly had the work ethic. But mostly, Julius enjoyed training.

It surprised Edwin just how fast Julius adapted to his training. When they first started sparring, Julius was timid and unconfident in his approach. Now, Julius fought like a demon. Aggressive and decisive were the best descriptors Edwin could think of. Julius’s style revolved around taking two hits for every one he gave. He didn’t mind taking a knee or two in the stomach if it meant he got to punch you in the face in return.

Normally, Edwin would discourage such an aggressive fighting style. His own style was more about countering and avoiding direct conflicts. Julius was the opposite; he used every angle and every potential leverage point he could to gain an advantage over his opponent. It was gritty and violent. The young fighter also quickly learned to use his fighting style’s weakness as a weapon. Edwin began to notice that Julius would wait for Edwin to capitalize on his aggression and use that slight opening to strike.

Julius’s instincts when it came to fighting were honestly frightening. But Edwin was certain those instincts would save his life many times over the years. Which was the whole point of this training.

***

Julius POV

Julius swept his leg out towards Edwin’s left knee, trying to smash his kneecap. When it missed, he closed in on Edwin, not letting him have a chance to retaliate. He threw a flurry of punches, looking for any openings. He took a couple of shots but maintained his aggression. He couldn’t allow Edwin to sit back and pick him apart.

There. Edwin hadn’t quite predicted his feint, and Julius launched a kick right at Edwin’s temple. Unfortunately, Edwin was quick and managed to step into Julius’s kick and grab him around the thigh. He then proceeded to smash his fist into Julius’s torso and simultaneously sweep out his other leg from underneath, then tossed him like a sack of potatoes across the training yard.

Edwin calmly stepped back, and Julius stayed on the floor, soaked in sweat and sore all over.

[Focus] has reached threshold. [Focus lvl 6 -> Focus lvl 7]

[Unarmed Combat] has reached threshold. [Unarmed Combat lvl 8 -> Unarmed Combat lvl 9]

A double level-up was rare, but more than welcome at this point. He had now reached the bottleneck stage in [Unarmed Combat], which Edwin mentioned was a skill that usually upgraded at level 10. Each rank-up reset a skill’s level to 0, but it also meant the next level requirement would be 5 levels higher. For example, when [Unarmed Combat] reached level 10, he would receive an option to evolve the skill. Once he did, it would become an Uncommon skill at level 0. If he wanted to rank it up to Rare, he would have to get it to level 15, and so on.

Name: Julius Von Hyperius

Tier: 0

Skills:

• [Spatial Perception lvl 16] (Rare)

• [Unarmed Combat lvl 9]

• [Focus lvl 7]

His [Spatial Perception] skill had grown to level 15 before he finally felt its accelerated growth slow down. But it proved how much work he had put into the skill beforehand. He was going to miss the rapid level-ups; it seemed the higher the rank and level were, the more difficult it became to level up a skill. The single level from 15 to 16 took over a month to achieve. However, the effects increased in proportion to the skill’s rank and level, too. Therefore, the one level up provided a significant boost to how far he could extend it and how long he was able to keep it active. He would estimate that he could now perceive twenty percent farther than before and could maintain the skill up to ten to thirty percent longer, depending on circumstances.

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Julius was also very close to condensing his core. He probably had only a few days left before his preparations were complete. Which meant Tier 1 was right around the corner. Not having a core really put a limit on how much mana he could use without regressing his progress. It also made it more difficult to gain more skills. Most active skills require some usage of mana to operate. He has been lucky in acquiring two active skills: [Spatial Perception] and [Focus], which didn’t require any mana, just mental energy.