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The first thing he realized was that he actually cared more about losing than the prospect of death. It was odd… his survival instincts were through the roof, and he naturally had no desire or intentions to die, and yet the thought of it didn’t really bring up any innate fear. Just a feeling that death was a natural consequence if you fucked up too bad, and that was okay. Jake killed people, and he fully understood that death was always around the corner when fighting powerful foes.

It did take some mental gymnastics to both be fine with death but not fine with dying or getting killed. Or perhaps it was just a natural adaption he had made, potentially due to his Bloodline? If he walked around with fear, it would impede him and make failures far more likely. Or maybe Jake was just weird and had an odd mindset.

Either way, he moved on as he continued reflecting on what had happened towards the end of the Treasure Hunt and the Hunt as a whole.

When you succeed, all you really learn is what works, even if the victory is achieved through struggle. It is often said that failure is far more valuable to long-term success as you find out what doesn’t work and what is lacking to succeed. Additionally, Jake hadn’t magically forgotten his many years of formal education on business strategy and operations. There, failures were often viewed merely as learning experiences, and as long as the losses were not too significant, they could even be a good thing.

Hence, Jake tried to go with a logical approach as he analyzed the battle to figure out where he fucked up the most and how to improve. He knew he had fought a challenging opponent, and even if he made mistakes, it didn’t take anything away from the Sword Saint. So he thought long and hard about both the fight with the Monarch of Blood and the Sword Saint as a conclusion appeared swiftly.

“I kinda suck at fighting?” he asked himself half-rhetorically.

No, that isn’t entirely right. In his own opinion, Jake wasn’t bad with his bow, though he surely had room to improve. But melee combat? He had to admit… he didn’t really know what he was doing.

The only reason Jake was managing was due to his instincts allowing him to dodge most blows and instinctively strike back. However, these counters weren’t really thought about. Instead, he just reacted and attacked with straightforward slashes and stabs while coating his weapon in arcane energy and poison.

This was one of the reasons why Jake preferred duel-wielding; because his arms kind of just moved, and two weapons were just superior in his mind. At least a part of him thought that. Jake had always been ambidextrous and good with both hands, and that had naturally only improved after the system arrived. He had a strong feeling everyone could be considered ambidextrous now, which raised the question: why did someone like the Sword Saint only use one sword?

Because one thing was absolutely clear and had been from their first clash. The Sword Saint was far better at using his weapon than Jake, and so had the Monarch been. This was one of the reasons he could only dodge, while the Sword Saint managed to not only block but also counter and land attacks despite his far lower stats than Jake during the boss fight.

Jake realized he had in many ways been ignorant and naïve as he had begun to believe that he didn’t really need to learn how to use a sword or melee fighting in general. If he could predict the other party’s moves and instinctively counter, why would he need to learn how to actually fight like some martial artist?

Perhaps that would be partly right if the field of martial arts also clearly didn’t develop. He had seen himself hit by blows he did not understand properly, seen the Sword Saint block blows far too powerful for his feeble blade and low stats to resist.

He shook his head as he sighed. Sylphie had been silent throughout it all, just sitting on his lap and resting, not giving any input besides just cuddling up to him. Jake scratched her as he considered her, and one of the reasons he had not really learned how to use weapons.

Why would knowing how to fight wielding a sword be effective versus a beast? Swordsmanship was inherently rooted in learning how to battle other human beings – blocks, techniques, attacks, methods, et cetera - all focused around beating your fellow man. Knowledge of lethal attacks also naturally all centered around hitting vitals in the human body.

Swords had historically primarily been used against other humans, and it was not seen as a hunting weapon. Jake could far more easily see how a bow and learning how to use that made better sense against beasts. Same for even things like spears or axes. Yet clearly, the Sword Saint did not struggle with non-humanoids.

He finally decided to stop only thinking about it himself as he opened up the line of communication and spoke to his Patron god: “Hey Villy… do I kinda suck at fighting?”

It took only a moment for the connection to fully form as the Viper answered: “Fighting? No. Knowing how to fight? Eh, a bit, I guess.”

Jake didn’t need to ask as the Viper elaborated.

“A battle is very multifaceted, and there are many elements, some of which you excel in and others less so. I think you have a very disconnected style that certainly does need working on, but everyone has room to improve. Anyhow, what brought this on? Heard you muttering about losing earlier.”

“Yeah…” Jake said, nodding after listening to the Viper more or less say what he already knew himself. He began explaining what had happened during the final parts of the Treasure Hunt, having to backtrack a bit to tell him general stuff about the Treasure Hunt meanwhile. It quickly became clear Jake had a lot of questions, but for now, they focused on the topic at hand.

After his explanation, the Viper was silent for a while and seemed almost a bit distant. A few moments later, he returned his attention to Jake. “Well, I’ll be damned. I didn’t expect a random Transcendent to appear like that; you losing suddenly makes a lot more sense.”

Jake heard the genuine surprise in his voice as he only had one question: “What the hell is a Transcendent?”

“Remember when I told you that only two kinds of things exist outside of the system and can break its rules? One of them is Bloodline-holders, as you know, and the other is known as Transcendents. If someone with a Bloodline is a born cheater, then Transcendents are self-made cheaters,” Villy explained.

“Still haven’t told me what the hell it is,” Jake commented impatiently.

“Getting to it. I think the easiest thing to compare it to is a mix between your arcane affinity and your Bloodline. A Transcendence is essentially a self-created skill that breaks some fundamental rules and does stuff otherwise not allowed within the system’s current parameters and limitations. Transcendence is not something you can aim for but something you just gain, and like Bloodlines, it is hard to say if Transcendence is even a good or a bad thing for the recipient in many cases,” the Viper kept explaining.

“Seemed like a pretty damn good thing for the Sword Saint. Also, how many of them are out there? Just on Earth?” Jake asked.

“First question first… well, yeah, based on your description, his does seem beneficial, but with all things, there is cost. Breaking the basic rules of the system does not mean you break all the rules of reality. This power does not come for free, the same as any kind of boosting skill that makes you stronger temporarily. You still need to consume something to make things possible, and what he consumed was a resource he should otherwise not be able to use if my guess is correct. And I think I am because I can already tell you now that his Transcendent skill has some serious drawbacks.

“As for the second question of how many there are… well, Transcendants are very rare. As in, you can find more gods than Transcendants by a good deal, and far from all gods have a Transcendent skill. And how I can know this? Well, same as how those with Bloodlines can feel others with Bloodlines, then one Transcendant can recognize another. Also, while a Transcendant is essentially just someone with an extra skill made, it does have wider implications and does bring some benefits outside of the skill itself, courtesy of a title. And no, I will not share the details of what that is,” the Viper finished.

“Do you have a Transcendent skill?” Jake asked curiously. “If yes, how many?”

“I told you already they are rare, mate. I have one myself, and of the twelve Primordials, there is only one with more than one Transcendent skill and even some who don’t have any at all. I need to make one thing clear, that while having a Transcendent skill is good, it doesn’t mean using it is or that having one is in any way required to be powerful. Again… they all have cost outside of merely using a bit of stamina, mana, or even rare catalysts. Cost anyone with one would prefer not to use.

“Some examples would probably help. Well, the most known Transcendent skill in the multiverse is the Holyland of the Holy Mother. It is a place anyone who is blessed by the Holy Mother goes after death, no exceptions. It directly messes with the Truesoul of those affected, transforming them into new beings known as Holy Spirits and making them reside in her realm. This entire skill is the basis of the Holy Church and why it is so damn popular as it allows all members to live out the maximum lifespans of their souls in what some would argue is a paradise.

“The second example I will give you is the one possessed by our dear Eversmile. Eversmile’s is a purely offensive one that allows him to completely annihilate someone through karma, severing all connections they have to the world and even erasing their Records, making them cease to exist, and all information related to them disappear. Their names erased from books, memories gone from relatives. This only works on people far weaker than himself, but he can also use it on the dead to remove them from the annals of history. There are some limitations, like the inability to make people at his own level forget, but it is a damn powerful skill.

“But as I said, both of these have cost. The Holyland is intrinsically linked to the Holy Mother’s divine realm, and the cost is constant consumption of faith to keep it active, and the activation cost was originally not pretty either. There is more, but I made a promise not to share such details a long time ago, and while I am a snake, I do keep my promises. Oh, but fuck Eversmile, the cost for him is that he has to sacrifice positive Records and memories himself every time he uses the skill. As someone who views himself as a researcher and scholar, to sacrifice knowledge is something he seriously despises, he really hates using it.”

The Viper finished his explanation with Jake just slowly nodding. There was a lot in there, and he did feel like he had a far better understanding of what those skills were about. But, one burning question was in his mind:

“Any advice on getting one?”

It was natural. Jake saw something great and wanted in on the action as he saw what it had done for the Saint. To have something like that as a trump card…

“Nope, and factions of the multiverse have tried to find a way or methods to get one or at least increase the likelihood of getting one since the very first era, and none have figured anything worthwhile out. If it happens, it happens; if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. But do know that having a Bloodline makes it harder as the two seem to counteract one another. What this means is through whatever process you ever achieve a Transcendent skill, your Bloodline cannot have any impact, which is borderline impossible as one is so interlinked with their Bloodlines. So, while it is not impossible for you to get one, it is just way, way harder. Also… you don’t need one. You already got your Bloodline to be the little rule-breaker you are,” Jake’s resident god answered, making Jake slump down a bit.

“Ah, but this entire thing does bring up one interesting topic,” the Malefic Viper began. “Transformation skills, especially ones that just make you straight-up more powerful or – in this extreme case – a Transcendent transformation just making someone stronger is the apex of temporary power boosts. Emphasis on temporary.”

“You mean I should just buy time or run?” Jake quickly caught on.

“Tactically disengaging would be a better term. If someone is boosting themselves up significantly, they are also burning themselves out and will suffer the consequences for it – be it through a Transcendent skill or not. Sometimes the best thing is just to dodge or retreat as they tire themselves out. It’s just the smart thing to do, and there is no harm in it. Fighting them is like running up and hugging someone who has set themselves on fire to try and hurt you,” Villy said.

“Yeah, but if I use a boosting skill too, we are both on a timer, right?”Jake countered as he asked. While he did recognize that he could probably have just run away from the Saint if they fought outside of a collapsing world, he still wasn’t sure if the Springtime Advent would outlast him. He had noticed how him damaging the Saint sped up his aging, so he really had no way to tell.

“Well, if they boost way more than you? Additionally, there is a classification of fighters you have not met, I believe… the truly suicidal ones. Those who burn up their entire being and souls as they practically kill themselves to try and take down their opponent without any hesitation. People who use a special item or participate in sacrificial rituals to summon far more powerful effects than otherwise possible. Rituals and items are far more normal as often all you need is others to willingly sacrifice themselves, as naturally there aren’t that many good skills making you into a suicide-soldier.”

“I… I think I saw the Holy Church do stuff like that. Also, if there are many rituals and items, why not skills?”

“Yeah… that is part of the Holy Church MO. Plays really well with the Holyland being a thing, making them far more willing to give their own lives for “the greater good” or whatever bullshit they spew. As for why there are not that many powerful suicide skills… think a bit about it. Upgrading a suicide skill is quite hard, as one would imagine, as you can’t exactly practice it, and with skill choices based on Records, it means that to get a good suicide skill at skill selection, you need to be truly suicidal and dedicated to killing yourself. And people really committed to stop living tend to not live that long for some super weird reason. Besides, such people are weak cowards who take the easy way out if they can’t handle things or are brainwashed morons. Either, or, they tend to not be the most talented.”

Feeling a bit dumb, Jake shook his head and directed the conversation away from the not-too-pleasant topic.

“Anyway, now I know what a Transcendant is, and that running away is fine if someone suddenly transforms and becomes way stronger out of nowhere. Now, where were we… oh yeah, something about me not knowing how to fight.”

Jake heard the Viper chuckle and had a feeling their talk wasn’t going to be a short one.