Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Alaric found himself in the sea of darkness.

Am I dead? He thought that he had died in that battle against the cult leader, but then he saw the system screen in front of him.

___

Mission Complete!

Rewards: 15000 Battle Points, 2500 EXP, 300 Stat Points, SSS-Rank Trait Card, Random Trait Upgrade Card x1, Mythical Knight Card x1

___

The presence of the system screen hinted that he was still alive, but he didn’t know what kind of situation he was in.

This was the first time he had experienced this mysterious phenomenon.

It’s good to be alive…

He sighed in relief.

[You have killed the leader of the heretic cult. You will receive bonus rewards for this remarkable feat.]

___

Bonus rewards: 15000 Battle Points, 2500 EXP, 300 Stat Points, Selected Trait Upgrade Card x1, Soul Mark Awakening Card x1]

___

Alaric was pleasantly surprised to see this notification.

Hold on… this isn’t the usual random trait upgrade card. And what is this Soul Mark Awakening thing? Suddenly, he thought of a terrifying possibility.

This wouldn’t give me a Soul Mark, would it?

He had never heard of a Knight with a soul mark before. Only beast soul warriors were given a soul mark at birth.

If I had a soul mark… Just the thought of it made him incredibly excited.

Beast soul warriors could integrate the abilities of beasts into themselves. Although the ability they could inherit was random, this unique trait still gave them an edge over Knights.

I wonder if I can use the rewards now. He decided to test out his theory.

[Do you want to use the SSS-Rank Trait Card?]

[Yes] [No]

It’s really possible! Without hesitation, he chose [Yes].

[You have awakened the SSS-Rank Poison Immunity trait.]

Not bad. Having a body immune to all kinds of poison would be a great asset especially if I encounter an enemy with high poison mastery. He had encountered individuals who could make potent poisons. Although his vitality was high, there was still a chance for him to get poisoned. Now that he had this trait, poisoning him was close to impossible.

What card should I use next? He still had one Random Trait Upgrade Card, one Selected Trait Upgrade Card, one Mythical Knight Card, and the Soul Mark Awakening Card.

After careful thought, Alaric decided to use the Random Trait Upgrade Card.

[Your trait Supreme Regeneration (S) has been upgraded to Supreme Regeneration (SS).]

I actually upgraded this trait! His luck wasn’t bad this time.

[Do you want to use the Selected Trait Upgrade Card?]

Alaric pondered for a moment. He had an array of traits, but some were no longer useful to him, so he must choose the most suitable one to upgrade.

In the battle against Kim Chon-jae, Alaric realized that his defense was lacking. His Shield Mastery was at the SS-rank, but he wasn’t able to make use of it since he was a dual sword user.

Should I abandon my dual sword style and use a shield instead?

Alaric fell into a conundrum. As someone who had used the sword in two lifetimes, the dual sword style was the best and most fitting style for him. He didn’t want to give up on it.

After a long time of thinking, he suddenly recalled an enemy he had before. It was a Knight who specialized in fist techniques.

The guy used a pair of unique metal bracers that could turn into miniature shields. With this equipment, he managed to gain some renown and was later given the nickname ‘Fist King’.

If I had those bracers, I could improve my defense significantly. Should I upgrade my Shield Mastery and hire a skilled artisan to make a similar pair of bracers?

Alaric couldn’t decide quickly.

He still hadn’t tried using that equipment so it might not work well with his dual sword style.

Damn… to think I would be stuck here unable to choose what trait to upgrade. He was amused.

Other than upgrading his Shield Mastery, he was also tempted to upgrade his Swordsmanship.

Is L-Rank the limit of traits? Curious, he tested it out.

[Do you want to use the Selected Trait Card on your L-Rank Swordsmanship?]

[Yes] [No]

Alaric fell into deep thought.

The L-Rank Swordsmanship allowed him to possess a terrifying ability to utilize his sword and it also gave him the power to wield the frost element.

He never would have thought that he could still upgrade this trait. He wondered what kind of improvement he would have if he were to upgrade his L-Rank Swordsmanship. Just thinking about it almost made him click [Yes].

In the end, Alaric decided to temporarily hold on to his Selected Trait Card.

I will put this on hold for now. Should I check the Soul Mark Awakening Card?

It wasn’t the right time to use the Mythical Knight Card given his current situation so he could only choose the last card.

Alaric was filled with anticipation.

[Do you want to use the Soul Mark Awakening Card?]

Let’s do it!

[You have awakened the soul mark!]

Unknown to him, mysterious changes were happening to his body. On his back, a unique soul mark manifested in the shape of a sword.

Normally, soul marks appeared in the shape of rings on the wrist, but it was different in his case.

Alaric was unaware of this since he was still trapped in the sea of darkness. However, the people who were tending to his unconscious body felt the unusual fluctuations of mana within him.

“What is going on?” Lucas stood up in shock when he felt the vibrations of mana.

He was sitting on a chair next to Alaric’s bed when he sensed the unusual movement of mana.

Profoundly shocked, Nivis rushed to Alaric’s bed and placed her hand on his chest. She then quickly sent a stream of her energy into Alaric’s body to investigate his condition.

Lucas didn’t stop her. He knew that this blue-haired woman was one of Alaric’s people.

“You take care of him. I will call someone who might know what’s going on.” He was about to look for help when…

“Wait! Something isn’t right.” Nivis exclaimed, her voice trembling with confusion.

Lucas turned around and looked at her with a frown. “Did you discover something?”

Nivis nodded. “It would be better if you see it yourself.”

With a pensive look, Lucas went to his son’s side and placed his hand on Alaric’s chest. Similarly, he sent a stream of mana to see what Nivis was talking about.

His body is recovering well. No… his rate of recovery seems to have improved significantly. Is this what she was…

Huh?! What is this?

Finally, he discovered the mark on Alaric’s back. Although he couldn’t see it, Lucas could sense that it was pulsating with dense energy.

“It’s a soul mark.” Nivis’s voice drifted into his ears.

Hearing this, Lucas was dumbfounded. His son wasn’t born with a soul mark so how did he suddenly manifest one? Not to mention that it manifested on his back.

“I’ve never heard of this situation before. It seems like your son has become a beast soul warrior.” Nivis added, her face filled with incredulity.

Lucas’s eyes widened. “How is that possible? Is that really a soul mark?”

Nivis shrugged. “You’ve sensed it yourself. Only a soul mark could make those pulsations of mana.”

Lucas looked at his son’s peaceful face and murmured. “Alaric, just what kind of secret are you hiding from your father?”

Alaric had already told them that he had reincarnated, but he felt that his son had withheld some information. He wondered if this secret was related to the changes happening on Alaric’s body.

“We should keep this matter to ourselves. If others were to hear this, it wouldn’t be good for his safety,” Nivis suggested in a cold voice.

“Alright.”

Lucas nodded in agreement. They were still in the Veronican Empire.

Most of the Astanian forces were still recuperating, including Dominic and Leroy who had sustained severe injuries in their battle against Benedict Agma.

If the empress were to covet the mysterious secret in Alaric’s body, they wouldn’t have the power to resist her.

“No one must be allowed to enter this room. You stay here and take care of Alaric. I will take my leave first and inform the others not to disturb his recovery.” Lucas instructed before he left the room.

Nivis grabbed a chair and took her seat. She then looked at Alaric who was in deep slumber.

“It has been two years since we defeated the cult leader…”

Her eyes flashed with concern.

“For how long do you intend to keep us waiting, Alaric?”

Many skilled doctors had tried to heal him, but they all failed. The silver lining was that Alaric’s body was recovering well. The cracks on his energy core and the numerous wounds he had sustained had remarkably gotten better.

Nivis sighed.

“Didn’t you promise to help me? Please wake up soon…”