Chapter 85: Breaking Through the Master’s Bottleneck

Chapter 85: Breaking Through the Master's Bottleneck

After resolving the questions surrounding the nature of time manipulation, Alex immediately turned to Stone to seek advice on another issue—this time, it was about swordsmanship. He had originally intended to ask Stone during his trip to the Shadow Canyon, but due to a lack of time and subsequent unexpected events, Alex had been unable to raise the topic. Now, with Stone present, he naturally wanted to address it.

What surprised Alex, however, was that after hearing his question, Stone did not immediately respond. Instead, he studied Alex for a while before patting him on the shoulder with a sigh.

"Honestly, I didn't expect you to improve this fast… But then again, it's no surprise... Hmm… Thinking about it, given your strength, encountering this bottleneck is to be expected."

"Bottleneck?"

"That's right."

Stone's expression grew serious as he continued, eyes fixed on Alex.

"What you're facing now is a bottleneck that every professional, whether a spellcaster or a warrior, will inevitably encounter. If you manage to break through, you'll step into the realm of the grandmasters. But if you fail to break it, you'll be stuck at your current level for the rest of your life, unable to advance further—no matter how powerful you are..."

"Is it really that serious?"

Hearing this, Alex's expression changed slightly. Seeing this, Stone burst into laughter.

"Relax a little! It's not as hard as it sounds, nor is it as easy as you might hope. Simply put, you've started noticing the shortcomings in your swordsmanship."

"Shortcomings?"

Alex was puzzled by Stone's statement. He found the Royal Cross Swordsmanship to be quite effective. As a paladin, he could fight, tank, perform AoE attacks, heal, and was even invincible for a brief period. What more could be lacking? Well, if the invincibility lasted a bit longer, that would certainly be nice...

"You know, kid..."

Stone seemed to sense Alex's thoughts and shrugged, then looked at the two-handed greatsword in his own hands.

"The swordsmanship I practice, the Tempest Sword Art, was actually created by one of our ancestors, a woman. Back then, it wasn't called the Tempest Sword Art; it was known as the Sky Sword. It was said to be as elusive as a breeze in the sky, impossible to trace yet present everywhere."

"Uh…"

Alex's mouth twitched at this. What Stone described sounded completely different from what he had seen. Alex had witnessed Stone's Tempest Sword Art before, and there was only one way he could describe it—a walking, human-shaped tornado.

Impossible to trace?

Not at all! A tornado that big, anyone who couldn't see it had to be blind!

"But in my hands, it's no longer the Sky Sword; it's the Tempest Sword Art. Do you get it, kid?"

As he spoke, Stone tapped his sword.

"We learn swordsmanship, just like spellcasters learn magic, but ultimately, these are things passed down from our predecessors. Our ancestor was a woman, and perhaps her style of combat was better suited to the Sky Sword. But not me—I prefer to crush things head-on. So, in my hands, the Sky Sword is no longer the Sky Sword; it's the Tempest Sword Art. You're the same, kid."

At this point, Stone turned to look at Alex again.

"Everyone has to find their own path, and you're standing at that crossroads now, ready to make a choice. The reason you feel like your swordsmanship isn't flowing smoothly is because, deep down, you're not meant to fight this way."

"..."

Hearing this, Alex instinctively opened his mouth but remained silent, falling into deep thought.

Did Stone make a mistake?

To be fair, Alex thought Stone was quite right. In truth, Alex had never been a close-combat player. In online games, Alex preferred long-range attack classes, such as archers and mages. Next on his list would be stealthy, backstab-heavy classes like rogues. As for paladins and warriors? Not his strong suit, and certainly not his favorite. In fact, whenever Alex played an online game, the first classes he would try were always ranged or summoning-based ones, followed by those that could turn invisible or escape danger. Warriors and paladins were always last on the list.

Mastering the Royal Cross Swordsmanship had always felt more like being forced into it. Back then, Alex had no power, so he used whatever he could get his hands on, without considering other options.

In fact, Alex actually preferred the combat style from Dark Souls more than the Royal Cross Swordsmanship. That style allowed him to find openings, and exploiting weaknesses was something Alex really enjoyed. Put simply, Alex liked the satisfaction of identifying an enemy's weak spot and delivering a devastating blow, rather than relying on the stable, methodical, and balanced combat style of a paladin like the Royal Cross Swordsmanship encouraged.

To make a comparison, it's like choosing between a rogue and a knight in a game. The rogue might have weaker regular attacks, but their sneak attacks could land critical hits or deal triple damage. On the other hand, the knight's regular attacks might deal higher base damage, but landing a critical hit was much harder. Given the choice, Alex would definitely prefer the former. Yet, right now, he was walking the path of the latter.

Stone's words made sense to Alex. The biggest difference between a master and an elite is that a master can innovate, developing unique techniques from existing foundations. This was why Stone had explained that the Sky Sword was known as the Tempest Sword Art in his hands. The same swordsmanship, executed by different individuals with varying focuses, can look vastly different.

Previously, Alex had been just a novice, using whatever worked, much like many beginner players who simply follow the in-game instructions. But as players gain experience and delve deeper into the game, they begin to develop their own styles. Some people enjoy charging headlong into battle, while others prefer a more cautious approach. So, when you see a hunter charging with a spear or a paladin throwing hammers from a distance, there's nothing surprising about it.

Now, Alex had passed his "novice phase" and reached the point where he needed to find a combat style that suited him.

"So, teacher, do you have any suggestions?"

"I don't have much advice to give," Stone replied, shaking his head when Alex asked for guidance.

"If I had to say something, it would be to stick to your own ideas. Every combat style exists for a reason. Some people may not think much of a particular style, but that doesn't mean it's not useful. Stick to what works for you and find the style that suits you best. That's the only advice I can offer."

"Thank you, teacher."

After hearing Stone's advice, Alex stood up and bowed to him. Frankly, he understood what Stone meant. Though it sounded simple, Alex knew that refining his combat style—or even discovering the style he truly wanted to adhere to—was no easy task. But regardless, Stone had pointed him in the right direction and answered his questions. Now, as Stone said, the rest was up to Alex.

To be honest, Stone was quite a competent mentor. The two problems that had been troubling Alex had both been addressed—his time manipulation abilities were weak because his overall strength was lacking, and his breakthrough in swordsmanship would require his own effort.

Unfortunately, neither of these issues could be solved easily. So, Alex had no choice but to temporarily set aside the idea of improving himself and instead focus on the group of cultists.

After all, they were the real priority right now.

(End of the Chapter)

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