Chapter 68: When the system tries to help
Lilian snapped her fingers in front of his face.
"Focus."
Kyle blinked. "I am focused."
"You were staring at nothing and muttering."
He shook his head. "Sorry. Continue."
Lilian sighed. "As I was saying. From what I’ve seen, your fighting style fits a sword better than a dagger."
Kyle frowned. "Why?"
"Several reasons." She held up a finger. "One, you charge. You don’t circle. You don’t look for openings. You just go straight in."
Another finger. "Two, you meet force with force. That’s not a dagger’s job. A dagger dodges. A dagger finds a gap between armor."
Then another finger. "Three—" she paused. "You’re not bad at it. Your instincts are direct and aggressive. That’s a swordsman’s instinct."
Kyle stared at her.
"So you’re saying I’ve been using the wrong weapon this whole time?"
"I’m saying you’d be better with a sword."
He looked down at Fear Blade. Still strapped to his belt.
He’d bought that dagger with his first real points. It had saved his life more than once. The fear effect, the way it disrupted minds — it worked with his class.
`But she’s not wrong.`
He’d never used a sword before. That’s why he picked a dagger. He thought it was easier.
`And look where that got me. Flat on my back in the dirt.`
He started thinking about it seriously. The assassin label was fake anyway. It was just a cover.
`So why keep pretending?`
"Alright," he said. "I’ll switch to a sword."
Lilian nodded, like she expected that.
She flipped the knight’s card between her fingers, then gave it to Kyle.
"Knight class," she said. "Common, but it’s a good starting point for someone who’s never been taught before."
Kyle took the card.
"Absorb it," Lilian said. "Push your will into it. Think about connecting."
"How exactly—"
"Just do it. You’ll figure it out."
Kyle held the card tightly and closed his eyes. He thought about linking, about pulling whatever was inside the card into himself. Gradually, the card cracked.
Then it burst into blue sparks — dozens of them. They swirled around his hand, then shot straight into his forehead.
Kyle flinched.
The sparks entered his mind, and he felt them immediately. Gradually, his mind filled with knowledge. A lot of information about the Knight class.
After a while, he opened his eyes. Then frowned.
Lilian watched him.
"You noticed, didn’t you?" she said.
Kyle nodded.
"The card doesn’t give you everything at once. It gives you the surface. The deeper knowledge stays locked until you’re ready." She folded her arms. "You need to absorb the information gradually, test it, and understand it."
This is exactly what Kyle guessed. He could feel it — like there was more in there, buried. As if he knew the title of the Chapter, but not the words.
In fact, instead of this, he was interested in the way knowledge was transmitted. It was similar to what happened to him with Nightmare when it hatched, where its shell turned into sparks that entered his mind.
Lillian watched him for a moment, then turned to leave.
"We are done for today. Go rest and let the knowledge settle."
Kyle watched her walk back into the mansion.
***
Later, in his room.
Kyle sat cross-legged on the bed, with his eyes closed.
`I feel like a cultivator from a cultivation novel.` Kyle laughed internally
At this moment, he was absorbing the knowledge that was deeply present in his mind.
He could have used his skill and controlled his mind to extract information, but he didn’t do it. He wanted to absorb knowledge naturally.
Relying on his skill all the time is not good, especially in matters like these that he can do himself.
The knowledge in his mind was like bubbles.
Some were big, and some were small. Some absorbed quickly, and he knew everything about them, while others were completely closed.
First, the swords. A knight’s best weapon was a longsword. It is balanced, good for thrusting and cutting, and not too heavy.
Second, the stance. There were many, and for different situations. But the main one was—feet shoulder-width apart, weight centered, sword held in both hands, and tip at eye level.
Third, offensive and defensive positions, as well as other basic movements.
Fourth, and the most important, is the first step to becoming a Seeker. He needed to feel his internal energy — the life force inside his body. Everyone had it, but most people never notice it.
`Internal energy...`
He tried to focus and follow the method found in the knowledge in his mind to feel his Internal energy.
But even after a while, he didn’t feel anything.
`It will take time.`
He opened his eyes.
The Knight class card had given him the roadmap. But the walking? That was on him.
He also understood something else. The ranks — Seeker, Walker, Master, Lord, Monarch, Sovereign, Divinity. The card only showed him how to reach Seeker. The rest were locked. He could feel them sitting in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t read them.
`Once I reach Seeker, the next rank will unlock, maybe.`
That made sense. Don’t give someone the answers before they’ve even asked the questions.
The amount of internal energy a person has is what determines their limits. The more internal energy they have, the higher their horizons. Of course, they must also have the talent to control it.
Kyle did not know how much internal energy he still had, as he had not felt any of it until now.
However, he thinks that this does not matter at all because he can increase his mana stats through the system.
But if he raised his mana stat now without controlling it first, he might accidentally develop an affinity to the mana particles from the air, or divine mana from some god, or negative mana from corpses.
`That would ruin the blank slate.`
He wasn’t completely sure if this would happen or not, but he didn’t want to take the risk. Especially after the recent "remarkable successes" of the system for him.
He needed to learn to control his internal energy first. Then he could raise the stat safely.
`Damn system. Making everything complicated.`
And on the topic of the system. He sat on the edge of the bed and clasped his hands together with his elbows on his knees.
He was thinking.
`Why doesn’t the system connect to the world’s power system?`
In every novel he’d read, the system was tied to the world’s rules. Levels. Ranks. Skills.
But his? Stats, Shop, Skills. No ranks. No cards. No classes except the one he picked.
He asked aloud in his head, wishing that the system would answer.
`System, why don’t you use the world’s class ranks?`
A blue screen appeared.
[The world’s power system was created by mortals. It is imprecise and inconsistent. To better assist the user, a more accurate and simplified system was implemented: Stats.]
Kyle stared at the screen.
Then he fell backward onto the bed.
"Are you kidding me?!"
He grabbed a pillow, pressed it against his face, then screamed into it.
It was muffled, but heartfelt.
He sat up.
"The world’s system is ’imprecise’? So you decided to just... ignore it?!"
The screen didn’t respond.
"And you call that ’helping’?!"
Nothing.
Kyle threw the pillow across the room.
"WHAT OTHER ’HELP’ HAVE YOU GIVEN ME?!"
The screen flickered. Then went dark.
No answer, as if he is being laughed at.
Kyle’s eye twitched.
`Of course.`
He took a breath. Forced himself to calm down.
"Fine," he muttered. "New question."
He stared at the empty space where the screen had been.
`Can I integrate the world’s class rank system into my system?`
For a moment, nothing.
Then a new screen appeared.
[Purchase required: 1000 Shop Points to integrate the world’s rank system.]
Kyle read it once.
Read it again.
Then he fell back onto the bed, grabbed another pillow, and screamed into it again.
"ONE THOUSAND?!"
He kicked his legs. Thrashed around. Let out a muffled groan.
"I DON’T EVEN HAVE THAT MUCH!"
The screen didn’t care.
Kyle lay there, breathing hard, staring at the ceiling.
`I hate this system.`
