Paragon of Skills

I alone on the beach now, with my body bruised and stiff.

Sir Greyson has trained him in fighting pretty much for any stretch of time when Felisia had been resting.

"That was crazy," I mutter, groaning and massaging the back of my neck. "Is that how strong a Knight is? No offense to Sir Greyson, but he doesn't even look that special. Is that, like, the threshold? Are all Knights at least as strong as Sir Greyson?"

Even with The Grimoire Extraordinaire helping me out, I am in awe of the power of a Knight.

That's what I've always wanted to be, I smile to myself.

I smile despite the soreness in my legs.

But now, it's time for what I came here to do.

I pull out the small, heavy box the merchant gave me and open the latch with a quiet click. Inside rest three Skill Crystals—each one humming faintly with power. Fire Slash, Fire Shield, and Fire Armor.

Three out of five.

The last one—Fire Walk—is in the dungeon tomorrow. Once I get that, the set's complete.

I pick up the first one.

Fire Shield (Silver - Defensive Skill)

Would you like to absorb Fire Shield?

"Yes."

The crystal dissolves into searing light that floods my chest and arms. The pain burns like a forge blast but fades fast. A chime rings in my skull.

You have absorbed Fire Shield.

Fire Shield (Silver - Defensive Skill)

Fire Shield - Level 1

Next.

Fire Armor (Silver – Defensive Skill)

Would you like to absorb Fire Armor?

"Confirm."

A deeper warmth this time. Not as violent. It wraps around my torso like a blanket made of ash and iron.

You have absorbed Fire Armor.

Fire Armor (Silver – Defensive Skill)

Fire Armor – Level 1

Third one.

Fire Slash (Silver – Offensive Skill)

Would you like to absorb Fire Slash?

"Yes."

This one's different. Sharp. Immediate. Like a blade pressed against my palm.

You have absorbed Fire Slash.

Fire Slash (Silver – Offensive Skill)

Fire Slash – Level 1

I exhale and check my status.

Name: Jacob Cloud

Skills:

Iron Grip Lv. 95 (Iron)

Minor Endurance Lv. 87 (Iron)

Minor Night Vision Lv. 32 (Iron)

Minor Vibration Sense Lv. 21 (Iron)

Minor Cookery Lv. 34 (Iron)

Minor Strength Lv. 91 (Bronze)

Light Lv. 67 (Bronze)

Pickaxe Mastery Lv. 81 (Bronze)

Minor Mineral Sense Lv. 72 (Bronze)

The Grimoire Extraordinaire (Rainbow)

Mana Pool Lv. 62 (Silver)

Hell's Sword Lv. 43 (Gold)

Fire Shield Lv. 1 (Silver)

Fire Armor Lv. 1 (Silver)

Fire Slash Lv. 1 (Silver)

I look at the Fire Veins Skill Crystal.

You need to wait until the other Skills are maxed out, buddy, I think to myself.

I really want to get my Class as soon as I can. A Class unlocks Class Skills and Attributes, which make a terrifying difference in combat. Plus, you need a Class if you want to sign up to become a Knight and attend their Academy—and you need to reach level 50 before you even apply.

The requirements are pretty high.

Level 50 would usually make you a Silver Ranked Adventurer, someone capable of taking on a Silver Ranked Dungeon with a team or a Bronze Ranked Dungeon by yourself.

Anyway, it's time for me to work on these Skills if I want to speed up the process. Hell's Sword still consumes too much Mana for me to start with that. Let's see how flawed are the other Skills first.

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[Fire Shield – Silver Rank – Lv. 1]

Grimoire Extraordinaire: Fire Shield Lv. 1 contains 12 distinct flaws.

"That's not many, considering it's level one," I mutter to myself.

But I do remember Sir Greyson mentioning that weaker Skills have usually less overhead needed to level up.

It makes sense, I guess.

If every Skill was as hard to level up as Hell's Sword, it'd take me way too long to get a Class. And there's such a thing as speed in this world. The sooner you get a Class, the more you can train and fight monsters. The more monsters you fight, the more resources you get. The more resources you get, the faster you can advance.

It's a cycle, and I'm currently out of it.

I summon Fire Shield and a thin circle of sputtering fire appears in front of me.

For once, I also summon The Grimoire since I need to take a look at the Skill's Page.

Fire Shield – Silver Rank – Lv. 1

Grimoire Extraordinaire: Fire Shield Lv. 1 contains 12 distinct flaws.

Physical Defense: 18kg

Magical Defense: 12 MP

Fire Damage: 5 HP

Mana Cost per Second: 4.2 MP

Efficiency: 1%

"That's not great at all," I mutter.

But I remember something else Sir Greyson said—low-level Skills have fewer moving parts but can become extraordinarily powerful.

Simpler circuits doesn't mean they're clean. Just easier to work with, I guess.

I scan the top three flaws:

Burst Timing Desync – 0.4s delay between activation and full materialization.

Outer Layer Fracturing – Edge fails under medium kinetic stress; structural tension disperses unevenly.

Heat Loss Reroute – Excess mana vented as radiant heat through dominant arm.

"Let's fix the heat loss first. What should I do?"

Flaw: Heat Loss Reroute — detected heat bleed through right triceps and wrist joint.

Recommended Solution: Redirect pulse origin to lower spinal Root Veins.

Split output through Rising Sun channels in both arms. Conclude with secondary compression burst at the palm.

I cycle my mana through the Rising Sun veins, shifting the flow from the usual centerline to a mirror configuration mapped by the Grimoire. I compress the pulse into a tighter burst, reducing the spread radius.

The shield stabilizes.

I feel the shield shift. Stabilize.

Fire Shield – Level 1 → Level 5

Physical Defense: 18 → 37 kg

Magical Defense: 12 → 17 MP

Fire Damage: 5 → 8 HP

Mana Cost per Second: 4.2 MP → 3.7 MP

Efficiency: 1% → 5%

"Much better."

I rotate my wrist, and the new shield follows, a flat disk of pressure and flame no longer fluttering at the edges. It feels... usable.

I tap it with Hell's Sword—not a real swing, just a testing graze. It holds. A shimmer of resistance snaps into the flames before it cracks.

Still not perfect. But it feels like something I could sort of block a hit with.

"Alright," I whisper. "Next flaw—let's fix the desync."

The Grimoire overlays a diagram over my vision: the delay is from a micro-hesitation in how I'm feeding the veins. I align the cast with a held breath—not before, not after, but during the inhale. That seems to be the trick.

The next cast?

Instantaneous.

Fire Shield – Level 5 → Level 8

Physical Defense: 37 → 52 kg

Magical Defense: 17 → 28 MP

Fire Damage: 8 → 14 HP

Mana Cost per Second: 3.7 MP → 3.2 MP

Efficiency: 5% → 9%

Ding

Fire Shield – Level 8 → Level 35

Physical Defense: 52 → 119 kg

Magical Defense: 28 → 104 MP

Fire Damage: 14 → 16 HP

Mana Cost per Second: 3.2 MP → 2.4 MP

Efficiency: 8% → 35%

I step back, wiping sweat from my temple. The shield now feels like a proper defense—not just a flicker of flame but a wall of pressure wrapped in heat. I test it against Hell's Sword again—this time with a medium swing. It holds.

The fire damage plateaued somewhere around 16 HP. It's been stuck there since Level 12 or so. I must've fixed whatever flaw was suppressing it early on, but there's nothing more to gain on that axis. Not that I care. It's a defensive Skill. If anything's burning, something's gone wrong.

I stretch my shoulders and pull up the remaining two Skills. Time to refine another.

I stand again and stretch, cracking my knuckles. The Grimoire pulses.

Skill Review: Fire Slash – Silver Rank – Lv. 1

Grimoire Extraordinaire: Fire Slash Lv. 1 contains 27 distinct flaws.

I blink.

"Twenty-seven? That's more than I expected."

That means Fire Slash is probably the second most powerful Skill I've got in the set—maybe even the one with the highest ceiling.

I try to cast it.

Nothing happens.

Right. That makes sense. The name says it all—Fire Slash. It's a tether Skill. You probably need a weapon to focus it.

I summon Hell's Sword, and the blade ignites in my hand, a long shimmer of golden-red fire laced with internal runes.

The air shifts. My right hand feels heavier.

I try the cast again.

This time, it works.

A wave of compressed fire surges outward from my slash—thin, fast, and jagged. Like a blade of flame peeled off the edge of the sword.

Unstable. But real.

The Grimoire chimes again.

[Fire Slash – Silver Rank – Lv. 1]

Mana Cost per Slash: 9.8 MP

Flame Length: 0.2 meters

Spread Stability: 12%

Contact Heat Output: 3 HP

Physical Damage: 4 HP

Then, I open the Skill's page.

Top Three Flaws (by structural instability):

Channel-Stutter Loop – Mana rhythm breaks halfway through the swing, creating a gap in the flame filament. Causes sputtering and power loss mid-strike.

Suggested fix: Extend draw through Twin Pulse Veins in forearms. Sync pulse with swing apex to complete filament arc.

Ignition Lag – Initial cast delay of 0.18s due to breath-tension during prep phase.

Suggested fix: Trigger cast at midpoint of exhale rather than holding breath. Mana input will smooth.

Edge Dispersal – Flame-edge loses cohesion after 1.6 meters. Weakens the end of the slash arc.

Suggested fix: Collapse mana into centerline by 12%. Reinforce with 2% extra pulse routed through the Fifth Knuckle Veins.

"Let's get to work."

I adjust my grip on Hell's Sword, exhale slow, and channel mana through my forearms. The Grimoire's recommended vein route—Twin Pulse, it said. I picture the arc. Let the motion lead the mana.

This time, when I swing, I time the pulse with the apex of the slash.

The filament holds.

The flame doesn't stutter.

Then I exhale again, cast at the midpoint.

The Skill ignites cleaner. No sputter. No lag.

On the third swing, I collapse the flame path inward, keeping it tight along the blade's spine, and funnel a subtle closing surge through the base of my knuckles—just like the Grimoire suggested.

The wave of fire that shoots out is now sharper and slightly longer.

Ding

Fire Slash – Level 1 → Level 4

Mana Cost per Slash: 9.8 → 8.1 MP

Flame Length: 0.2 → 0.3 meters

Spread Stability: 12% → 23%

Contact Heat Output Damage: 3 → 4 HP

Physical Damage: 4 → 7 HP

Efficiency: 1% → 3%

Not bad.

A dozen small corrections. Three major ones.

Already, Fire Slash feels more usable.

I look at the dark night and smile.

Soon, I'll enter the dungeon and get my own Class.