Chapter 165: Instant Sword Court

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Instant Sword Court

Lance took the thick skill redemption catalog from the clerk.

He flipped directly to the middle of the catalog.

Previously, when he was short on funds, he had already set his sights on a Status Skill that increased body control.

That Skill could effectively increase muscle flexibility and limb control, costing only about one hundred Merit Points.

But now with plenty of Merit Points on hand, his range of options had naturally broadened.

As his fingers slid across the page, his gaze was soon captivated by a Status Skill specially marked with a red border.

[Thunder Sting Reflex]: Redemption requires 280 Merit.

This Skill originated from an extreme combat Profession’s faction, once renowned across the continent but now nearly defunct.

The Instant Sword Court.

This faction abandoned heavy armor and conventional defenses, pursuing only one thing: to strike down the enemy with incredible speed in the instant they attacked.

"The thunder of awakening; the startled insect leaps."

This was the essence of the Skill, the core Status Skill for one of the factions within the Instant Sword Court that pursued the greatest speed.

The core principle of this Skill was to use one’s accumulated Ether Energy to forcibly stimulate the motor nerves throughout the body.

Thereby drastically increasing the user’s reaction speed for a short period.

Furthermore, the catalog specially noted that once this Skill reached a high enough Level, attacks could even be imbued with faint lightning-attribute damage.

It even included the terrifying battle record of a member of this Instant Sword Court faction who had mastered the Rare Profession of [Thunderstruck Sword Ghost]. Relying on extreme speed, this individual single-handedly fought and defeated seven other practitioners of Rare Professions at the same level.

Just by reading these words, Lance could feel the overwhelming power they described.

During the intense battle in the historic projection last night, Lance had often felt a jarring sense of disharmony due to the enhanced motion perception granted by his [Eyes of the Young Dragon].

’My eyes could clearly keep up with the Demon’s attacks, and I could even see its openings.’

’But because of the limits of nerve conduction speed, my hands and feet would lag with a very slight delay.’

’This had caused me to miss several chances for a one-hit kill in actual combat.’

’And the nerve-stimulating effect of [Thunder Sting Reflex] seems practically tailor-made to solve this shortcoming.’

However, there was a reason the Guild clerk had specially marked it: it was extremely dangerous.

Although the damage was small with each use, forcibly stimulating the nerves with Ether would accumulate, causing irreversible Ether-nerve carbonization.

Most of these Swordsmen, who once shone as brilliantly as lightning, didn’t live past the age of thirty.

In their older years, they couldn’t even hold a simple cup of water steady.

This was a side effect that Lance’s [Hevagmir’s Boiling] could not solve.

However, these side effects could be eliminated by "solidifying" the Skill upon reaching the Professional Level. But while the boost to reaction time and speed from [Thunder Sting Reflex] was powerful, it was considered too extreme. Therefore, no one chose to solidify it. Even the Swordsmen of the Instant Sword Court prioritized solidifying their Breathing Combat Technique instead.

But Lance was different.

’If I can solidify it...’

’...then in future battles, I’ll essentially have two powerful Status Skills permanently active.’

’I’ll become a monster with the physique of a Giant Dragon and the speed of a Sword Ghost!’

"I’ll redeem this one."

Lance pointed to the entry on the page, showing the clerk across from him.

"Mr. Raven, are you sure?"

The clerk’s expression changed slightly when he saw the entry. He offered a well-intentioned warning, "The side effects of this Skill are incredibly harsh. Many Adventurers who redeemed it were left permanently disabled..."

"I’m sure."

Lance’s tone was firm.

The Merit redemption counter was completely different from the regular transaction counters.

Seeing that his persuasion had failed, the clerk could only sigh. He turned and hurried to the core archives in the back to file the paperwork.

Before long, a crudely bound but detailed hand-copied skill manual was respectfully handed to Lance.

"Mr. Raven, the Guild has provided a dedicated private training room for you."

The clerk explained with a smile.

"You can learn it right here in the training room. As per our rules, you’ll have one opportunity per day to practice [Thunder Sting Reflex] in this safe environment, for a period of one full month."

Hearing this bonus perk, Lance raised his eyebrows.

’This is a pretty nice perk.’

’It completely waives the rental fee for a private training room.’

’This means for the whole next month, I can use the Guild’s expensive training room for free once a day.’

Carrying the manual, Lance familiarly made his way into the private training room.

He found a clean corner, sat down cross-legged, and quickly flipped through the booklet in his hands.

But in the very next moment, after giving the Skill Book just one careful read from cover to cover, he tossed it aside without a second thought.

He closed his eyes and silently chanted in his mind.

’System, add points!’

[Thunder Sting Reflex Skill Level +830, Level 1 → Level 3, 180/625]

He had successfully learned the Skill.

However, perhaps because his current Basic Attributes were already nearing the absolute limit for an ordinary person, when the Skill jumped two levels, the system panel didn’t display the usual, tantalizing Attribute bonus prompts.

’Still need some more for the Skill Level.’

Lance looked at the progress bar and flexed his wrist.

’If I find some time to practice over the next couple of days, I should be able to grind this Skill to Level 4.’

He stood up and walked to the center of the training room.

Taking a deep breath, he activated the [Thunder Sting Reflex] he had just learned.

A faint wisp of Ether Energy instantly transformed into a tingling electric current, surging up his spine and forcibly stimulating every motor nerve in his body.

[Reaction Speed temporarily increased by 15%, Attack Speed temporarily increased by 15%]

This was the standard boost that a normal Status Skill could provide.

In comparison, a Combat Technique like the [Dragon Hunting Breathing Combat Technique], which provided an all-around physical enhancement, was an aberration that completely broke the scale.

Lance’s pupils gradually constricted, their edges rimmed with a mysterious, dark gold luster.

He assumed an opening stance and began to practice the fierce forms of the [Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style], his movements wild and unrestrained in the spacious training room.

His figure was so fast it was nothing but a blurry afterimage.

Heavy fists cut through the air with a whoosh, while his kicks lashed out like steel whips at an imaginary foe.

Lance could clearly feel the difference. With the 15% increase to his attack speed, the gusts of wind stirred up by his punches and palm strikes were much sharper than before.

His speed when transitioning between various killing blows had also increased by more than a single notch.

Most critically, when combined with the powerful motion perception from his [Eyes of the Young Dragon], his hands and feet could finally, perfectly, keep up with the combat trajectories his eyes were tracking.

There was no sense of lag whatsoever.

This exhilarating combat experience made Lance feel as if the blood in his entire body was boiling with excitement.

In his past life, he’d heard a saying: among all martial arts in the world, nothing beats speed.

’I’ll have to look into collecting more Skills from the Instant Sword Court.’ He was beginning to develop a strong interest in their extreme combat style.

But Lance did not indulge in it for long and soon relaxed his aggressive Combat Stance.

The cold, dark gold sheen in his pupils quickly receded, returning them to their human black.

"Huuu..."

Lance let out a long, steamy breath, calming his racing heart.

He glanced at the clock on the training room wall.

Next, he had to hurry to the bustling commercial street.

He’d already gone through a major battle yesterday; his Spirit and body needed a bit of a break.

’No need to rush into more training.’

He had already paid a deposit for Cecilia’s birthday gift a few days ago at a private Alchemy Shop.

It was about time, so he had to go pick up the custom-made gift.

’Today, I not only got three shiny Gold Coins, but I also acquired a crucial Skill.’

’Now that I have money, it’s time to spend a little.’