Chapter 154: Unknown Skill

After Armani disappeared, Zac remained silent for a moment before asking the system, "Can you explain what she meant by sword intent in more detail? I’ve read about it before, but I still don’t have the complete picture."

The system remained silent without answering him.

"Hey, are you there?"

[I’m thinking of a way to explain it so you can understand it clearly.]

"Oh! Okay."

[Think of swordsmanship like education. Learning how to use a sword is like going to school. Mastering a proper sword technique is like entering university.]

[And developing sword intent is like graduation. Do you get it now?]

"Uh... I think so."

[Sword intent is one of the most important thresholds a swordsman must cross. Until you develop it, no matter how skilled you are with a sword, you would never truly be recognized as a swordsman.]

Zac listened carefully without intercepting the system.

[From ancient times until now, a swordsman’s true journey is considered to begin only after obtaining sword intent.]

"So you’re saying sword intent is basically the first real step of becoming a swordsman?"

[Exactly.]

"Then how is sword intent created?"

[Actually, it isn’t.]

"What?"

[You can’t simply create sword intent. It is cultivated through the convergence of three major factors: your sword technique, your mastery of the sword, and your life experiences.]

[Your technique provides the intent with its foundation and direction. Your mastery of the sword determines how profound and lucid your understanding of that foundation becomes.]

[And your experiences, personality, beliefs, emotions, and choices then shape that foundation into something uniquely yours.]

"So all three eventually merge together and form sword intent?"

[Exactly.]

[However, among those factors, your sword technique usually exerts the strongest influence, especially during the initial formation of sword intent.]

Zac slowly nodded. "So that’s why Armani told me not to choose a technique simply because it looks powerful?"

[Correct.]

[The technique you practice can influence the path your sword intent eventually takes. Choosing carelessly now could leave you with an intent that fundamentally does not suit you later.]

[And to be honest, developing sword intent without genuine affinity for the technique you practice is almost impossible.]

"Almost?"

[Well...even if you somehow miraculously managed to form one through a technique completely unsuited to you, the resulting intent would be severely limited.]

Zac’s expression became more contemplative. "I didn’t know choosing a technique would be his hard. Anyway, tell me more about the different types of sword intent."

[Of course, they come in different types. Some are elemental, such as Flame, Water, Wind, Lightning, and countless others.]

[Some are based on concepts or temperament: berserkness, mercilessness, benevolence, gentleness, destruction, annihilation, slaughter, and so on.]

[There are also intents shaped by emotions, philosophies, experiences, and even the way a person perceives the sword itself.]

Zac looked at the endless rows of sword manuals surrounding him. "So just how many kinds are there?"

[As many as there are human minds.]

"What?"

[What I mean is that the possibilities are virtually boundless. Have you heard of the Three Thousand Daos?]

"I’ve read about them in novels."

[Sword intent is similar, except there is no arbitrary number limiting it.]

[To put it more simply, even if two people possess what appears to be the same type of sword intent, their intents are not truly identical.]

[Two swordsmen may both cultivate Flame Sword Intent, but one person’s flame may embody destruction and fury, while another person’s may represent resilience, warmth, or even rebirth.]

[That is why, even when they belong to the same general category, sword intent differs from person to person.]

[So choose your sword technique carefully. If you cannot find one that genuinely suits you, then it would be better not to practice a sword technique at all.]

"Hmm..."

Three hours had passed since Zac entered the archive. He was still buried in the swordsmanship section, with books scattered around him in uneven piles.

[Just pick one already.]

"Well, if you had actually helped me choose the best one, I would’ve left ages ago."

[And what exactly do you expect me to do? You have no Info Points.]

"And whose fault is that?"

[Obviously, yours.]

Zac sighed in frustration.

[That’s what happens when you squander Info Points asking questions you could answer by talking to your friends or spending five minutes on the internet.]

"Don’t put everything on me. You couldn’t even reward me with a few Info Points for finishing in the top three."

[Top three? Top! Fucking! Three!]

[You’re seriously asking me for a reward for finishing in the top three?]

[You are the host of a system that countless beings across multiple universes would slaughter each other to possess, and yet you couldn’t even win an insignificant spar against a little girl.]

[And now you have the audacity to demand a reward for coming, what, third?]

[Should I crack open and verify whether your balls are made up of steel or not?]

"Fine, fine. Forget I asked." Zac tossed another book onto the rejected pile. "But seriously, what am I supposed to do? I don’t know which one to choose."

"If the technique is good, the sword intent it develops is useless to me. And if the intent sounds good, the actual technique is mediocre."

He looked around at the books surrounding him. "I haven’t found a single one that feels right."

[Well, if you want something perfectly suited to you, there is only one reliable solution.]

Zac raised an eyebrow with intrigue. "Which is?"

[Create it yourself.]

"Ha! I knew you were going to say something like that."

Zac shook his head. "Do you seriously think the knowledge I currently possess is enough to create a sword technique capable of producing sword intent?"

[One hundred percent. Definitely...No.]

"See? Even you know it." Zac reached for another book. "But I did find one or two decent ones."

[You mean those disasters?]

"Hey, they’re not that bad."

[Scorching Sword Art? It’s a decent technique, but the sword intent it develops is atrocious. What exactly are you planning to become, a human torch?]

"Fine. What about this one?" Zac held up another book. "Lightning Rod Swordsmanship."

[That one is even worse.]

[Imagine standing before some terrifying enemy and solemnly declaring, ’Lightning Rod, First Form.’ Even your enemy would feel embarrassed for you.]

Zac stared at the book for a moment before lowering it. "You’re absolutely useless whenever I actually need your help. All you do is mock me."

"buzzzz...buzzzzzz...buzzzzz..."

Suddenly, something buzzed past his ear.

A fly circled Zac’s head a few times before landing directly on the tip of his nose.

Zac’s eyes crossed slightly as he stared at it. "You’ve got some nerve."

The fly calmly rubbed its front legs together, staring straight into Zac’s eyes, like it was mocking him.

Zac slowly raised his hand. "Gotcha!"

’Slap!’

"Ouch!"

His palm smacked his own face, but the fly escaped.

A tiny image appeared on the system panel, showing an emoji slapping itself across the face. [Sometimes you make me regret bonding with you.]

"Don’t distract me. I’m going to catch it."

The fly flew upward and landed on top of a nearby towering shelf. Zac followed it with narrowed eyes, but something else suddenly caught his attention.

Several books were lying on the very top, partially concealed behind the others. "Hmm. What’s that?"

Zac reached upward, but his fingertips barely brushed the edge, so he tried climbing the shelf.

’creak...creak...creak...’

Zac froze. "Oh ho."

The entire shelf abruptly tipped forward.

’Crash!’

Books rained down on his head in an avalanche.

A few seconds later, Zac’s hand emerged from beneath the pile. He shoved several books aside and slowly sat up. "I finally got it."

[The fly?]

"NO! The book."

Zac pulled it from the pile and opened it, and his eyes instantly widened. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

[What?]

"Why don’t you see it yourself?"

Zac turned the book and showed it to the System panel.

[So much effort for this.]

Zac’s face darkened as he looked left and right. "Who would imagine a vulgar picture book like this was hidden inside the world-famous Skill Archive?"

[Clearly, someone with culture.]

"Tsk."

He immediately snapped the book shut and looked around at the disaster he had caused. "I created all this commotion just to see a few naked drawings."

"Where exactly did my life go wrong?"

He stood up and began restoring the shelf. As he moved the fallen books aside, something near the corner suddenly caught his eye.

After embarrassing himself by opening an unknown book just moments ago, his mind told him not to reach for it, but his body betrayed him anyway.

The book was completely covered in cobwebs and thick layers of dust, almost to the point that it resembled nothing more than a lump of dirt.

He struck the book lightly against his palm, trying to dislodge the dust. A cloud immediately erupted around him.

"Cough! Cough!"

Zac stepped back, waving the dust away, then sat down in a corner, took a cloth from his inventory, and carefully wiped the book clean.

Unlike every other book he had seen so far, this one appeared exceptionally old and ancient. Its cover was tattered, and the edges had been worn down with age.

After cleaning the cover properly, he noticed unfamiliar writing engraved across it. "What language is this?"

He stared at it for several seconds, but nothing came to mind. "System, translate it."

The unfamiliar characters suddenly shimmered, and slowly, they rearranged themselves into words he could understand.

’Eternal Seasons: Summer Form’

[Would you look at that? Just a few hours ago, Armani mentioned ’shonen protagonists,’ and now you’ve discovered a mysterious technique buried beneath a bookshelf like discarded rubbish.]

[Just how powerful is your protagonist’s aura going to become?]

"Oh, shut up, will you? It’s just a coincidence."

[Coincidence? I think it’s plot armor.]

Zac ignored the system and opened it cautiously. "Please don’t be another ’R18’ book."

On the first page, only a single sentence was written at the center.

’Only beneath the merciless sun can an unyielding will be born.’

Zac stared at it. "That sounds powerful."

[You read one sentence and you’re already convinced you’ve discovered some legendary technique. I truly cannot fathom your naivety.]

Once again ignoring the system, Zac turned the page and began reading.

Page by page, the more he learned about the technique, the more intrigued he became, and after a superficial reading of the entire book, Zac felt an unmistakable sense that this technique suited him.

He closed the book, a faint smile appearing on his face.

[So you’re going to choose this one, right?]

"Yeah."

With the decision finally made, Zac stood up and headed toward the movement section.