A New Path
The cold steel badge felt heavier than Aster had expected.
Not because of its weight.
But because of what it represented.
A C-Rank Adventurer
Only a day ago, he had been an unknown beginner who struggled against Level 1 monsters.
Now, the Adventurers Association itself had acknowledged his achievements.
He smiled faintly.
Without lingering inside the Association, Aster walked toward another familiar destination.
The Mistvale Training Grounds.
Unlike yesterday, he had no intention of copying another skill.
Instead...
He wanted to learn the reward he had earned.
The Rare Skill Book.
---
Inside one of the private practice rooms, Aster locked the wooden door behind him.
The room was empty except for several practice dummies.
He opened his inventory.
The green-covered tome floated before him.
Venom Edge
Rank: Rare
A prompt appeared.
Would you like to learn this skill?
YES
The book dissolved into countless emerald particles.
They entered Aster's body.
Immediately, unfamiliar knowledge flooded his mind.
The Primal Codex opened by itself.
---
Skill Successfully Learned
Venom Edge
Rank: Rare
Category: Weapon Enchantment
Compatible Weapons:
* Daggers
* Twin Blades
---
Skill Description
Coat the equipped blades with condensed venom.
Each successful strike injects poison directly into the target.
The venom partially bypasses physical defenses by attacking the enemy's body from within.
---
Effects
* Converts weapon attacks into Poison Attribute damage.
* Ignores a portion of the target's physical defense.
* Applies Venom for 10 seconds.
* Venom deals continuous damage every second.
* Reapplying Venom refreshes its duration.
Mana Cost: 20
Cooldown: 20 Seconds
---
Aster slowly nodded.
"So it doesn't increase my raw attack..."
"It makes every successful hit much deadlier."
Against heavily armored enemies, the skill would be especially effective.
He reached into his inventory once more.
The pair of Shadowfang Twin Blades appeared in his hands.
Unlike his sword...
The twin blades were shorter.
Curved.
Balanced for speed rather than power.
He instinctively adopted a lower stance.
The blades felt surprisingly natural.
As though the skill book had taught him not only the technique...
But also the fundamentals of wielding them.
He activated the skill.
A green glow spread across both blades.
Dark venom slowly dripped from their edges.
Even the practice dummy seemed more intimidating.
Aster dashed forward.
Twin strikes flashed through the air.
The blades carved an X-shaped mark across the dummy.
Green poison immediately spread through the damaged wood.
The practice dummy began hissing.
Its durability rapidly decreased.
"...Amazing."
Even against an object...
The poison continued eating away at the damage.
The Primal Codex suddenly emitted a gentle pulse.
Ancient words appeared across its pages.
---
Combat Restriction Notice
The Bearer may master all paths.
However...
The Bearer cannot walk multiple paths simultaneously.
---
Aster frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The explanation followed.
---
Weapon Restriction
Only one weapon category may be actively equipped during combat.
Switching weapon categories requires dismissing the current weapon.
---
Skill Restriction
Only one offensive skill from different weapon categories may remain active.
✓ Sword + Twin Flash Step
✓ Twin Blades + Venom Edge
---
Aster carefully read every line.
"I see..."
"The Codex isn't preventing me from learning everything."
"It's preventing me from abusing everything."
If he fought as a swordsman...
He would use his sword together with Twin Flash Step.
If he fought using twin blades...
He would rely on Venom Edge.
The Primal Codex emphasized specialization in battle while preserving limitless growth outside of it.
He smiled.
"That actually makes sense."
Otherwise, he could simply combine every skill he learned into an unstoppable fighting style.
The restrictions maintained balance.
Yet...
His greatest advantage remained untouched.
He could switch whenever he wished.
Sword.
Or twin blades.
Movement.
Or poison.
Power.
Or speed.
Depending on the situation, Aster could freely change his style of combat.
Aster closed the panel.
He looked first at the sword resting inside his inventory.
Then at the twin blades in his hands.
A quiet smile spread across his face.
"Most players choose one class."
"I'll master them all."
He sheathed the twin blades.
For the first time since entering Divine Nexus, Aster realized that he was no longer walking the path of a swordsman alone.
Nor was he becoming an assassin.
He was becoming something entirely different.
A warrior whose limits would never be defined by a single class.
A bearer of every Truth the Primal Codex would one day reveal.