Chapter 29

Adrian spent experience to fill his level 40 experience bar.

[Professional Swordsman has reached LV20 (max). Stamina increased slightly. Strength +2, Agility +2. Gained 3 Free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point!]

At level 40, he had officially become one of the top fighters in the Four Blues, at least on paper. Now he could set out on an adventure across the Grand Line!

[Professional Swordsman has reached its maximum level. Please choose one of the following paths: Swordsman / Sword Master.]

Adrian raised an eyebrow and read the panel carefully.

At level 40, Professional Swordsman offered two paths. Once he chose one, there was no going back.

The Swordsman path favored fighting alone. Across the vast sea and the long road ahead, only his sword would keep him company.

The Sword Master path favored the union of mind, technique, and body. It valued growth of will and spirit over gains in personal power.

Put simply, both paths raised Strength and Agility, but Swordsman also raised Stamina, while Sword Master raised Intelligence.

After a moment's thought, Adrian made his choice.

[You have chosen the Sword Master path!]

[Level 40 Sword Master advancement quest: A Thousand Sword Styles. Study the works of at least ten swordplay schools in earnest. Rewards will vary according to the number read. Current progress: 0/10.]

"Huh?"

Adrian tilted his head.

One little head. One enormous question mark.

System, get out here!

Are you sure this is an advancement quest for a Swordsman Class?

I've got a sword that bites. I can cut my way from one end of the West Blue to the other without blinking, and now you want me to go back and read books?

The aloof panel offered Adrian no answer.

After a little thought, Adrian decided not to return to Ohara just yet.

Ohara had the Tree of Knowledge Library, said to hold "all the knowledge in the world," and it certainly held plenty of books and scrolls on swordplay. But the richest delicacy was best saved for last. It would taste all the sweeter.

It took Adrian considerable effort to find his homemade boat, which the aftershocks of the battle had sent who knew where. Following his map, he sailed slowly toward the nearest island.

On a sea fraught with danger, most people wanted some means of protecting themselves, even if they learned only a few moves.

Demand created a market.

Swordplay dojos were practically essential fixtures on every island, especially in the gang-ridden West Blue.

Before him stood a modest swordplay dojo. Its entrance was open, with an ordinary wooden sign hanging above it. In neat characters, it read "Kamizumi Dojo."

It was the third dojo Adrian had come across on his journey.

Inside was a courtyard of about a hundred square meters. More than a dozen children in black training robes were sweating through sword drills, while a few older youths watched and corrected their movements.

Adrian had barely taken two steps when one of the youths spotted him and hurried over. "Hello! Are you here to sign up for swordplay lessons?"

"Sorry, I'm here to, um..." Adrian hesitated, then said politely, "I'm here to challenge the dojo."

The young man froze. Challengers had come before, but this was the first one he had met who was so polite about it.

Adrian went on, "If you wouldn't mind, could you ask your teacher to come out?"

"Oh. Oh, all right." The young man nodded vacantly and turned to leave, only to realize what a foolish thing he was doing.

"Hey, wait!" He spun around and shouted, "If you want to challenge Master Kamiizumi, you'll have to get past me first! My name is—"

Shing!

A sharp blade flashed across the young man's neck before he could finish introducing himself. Sweat sprang to his brow.

"I don't think you're a match for me," Adrian said, sheathing his sword. "Please do me a favor and call your teacher."

Drenched in cold sweat, the young man waved to the others to show he was all right. Then he led Adrian across the courtyard to a traditional Japanese-style building.

He knocked softly on the wooden sliding door. "Master Kamiizumi, someone has come to challenge the dojo."

A steady, middle-aged voice came from within. "Hmm? Bring the challenger in."

Adrian followed the young man into the room.

It was a spacious room resembling a training hall. At the far end sat a middle-aged man with long hair and closed eyes. He wore a plain gray kimono, his hair tied back in a long ponytail. His composed face gave him an air of solid assurance.

The man opened his eyes and looked at Adrian's suit. "I am Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, owner of this dojo. Are you the challenger? That's unusual attire."

"Actually, I'd like to borrow the swordplay scrolls in your collection," Adrian said. "But asking outright seemed likely to complicate a simple matter, so I decided to challenge the dojo instead. As the winner, I'd naturally be entitled to claim spoils from the loser, wouldn't I?"

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna smiled mildly, unoffended. "That is an unusual reason."

After a moment's thought, he beckoned to his disciple. "Yagyu, take our guest to the library. Let him read whatever he likes."

"Master!" Yagyu protested at once.

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna shook his head, his expression turning stern. "Yagyu, don't forget the principles of Kamizumi Dojo! Neither fight nor kill!"

Adrian watched the master and disciple with interest. At the two dojos he had visited earlier, most people had been stubborn as rocks. Not one had agreed to let him read their books. All they knew how to do was fight.

This was the first dojo to offer to show him its books.

Adrian was happy enough to avoid a fight.

Despite his master's admonition, Yagyu obeyed reluctantly. He glared at Adrian. If he had stood any chance against him, he would already have drawn his sword!

"Follow me!" Yagyu said stiffly, striding out of the room so quickly that he seemed to be trying to leave Adrian behind.

Adrian couldn't help laughing. This Yagyu was quite a character.

"Master Kamiizumi," Adrian said before leaving, turning back to the older man, "I don't know if I should say this, but on these seas, your principles are admirable. Still, refusing to fight or kill is a luxury only the strong can afford."

"I understand what you mean," Kamiizumi Nobutsuna said earnestly. "But those principles are the heart of Kamizumi Dojo. Without them, there would be no Kamizumi Dojo."

Adrian shook his head slightly. He had no intention of arguing; he just wanted to read in peace.

As evening approached, Adrian emerged from Kamizumi Dojo's library.

With his high Intelligence, half a day had been enough to read through the swordplay texts and scrolls the dojo had accumulated over decades. A wealth of fundamentals now filled his mind, making up for gaps in his training.

He politely declined Kamiizumi Nobutsuna's invitation to dinner and left Kamizumi Dojo feeling excited.

Swordplay had always been Adrian's main profession, but everything he knew came from system skills. Beyond the handful listed on his panel, his understanding was shallow. He could hardly compare with swordsmen who had trained since childhood.

Adrian began to understand the true purpose of A Thousand Sword Styles: to fill the gaps in his knowledge and build a foundation for reaching greater heights.

That realization only made him more eager to complete the quest!

But dojos willing to share their swordplay knowledge, like Kamizumi Dojo, were rare. At most of them, the moment Adrian mentioned a challenge, everyone's blood ran hot and they came at him with swords drawn.

Left with little choice, Adrian drew his sword and fought back.

Without using his signature Ghost Fruit abilities, Adrian defeated those dojos easily through his extraordinary physical attributes alone. Along the way, he gained plenty of experience fighting other swordsmen.

As he had told Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, the winner of a dojo challenge could claim spoils from the loser. Willingly or not, each defeated dojo handed over the swordplay scrolls it had treasured for years.

Somehow, a perfectly ordinary reading quest had turned into a dojo-challenging quest. Life was unpredictable.

As time went on, Adrian challenged more and more dojos. He even unlocked another Legend Points entry.

[West Blue Legend Points: Evil Swordsman—Patience is a virtue, but it has its limits. When a sharp blade cuts through polite lies, the spoils always belong to the wicked victor. Once he notices you, you're in danger. The plunder has begun, and no one can escape.]

The moon shone among sparse stars. Dawn drove away the last of the night, and solemn, orderly Ohara welcomed another peaceful morning.

In the morning light, a white boat rode the waves toward the world-famous island of scholars.

Nearly half a year had passed. At last, Adrian had returned to the familiar shores of Ohara.

After so long away, even the Tree of Knowledge looked strangely unfamiliar.

Over the past month or two, Adrian had traveled across islands large and small throughout the West Blue to finish challenging dojos...

To complete the Profession Upgrade Quest, A Thousand Sword Styles, he had visited nearly every swordplay dojo on those scattered islands.

Besides inadvertently earning the infamous title of Evil Swordsman, Adrian had amassed a deep store of swordplay knowledge and an extraordinary amount of combat experience.

He had returned to Ohara for the Tree of Knowledge Library's extensive collection of swordplay scrolls.

The Tree of Knowledge Library was open around the clock. Whenever he went there, the scholars welcomed him.

As expected, the library held a vast amount of swordplay knowledge. Some of it overlapped with what Adrian had read before, but much more introduced him to unfamiliar schools and ideas.

Before he knew it, another month had passed.

Adrian looked somewhat different from how he had six months ago.

His tousled black hair hung loose, and he wore black-framed glasses that seemed to have no lenses. A gentle, approachable expression rested on his face, giving him something of a courteous scholar's air.

He had traded his usual black suit for traditional swordplay training robes: a black inner kimono and a white outer robe. He looked almost like the Dragon of Documents reborn.

Having read all the swordplay materials in the Tree of Knowledge Library, Adrian calmly submitted his advancement quest.

[Level 40 Sword Master advancement quest completed!]

[You have obtained Sword Master, the advanced profession of Professional Swordsman. Stamina increased. Strength +3, Agility +3, Intelligence +3. Gained 4 Free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point.]

After advancing to Sword Master, Adrian could clearly feel a subtle change in himself.

The panel gave no explanation, but his senses had grown sharper. It was as though a layer of frosted glass had been wiped away from the world.

He felt the gentle breeze on his face and smelled ink and moisture mingling in the air. The feeling of his mind drawing closer to nature was almost intoxicating.

Then three more messages appeared on the panel.

[You have learned Advanced Swordsmanship Training!]

[You have learned Advanced Swordsmanship Affinity!]

[You have learned Sword Aura!]

The first two were advanced versions of Professional Swordsman skills, but Sword Aura struck him as odd.

Adrian was puzzled.

As he understood it, Sword Aura was an ability one gained only upon reaching the realm of a Swordmaster.

Most people called it Flying Slash.

So why had he unlocked Sword Aura already?

Adrian opened his skill list and read its description carefully. Then he understood.

The Sword Aura a Sword Master learned was not the Flying Slash he had imagined. It was an air-based technique somewhat like Rankyaku: an incredibly fast, powerful swing stirred the air into a slash.

It was far weaker and less concentrated than a true Flying Slash.

But there was little doubt that Flying Slash would be Sword Aura's advanced form.

The panel was not finished, however.

[Advancement quest A Thousand Sword Styles: progress 3041/10.]

[Quest rating: Incredible!]

[Incredible rating reward: one random swordplay Specialty.]

[Selecting at random...]

[You have obtained the Specialty Three Thousand Styles!]

[Three Thousand Styles—Specialty: Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. Immersion in a vast sea of swordplay knowledge lets you readily perceive flaws and openings in others' swordplay. Swordplay attacks receive a 3× power multiplier.]

Sometimes a surprise came out of nowhere.

What did this Specialty mean?

A 3× attack multiplier meant that every time Adrian swung his sword, the blow gained a boost that tripled its power!

Without question, this Specialty was as formidable as Ghost Fruit!

And it was Adrian's first offensive Specialty!

Along with his delight came a wave of relief.

If I'd submitted the quest after reading just ten swordplay scrolls, would I have gotten only a 0.01 attack multiplier?