Chapter 63 A New Profession: The Martial Artist
and His Little Apprentice Spend a Pleasant Day.
Night Falls.
Aoki sits in the courtyard, waiting silently.
After Kanae Kochō reported his willingness to spar with a Pillar, it's said that all the Pillars showed considerable enthusiasm.
Today, the first Pillar will arrive.
Thump, thump, thump.
Slightly heavy footsteps sound, growing clearer as they approach.
Soon, an extremely tall young monk enters.
Aoki raises his eyes: "Oh? The first one is the most important?"
"I've kept you waiting! Amitabha!"
Himejima clasps his hands together.
The Stone Pillar, Himejima, is undoubtedly the strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps in this era.
He is a true genius, with no weaknesses in physique, willpower, or comprehension.
He is also one of the few who can master the "Transparent World."
If "space travel" hadn't been so effective against him, Aoki wouldn't have won the previous battle so easily.
"Please enlighten me!"
Aoki stands up, assuming the starting stance of the "Aoki Style," without any unnecessary words.
Clang!
* Himejima drew his weapon: a broad axe and a meteor hammer linked by a long chain.
Kanae, Shinobu, and Kanao appeared silently, watching the two from afar.
Thud!
The two moved simultaneously.
Himejima swung the chain, the broad axe whistling as it slashed towards Aoki.
Aoki pushed off with his foot, bending his body at an obtuse angle to avoid the axe, and continued charging towards Himejima.
He didn't intend to use "Space Travel."
Sparring with the Pillars was meant to improve combat experience.
Using "Space Travel" to bully others would be pointless.
With his immense strength and the "Transparent World," Aoki easily suppressed Himejima.
However, he intentionally controlled his power, not wanting to end the battle quickly.
Himejima had already mastered the Breath of Rock technique to its peak; his moves were honed through countless trials, and his combat awareness and skills were impeccable.
He was an excellent role model.
Aoki gradually became immersed in the battle, his power increasing, his moves becoming increasingly fierce.
Himejima, however, was gradually reaching his limit. His moves were easily seen through; no matter how he changed them, they couldn't escape his opponent's eyes.
His stamina was also dwindling.
Suddenly, a fist precisely pierced through his defenses.
Thud!
Himejima flew out, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Today..."
Aoki regained his senses, about to speak.
[Ding!]
A familiar voice rang in his mind.
Aoki froze.
What was going on?
No demon slaying, no leveling up, where did this system notification come from?
[Congratulations, you have obtained the profession "Martial Artist"!]
"Huh? A new profession?"
Aoki jolted, quickly opening the system; a brand new page appeared before his eyes.
[Martial Artist]
Quality: ☆
Level: lv1 (0/100)
Skills: Martial Heart (not yet learned), Combat Intuition (not yet learned), Body Control (not yet learned), Unyielding Will (not yet learned)
"Martial Artist!" Aoki murmured to himself.
Initially, when he only had the "Hunter" class, he considered acquiring multiple classes to grind for skills and attributes.
However, after becoming a "White Walker," he abandoned that idea.
The "Hunter" was a half-star class; other classes, such as Doctor, Teacher, and Soldier, even if they existed, were likely also half-star in quality.
It took him over half a year to max out the "Hunter" class, gaining only 2 free attribute points.
A "White Walker" class, on the other hand, grants 2 attribute points per level.
Including the attributes granted by "Demon Blood," the boost from one "White Walker" was equivalent to the combined gains of dozens of half-star classes.
Compared to the "White Walker," the effort-to-reward ratio of half-star classes was utterly insignificant.
Skill-wise, they were similarly useless.
The skill strength of half-star classes was limited.
The few "Hunter" skills were very helpful in the early stages of his "White Walker" career.
However, as he grew stronger, their effectiveness diminished.
For example, the "Eagle Eye" skill provides a fixed bonus to eyesight, not a fixed percentage increase, making this bonus negligible for him now.
Of course,
this isn't absolute.
For instance, the "Hunting Instinct" skill enhances his ability to identify prey tracks, and the resulting reconnaissance skills are still quite useful.
However, spending a lot of time and energy seeking a half-star profession for such a small improvement is completely not worthwhile!
Therefore, for so long, he hasn't deliberately collected half-star professions, focusing all his attention on "Otherworldly Demons."
Demons are not permanent.
If the world follows its original trajectory, demons will perish in four years.
Without demons, he can't level up, and the two-star "Otherworldly Demon" profession will be useless!
The idea of acquiring multiple professions and gaining numerous skills and attributes is correct.
But the goal shouldn't be half-star professions, but extraordinary professions!
For example, demons, or breathing-style swordsmen.
Of course,
once the "Otherworldly Demon" reaches max level, he devours Muzan Kibutsuji, and the world is at peace, he could try collecting some half-star professions.
Two attribute points would also be an improvement.
He wasn't picky at all.
He also welcomed professions like "Martial Artist," which required no extra effort and automatically awakened.
Moreover, the name itself was intriguing.
Aoki carefully studied the "Martial Artist's" skills, his eyes gleaming with increasing delight.
All four skills were passive.
Martial Heart: Increased talent for learning and creating martial arts techniques.
Combat Intuition: Enabled more correct decisions in battle, increasing combat talent.
Body Control: Enhanced control over strength, and also increased coordination and flexibility.
Unyielding Will: A powerful will that made him stronger with each battle!
Similar to the "Hunter," the "Martial Artist's" four skills didn't directly increase martial arts prowess, but rather enhanced his innate talent, allowing him to reach a higher ceiling.
Comparing the "Hunter" and the "White Walker," Aoki gained a new understanding.
"A half-star profession, not involving supernatural power, with skills focused on improving technique."
In that sense, "Martial Artist" was the perfect half-star profession for him.
Compared to masters like Akaza and Himejima, even though Aoki has initially established his own combat system, he is still completely outmatched in terms of combat awareness and skills.
Akaza has trained for hundreds of years, and the Pillars stand on the shoulders of their predecessors, having also undergone arduous and lengthy training.
Catching up with them is no easy feat.
Now, finally, there is an opportunity.
The "Martial Artist" skills, especially the first three, are all designed to enhance combat techniques. Even
among half-star professions, there is a difference.
The "Martial Artist" skill will far surpass the "Hunter" skill in boosting his strength.
Ps..
I really need your support readers.
Thank you .
Read 40+ advanced chapters at P@treon
[email protected]/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)