Chapter 19: Half a Step Ahead
Chapter 19: Half a Step Ahead
The next day, I woke up just like always. There was no pain, no discomfort. In fact, I felt refreshed and full of energy.
Still, I quickly noticed something unusual.
My mana reserves had dropped to half.
It wasn’t as drastic as before, when I had been forced to sacrifice my vitality and life force just to survive.
This time, it felt manageable.
I could easily restore it by using a mana stone or practicing a breathing technique to absorb mana.
That made the issue feel small and entirely solvable.
I already knew what to do.
Oddly, I felt lighthearted.
But that feeling didn’t last long.
A floating blue digital screen hovered in front of my face, constantly blocking my view.
It had become a real nuisance.
I couldn’t even see clearly because of it.
The same thing had happened yesterday, right after I killed the goblin in the stream.
It was probably the system again, tracking my actions and rewarding me whenever I made the right choices.
I had ignored it yesterday, thinking it was unimportant.
But now there were two prompts, and I couldn’t understand why.
I didn’t remember doing anything that would deserve another reward.
Confused but curious, I finally checked. The system lit up and displayed a familiar message.
🖥️【DUE TO YOUR DECISION TO ELIMINATE THE GOBLIN AND PREVENT ANY RISK OF YOUR ORIGIN BEING EXPOSED, THE SYSTEM HAS ACKNOWLEDGED YOUR CAUTION AND RESOLVE AS CORRECT. YOUR DEEP THINKING AND DIFFICULT CHOICE HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED.】
【AS A RESULT, THREE RANDOM REWARDS HAVE BEEN GENERATED. YOU MAY CHOOSE ONLY ONE. CHOOSE WISELY.】
It was the same message as before.
I dismissed it and scrolled to the newly appeared panel.
🖥️ 【BECAUSE YOU HAVE DISCOVERED AND BEGUN WALKING THE PATH OF AN ANCIENT POWER SYSTEM ONCE USED ONLY BY TRANSCENDENT BEINGS, THE SYSTEM HAS ACKNOWLEDGED YOUR CHOICE AS CORRECT.
AS A REWARD, YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED ACCESS TO A PERSONAL STATUS PANEL.】
A personal status panel.
That sounded promising.
It surprised me a little. This was the first time the system had rewarded me with something that felt more symbolic than practical.
Even so, I was curious.
I wanted to know where I stood.
Was I strong, or still lacking?
I accepted the reward and gave the system a simple command.
“System, I want to see my status.”
Ding
🧾 【CHARACTER STATUS PANEL: ACTIVE】
🧍♀️ Name: Nerine Anemone
🎂 Age: 22
🚺 Gender: Female
📜 Physique: No-Mark Physique
🧬 Bloodline: Type O
✨ Affinity: Stable with all elemental mana types
🔮 Realm: Half-Step Primaris
🩸 Cultivation Path: Primordial (false/perfection affinity)
🛡️ Class / Role: None
⚔️ Combat Style: None
📖 Known Skills:
• Blood Boost Step
• Third Pressure Point Striking Blade
• Rotation Gap Movement
🧠 Innate Abilities:
• Battle Instinct
• Eye of Origin
• Eye of Silence
• Instant Language Comprehension
... More
💠 Core Grade: Mid-Tier
💫 Spiritual Root: None
🐉 Recognition Level: 1
So this was my status.
Nothing seemed out of place. All the rewards were there. My realm had officially reached Half-Step Primaris, and my core was now mid-tier.
I still couldn’t tell exactly how strong I was, but according to Szélanya, my strength was already on par with a two-circle mage practitioner.
That was more than acceptable.
I wasn’t in a rush.
I knew the time would come when I’d face stronger enemies. But for now, I set the system prompts aside.
I had something else planned today. I was going to visit the old man and observe his skills closely.
I wanted to learn. No, I needed to learn–––even if I had to copy or steal everything he showed.
But first, I needed to complete my morning routine.
With a quiet breath, I rose from bed and called Mia.
She came in immediately to prepare breakfast.
Lynn was already by my side, helping me change into something simple and casual.
I ate slowly, taking my time, then rested for about thirty minutes to let my food settle.
Afterward, the maids returned to their usual duties.
Before they left, I asked them to bring me a towel, just in case I needed it later.
They returned with a fresh towel, handed it to me without a word, and exited the room.
The silence they left behind felt heavier than expected.
I had grown used to their presence.
Even without human emotions, they were observant, quiet, and efficient.
They always knew what I needed, even before I said anything. That kind of understanding felt rare.
I wanted to claim them for myself, but they already had a master they served.
With a soft sigh, I sat still for a while longer, then left the room and walked toward the backyard.
The knights were already training.
Every one of them moved in unison, swinging their wooden swords in perfect rhythm.
Their movements were precise, deliberate, and full of discipline. I could feel the weight of their focus in the air.
It was the kind of mindset that would lead someone to mastery.
I watched them silently, nodding to myself.
Then, one by one, they noticed me.
The moment they recognized who I was, they froze, exchanged glances, then quickly turned to face me.
Without hesitation, they bowed deeply and called out together.
“Good morning, Princess. It’s a pleasure to see you here again.”
“Oh.”
Their sudden voices startled me slightly, but I quickly responded with soft composure.
“Good morning to you too, kind knights. It’s nice to see all of you.”
My timing was a little off, but I made up for it by speaking a bit faster, just enough to seem naturally shy. Since they were bowing, they couldn’t see the subtle shift in my expression.
After a few seconds, I gave a small, hesitant smile and spoke again.
“Ah... sorry. You may rise.”
“Thank you, Princess.”
They straightened and returned to their positions, all except one.
A tall man with broad shoulders stood still.
His gaze rested calmly on me. He was likely their leader, or perhaps a representative.
I waited for him to speak.
“Princess, may I ask what brings you here today? If there’s anything we can assist you with, please let us know.”
“Hmm...”
I tilted my head slightly and pretended to think for a moment. Then I answered slowly, as though the thought had just come to me.
“Ah... right. I came to see the old man. I wanted to ask him to demonstrate his skills. Has he arrived yet?”
“Not yet, Princess. He mentioned he would be here in about half an hour. He’s currently tending to his granddaughter. If you would like, you can wait on the wooden bench, as usual.”
“All right. Thank you.”
With a small nod, I followed his suggestion and walked toward the bench.
He watched me for a moment, a soft smile tugging at his lips, as if quietly amused by my gentle demeanor.
Once I sat down, he turned away and rejoined the others.
I remained in silence, my eyes drifting back to the field.
The rhythmic sound of wooden swords cutting through the air filled the space around me.
Each motion was sharp, calculated, and filled with purpose.
I watched closely.
But boredom crept in.
I could not grasp what they were practicing.
Was it really a high-tier swordsmanship technique?
I started to wonder. I could not sense any trace of the essence behind their movements.
If the technique had no detectable essence, it likely meant it could not be copied. That only happened with techniques far beyond my current understanding.
This had never occurred when I copied the goblin’s low-tier skills before. The system only failed to register something when the technique was powerful enough to defy replication.
So I stopped watching and waited for the old man to arrive. Only he could resolve my current dilemma.
Half an hour passed.
The old man finally arrived. He was greeted warmly by his students, then turned and walked toward me with his usual calm smile.
“Greetings, Princess. I'm happy to see you visit again.”
I responded with a small nod.
He smiled and continued, asking if I was here to follow through with our previous agreement, which involved him demonstrating sword skills for me.
“Are you here to continue watching me demonstrate sword skills, Princess?”
“Yeah. I want to see more low-grade skills, please.”
“I understand, Princess. Come with me. I will demonstrate for you. Let’s go to the training dummies.”
“Oh...”
Nodding, I followed as he began walking with his hands tucked behind his back.
We did not go far. The training area was only a short distance away, perhaps two meters at most, so we arrived quickly.
I had brought a towel along, since I had been perspiring during the walk.
As expected, a few dummies were lined up on the field.
The area was wide and perfect for group training, though I did not pay much attention to the details.
The ground was plain dirt, just like everywhere else, and there was nothing special about it.
Following him, we headed toward a small hut filled with wooden weapons. The old man began rummaging through them, searching for a sturdy piece. His hands trembled as he moved, and his motions were slow and deliberate.
Eventually, he found a long wooden blade coated in varnish, its surface polished to a shine. It looked sturdy enough, but given how frail he appeared, I could not help but wonder if he could even demonstrate properly.
Sigh.
Mr. Sword King, please do your best. I didn’t come here for shit and walk away with nothing. Please don’t collapse on me.
That was what I wanted to say, but I held back. I had already committed to playing a specific role, and changing my tone now would not be wise.
I needed to keep up appearances.
So I waited for him. I could afford to wait an hour or two, but not more than three.
My goal here was to gather low-level skills, hoping some might be compatible enough to fuse.
If any of them reached mid-tier status, that would be even better.
“Princess, I will begin now.”
“Ah. Yes, please go ahead.”
Finally, after all that waiting, he took his stance.
He held the blade in one hand, with the other resting calmly behind his back.
He looked completely at ease.
“Then I will begin.”
Closing his eyes, the old man raised the wooden blade in front of his face, as if gazing into a mirror.
Then he turned to face the training dummy, his expression sharp and focused, though his eyes remained shut.
Using my divine vision, I detected no mana flowing through him.
Yet the atmosphere around him shifted.
Something had changed.
It was subtle, but undeniable.
I leaned forward slightly, my gaze fixed on him, refusing to blink. I did not want to miss even the slightest movement.
Then, with his eyes still closed, he swung the blade.
His earlier trembling vanished. In its place was a profound, steady motion.
His strike flowed as naturally as the wind, as if he had poured his entire being into that single movement.
Swoosh.
The air split cleanly with a crisp sound.
And then, before I could fully process what had happened, the dummy was sliced in two.
I blinked, stunned. I had not caught any detail of what he had done.
What the hell was that?
I was certain it had been just a normal swing.
But somewhere along the way, he had accelerated, changing the trajectory mid-motion so abruptly that I missed it entirely.
The strike had landed before I even realized what was happening.
The dummy had been cut with such precision that it fell apart in delayed silence.
How was this even a low-level sword skill?
Was this kind of movement even humanly possible?
Damn...
