“Next will be the Lion of the morning skill option.”

  Lion of the Morning Skill Option

  Claw of Light (Uncommon) – The lion has plenty of arsenal under him, yet his claw is always the most reliable. Extend the claw made of Light from both your hands. I still burn property upon your target.

  Brilliant Light (Uncommon) – Sight is what most rely upon; even taking it briefly is enough to deliver certain death. Emit a blinding light throughout your skin for a split second.

  Liquid Light (Rare) – Weaponry is a warrior's greatest friend, yet they're difficult to carry and have various aspects such as maintenance, weight, and cost that make a warrior always second-guess. Shape light into a weapon of your liking. Bright, intense light is required to form a complex and large weapon. Mind and Arcana stats will be the foundation of what you can achieve.

  The King Target (Uncommon) – The King did not need to have a head start on his hunt, regardless of his target. Point one target with an ever tracker. You will know where the target is intended to go and its current location

  “You could make a case for every single one of these abilities, but Liquid Light is the superior one. But, you need to take into account that your class has no Light affinity behind it, so it's not going to be as powerful as it would be under someone who actually has the Lion of the Morning Class.”

  Rue nodded along. This is an easy decision. He took Liquid Light without a second thought.

  Now the rest are three general skills and five Frost Swordsman's skills. But before that..

  “Should I take the next skills? Wouldn't it be better to hold off until I get the Frost Mage Knight Class?”

  “You can,” Ashram said, humming his answer in deep thought.” Normally, I would be strongly against it, and I might even go so far as to call you a fool. But this class of yours is very powerful. Hmm, yes, that might be wise. I could offer you my thoughts about the choices, and then you decide whether to pick it or not, if you're in trouble during your quest. But, Rue, the next phase is where you should make allies; you will be thrown into a hundred thousand people. If you're one of the strongest, then you will get a good placement within. It might be better to just pick all of them here now. And also, this quest will be hard since you will choose the Path of Valor. Getting practice is important, and fitting your skill with Sword Style will mean life and death.”

  True that if Rue had picked skill before fighting Goan, he would have much easier time. It did not dawn on him, but Benedict almost died in the fight. And he likely could prevent that if he decided to take all the skill options.

  Yet, his decision still benefits him. The skill laid before him in certainly an upgrade compared to one he checked earlier.

  But, the next Phase hundred thousand lives will be in line. The very thought of picking a skill for a bunch of strangers did not appeal to Rue, yet he still can see the wisdom. And preferably, he wants as many people to survive.

  “Let's do it.”

  Glacial Wake (Uncommon) – To a Swordsman, distance is something that needs to be overcome, as one could easily fall without even showing one's life training. Dash over any ground like you skid over ice – close the distance to your enemy to showcase your way of sword.

  Spiral Swipe (Uncommon) – A spiral wipe that covers around a Swordsman, keeping their enemy off them and possibly taking their life at once. Spiral your sword above your head, this skill shall make a move that such unachievable become possible.

  Heart of Tundra (Passive) (Uncommon) – A Swordsman needs to have his mind and body focused even in a dire moment. Boost your performance should your HP reaches below 20%. Your mind shall be clearer, your body shall be lighter.

  Edge of Winter (Rare) – A Sword's edge is its deadliest, especially if it is wrought with the winter wrath. Imbue any frost weapon with an edge with focused Frost affinity. Pushing mana forward, making your sword ever sharper and more powerful.

  Sword of Frost → Frostbite Sword (Rare) – The Frostbite did not just deliver Frost, but it delivered Frost imbued with the venom of the Frost Serpent. Should a wound from Frostbite not be treated properly, then the wrath of winter shall turn the affected into a husk of ice.

  They settled with these five skills. Rue believed this five is the best at synergizing with each other and the skills he already has. He had wished for a sword style that focused entirely on frost in mind. But, Ashram has said such a sword style is on Legendary or Mystic level, not one that can be easily gotten.

  He was especially excited about his upgraded Frostbite Sword. If not for Ashram's question mark level, he might challenge the creature to a duel right then and there.

  As for General Skill.

  Parrying Sense (Passive) (Uncommon) – A true Swordsman does not rely on shield for defense or his armor, but on his sword. Instill a sense of parry within you.

  Sweeping Strike (Passive) (Common) – A Swordsman needed to master the basics of the basics. Instill the timing and window for coming into a strike within you.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Weapon Throw (Passive) (Common) – Some opponents are nimble and hard to pin down with melee, a warrior ought to have more options. Instill a sense to use and learn throwing weapons faster within you.

  All is an incredibly boring skill, yet for Rue, both of these go so well with his class. Ashram, just like Rita had warned him, that he could learn this by just practicing, but they also made it clear that to achieve mastery, it's much better and faster to have the skill.

  So Rue decided to go with them.

  “I believe that took care of all the skill options,” Ashram said,” Except if you decide to take the mystic skill option for the brother's skill.”

  “Yes, that,” Rue said, mumbling. “I’m thinking more of equipment, but with all the chest and everything I already had, no doubt I will be encumbered.”

  “You can sell some of them, Rue. You already unlocked the Shop system, to which you also had earned special points for slaying three of the brothers, and the eldest included. You did not get the most Goblin or Boar kill. But, this should be enough to get you a lesser spatial ring,” Ashram said, then he swiped a finger down.

  In front of Rue, suddenly a window opened, with the word..

  Point: 28000

  Tutorial Shop

  A list of items ranging from weapons, medicine, and even food is there. Rue's eyes scroll through the prices. The most expensive is 50000 points, which is a rare sword called the Greater Steel Sword. An incredibly boring item, but it might be better than what most people had.

  Rue searched for a Spatial item. And indeed he found some Ring from greater to lesser. The lesser one costs about 10000 points, able to fit ten items. The greater cost, 25000 points, able carrying up to sixty items.

  He also tried to find potions, and was pleased to see that a mana and health potion cost about 300 each. He did not know if that was expensive or not, but he certainly would get it.

  On the top left of the window, he spotted a sell option. Rue read a brief instruction to do it, which is just to hold the item, and if he decides to sell, then the item will be converted to points. Rue grabbed one of his Longbone, and the shop offered a thousand points for it.

  “Is this a good deal?” Rue asked.

  “No, not really, the shop on purpose offered low deals to inspire players to trade with each other.”

  “Trade with each other…” Rue grumbled under his breath. What a pain in the ass. He sold the Long Bone and was pleased to see his point go up to 29000.

  “Not a participant in social interaction, I see,” Ashram observed.

  Rue was not embarrassed to admit it, just shrugged his shoulders.

  “You know, those LongBones must be rare to others. Chances are, those who are in a tutorial with you won’t be in the same one for your next Phase. Only you among a hundred thousand people will have it.” Ashram pointed out.

  Well, if he put it that way. What he just did is incredibly stupid. But, to be fair, the sword rarity is there for the world to see.

  “Hm, I get your point. Then maybe getting either the Minor or standard ring is much better? So I can sell my swords without being scammed.”

  Minor Spatial ring costs 12000 points and can hold 20 items. The Standard Partial ring costs 15000 and is able to hold 35 items. Rue couldn’t help but think the standard is a better value and has just enough capacity, so he shouldn’t need to worry about having to drop items.

  “Oh, Spatial ring is a must, Rue. Trust me, you want to get one, and I highly recommend the standard or greater. Besides, if you decided to go with the Soul Harvester profession, you would need a lot of inventory.”

  “Only four thousand left if I buy the Greater one, though,” Rue tapped his chin.

  “That's not bad. You can keep killing monsters to get points and buy more stuff in a safe area. Unless you wish to take some role that does not involve hunting”

  “But, still..”

  What a waste…

  “Let me guess, in your world, you saved your currency without spending it much, despite wanting to,” Ashram said

  Rue averted his gaze as the bullseye was too much.

  “I only know a little about your world. So, I don’t know if it's wise or not. But, getting points if you're strong here is not hard, and if you haven’t noticed, the rarity of the item shop did not go beyond rare.”

  Rue also noticed that it appears the Item Shop refuses to sell some overpowered equipment; Deciding not to hold any more though over these, Rue bought the Greater Spatial Ring. The Ring appeared on his palm. It’s a silvery one with a dark stone embedded in it.

  And Rue felt overwhelming mental pain when he saw his point down to four thousand.

  “So, for the last four thousand, should I spend it on potions?”

  “I recommend saving it. There will upgrade in the castle where anyone can pour points into. You can buy goodwill from those around you if you spend points for everyone's sake.”

  “Wait, what castle?”

  “You will see when the Phase starts. In another three days. Perfect, you will have time to tour the castle and talk through the plan. Your group is some of the slowest at clearing the First Phase, so a lot of people have already established leadership and plan on how to tackle the Phase. The earliest group has already been waiting for about six days…”

  “Six Days? What? Can they clear the tutorial in one day? That's possible?”

  “Yes, some groups are just extraordinary. Luck does play a part. Either a powerful leader emerges and is accepted by everyone. Or everyone just clicked on what should be done. Some of them receive a frankly ridiculous reward for clearing the First Phase so early. Those are the people you want to watch out for,” Ashram continued. “Ah, I also recruited five of them. Two refuse my offer, though, those lights blasted… Anyway! The strongest two are accepted, and both of them are much stronger than you. One of them is in the same Phase as you next, so watch out for her.”

  “What about the third strongest?”

  “You're the third strongest, but mainly that's due to your classes. Don’t go around and begin challenging people for their stuff. There are plenty of those that clear the First Phase before you.”

  “What do you think I am?” Rue scowled. He put on the spatial ring to his index finger and tapped a Long Bone with it. The sword disappeared into thin air.

  Greater Spatial Ring (1/60)

  Checking the price of his daggers and common spears, the system has transported them with him. And they each cost fifty points. Deciding not to waste any slot for them, Rue sells all of them except for two daggers he kept. That gives him 500 points.

  Point: 4500

  He put the rest of his four Long Bones inside the spatial ring, along with his Lion Class Scroll, Dancer sword, and Frost shield.

  “Are you going to keep this Golden Sword?” Ashram asked as Rue was about to deposit it in the ring.

  Rue checked the shop price, and it gave him 25000 points. “Is this good?”

  “No, of course not. Oh, I just got an offer from my superior. He offered you these soul crystals…”