Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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[Profile]

Name: Cedric Stormrider

Age: 21

Race: Human III

Classes: Luminous Sage (Main), Demon Slayer (2nd), Alchemist 50/100 (Sub)

Level: Tier 4 Lv.1

Titles: Son of Heaven, Master Smith (+4)...

System Authority: Lv.8

Companion Beast: Aurelion (Radiant Sunlion) T1 Lv.9

Aptitude Rank: EX+

[Skills]

Actives: Sword Heart Lv.1, Kickboxing (M), Iron Skin (M), Multi-Stab (M), Air-Hop (M), Lightspeed Lv.80, Dispel (M)

Passives: Elementary Sage Physique (U), Sage's Perception (U), Education Lv.130, Demon Lore (M), Slayer's Mark Lv.50, Sage Arts Lv.95, Marksmanship (M).

Sub-Class Skills: Focus (M), Decode (M), Symbol Mastery (M), Crafting (M), Metallurgy (M), Smith's Blessing (M), Repair (M), Essence Distillation Lv.50, Vitality Infusion Lv.50

[Laws]

: Sword Law (Beginner), Fire Law (Beginner), Solar Law (Beginner)

[Mandatory Task:]

: Hell Dive - Survive the Endless Undead Horde for 6 hours twice.

: Rewards - 100% Demon Soul gain, Clearance Streak +1

: Punishment for Failure - Failure Streak +1.

: Record: Clear Streak - 16, Failure Streak - 0

**

'Okay, damn! That's a lot.' Cedric released a turbulent breath as he studied his updated System Profile.

They've returned home...well, their home at the Academy. Cedric couldn't return to his actual house just yet but that hardly makes a difference really.

Because they're no longer at risk of becoming the next portals for the Demon Race and they're back at the civilization where Acala's authority was the strongest, their access to the System has been restored.

The first thing that Cedric did was to, of course, take a look at his progress. And though he was already expecting it, he was still surprised by how much progress he had made during his two weeks at the Eastern Army Camp.

And if his guess was correct, this also applies to everybody.

First and foremost, there's the Sword Heart. The level 99 Sword Intent evolved into a level 1 Sword Heart - which opened the [Law] panel on his System Profile and brought him [Sword Laws].

**

[Sword Heart (Lv.1)]

: The heart that yearns for the Sword Path. The culmination of a Swordmaster's intent, desire, and comprehension of their Sword Path.

: The Sword Heart allows the user to commune with the Sword Laws, allowing them to comprehend and validate their chosen path of the sword.

: Increasing the level of the Sword Heart also increases the speed of the user's comprehension of Sword Laws.

[Sword Law (Beginner)]

: The fundamental truth of Sword Path and the pinnacle of Sword Arts. All roads that start from the Sword ends here.

Beginner Traits: Controlled Sharpness

: Note! The might of Sword Laws is unquantifiable, though its benefits are the real deal. Sword Intents, no matter how good they are, will never be a match to Sword Laws.

**

'So, [Laws] doesn't follow the level system. It follows the mastery system instead.'

'I assume that it starts at Beginner, then moves towards Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced, and finally, Complete Mastery.'

'Reaching the Beginner Stage of Sword Laws gave it the Trait: Controlled Sharpness - which is the embodiment of my will: 'My sword will cut those I wanted to cut'. Whenever it advanced a stage, it will gain additional traits, but that will ultimately depend on my comprehension...which is where the Sword Heart comes in.'

'The more I increase the Sword Heart's level, the easier it would be for me to comprehend the profundities of Sword Laws and the faster I'd advance the might of my Sword Laws.'

Cedric shifted his vision and highlighted the other things that caught his attention.

'Fire Laws essentially work the same, Solar Laws too...I gained both from finally being qualified to comprehend the mysteries of my Sagely Totem: 『Aspect of the Sun』.'

'The Beginner Trait of my Fire Laws was 'Burning Heat' - it's the concept that embodies the burning properties of Fire.'

'From the Book of Laws - which I now own thanks to City Lord Reiner, I've read that it would be the same for everybody. Fire Laws is a Basic Elemental Law. Despite being a Law, there are a lot of people who gained comprehension of it. Of course, their comprehension levels aren't uniform, but the concepts they need to comprehend are the same.'

'Fire Laws start at the Burning Heat Trait, which was gained at the Beginner Stage. It's then followed by 'True Fire' at the Elementary Stage, 'Annihilation Flames' at the Intermediate Stage, 'Life Flame' at the Advanced Stage, and 'Immortal Flame' at the Complete Mastery stage.'

'The path has been mapped out due to how common Fire Laws were. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the experience will be the same for everybody. They still need to rely on what they comprehended themselves because that would be the most suitable for them. And this applies to me as well.'

'As for the Solar Laws...'

Cedric blinked and released a deep breath.

'It's a branch of Fire Laws...a more specified one, focusing solely on the attributes of the Sun.'

'Solar Laws haven't been explored as much as Fire Laws have because it is too specific and only a handful of people throughout history gained insights into them. Meaning that I'd have to explore it on my own.'

'That said, at least I have some clues left behind by my predecessors; the Sages. They compiled the 『Aspect of the Sun』 which I now use as my Sagely Totem. Although it's incomplete since none of them have truly specialized in it, it's still a great help for me.'

The Beginner Trait he received from Solar Law is called: 'Dawn'. Yes, it's that simple, and also poetic since Dawn signifies a new start, which could also be described as a new beginning, and he received this trait at the Beginner Stage of Solar Laws.

'Dawn', from what he had comprehended so far, allows him to generate Solar Fire and Solar Light - the rawest forms of Sunfire and Sunlight, coming directly from the source. Solar Fire burns hotter than Sunfire, Solar Light downright bypasses the Spacetime Laws with how fast it travels, and unlike Sunlight, Solar Light is more concentrated. So much so that it is possible to mold it.

Both Solar Fire and Solar Light are more challenging to handle due to their raw properties. However, the deeper Cedric's comprehension becomes, the easier it will be for him.

Past this point though? Cedric had no idea. Even the previous Sages hadn't seen what's beyond this point. It would be up to him to explore that since he chose to follow this road.

'So to summarize, Fire Laws are common, and the path's essentially the same for everybody. Solar Laws are a branch path of Fire Laws that's mostly unexplored.'

'Sword Laws are more personalized, there's no 'common' path since it depends on the Swordmaster's comprehension and desires. This also meant that the Traits I'd get each time my Sword Laws advanced a stage would be different from others. Again, this is all up to me.'

Cedric sighed and stretched his body.

'My other skills have also progressed, save for the ones I got from my Alchemy Sub-class.'

'Overall, the two weeks I spent there had been productive.'

'And I also received a '1st Class Army Officer' Rank, which is nice.'

The 1st Class Army Officer Rank was essentially equivalent to a Level 9 System Authority - that itself was useless to Cedric, but the real benefit of this rank was the Diplomatic Immunity that comes with it.

Simply put, besides the Army, no political figures could touch Cedric lest they provoke the ire of the entire Eastern Army - more specifically, the 101st Batallion, who gave this title to him.

This makes him immune to almost all kinds of political manipulation. Should some idiots even try, he could order their immediate execution because he directly outranks them. His status is no less of a King of the Royal Lineage.

...actually, even Kings would have to treat him with utmost respect because one word from him would eradicate their entire bloodline with no questions asked. That's the kind of power that comes his this status.

Typically, 1st Class Army Officers like him need to take office. They usually work as Cadet Trainers or Intelligence Operators for the army but Cedric was a student.

The Eastern Army led by the High Marshal, being impressed by his abilities, made an exception and bestowed him this title without requiring any output or responsibilities from him. This is the first time they did something like this and it's also their way of extending an olive branch to him.

Truly, Cedric was one lucky son of a gun.

"Hey, handsome..."

Cedric heard a gentle and seductive whisper behind him, followed by a stimulating touch along his shoulders. He looked over and saw Chrissy smiling at him, her hair was a bit messy and her neck was littered with marks, none of these made her less attractive though.

"...no wonder I was feeling a bit cold, you left us there. Come back to bed, yeah? I miss your warmth."

Cedric grinned and possessively wrapped his arms around her. He stroked her bosom shamelessly and asked: "10 rounds wasn't enough for you, hm?"

"Nope~" Chrissy giggled, "This lady needs more...how about 10 more? That should make up for the time we've lost."

"Fine." Cedric kissed her and carried her back to the bed, "Have it your way, Princess."

Yep, lucky son of a gun, indeed.