Chapter 2: Swordsmanship Mentor

Although Ethan is a transmigrator, he is not a top-tier genius. He was originally just an ordinary corporate worker, with little social life beyond his job, spending most of his time at home playing games. He doesn't know why he ended up in this world of swords and magic. What he does know is that he is now a homeless, pitiful, and bullied weakling.

However, no matter how dire the situation, it could never daunt the resilient descendants of the Yanhuang. When faced with difficulties, you solve them—Ethan does not like to complain about his fate. He always believes the future is bright. Of course, everything must be created with his own hands. And he has the confidence to do so!

Since the age of eight, when he transmigrated into his current body, Ethan discovered a peculiar feature in his mind, akin to a talent tree from the games he used to play. Every year on this day, he gains one skill point, which can be used to enhance skills in the talent tree.

Once a skill is enhanced, the attributes displayed in the talent tree manifest in his body. There are two types of talents: main talents and secondary talents. Main talents include four active skills, primarily aimed at enhancing strength. Although these skills are tempting, they are equally dangerous, potentially life-threatening, so he has never used them.

Secondary talents are more interesting, changing based on the weapon used. Since Ethan has always used a sword, a sword specialization talent emerged. This talent also consists of four skills, each with a maximum level of 5, and each subsequent skill requires the previous one to be maxed out.

Given that he receives only one skill point per year, Ethan can't afford to waste any and has invested them all in sword specialization. Now, he has unlocked two skills in the sword specialization talent tree:

Sword Mastery: Passive skill. Your control over the precision, strength, and speed of swordsmanship increases by one level. Each level up further enhances these aspects. Current Level: 5 (MAX).

Sword Parry: Passive skill. You have mastered swordsmanship to the extent that you have at least an 80% chance of successfully parrying any attack. Each level increases the parry success rate by 5%. Current Level: 2, Parry success rate: 85%.

It is thanks to these two passive skills and diligent practice that Ethan managed to defeat many senior opponents and win the swordsmanship competition at Allen Academy.

Ethan originally planned to endure for a few more years, unlock the next skill, and then find a way to awaken his Force. The so-called Force can be understood as something akin to battle energy, significantly boosting strength, speed, and explosive power, among other basic attributes. It also has other unexpected effects.

Awakening the Force essentially means advancing to the extraordinary level. Once he achieves this, combined with the third skill in sword specialization, Ethan believes he will be able to contend with Rand, or at least not fear him.

However, Rand gave him no such opportunity, kicking him out as soon as he turned sixteen. This abrupt action completely disrupted Ethan's plans.

Not only is his education interrupted, but survival itself has become a problem.

The skill point he had planned to use could no longer be carelessly invested in Sword Parry. Looking at the newly acquired skill point, Ethan hesitated. He knew his strengths and weaknesses clearly.

His advantage was his excellent swordsmanship; his control over the sword was unparalleled, and he could effortlessly perform various sword techniques. However, his weakness was also evident. Swordsmanship, no matter how refined, was just fancy footwork without the strength to back it up. If he faced a real opponent, especially one much stronger than himself, he would be doomed.

To prepare for future encounters with powerful foes, he turned his attention to his main talents.

The first main talent skill:

Short Selling: Active skill. You can temporarily borrow 80% of the target's strength to enhance your own. (Note: The target's strength does not diminish during this period!) If you defeat or kill the target within ten minutes, you will permanently gain 25%-35% of their strength, depending on the target's damage. If you are defeated, killed, or if the ten-minute duration expires, you will lose 40%-100% of your strength, which will be given to the target, depending on your damage. One-day cooldown. The same target can be repeatedly short-sold. Each level increases the duration, enhances the gain, and reduces the loss. Current Level: 0. Note: Non-sentient beings cannot be short-sold.

The skill description clearly shows the imbalance between risk and reward. Without skill, using this ability would be akin to courting death. Ethan had originally planned to fully invest in his secondary talents before considering this main talent.

But now, faced with the harsh reality of survival, he had no choice. If he encountered a strong enemy, his academy-trained swordsmanship and the strength of a sixteen-year-old would be no match for an adult's attacks. He needed strength now. Therefore, despite the high risk, he had to try.

Ethan no longer hesitated and invested this year's skill point into Short Selling. After adding the skill, he sighed in relief but quickly became alert, looking around the carriage for any pursuers. Fortunately, the journey was uneventful, and he safely entered Marrow City.

Upon arriving in the city, the first thing Ethan did was find a barber and cut off his noble-length hair.

In this world, commoners worked daily and had no time to maintain their hair. Only the non-working, leisure-enjoying nobles had the time for hair care. Thus, long hair became a symbol of nobility. Knowing his difficult journey ahead, Ethan had no time for such maintenance and, being a practical person, cut his hair without hesitation. After the haircut, he immediately headed to a nearby bar.

He didn't go to the bar to drink away his sorrows. In this world, bars were not only places for drinking but also hubs of information. Due to the crowds, employers often posted job opportunities in bars. Now homeless and without an income source, Ethan went to try his luck, hoping to find a stable job with decent pay, room, and board to settle down.

It was just past noon when Ethan arrived at the bar. He pushed open the ten-centimeter-thick wooden door, which opened easily and without noise, indicating the door mechanism was well-maintained. The bar was sparsely populated, with a few drunkards listlessly drinking. They glanced at Ethan and then returned to their drinks. One of them jeered, "What's a kid doing here?" His tablemate laughed and shook his head, continuing to drink. Although Ethan was only sixteen, he was nearly 1.8 meters tall, so he didn't appear small. However, the youthful innocence on his face was unmistakable.

Ignoring their taunts, Ethan walked straight to the notice board at the back of the bar. To get there, he had to pass through an open doorway. As he approached, a buxom waitress stepped in his way.

"What can I get for you, sir?" she asked.

Ethan, though unfamiliar with bars, knew the protocol. The waitress was asking for a tip since the bar couldn't provide information services for free. Nowadays, nothing came without a price. Without any copper coins, Ethan took out a silver coin, reluctantly placed it in her hand, and smiled, "A glass of rum. The rest is your tip."

The waitress, seeing the young man so generous, beamed and stepped aside. "Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment!"

Ethan then approached the notice board, quickly scanning the postings, and his eyes landed on one that seemed perfect.

"Mr. Miloch is hiring gladiators, room and board included. No base salary, prize money split 30/70. Also seeking a swordsmanship mentor with a minimum of three years' experience. Room and board provided, salary negotiable! Interested parties, please visit 77 Rue de Champs."

Ethan couldn't help but smile. This job seemed tailor-made for him. Mr. Miloch was a well-known local businessman involved in various industries. Recently, he had taken an interest in the gladiator business.

Gladiators fought in brutal, life-and-death matches, popular for their bloodshed and violence, making them a booming business in this entertainment-starved era. Matches were always sold out, and ticket sales were a significant source of revenue for Marrow City.

Ethan wasn't interested in becoming a gladiator, as it was too dangerous for someone of his build. Instead, he aimed to apply for the swordsmanship mentor position, which was safer and included room and board. If he succeeded, he could use his mentor position to Short Sell the gladiators, safely gaining strength.

With this plan in mind, Ethan tore down the notice and left the bar. By the time the waitress brought his drink, he was already gone.