[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-paragon-of-skills":3,"chapter-paragon-of-skills-paragon-of-skills-chapter-19":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Paragon of Skills",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1617794,2082,"Chapter 18","paragon-of-skills-chapter-19",19,"\u003Cp>I alone on the beach now, with my body bruised and stiff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sir Greyson has trained him in fighting pretty much for any stretch of time when Felisia had been resting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That was crazy,” I mutter, groaning and massaging the back of my neck. “Is that how strong a Knight is? No offense to Sir Greyson, but he doesn’t even lookthatspecial. Is that, like, the threshold? Are all Knightsat leastas strong as Sir Greyson?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with The Grimoire Extraordinaire helping me out, I am in awe of the power of a Knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what I’ve always wanted to be, I smile to myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smile despite the soreness in my legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, it’s time for what I came here to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pull out the small, heavy box the merchant gave me and open the latch with a quiet click. Inside rest three Skill Crystals—each one humming faintly with power. Fire Slash, Fire Shield, and Fire Armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three out of five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last one—Fire Walk—is in the dungeon tomorrow. Once I get that, the set’s complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pick up the first one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Shield (Silver - Defensive Skill)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would you like to absorb Fire Shield?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crystal dissolves into searing light that floods my chest and arms. The pain burns like a forge blast but fades fast. A chime rings in my skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You have absorbed Fire Shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Shield (Silver - Defensive Skill)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Shield - Level 1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Armor (Silver – Defensive Skill)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would you like to absorb Fire Armor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Confirm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deeper warmth this time. Not as violent. It wraps around my torso like a blanket made of ash and iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You have absorbed Fire Armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Armor (Silver – Defensive Skill)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Armor – Level 1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Slash (Silver – Offensive Skill)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would you like to absorb Fire Slash?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one’s different. Sharp. Immediate. Like a blade pressed against my palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You have absorbed Fire Slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Slash (Silver – Offensive Skill)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Slash – Level 1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhale and check my status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Name: Jacob Cloud\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skills:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iron Grip Lv. 95 (Iron)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minor Endurance Lv. 87 (Iron)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minor Night Vision Lv. 32 (Iron)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minor Vibration Sense Lv. 21 (Iron)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minor Cookery Lv. 34 (Iron)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minor Strength Lv. 91 (Bronze)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Light Lv. 67 (Bronze)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pickaxe Mastery Lv. 81 (Bronze)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minor Mineral Sense Lv. 72 (Bronze)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grimoire Extraordinaire (Rainbow)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana Pool Lv. 62 (Silver)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hell’s Sword Lv. 43 (Gold)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Shield Lv. 1 (Silver)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Armor Lv. 1 (Silver)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Slash Lv. 1 (Silver)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look at the Fire Veins Skill Crystal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You need to wait until the other Skills are maxed out, buddy,I think to myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I really want to get my Class as soon as I can. A Class unlocks Class Skills and Attributes, which make a terrifying difference in combat. Plus, you need a Class if you want to sign up to become a Knight and attend their Academy—and you need to reach level 50 before you even apply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The requirements are pretty high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Level 50 would usually make you a Silver Ranked Adventurer, someone capable of taking on a Silver Ranked Dungeon with a team or a Bronze Ranked Dungeon by yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, it’s time for me to work on these Skills if I want to speed up the process. Hell’s Sword still consumes too much Mana for me to start with that. Let’s see how flawed are the other Skills first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Fire Shield – Silver Rank – Lv. 1]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grimoire Extraordinaire: Fire Shield Lv. 1 contains 12 distinct flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not many, considering it’s level one,” I mutter to myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I do remember Sir Greyson mentioning that weaker Skills have usually less overhead needed to level up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It makes sense, I guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If every Skill was as hard to level up as Hell’s Sword, it’d take meway too longto get a Class. And there’s such a thing as speed in this world. The sooner you get a Class, the more you can train and fight monsters. The more monsters you fight, the more resources you get. The more resources you get, the faster you can advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a cycle, and I’m currently out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I summon Fire Shield and a thin circle of sputtering fire appears in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For once, I also summon The Grimoire since I need to take a look at the Skill’s Page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Shield – Silver Rank – Lv. 1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grimoire Extraordinaire: Fire Shield Lv. 1 contains 12 distinct flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Physical Defense: 18kg\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magical Defense: 12 MP\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Damage: 5 HP\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana Cost per Second: 4.2 MP\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Efficiency: 1%\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not great at all,” I mutter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I remember something else Sir Greyson said—low-level Skills have fewer moving parts but can become extraordinarily powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simpler circuits doesn’t mean they’re clean. Just easier to work with, I guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I scan the top three flaws:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s fix the heat loss first. What should I do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flaw: Heat Loss Reroute — detected heat bleed through right triceps and wrist joint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recommended Solution: Redirect pulse origin to lower spinal Root Veins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Split output through Rising Sun channels in both arms. Conclude with secondary compression burst at the palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cycle my mana through the Rising Sun veins, shifting the flow from the usual centerline to a mirror configuration mapped by the Grimoire. I compress the pulse into a tighter burst, reducing the spread radius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shield stabilizes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I feel the shield shift. Stabilize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Much better.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rotate my wrist, and the new shield follows, a flat disk of pressure and flame no longer fluttering at the edges. It feels... usable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tap it with Hell’s Sword—not a real swing, just a testing graze. It holds. A shimmer of resistance snaps into the flames before it cracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still not perfect. But itfeelslike something I could sort of block a hit with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright,\" I whisper. \"Next flaw—let’s fix the desync.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grimoire overlays a diagram over my vision: the delay is from a micro-hesitation in how I’m feeding the veins. I align the cast with a held breath—not before, not after, butduringthe inhale. That seems to be the trick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next cast?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantaneous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I step back, wiping sweat from my temple. The shield now feels like a proper defense—not just a flicker of flame but a wall of pressure wrapped in heat. I test it against Hell’s Sword again—this time with a medium swing. It holds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire damage plateaued somewhere around 16 HP. It’s been stuck there since Level 12 or so. I must’ve fixed whatever flaw was suppressing it early on, but there’s nothing more to gain on that axis. Not that I care. It’s a defensive Skill. If anything’s burning, something’s gone wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stretch my shoulders and pull up the remaining two Skills. Time to refine another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stand again and stretch, cracking my knuckles. The Grimoire pulses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skill Review: Fire Slash – Silver Rank – Lv. 1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grimoire Extraordinaire: Fire Slash Lv. 1 contains 27 distinct flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Twenty-seven? That’s more than I expected.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That means Fire Slash is probably the second most powerful Skill I’ve got in the set—maybe even the one with the highest ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I try to cast it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing happens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right. That makes sense. The name says it all—Fire Slash. It’s a tether Skill. You probably need a weapon to focus it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I summonHell’s Sword, and the blade ignites in my hand, a long shimmer of golden-red fire laced with internal runes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air shifts. My right hand feels heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I try the cast again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, it works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of compressed fire surges outward from my slash—thin, fast, and jagged. Like a blade of flame peeled off the edge of the sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unstable. But real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grimoire chimes again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Fire Slash – Silver Rank – Lv. 1]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana Cost per Slash: 9.8 MP\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flame Length: 0.2 meters\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spread Stability: 12%\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Contact Heat Output: 3 HP\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Physical Damage: 4 HP\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, I open the Skill’s page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Top Three Flaws (by structural instability):\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Channel-Stutter Loop – Mana rhythm breaks halfway through the swing, creating a gap in the flame filament. Causes sputtering and power loss mid-strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suggested fix: Extend draw through Twin Pulse Veins in forearms. Sync pulse with swing apex to complete filament arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignition Lag – Initial cast delay of 0.18s due to breath-tension during prep phase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suggested fix: Trigger cast at midpoint of exhale rather than holding breath. Mana input will smooth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edge Dispersal – Flame-edge loses cohesion after 1.6 meters. Weakens the end of the slash arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suggested fix: Collapse mana into centerline by 12%. Reinforce with 2% extra pulse routed through the Fifth Knuckle Veins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s get to work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I adjust my grip on Hell’s Sword, exhale slow, and channel mana through my forearms. The Grimoire's recommended vein route—Twin Pulse, it said. I picture the arc. Let the motion lead the mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, when I swing, I time the pulse with the apex of the slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The filament holds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flame doesn’t stutter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I exhale again, cast at the midpoint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Skill ignites cleaner. No sputter. No lag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the third swing, I collapse the flame path inward, keeping it tight along the blade’s spine, and funnel a subtle closing surge through the base of my knuckles—just like the Grimoire suggested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wave of fire that shoots out is now sharper and slightly longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen small corrections. Three major ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Already, Fire Slash feels more usable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look at the dark night and smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, I’ll enter the dungeon and get my own Class.\u003C\u002Fp>",1615,"2026-06-06T10:30:32.682Z",1,"novelbin.me","00095156c4b300f7d7f45fefe0e70f04e17fc1475394f0654ce0b44d08eb9e7c","paragon-of-skills-chapter-20","paragon-of-skills-chapter-18",281,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fparagon-of-skills-cover.jpg"]