"My apologies."
Ed's expression turned cold and serious. Even if there was something fishy about Rhode's results, he was still not to be underestimated.
As soon as the Revolutionary Army official announced the start, Ed charged at Rhode.
Whoosh!
Ed wielded a practice sword. Gripping it with both hands, he swung it down in a straight slash as he closed in on Rhode, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. The fierce momentum drew silent cheers from the surrounding youths.
The power behind this strike was flawless.
Yet, Rhode stood unexpectedly still in the center of the arena, neither blocking nor dodging. Only when the blade was almost upon him did he suddenly counter with a slash of his own.
His sword moved without a sound but arrived first despite striking later.
With a "clang,"
Even though both were practice weapons of the same material, when the blades collided, Ed's practice sword snapped cleanly in two, clattering to the ground.
Ed froze in shock!
The entire plaza fell deathly silent.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the broken blade on the ground.
"This... this..."
Leifer and the other youths who had wanted to challenge Rhode were completely stunned.The material used for these practice knives and swords is extremely hard and highly durable, able to last for three to five years without any issues.
"That truly is a swordmaster-level slash." After confirming again, Koala still couldn't hide her surprise.
With this single strike, Rhode had proven himself worthy of the title of swordmaster—though likely the weakest in history, given his low Power Level.
Rhode's casual swing had cleanly severed Ed's blade, but he made no further move, simply standing still in place.
"Still want to fight?"
He spoke with a smile, but to Ed, that grin might as well have belonged to a demon.
Ed couldn't accept this outcome, something he had never anticipated. Clutching the broken half of his sword, he raised it once more.
Yet before his strike could land, Rhode's training sword was already resting lightly against his throat.
Clang!
The broken blade slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground.
The icy chill at his neck sent a shiver down Ed's spine, finally snapping him back to reality. Fear and disbelief flickered in his eyes.
Watching this unfold, the Revolutionary Army officer overseeing the match shook his head and announced the result.
"Rhode wins!"
At this, Rhode calmly withdrew his training sword and swept his gaze across the other youths opposite him.
"You all..."
"Still want to challenge me?"
His tone was utterly indifferent, yet the group—including Reff and the others—recoiled as if struck, stepping back in unison. None dared meet his eyes, their heads bowing in submission.
Only then did they notice the impossibly clean cut on the broken blade, as if it had been sliced by one of the supreme-grade swords.
Such a terrifying slash was beyond anything they had imagined.
Reff and the others couldn't even fathom what kind of strength could achieve something like that—not even Rez, with his Power Level of 387, could pull it off.
And Ed's Power Level was 197, just shy of the passing mark!
Even Rez, who had maintained an air of composed superiority, couldn't help but eye Rhode warily. That kind of slash was something he couldn't block either—though Rhode's speed was a weakness, so Rez wasn't afraid.
"Tch."
Seeing the others so quick to back down, Rhode shook his head in mild disappointment.
The feeling of cutting through everything with his sword was truly exhilarating.
"Entering focus at will still requires some preparation time."
"In a real battle, there wouldn't be such an opening."
Returning to his group, Rhode quietly reflected. He needed more practice—to reach a state where he could enter focus effortlessly under any circumstance.
As Rhode stepped back, Reff and the others finally exhaled in relief, resuming their challenges—though most ended in failure, with only a handful managing victories.
Those who lost weren't disqualified, though the embarrassment was plain on their faces.
"Alright, that's enough."
Finally, Koala smiled and announced, "After evaluation, those who have passed and will become reserves are Rez, Rhode... Barry—thirty-one in total. Congratulations on becoming reserves."
The square buzzed with excitement.
Those who passed wore proud, triumphant smiles, while the rest applauded in celebration.
In Baltigo, becoming a reserve member of the Revolutionary Army was undoubtedly an honor—a mark of strength.
In the world of pirates, strength meant everything.
And thanks to Rhode's dazzling swordsmanship, most of the attention naturally fell upon him.
Praise filled the air, unending.Rhode remained calm, having long passed the age where flattery could get to his head.
This was just the first step.
This position was still far, far from the true pinnacle of this world.
...
Nighttime.
After finishing his preparations, Rhode returned home, intending to fully master his focused state while the momentum was still fresh. But out of habit, he willed his mind, and the status panel appeared before his eyes.
Tier 1: Book of Knowledge (Advancement conditions met)
Attributes: Intelligence +1
Energy: 100/100
Seeing that nothing seemed to have changed, Rhode curled his lips and was about to close it.
But in the next instant, his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.
"Advancement conditions met?"
A mix of shock and joy surged through him, but he was also utterly baffled.
This made no sense.
Why?
He began recalling the events of the day, trying to figure out why the advancement conditions had been met.
Combat?
Unlikely—he had fought before.
"Then... could it be becoming a reserve member?"
But that seemed too unreliable. Just being a reserve member? Surely, when he officially joined later, it wouldn't trigger another advancement, right?
If so, advancements would be way too cheap.
But none of that mattered now. He would advance first and think later.
In the next moment, Rhode willed his mind again, and the same ethereal space appeared before him. At its center, the mythic book hovered silently.
Without hesitation, Rhode chose to advance.
Hum!
At that moment, the hazy space underwent a startling transformation. Divine radiance crisscrossed like dancing dragons and serpents, surging toward the book at the center.
Brilliant light enveloped the book completely.
As the radiance poured in, the ancient tome began emitting a soft glow, exuding an aura of vast, timeless mystery.
"Gulp..."
Rhode swallowed hard, his heart anything but calm.
Hum!
Finally, under Rhode's excited gaze, the divine light faded, and the glow on the book slowly dissipated.
The changes weren't drastic—just a few more intricate, arcane patterns on the book's cover.
Suppressing his excitement, Rhode pulled up the status panel again.
Tier 2: Book of Knowledge
Attributes: Intelligence +2, Perception +1
Talent: Swordsmanship Specialization—Man and Sword as One. Greatly enhances comprehension of swordsmanship! (Additional talent available for selection.)
Energy: 0/1000
Intelligence +2 meant Rhode's intellect was now over twice that of an average person—already within the realm of genius. His memory had improved drastically, to the point that if he took the college entrance exam now, he could probably breeze into Tsinghua or Peking University.
At the same time, the boost in intelligence made his thoughts quicker and his reasoning sharper.
"Combat or training generates energy, while status determines advancement!"
"Judging by the energy requirement spike, the next advancement will probably demand a much higher position—maybe a Revolutionary Army officer, one of the Four Army Commanders, or even a Warlord of the Sea?"
In a flash of insight, Rhode made this deduction, gaining some clarity on the inexplicable advancement earlier.
As for the newly added Perception attribute, Rhode didn't feel any obvious changes.
That was probably because he hadn't yet mastered abilities like Observation Haki.
"It should still help a lot with mastering the focused state."
"Though I wish it had Strength and Agility boosts too."Rhode shook his head. Attributes like intelligence and perception were indirect and couldn't directly enhance his combat power. In fact, the perception attribute was practically useless for now.
As he pondered, Rhode's gaze fell upon the newly appeared line in the talent column.
"Additional talent extraction? Let's try it."