Chapter 30

The Initial Skill was the foundation of a player. Once equipped, it couldn’t be removed and decided the direction of a player’s growth.

Equipping an Initial Skill and awakening was an important event that determined one’s fate. However, not all awakenings were as spectacular as this one. Normally, only a faint pillar of light appeared.

“So damn gorgeous...”

“The Kang family has awakened a Bloodline Skill for two generations in a row! Is this the seventh time in the world that this has happened?

“Is this really a Bloodline Skill? There is a thunder tribulation. ”

A pillar of white light soared into the sky, and a thunderstorm rumbled like a thousand roaring beasts.

I’m finally free from being blind.

At this moment, the person who trembled the most was none other than Kang Jae-Hyeok.

He stared at the System message before him, and the hardships of the past eight years flashed through his mind.

This is just the beginning.

He calmed down and opened the status window.

Name: Kang Jae-Hyeok.

Profession: Knight (Growth Type)

Level: 10

Mana: 680/680

[Strength: 68], [Stamina: 68], [Agility: 59], [Magic: 68], [Insight: 59]

Skills: [Noble Chivalry], [Empty], [Empty]

Before awakening, what was the stat threshold allowed by the human body? There was a lot of speculation, but no one could prove anything.

It turns out it’s fifty,

Jae-Hyeok thought.

In recent days, he’d felt like his physical growth had hit a wall, and he’d realized it was impossible to become any stronger before awakening.

I only reached the threshold so fast thanks to my rapid growth at Lion’s Castle....

By the way...

I have three main stats?

Normally, players awakened with one main stat; if they awakened with a Bloodline Skill, then it was two.

Additionally, ordinary players gained 6 to 7 points per level, but Jae-Hyeok’s stats increased by 8 points per level.

He gulped and retrieved the information of the twenty-sixth Initial Skill he had awakened last night.

The Skill was of such great value that he’d decided to awaken with it as soon as he saw it.

[Noble Chivalry Level 1]

[Type: Passive

* Knights excel in all martial arts. The All Mastery passive is unlocked.

* A knight’s mind is as firm as iron. Resist most status conditions and endure pain well.

* For every achievement that aligns with the virtues of bravery, devoutness, courtesy, honor, righteousness, and loyalty, you will unlock and develop a new Code of Chivalry.

* For every fifth Code of Chivalry, a beneficial event will occur.

*

Locked

.]

[All Mastery Level 1]

[Type: Passive

Attack power, accuracy, defense, and evasion rate are permanently increased by 10% for all weapon types.]

All Mastery was a crazy Skill. It was the pinnacle of the mastery-type Skills that Jae-Hyeok had always longed for.

There was a rumor that ordinary mastery Skills were effective only when certain weapons were equipped, but All Mastery increased his ability with all weapons.

But it wasn’t just All Mastery. Noble Chivalry also granted him resistance to most status conditions.

Players exposed to serious status conditions, such as Stunned, Paralyzed, and Bewitched, had a high chance of losing their lives. Resisting most of these conditions was an unprecedented power in this world.

These two effects alone were enormous, but the true value of Noble Chivalry was something else.

[Chivalry of Bravery and Loyalty: Praying Mantis Blocking a Cart] [1]

[In order to save lives, you fought against an enemy despite the overwhelming disparity in level.

* The Skill, Two Scythes Block a Cart, is unlocked.

* Attack power increases by 10% when fighting an opponent with a higher level than you.

*Fighting alongside allies will increase the attack power of you and your allies by 5%.]

[Two Scythes Block a Cart Level 1]

[Type: Active

Deal a powerful attack. The higher the target’s level, the more powerful it is.

Mana Consumption: 100

Cooldown Time: 3 minutes]

With each new Code of Chivalry, Jae-Hyeok would be strengthened by a new effect and Skill. Noble’s Chivalry had essentially given him a progressive Skill Tree, so its potential was even greater than a Bloodline Skill’s high growth rate.

No, it was more than that. The Skill Tree was endless, so the potential of Noble Chivalry was limitless.

The premise, of course, was that Jae-Hyeok upheld the virtues.

By the way, the name of this Code of Chivalry is Praying Mantis Blocking a Cart.

Didn’t this imply that he didn’t know his place and messed with those stronger than him? Jae-Hyeok felt reluctant about the name since it had a rather negative connotation.

In addition, the Profession’s name was also a bit annoying.

I can’t believe I’m a knight...

He was an aristocrat—he was in a position to have knights loyal to him, so it was a strange feeling to be a knight.

Well, it was natural since he awakened a chivalry-type Skill.

In the first place, the modern aristocracy were more like knights. They were those who defended the country and its people with an armed force.

Jae-Hyeok had thrown himself at the Leech King because his father would’ve done the same.

Yes, what does it matter if I am an aristocrat or a knight?

The title didn’t matter as long as the mission was the same.

Moreover, his Profession had the bizarre phrase

Growth Type

attached to it.

It seemed he could make his own place in the world so long as he walked his path without wavering.

I don’t know what Reinhardt, the Third Princess, or Iris’ blessing is.

Jae-Hyeok had just awakened, so everything was new to him.

He only had a vague idea about the lion’s curse. As for the rest of the information, he could probably find clues using the System’s Community function, which had been activated with his awakening.

But before that, I’ll clean up this situation first.

Rumble!

The thunderstorm was growing.

He looked up and found that the clouds were much thicker. The thunder stirred and gathered, golden arcs weaving together.

It looked like it was about to turn into a spear and fall down.

A thunder tribulation, also known as divine punishment.

Jae-Hyeok was well aware of this catastrophic phenomenon.

There were many cases where S-class players were struck to death by them the moment they reached level 151. Because of the risk, most S-class players stayed at level 150, unwilling to push further. Only those already close to death would attempt to challenge the thunder tribulation.

Of course, most people grew old and died long before reaching level 150.

That thing is targeting me...

Jae-Hyeok’s expression became calmer as the thunder became louder.

He had suffered all his life and was finally reaping the rewards of his efforts.

The world had always been harsh toward him. He resented it, but he refused to show any sign of wavering.

The world isn’t only harsh on me.

Jae-Hyeok pulled the cord, and the dark green scabbard came free from his belt. He held it in both hands.

This is just another trial to overcome. That’s all.

He would do what he had always done.

Jae-Hyeok straightened his back and raised the scabbard horizontally above his head as if in warning to any enemies watching him through the cameras.

He held the hilt in his right hand and supported the body of the scabbard in his left. Left arm bent at the elbow.

It was the upper-body defense stance of the Kang-style sword-drawing technique.

It was the preparatory stance for a horizontal, crescent moon slash.

“I will defend you, so stay focused.” Seol Su-Ah whispered to Jae-Hyeok. “It will be too late if you listen to the sound and then react. You will have to see the flow of lightning energy.”

This was advice from someone who’d survived several thunder tribulations and became a National Treasure, so Jae-Hyeok engraved it in his heart and nodded.

He had to focus.

No one could disturb him as long as she was around.

“......”

Jae-Hyeok’s breathing slowed down.

He relaxed his muscles and pushed all his senses, except his hearing, to the limit. They were senses that he’d trained on his own without anyone else’s help.

Everything around him seemed to be getting closer as if he could reach out and touch it. Yet it also felt like it was moving infinitely further away.

He didn’t care.

His senses sharpened like blades, and Jae-Hyeok immersed himself to the point where he could no longer distinguish between himself and his surroundings.

He wasn’t aware of what he was doing or what he needed to do. He simply surrendered his body to his senses.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The thunderbolts that were spreading like a spider web slowed down for a moment.

Jae-Hyeok reacted immediately.

He half-pulled his sword out of the scabbard.

Flash!

Almost immediately afterward, there was a flash of light.

Baaaaaaang!

A loud sound followed.

Only then did people see it.

A crescent-shaped sword light collided with the golden thunderbolt.

"

Kuock

!”

Jae-Hyeok gritted his teeth, and his body trembled.

The power of the thunderbolt that struck his sword was beyond imagination.

His joints rattled as if they would give out, his dantian screamed, and every muscle in his body seemed to break.

The stage he was standing on collapsed, but he’d expected it.

Jae-Hyeok bent his creaking knees to keep his body balanced. It was an application of the movements that Shinra Kyeong had shown him.

"

Kuaaaack

!"

He roared, straining the veins in his neck as he squeezed out all his strength.

I have to hold on.

He believed in the hard work he had put in.

It was known that the power of the thunder tribulation was proportional to the capabilities of the target.

At worst, it was three times the target’s total stats.

The Kang-style sword-drawing technique, which he’d honed while recalling his father’s back, could deflect this much power.

He believed in the result of his efforts.

He had All Mastery, the pain-alleviation function, and Praying Mantis Blocking a Cart. After awakening, he was so powerful that he was on a different level from before. He had to recognize and utilize this fact.

His trembling left hand slung the scabbard he barely managed to hold over his shoulder. This added stability to the blade, which was still only halfway pulled out of the scabbard.

Now.

The moment he sensed the power of the thunderbolt weakening, he drew his sword.

He performed an ascending sword strike that linked with the horizontal crescent strike, Peak Sword.

This technique, whose name was the same as the Kang family’s Bloodline Skill, split the thunderbolt into two branches that tore into the ground on either side of him.

[A legendary achievement!]

[You have unleashed an attack that slashed through the thunder tribulation!]

[All stats have increased by 10.]

[A second Code of Chivalry has been established.]

[Chivalry of Bravery and Honor: One Who Struck Down Thunder]

[You have proved your bravery and earned honor by fighting against a natural disaster.

* The Skill, Thunderbolt Sword, is unlocked.

* Reduces the power of the thunder tribulation in half when experiencing a thunder tribulation.

* Increase resistance to the lightning attribute by 30%.

* Increase affinity to the lightning attribute by 30%.]

[Thunderbolt Sword Level 1]

[Type: Passive

Attacks have a small probability of creating a sword made from thunderbolts. The Thunderbolt Sword will follow your attacks like a shadow.]

“Hah... that’s refreshing.”

A bright smile appeared on Jae-Hyeok’s face as he stared at the clear sky above the golden thunderbolts.

Dozens of cameras captured this scene for a long time.

Only after an Association official came to his senses and made a fuss did the host open his mouth, “There was an unexpected turn of events... Ah, no, there was a commotion, but we will proceed with the re-examination of Jae-Hyeok!”

“......”

Why bother?

The audience was immersed in the strange aftermath, but they stared in disbelief at the host after hearing this.

1. Idiom that symbolizes an act of courage and defiance against overwhelming odds ☜