Heaven's Grace · Unique Skill. · Upon leveling up, all ability types increased to their maximum values. · Upon leveling up, Skill Points gained increased to the maximum amount. · Requirements for acquiring all skills reduced to the minimum. · Requirements for upgrading all skills reduced to the minimum. · Permanently effective and cannot be canceled by any means.
Without a doubt, this skill was the reason things had turned out the way they had.
"Whether it was learning skills so easily, gaining so many Skill Points upon leveling up, or even raising skill levels so effortlessly, it was all because of this skill's effects, right?"
Was this really a cheat?
Shien could only think so.
And if Heaven's Grace was already like this, what about Supreme God's Blessing?
Not to mention the Holy Sword. Shien had already experienced firsthand just how powerful that sword was.
Remembering the astonishing power that had surged from the Holy Sword into his body when he used it earlier, Shien had every reason to believe that he had been able to kill that Fierce Bird in a single strike entirely thanks to this sword.
If the Holy Sword's description was accurate, then it could not only weaken the damage Shien received and raise his skill levels—it could also raise his own level. That was where that incredible power had come from.
Compared to those cheat-like abilities, the skills Shien had learned seemed completely normal instead.
Now, Shien could clearly see the effects of those skills.
Enemy Perception · Passive skill. · Detects targets that harbor hostility.
Physical Resistance · Passive skill. · Reduces damage from physical attacks.
Evasion · Passive skill. · Improves evasion ability.
Magic Resistance · Passive skill. · Reduces damage from magical attacks.
Two-Handed Sword · Passive skill. · Improves technique and attack power when using two-handed sword-type weapons.
God of War · Passive skill. · Upon entering a combat state, allows the user to display a certain degree of combat ability instinctively, depending on skill level. · Grants a certain degree of control over battle conditions and the flow of combat. · Improves combat intuition. · Improves control over the body.
Those were the effects of the six skills Shien had just acquired.
Every one of them was practical, simple, clear, and easy to understand, giving Shien the feeling of, That's more like it. This is normal.
In this environment, any skill that could increase his strength was immensely valuable.
Therefore, Shien upgraded all six skills until they were maxed out.
The six skills consumed a total of sixty Skill Points.
But Shien felt that it had all been worth it.
Because Shien could clearly feel that as the skill levels rose, the effects of those skills underwent tremendous changes as well.
For example, even without the Holy Sword's enhancement, Enemy Perception could detect enemies within a radius of one thousand meters.
Two-Handed Sword also gave him more techniques and methods for wielding a two-handed sword, while increasing the weapon's attack power.
The same was true for the rest of the skills. Their effects had all improved, giving Shien the confidence that, if he had to do it again, he might be able to deal with that Fierce Bird without relying on the Holy Sword's power.
Of course, killing that Fierce Bird so cleanly and decisively without the Holy Sword would have been extremely difficult.
Thinking of that, Shien glanced at the Fierce Bird's corpse lying exposed in the wilderness. His head instinctively recoiled, as though he were looking at a psychological trauma, and he nearly recalled that pungent, nauseating stench of blood.
"I should get out of here first."
Shien stopped lingering, took the Holy Sword, and hurried away.
About half an hour later, new monsters appeared there, apparently drawn by the scent of blood, and happily began devouring the Fierce Bird's corpse.
Thus, Shien experienced his first battle in Another World and the first baptism of his life.
Thanks to that, Shien no longer dared to wander recklessly through this forest.
As the saying went, you had to know when to back down. Having finally received a second life, Shien had no intention of throwing it away.
So from then on, Shien undoubtedly became far more cautious.
If it had been before, Shien truly would not have known what to do at this point.
If he entered the forest, he had no idea what monsters or wild beasts he might encounter.
If he chose to travel through open areas, monsters with excellent vision might spot him and attack.
Therefore, if it had been before, Shien would definitely have been troubled, not knowing how to proceed.
Fortunately, because he had learned Enemy Perception, Shien could detect many monsters over a wide area and avoid them.
Following the monster positions fed back by Enemy Perception, Shien wound his way through the forest and successfully avoided countless monsters.
In the end, Shien unknowingly got lost.
Well, that made sense, didn't it?
"How could I not get lost, wandering around like this?"
Watching the sun about to set, bathed in the evening glow, Shien sat down against a tree and sighed bitterly.
"Looks like there's no way I'm getting out of this forest today."
To begin with, Shien was unfamiliar with the terrain here. He did not know how to leave the forest, nor did he even know how large it was. He could only charge about randomly like a headless fly.
At this rate, getting out of the forest would be a miracle.
"Am I really going to get lost in this forest?"
That would kill him.
Even if monsters did not attack him to death, he would starve to death.
Maybe I should just die again. Perhaps the Goddess might summon me again and give me a third life.
That thought could not help surfacing in Shien's mind.
It showed just how helpless, even desperate, Shien felt about his current situation.
Couldn't there be some Teleportation skill, or maybe a skill that lets me fly, for me to learn?
With such fantasies in mind, Shien finally brushed the dust off himself and stood up.
He said that, but Shien did not truly intend to give up.
Even if he were going to give up, he would have to struggle until the very end first.
"For now, I should figure out how to spend the night in this forest."
At the very least, he needed a relatively safe hiding place.
Otherwise, if he slept out in the open, it was obvious that by tomorrow morning, he might be nothing more than a pile of bones.
"The sun's about to set. I need to get moving."
Using Enemy Perception to sense the monsters, Shien fixed his attention on several signals, gritted his teeth, and headed toward one of them.
He had no choice. If he wanted to find somewhere to hide, then unless he relied on luck, it would be extremely difficult for a stranger to this place like Shien.
Since that was the case, Shien could only head toward the locations of monsters that had not moved at all.
"Places where monsters settle down and refuse to leave shouldn't be too bad, right?"
Since he was relying on luck anyway, he might as well do so with a purpose. Perhaps that would let him achieve his goal faster.
With that thought in mind, Shien headed toward the locations of the monsters that had remained still.
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