Eternal Forge: Starting with a SSS Rank talent and a Myth Rank Class

Chapter 77: Chapter 77- New Energy System (Ki/Qi)

Master Rook finally managed to push through the last of the notifications.

His brow stayed locked in a permanent scowl the entire time.

”Stupid game,” he muttered. ”I thought this was supposed to be action. Am I supposed to play by reading? Am I going to have to keep reading through the whole damn thing?”

He was thoroughly frustrated. The earlier description of the world had sounded promising, yet he still hadn’t properly looked at his talents. Even if he ignored everything else, he needed to know what those were.

He opened the status panel again and selected the talent tab.

[Talent: Sword-Soul Edge]

[Rank: SS]

[Perk 1 Unlocked: Soul Perception ]

Your blade and your soul vibrate as one. When you face another, you read the soul-signature beneath the stance—true intent, fear, deception, the weakness a body hides but a soul cannot.

No feint works on you, nor any lie shall pass you by.

”The eye reads the soul, not the stance—nothing fake survives it.”

[Perk 2 Unlocked: Soul Attacks]

Your blade has the ability to touch the soul itself. It passes through armor and flesh like light through a window—the body bleeds after the soul does. Deals 150% ATK as soul damage when equipping a sword-type weapon; ignores 100% physical DEF and armor; wounds dealt with soul sever heal at 50% slower rate; each hit reduces the target’s Spiritual Integrity. With enough proficiency, a new attack skill can be unlocked: Soul Rend.

[Perk 3 — Soul Pressure]

Suppress a portion of the target’s Spiritual Integrity. Targets with weakened Spiritual Integrity suffer reduced combat ability, slower skill activation, and diminished resistance to soul-based attacks. Enemies whose Spiritual Integrity falls below 50% become increasingly vulnerable to your attacks.

”Before the body kneels, the soul must first learn fear.”

[Perk 4 — Soul Mark]

Every successful strike leaves behind a Soul Mark, invisible to ordinary perception. Each consecutive strike against the same target deepens the mark.

1 mark: movements predictable.

2 marks: locate the target from anywhere, real time.

3 marks: soul damage +25%.

5 marks: attacks bypass certain defensive skills/barriers.

7 marks: Soul-Bound—target cannot escape perception. Marks fade if not renewed.

Perks 5–9 (locked — descriptions saved for future unlock)

[Perk 5 — Sword-Soul Domain]

[Perk 6 — One Sword, One Soul]

[Perk 7 — Soul-Sword Intent]

[Perk 8 — Absolute Soul Severance]

[Perk 9 — Soul Evolution]

Rook stared at the wall of text and let out a long, irritated breath.

”Damn. So many descriptions again. What the hell is this game? Some kind of reading exercise for kids?”

He finally finished going through all of it.

As he muttered the last complaint a little too loudly, the registrar and several people nearby all turned toward him. Weird little smiles sat on their faces.

Rook simply huffed and ignored them.

”So are we done? Can I go?”

The registrar nodded. ”You can pick up some beginner’s quests, or hunt some rabbits and turn them in at the Adventurers’ Guild as your first quest.”

A soft chime sounded in his mind.

[Ding~]

[Quest obtained]

[Select a quest in the quest hall or hunt 5 rabbits and hand them over to the Adventurers’ Guild]

Master Rook gave a short nod and walked out.

He suddenly stopped and asked, ”Where do I find rabbits, or other animals to kill?”

”Outside the town, in the forests,” the registrar replied without looking up from his ledger.

He nodded and stepped out into the street.

He had barely left the building when he realized he had no idea where anything was. He stopped a couple of passers-by and asked for directions. When he asked a young woman, she patiently explained how the map system worked. Rook listened carefully, thanked her with genuine gratitude, and finally understood the function.

Armed with that knowledge, he made his way through Ironhaven’s winding streets toward the forest road. The path led him out of the town and into the trees without further trouble.

”It was this easy to navigate, Tsk.....They should have told be sooner”

The forest was quiet except for the steady chorus of birds and insects. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in broken patches. Rook carried the plain beginner’s sword he had received when he chose his class. The weight felt familiar enough in his hand.

He had not walked far when something odd happened.

He felt a rabbit.

He had not seen it yet. The animal was perfectly hidden behind a cluster of bushes, but its presence registered clearly in his awareness—the faint tremor of life, the quiet tension of a creature trying to stay still.

Soul Perception. So that’s what it does.

Rook continued walking at a normal pace, passed the bushes, then took two more steps and turned. The sword was already clear of its sheath.

Shing....

The rabbit died before it even noticed him.

[Wild Rabbit defeated]

[Exp +10]

Master Rook had lived through more life-and-death situations than he cared to count. The kill was clean, efficient, and left no emotional mark on him.

”Hmph. At least I get to swing the sword and kill something. It feels real. Thank the gods I don’t have to read or write just to cut a rabbit’s throat.”

He sensed the second rabbit almost immediately, then the third. He could feel their fear sharpen the moment he drew near. Without hesitation he finished them the same way—short, decisive movements, no wasted motion.

He kept killing every rabbit he came across. The quest notification arrived earlier than expected.

[Quest Complete: Beginner’s Hunt]

[Wild Rabbit ×5 turned in]

[Reward: 40 EXP, 30 Copper]

He ignored it and continued. The movement felt good. The weight of the sword, the small adjustments of footwork, the clean line of each cut—all of it reminded him of real training.

Then warmth rolled through his body like a wave of energy spreading through muscle and bone. His limbs felt slightly stronger, denser.

[Ding~]

[Level Up! You have reached Level 2.]

So that’s what leveling up feels like.

Rook paused, then began practicing the real forms he had used for decades. Basic fencing stances, measured and precise, designed to attune the body to internal energy. He moved slowly at first, then with increasing focus. After a while he felt something familiar stirring—ki, faint but present.

Can it be... I can use ki here as well?

He pushed harder, letting the stances flow the way they were meant to. The forest around him faded. There was only the blade, the breath, and the quiet circulation of energy.

A new notification appeared.

[Ding~]

[You have created your own swordsmanship]

[Ding~]

[Please name your swordsmanship]

Rook looked at the floating text and sighed.

”So they really do make me read and write. Sigh....”

He thought for a moment, then named it simply.

Fencing Swordsmanship

[Ding~]

[Congratulations on creating your own swordsmanship.]

[Evaluating the swordsmanship.....]

[Evaluation completed]

[Swordsmanship Rank: B]

[Ding~]

[You have gained a new B-rank passive skill]

[Passive: Fencing Swordsmanship] (Novice)

Rank: B

Attacks +20% additional damage.

Attack speed +15%.

Rook studied the result.

”Hmm. B rank? Is that supposed to be good? Feels average. My talent was SS... so this is just ordinary quality in the game?”

He dismissed the panel. The description was useful enough.

He returned to training.

Nearly an hour passed. His breath grew heavier, but a different kind of warmth began to gather deep inside his body—something that had been collecting with every correct movement and was now ready to spread.

Can I really use ki in this game?

His heartbeat quickened. He settled back into stance and poured everything he had into the forms. Time lost meaning. The world narrowed until only his body and the blade remained.

Then the notification finally came.

[Ding~]

[Another energy system detected]

[The energy flowing through the body does not match any known mana signature]

[Analyzing the source.....]

[Analysis complete]

[Classification: Inner Vital Energy]

[New Energy System Unlocked: QI]

[Qi: 0/100]

[Skill Unlocked: Qi Sense (Lv 1)]

Sense the flow of inner energy within yourself and those around you. Higher levels reveal deeper flows and concealed power.

Master Rook read it once. Then he read it again. His mouth twisted.

”Qi?”

He snorted.

”I’ve called it ki for sixty years already. No way I’m changing the spelling just because some floating panel tells me to.”

He decided to test it at once. Focusing the familiar sensation, he guided the energy into the sword and swung.

A new skill registered.

[Ding]

[Congratulations, you have created a new skill]

[Qi Slash]

”Tsk. That was just the basics and you call it a new skill? Wait until I reach a few proper stages of ki. Then you’ll have something worth registering.”

Even so, he checked the description.

[Qi Slash]

Rank: F (can grow)

Cooldown: 5 seconds

Cost: 5 Qi, 5 Stamina

Channel inner qi into the blade and release it in a single clean cut. A thin arc of condensed qi leaps from the edge, extending reach by 1 meter.

Deals +50% ATK as qi damage. Ignores 50% physical DEF.

Qi damage and range deepen as your Qi pool and mastery grow.

At higher Qi stages, this skill will evolve.

Rook closed the panel. The energy still hummed faintly in his limbs.

Satisfied for the moment, he turned and began the walk back toward Ironhaven to turn in the quest and look for familiar faces.