Syrio Joins the Fray, New Talent: Insight

The masked swordsman Viserys Targaryen, with silver hair and violet eyes, stood beside the Moon Pool, light and handsome, like a tall statue frozen in time.

Blood stained Viserys's chest. He gripped the slender sword Silver Flash, seeming to become the center of this little world beneath countless watching eyes.

The fountain in the Moon Pool burbled softly as voices stirred all around.

An assassin's sword, a bloodstained sword.

The corpse of Bero the Quick Sword lay sprawled on the ground, a defeated man without breath.

It was said that true Water Dancers could spar atop the water without raising even a single ripple.

Viserys thought that was nonsense. Humans could not escape gravity unless Water Dancers possessed water magic.

Still, in terms of spectacle, Water Dancers were indeed graceful and dangerous.

The tiny handful of gamblers who had become rich because of Viserys beamed with delight. More swordsmen and spectators were disappointed by their lost bets, but they still cheered his name.

After all, such an incomparably wonderful assassin's dance was worth the price of admission.

The Moon Pool's caretakers and law enforcers were somewhat astonished. Bero the Quick Sword was no weakling. This newcomer who had stepped forward was clearly an even more ruthless character.

"Silver Swordsman!"

"Silver Swordsman!" Many people called out Viserys's name.

"Violet Swordsman."

"Violet Swordsman."

Some spectators called him the Violet Swordsman, since Viserys possessed violet eyes.

A Silver Swordsman more dangerous and more deadly than the Quick Sword.

Viserys endured the pain in his body. The sword strike he had stubbornly taken had cut through flesh but had not gone too deep. If it had become a penetrating wound, that would have been troublesome.

The advancement of his profession and the tempering between life and death had benefited Viserys greatly.

High risk, but high reward as well.

[Profession acquired: Fate Reverser (Beginner)]

[Base attributes increased: Spirit +0.2]

Viserys felt the changes in his body. Fate Reverser strengthened only his Spirit attribute.

The Spirit attribute was difficult to raise, even harder than physical attributes.

After being strengthened, it manifested in the nourishment of his mind. Viserys's mental power, observation, reflexes, and memory had all improved.

A stronger Spirit attribute might also mean that his soul could take more punishment, and it would be suitable for later magical training.

After all, the world of ice and fire possessed mental attacks that forcibly invaded the mind. Skinchangers were one such example.

[Profession acquired: Water Dancer (Proficient)]

[Base attributes increased: Strength +0.1, Toughness +0.1, Speed +0.2]

As a proficient Water Dancer, Viserys now had some ability to protect himself in Braavos.

Water Dancers placed greater emphasis on speed, so his Speed attribute had increased the most, though the other attributes had risen as well.

The Water Dancer profession had advanced rather quickly. Technique depended on Talent and training, along with Viserys's spending.

But above proficiency, there were at least two more ranks.

Beginner, Proficient, Master, Legendary.

[Fate Reverser Viserys Targaryen has completed his first kill, activating the profession [Water Dancer]. The axis of fate has fluctuated. Reward: one random Talent.]

Viserys took a deep breath. Buy two, get one free. This time, not only had he activated a profession, he had also received an extra Talent.

The Talent card had finally changed into a combat type. It depicted a splendid swordsman dancing with a slender blade, performing dazzling Water Dancing atop the water.

[Talent: Insight. Lies are endless, deceptions are endless, fools are shrouded in dust. Eyes are for seeing, ears are for hearing, lips are for tasting, noses are for smelling, skin is for touching. Only through careful thought can one attain Insight.]

Viserys gladly accepted his third Talent skill.

After activating Insight, it was equivalent to strengthening his intuition and sensory perception, allowing him to see through the lies within battle.

Keen ears, sharp eyes, and heightened senses.

Although the Talent of Insight did not increase any of his attributes, it was immensely beneficial for Viserys's duels and killing. It would allow him to better seize an enemy's flaws and movements.

If his original fate had been a single line, then with the Red House courtyard as its origin, Viserys had now created another line that reversed it.

The more fate Viserys reversed, the more Talents he would draw.

Even if he was randomly assigned only Talents for daily life, he would still be making a fortune.

Viserys covered the blood on his chest. The wound burned fiercely, and blood stained his hand as well.

Black Cat Baleris had been hissing at the side the entire time, yet it had not stepped forward to help. This was Viserys's personal battle.

To be fair, Viserys had no grievance with Bero.

But in this bloody age, if one wanted to rise above the rest, one always had to step on someone else's head.

In this dog-eat-dog world, those at the bottom could only become crazed beasts.

Why bother? Even if he became the greatest swordsman, he would only be a dog for those nobles. Viserys looked at Bero's corpse and thought.

Viserys carried the bloodstained Silver Flash to the gambling table.

"Give me the money I won." Viserys said.

He had just wagered his life and gold, entering the game himself, and had made an enormous profit.

A faint scent of blood hung over the fountain. It was not only Viserys's blood, but Bero's as well.

"Y-Yes. Yes. Yes."

After Viserys's magnificent and razor-sharp assassin performance, no one was willing to offend him.

His silver hair and violet eyes made him seem handsome, but the blood and wounds added a great deal of danger to his presence.

Before him lay a dazzling array of gold, silver, and copper coins, along with expensive foreign wood carvings and jeweled ornaments.

Viserys was overjoyed. High leverage had brought high returns.

However, his reputation had now been established. He would not be able to make this much money in the future.

Viserys grabbed another handful of gold coins from the table and handed them to Bero's friends.

Like Bero, those men wore splendid silk garments and carried slender swords at their waists.

Viserys looked at the group of assassins. They were actually not much different from the ghostfire youths, all risking their lives for red gold.

"Take his body away. If he has family, give this to them."

"You..." Several of Bero's friends stared at Viserys, stunned in place. They had never seen such a swordsman before.

"Take it. If he has family, they must need this money badly." Viserys tossed them the gold coins. "This is not pity. I have already won enough gold."

Water Dancers upheld the principle of honoring wagers and accepting defeat. There were cases of avenging friends, but they were rare.

After all, dying on the battlefield was also a life an assassin chose.

"You are a true Water Dancer."

"Today's kindness will surely be repaid someday."

Bero's flamboyantly dressed companions bowed to Viserys, then carried their companion's corpse away.

"Silver Swordsman!"

"Silver Swordsman!"

The people around him began calling his name wildly—the swordsman with silver hair.

"Thank you all for watching. I am wounded, so please forgive me for not staying long. I look forward to giving you an even better performance next time." Viserys grabbed a handful of worthless copper coins and scattered them into the crowd.

His actions naturally triggered a scramble. The spectators fought over the small windfall with great excitement.

"Silver Swordsman!"

"Silver Swordsman!"

Though he had already slipped away amid the crowd, the people behind him were still shouting his name.

After all, Viserys had not only fought beautifully, but he also knew how to put on a show.

Some time after Viserys left the Moon Pool, Moro came over and tossed him a jar of Myrish Fire.

"Good lad. You killed the Quick Sword on your first appearance. You really are a genius." Moro said with satisfaction.

In truth, he had been extremely worried just now. He had taught Viserys personally, step by step, and had been terrified that Viserys might suddenly die.

"I'm fine, Moro." Viserys removed his mask and said with a smile.

When the Myrish Fire was applied to his wound, it brought a burning sensation.

"Enough pretending to be tough. Let me introduce someone to you. Your Water Dancing has already surpassed what I can teach, but this road is long, and you still have much to learn." Moro said.

"Syrio Forel. If you wish, I can serve as your dance instructor for a time." A lean bald man with a hooked nose stepped out from the shadows, holding a pair of thin wooden swords.

"It would be my honor." Viserys forced out a smile, but the expression tugged at his wound again.

"I watched your match. You are clever and brave. A good swordsman needs Talent, luck, effort, and wisdom. Only with these foundations can you touch the Way of Insight."

Add bookmark

Return to table of contents

Report chapter error