Ethan swung the Starless Sword a few times, slicing the air with clean arcs. The blade responded smoothly, flowing perfectly with his Traceless Sword Technique.
"Ah… this is good," he said with satisfaction.
After a while, he entered the Immortal Pavilion. An interface appeared before him:
[ welcome to immortal pavilion. here all your new skills will be learned. would you like to check out your new skill ]
Ethan pressed yes. Two books appeared before him—Star Sword Technique Level 1 and Star Sword Technique Level 2. Without hesitation, he chose Level 1.
[ would you like to learn < star sword technique level 1 > ]
"Yes," Ethan replied.
Immediately, a figure appeared—corporeal, yet blurred, its body filled with countless glittering stars. Ethan frowned. "Who the hell is this?" he asked, but the voice remained silent.
The figure drew a dark sword and began moving in strange, complicated patterns. At first, it seemed meaningless—but after hours of watching, Ethan realized the truth. The movements weren't random. Each slash carved constellations, tracing star paths in the void.
Ethan began practicing. He failed. Again and again.
Two months passed, and he could only master half the technique. The figure's blade bent and pressured space with every strike, but Ethan's lacked that power. Another two months of training finally allowed him to understand and unleash it.
BOOOOM!
Space trembled as Ethan performed the Star Sword Technique Level 1. Its power far outstripped his Traceless Sword Technique.
[ congratulations on learning < star sword technique level 1 > ]
[ attributes increased: strength +20, speed +15, agility +12 ]
Ethan smirked and opened his status.
[ name: Ethan Sylvester ]
[ race: human ]
[ hp: 105 ]
[ rank: ascended – level 98 ]
[ aspect: water control A ]
[ attributes: strength 235, stamina 199, agility 197, speed 215, mana 170, intelligence 100, charm 12 ]
[ skills: phantom ghost A+, water serpent B+, swallow step A, traceless sword technique B–, star sword technique lvl 1 ]
"Good," he muttered. "With this, I can face a heavenly beast head-on… maybe even survive against a hellish one."
But one thing still annoyed him—his EXP remained blurred out. No matter how many times he called out to the voice, it refused to answer. Until finally—
"Good. You've learned to use the skill. Though useless, it will at least help you pass the test."
"Cough!" Ethan choked. "Useless?! I spent four damn months learning it!"
He scowled, but the voice continued calmly, "Don't worry. In time, it will prove useful. Now… shall we begin?"
"I'm ready."
The moment he spoke, an explosion erupted in the center of the grand hall. Dust and energy scattered. Ethan's eyes widened as he beheld it—
A colossal dragon. Its body was covered in blue scales, wings vast as airplanes, nine long necks rising like serpents. Flames of azure chaos burned from its jaws, scorching the air and raising the hall's temperature to unbearable heights.
"Damn! What the fuck—you want me to get killed?!" Ethan shrieked.
The system chimed.
[ new quest received: defeat the < chaos harbinger > to earn ???????? ]
[ due to system limitations you can only check on minor attributes of the creature ]
[ creature name: chaos harbinger ]
[ level: 149 ]
[ rank: heavenly beast ]
[ attributes: strength 400, stamina 400, agility 400, speed 400 ]
[ skills: chaos blue flame lvl 350, fireball chaos lvl 100 ]
Ethan's jaw dropped. "What?! This thing's stats are like a hellish beast… and you're calling it heavenly?!"
Still, his grip tightened on the Starless Sword. Fear was there, yes—but so was excitement. His lips curled into a grin.
"Fine. Let's make this fun."
And with that, Ethan dashed forward, sword blazing against the dragon's nine heads.