Chapter 101: Monsterous Traits
At the very bottom of Frederic’s status, several new lines had materialized.
[Equipment Body Compatibility]
[Possesses the potential to develop a tall, broad-shouldered frame with exceptionally dense musculature, immense physical strength and endurance due to the Pure Yang Physique.]
[Recommended Equipment: Longsword, Heavy Shield, Heavy Armor.]
Roderic stared at the new information for a moment.
’A longsword combined with heavy armor and a heavy shield?’
It wasn’t a particularly strange combination back on Earth.
But here, most knights preferred fighting in light armor to avoid restricting their rapid, agile movements.
Roderic’s gaze slowly moved back towards Frederic.
’I can see him growing quite muscular though,’ he thought. ’Especially considering how much he’s grown in just two months...’
More importantly, Frederic’s traits seemed almost perfectly suited for that kind of fighting style.
[Iron Will], [Steady Hands], [Self-Disciplined], [Natural Commander] and the list goes on.
’’Yeah... I can see that working pretty damn well,’’ he muttered, shaking his head. ’’Guess it’s time to get to the truly painful matter...’’
Letting out a sigh, the system window popped up in front of him.
With a few simple clicks, Roderic found himself on the shop page, his heart already aching.
’’System,’’ he mumbled. ’’Search for longsword with heavy shield and armor techniques.’’
A long list with tens of thousands of techniques appeared in front of him.
Roderic immediately began scrolling.
Names flashed past one after another, their prices slowly increasing.
[Iron Fortress Art]
[Mountain Sword Art]
[...]
He stopped on several of them, briefly reading through their descriptions.
’This one’s pretty good...’
’This one too.’
There certainly wasn’t a shortage of powerful and unique techniques.
Some specialized in using the shield to create openings for the sword, while others focused almost entirely on defense.
Yet after several minutes of scrolling, Roderic’s brows gradually furrowed.
None of them felt quite right.
They suited Frederic’s recommended equipment, sure, but that was about it.
’I need something better suited to him,’ he thought. ’But how can I figure that out?’
[Ding!]
[Would you like to purchase the matching technique extension for the Golden Appraisal Eye?]
[Price: 10,000 Throne Coins]
Roderic’s expression twisted instantly.
’’Fuck off with your damn thievery!’’
There was no way he could afford that right now.
Not if he wanted to purchase techniques for each of his four retainers!
’’I can do you one better,’’ he grumbled. ’’Add a filter for the Pure Yang Physique.’’
Everything fell silent for a moment.
Suddenly, a small loading symbol appeared in the center of the window.
Several seconds ticked by.
Then dozens.
Just as Roderic began wondering whether the damn thing was broken again, the window finally refreshed.
—————Techniques & Spells—————
[Sunforge Guardian Art] - King-Grade - 7,999 Throne Coins
[Fire Demon Sword Art] - Saint-Grade - 49,999 Throne Coins
Roderic’s brows rose slightly.
’Are you sure this is all?’ he questioned hesitantly.
Almost immediately, another system window popped up in front of him.
[There are no further recorded techniques in history.]
That sentence made Roderic fall silent.
His gaze slowly returned to the two techniques.
’Only two... throughout all of history?’
Just how rare was this Pure Yang Physique?
Sure, there were bound to be more techniques designed for other weapons.
But still...
’I already held him in high regard,’ he thought. ’But maybe I should crank that up another level.’
There wasn’t much left to think about.
Roderic immediately pressed the first technique.
[Would you like to purchase the Sunforge Guardian Art for 7,999 Throne Coins?]
[Yes] [No]
His finger landed on [Yes] without hesitation.
[-7,999 Throne Coins]
[Purchase Successful.]
[Transferring Sunforge Guardian Art...]
Before Roderic could react, an enormous amount of information flooded into his mind.
His surroundings disappeared in an instant.
When his vision returned, he found himself standing in that familiar empty space once again.
A lone figure stood several meters ahead of him.
Bright flames covered the longsword in its right hand, while an enormous shield burned even more fiercely in its left.
Roderic’s eyes lit up.
’Now that looks fucking awesome.’
...
Several minutes later, Roderic opened his eyes.
The training grounds appeared around him once more.
He remained silent for a moment, processing everything he’d just experienced.
Then he quickly shook his head.
’’System,’’ Roderic called out. ’’Can you turn the Sunforge Guardian Art into a manual?’’
A system window popped up in front of him instantly.
[Would you like to spend 100 Throne Coins for a physical manual?]
Roderic’s brows twitched.
But he didn’t even bother, waving his hand in resignation.
’’Just get it started, damn it,’’ he muttered.
[Generating Technique Manual...]
A thick book materialized in his hands moments later.
Roderic flipped through several pages before nodding in satisfaction.
’This is good,’ he thought. ’And after having seen the moves in person, I’ll be able to help him as well.’
He closed the manual and stored it away.
Letting out a deep sigh, Roderic glanced up.
’One down, three to go.’
His gaze shifted across the training grounds until it landed on the next familiar figure.
Paul, the beggar he’d picked up by chance, was fiercely swinging his sword around.
’Let’s see what you’ve got,’ he thought, narrowing his eyes.
The golden glow returned to Roderic’s right eye.
But before Paul’s status could fully appear, Roderic glanced towards the other two.
’Actually... let’s get this over with at once.’
His gaze swept across the remaining two as well.
Three separate streams of information immediately unfolded beside one another.
[Paul]
Age: 27
Race: Human
Current Rank: Peak One-Seal Knight
Knight Talent: Extremely High
Minor Traits: [Late Bloomer], [Relentless], [Quick Reflexes], [Light-Footed]
Medium Traits: [Rapid Learner], [Adrenaline Rush], [Medium Pain Tolerance], [Bloodthirsty]
Advanced Traits: [Unyielding], [Battle Instinct], [Savage], [Predatory Instinct]
- - -
Roderic didn’t even get the chance to look at the other two.
His eyes remained glued to Paul’s status as his jaw dropped to the ground.
’’What on earth... is all of this?’’
Well over a dozen new traits had appeared in the time he was gone.
And the more he read about each of them, the stranger his expression became.
’’What kind of monster did I pick up from the streets?’’