Chapter 20: Chapter 20: The Moment to Enter a New World Has Arrived
"Clang!!"
With a clear, crisp collision sound, the longsword in Alex's hand spun out and fell to the ground. He himself was knocked back by the immense force, falling to the ground and gasping for breath.
"Get up and continue!"
Hearing Stone's command, Alex quickly rolled over and climbed to his feet, grabbing his longsword.
The steel sword felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hand, but despite this, Alex gritted his teeth and faced the fully armored grand knight before him.
After a moment's consideration, he swiftly swung his sword towards Stone's right side. However, this time, Stone didn't even glance at it.
He casually waved his giant two-handed sword, and Alex saw the massive blade coming straight at him.
Gritting his teeth, Alex held his longsword tightly and braced himself for impact.
As the swords clashed, Alex tried to deflect the blow, causing his steel sword to emit a strained creaking sound as it twisted.
With another resounding "clang," Alex's hand couldn't withstand the force, and his sword flew out once more. This time, however, Alex managed to stay on his feet.
"That's enough for today."
Stone sheathed his two-handed sword and looked at Alex with an approving gaze.
"I have to say, your body is too weak… but your determination is impressive. I've seen some idiots who start whining as soon as training begins, acting as if I'm going to kill them. But not you—you haven't complained once. You have potential!"
"Haa… haa… thank… thank you…"
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Alex replied breathlessly. He felt as though he could barely stand, his hands numb and sore, and his whole body utterly exhausted, as if he had been fished out of a pond.
On the second day of being Stone's student, Alex understood the old bishop's sympathetic look.
Stone had dragged him out of bed before dawn to run laps and practice swordsmanship—completely different from what Alex had imagined.
Stone didn't teach him any knightly sword skills but had him repeatedly practice basic techniques.
Slash, hack, block, thrust, parry… Alex practiced these monotonous basic moves over and over according to Stone's commands.
Stone claimed that Alex's Royal Cross Swordsmanship was already strong, but his lack of understanding of the sword prevented him from fully utilizing its power.
Alex couldn't agree more. During his first battle with Stone, he managed to hold his own because Stone was unfamiliar with his swordsmanship.
But after that, Alex never won against Stone again, even when Stone used the most basic weapons. Alex felt completely overpowered.
"You're a real oddball."
Stone smirked at the sweat-drenched Alex.
"Usually, people with strong willpower don't have weak bodies. But you're different. And despite your decent grasp of power, you seem clueless about how to fight with a sword."
Alex rolled his eyes at Stone's mockery. Yes, he was determined—his willpower got him through endless overtime work.
As for his body… didn't he wish he were stronger? His original body had some muscle, but considering the damage from those damn cultists, he was lucky to be alive...
Alex understood the power system of this world, which was why he got Stone's point. On this continent, people used an energy called "Starlight Power," which Alex linked to "mana" from fantasy novels. Their classifications were also similar.
Starlight Power was divided into six levels: Novice, Apprentice, Master, Grandmaster, Legendary, and Transcendent.
Novice-level practitioners were like extras in fantasy novels, knowing a few basic moves but not much more.
They mainly enhanced their physical fitness without any special abilities. Most militia members fell into this category.
Apprentice-level practitioners were akin to people who had slightly more knowledge, having more understanding of mana and could use it to enhance their bodies, achieving feats beyond ordinary people.
They could leap several meters high or run extremely fast, and they had techniques akin to "Lightness Skill."
Master practitioners took this a step further.
The way to judge if someone had reached the Master level was to see if they could project their Starlight Power for attacks.
Whether a mage, knight, assassin, or thief, if they could launch Starlight Power attacks, they were considered Elites.
Grandmasters were even more powerful, not only possessing great strength but also developing their own skills and combat techniques.
Stone, the grand knight, was a Grandmaster. At this level, they were like the leaders of knight legions, with unique secret techniques.
Legendaries were even more formidable. While Masters were still within the measurabe realm, Legendaries were in the realm of legends.
Their power was so great that battles would affect the surrounding atmosphere, affecting a large area.
True Legendary warriors were strategic assets for any country, rarely making appearances. Their presence maintained peace on the continent.
However, that alone was not enough. Mortals are ultimately impulsive, greedy, and blind beings. Temporary restraint does not mean eternal restraint.
Some might seek revenge, while others might try to destroy the world by falling into darkness.
But none of this had happened because, above the Legendary level, there existed an even more powerful level of existence.
Transcendent.
If Legends are the peak of the mundane, then Transcendents are, as the name suggests, beings beyond the mundane. Transcendents are never ordinary humans.
They are incarnations and emissaries of gods or demons, possessing powers beyond human comprehension. At certain moments, they can do as they please!
And because of this, the continent could remain peaceful. Even Legendary beings couldn't cause significant upheaval, as justice and evil were not eternal enemies here.
In fact, if someone attempted to destroy the world, their first adversary might not be divine retribution but the demonic blade from the demon lord—because, after all, developing followers isn't free, and destroying the world would ruin the demon lord's plans too.
This was why Stone called Alex an oddball. Alex's current power level was around mid-Master, but his physical condition was as if he had never trained.
It was like a losing all their aura but learning an advanced sword technique—it seemed impossible.
Alex was aware of his shortcomings, particularly in swordsmanship. The longsword was a very unfamiliar weapon to him.
In his previous life, he had never touched one. Since his transmigration into this world, he had only been wielding a sword for less than a month.
The system granted him knowledge and techniques, but experience was something that required real, painstaking accumulation over time. Fortunately, he wasn't entirely without means.
"Alright, that's it for today. Go rest."
Stone was quite satisfied with Alex. Although he found Alex's grasp of sword techniques and his experience mismatched, he figured it wasn't strange.
Sword skills required talent and intelligence. As long as someone wasn't an idiot, they could pick up the basics.
Besides, with Alex having the Holy Spirit Protection, some oddities were expected.
As for Alex's lack of physical strength, Stone wasn't surprised. Just by looking at Alex's hands, he could tell the young man had probably been wielding a sword for less than two months.
Naturally, a young noble who had enjoyed a comfortable life wouldn't be physically robust.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Alex set down his longsword and left the training ground. On his way out, he encountered several temple warriors who chuckled good-naturedly at his bedraggled appearance.
"Hey, Alex, did you get knocked down by Lord Stone again?"
"Don't say that. He's still standing, isn't he? And walking on his own."
"Hahaha, you're lucky. I wanted Lord Stone to be my mentor back in the day, but he didn't choose me. What a pity..."
Alex rolled his eyes at the gloating men. "If you're so regretful, should I put in a good word for you with Lord Stone?"
"Uh… better not… look at my age, you should respect the elderly, you know…"
"Hahaha…"
Seeing the poor guy's wry smile, the others couldn't help but laugh, lightening the previously heavy atmosphere.
Alex had been in the temple for just over ten days but had already developed good relationships with many people.
Partly, this was due to his [Holy Guardian] title, which naturally endeared him to the temple warriors. Also, Alex was generous, often treating them to drinks at the tavern whenever he had time.
Generous people were rarely disliked, so Alex's favorability among them soared.
However, what truly earned the temple warriors' respect was Alex's determination and effort.
Stone's training was notoriously harsh, and many had seen novice knights practically tortured by it.
Most gave up after a few days of intense training, but this frail young man had gritted his teeth and persevered for over ten days.
For a young and physically weak noble, this was worthy of admiration.
After exchanging a few more jokes with the others, Alex left the temple. He had rented a small house nearby for his residence.
With his credentials and the temple's backing, this wasn't difficult. Stone had initially wanted Alex to stay in the temple, but Alex declined. Some things couldn't be done within the temple.
For example, what he was about to do now. Back in his room, Alex sat in a chair, looking at the Map of Myriad Dimensions before him. The sun was setting, and night was falling.
Alex reached out and gently opened the Codex. As the book unfolded, a strange projection emerged from its pages. It looked like a projection of Earth, but surrounded by numerous satellites orbiting it.
As Alex stared at the image, text appeared before his eyes.
[Dimensional World] [Free World]
In Alex's view, [Dimensional World] was still unresponsive and greyed out, but [Free World] was selectable. Alex understood these terms clearly.
The difference between the [Free World] and the [Dimensional World] was that when Alex traveled to the [Free World], time in the main world would not flow.
In other words, no matter how long Alex stayed in that world, he would return at the exact moment he left.
In the [Free World], Alex could stay indefinitely and could leave whenever he chose. If he encountered life-threatening danger, he could forcibly exit as well.
At first glance, the [Free World] seemed better than the [Dimensional World]. However, the system naturally had its restrictions. Although the [Free World] appeared advantageous, it had limitations.
Firstly, in the [Free World], Alex could not earn dimensional points, equipment, or skills by completing tasks.
He could only receive attribute-related rewards. Secondly, in the [Free World], Alex could not use any skills or equipment he had acquired, nor could he activate or use soul stones.
In essence, Alex would be an ordinary person in the [Free World], with only his title and basic attributes. Moreover, the [Free World] was divided into three categories: [Mind], [Skill], and [Body].
Alex had long pondered which world he should enter for improvement, but after extensive training with Stone, he had a clear understanding of his current shortcomings. He quickly made his decision.
This is it. Looking at the teleportation icon, Alex took a deep breath and reached out to tap on [Skill].
Immediately, dazzling points of light appeared before him, intertwining to form a pillar of light that enveloped Alex.
The moment to enter a new world had arrived!
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