Chapter 18 New Skills (2)

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I had finished changing my clothes and was on the bus back to my dorm.

It was already dark outside, and the sky was filled with countless shining stars.

I rested my chin on my hand, absentmindedly looking at the stars. I wondered if my previous world was among those stars? I didn't know...

I just let my mind drift, my eyelids grew heavy, and I fell asleep.

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"We've arrived at stop number 3."

The mechanical sound woke me up from my sleep. I quickly got off the bus and returned to my dorm. A feeling of exhaustion had taken over my mind. At this moment, I needed to have a long sleep to recover, as I hadn't slept for many days. It was a miracle that I could hold on until now.

Although my body had been fully healed by Andrea, my spirit was utterly exhausted. Ever since the regression, my mind had been on constant edge. My spirit, which had been damaged by the regression, could no longer continue.

'I need to sleep'

That was the most effective way to restore my spirit that I knew.

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[Noon. August 31, 305th Elmanar]

I woke up with a feeling of refreshment spreading throughout my body. My tired spirit had lightened a bit. I got out of bed and did my personal hygiene, welcoming the new day.

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"Wow, I slept until noon." I looked at the clock and couldn't help but exclaim.

Well, it's not surprising, sleeping is the best way to relieve tension when the spirit is tense. I've had enough sleep, so I'm feeling very comfortable now.

"Alright, let's continue the work I left unfinished yesterday." I muttered and my eyes flashed with excitement.

Calling out my Status Board, I looked down at the Special Skill section, a sense of accomplishment once again rising in my heart. My facial muscles involuntarily drew a smile.

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§ Andrea Sword Technique [Diamond] {New}
- Mastery: Unranked
- Description: This is a sword technique that perfectly combines Attack, Dodge, and Defense. The weapon used for this skill is a Rapier. With the nature of a Rapier, the user can easily destroy the enemy's weak points with minimal consumption and maximum attack, without wasting any movement. Attacks on the enemy's weak points will be increased in damage. During the battle with Andrea's sword technique, there is a chance to create an attack with an Armor-piercing effect. This rate will increase with the user's mastery in Andrea's sword skill.

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A quick look and Andrea's Sword Technique seems incredibly powerful, right? It can attack, dodge, and defend. But unfortunately, we can only do that when we reach a high level of mastery. In the early stages, this skill is more like an anchor.

Andrea's sword skill heavily relies on the user's skill. Its power is maximized when used by a skilled user, rather than relying on brute force. Therefore, to learn this sword technique, we need to invest a lot of effort.

The required weapon for this sword technique must be the Rapier, a thin and light sword with a beautiful appearance that is said to be born for nobles to show off their level and skills. This type of weapon is not highly valued for its damage and requires a user who truly understands and appreciates it to unleash its full potential.

With the slender, long, and sharp design of a Rapier, to maximize its damage, we need to learn a lot about the enemy's weaknesses. The user must possess a keen eye to identify weaknesses and exploit them with precision, ensuring that even a minimal amount of force can deliver a fatal blow.

Not to mention other factors, the fact that the weapon is a Rapier is enough to make it difficult to keep it intact. We must know how to control our own force if we don't want the sword to break or dent during combat. A fragile weapon.

As for the Armor-piercing effect, it is a game-breaking effect, very unbalanced.

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Armor-piercing: An attack with the Armor-piercing effect will have its damage increased by 10 times, ignoring all enemy defenses and dealing direct damage. The current chance to land such an attack is 0.1%.

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That effect is incredibly OP, isn't it? Plus, the damage bonus scales with your skill mastery. The higher you level it up, the more insane the damage becomes.

With such a OP effect, why is the Andrea Sword Technique underrated? Just look at the ratio. It's 0.1%.

No mistake, it's 0.1%. Not 1% or 10%, but 0.1%. An incredibly low ratio.

Although this percentage will also increase with proficiency, starting at 0.1% is too low. Relying on it in combat is pointless. We're better off focusing on improving our swordsmanship. No one would rely on an effect with such an infuriatingly low chance of occurring. It's almost like it doesn't exist.

Other Diamond-rank sword techniques, if they have low damage, compensate with powerful additional effects or vice versa. The Andrea Sword Technique is an outlier. It has low damage, is difficult to train, has strong effects but the chance of appearing is pitifully low.

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In conclusion, the Andrea Sword Technique is something that no one wants to take. It is both difficult and weak. It is inevitable that it is underestimated.

But it is just right for me. With the "Sharp Gaze" skill that Andrea gave me, I can easily bring out the true power of this sword technique without relying on the Armor-piercing effect.

The number of Skill Books related to the eyes is actually not much. Each has its own function, rarely overlapping. And the eye skills that increase sensitivity or catch openings are even rarer.

In the original novel, the only skill mentioned that can increase eye sensitivity is the F-rank skill - "Quick Eyes". It is a lower-rank skill of "Sharp Gaze", making it easier to observe small movements. That's it, no other buffs.

It appeared in a small shop in the Black Market in a sealed state. It would take a lot of effort to unseal a seal, and unsealing an F-rank skill without knowing what it was was risky. So the shop owner just threw it in a corner.

It was later found by Karen by chance. She was interested in the seal, so she decided to buy it. The shop owner sold it for a price much lower than the value of an F-rank skill. In a world where Skill Books were extremely rare, an F-rank skill was also very expensive. He said it was unlucky thing because no one had bought it for a long time, and it would just lie there if Karen didn't buy it.

After obtaining the book, Karen was able to unseal it with some special tricks without spending too much money.

I originally intended to use it in conjunction with the Andrea Sword Technique, but who would have thought that "Sharp Gaze" would appear. Thanks to that, I saved a large amount of money and effort to unseal it.

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In short, the trip to Audryan Lake was completely worth it. I had obtained everything I needed to increase my strength, what I needed to do now was to try to improve myself.

"It's still early. I should practice and prepare myself for tomorrow."

Tomorrow was the opening ceremony, and I would have to attend it for the second time. Thinking about it made me bored.

"I wonder if I'll see Livy again tomorrow?" I muttered and shook my head.

Probably not. The reason I ran into Livy in my previous life was because I stood still in front of the school gate, attracting her attention. In this life, I'm already too familiar with Hollis, I won't fall into the same situation as in my previous life.

I shrugged, smiling wryly as I recalled my naivety before. Then I left the room and started my daily routine.

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[The Next Day]

Yup, I was now standing in front of the Hollis gate (again). Its size was still the same as before, making me feel nostalgic. After all, it had been about 10 years since I graduated from Hollis. Well, that was my previous life.

I slowly walked into Hollis with a relaxed spirit. The atmosphere on the day of the school reunion was extremely bustling and jubilant. Standing in the middle of the crowd, I felt like I had returned to my youth once again.

Ah, I had really returned.

'I feel so old now'. I closed my eyes, let out a breath with a faint smile on my lips. I was enjoying the atmosphere that I had not felt for a long time.

A few seconds later, I opened my eyes. The feeling of Déjà vu rose once again.

'Really?'. I twitched the corner of my lips, wondering silently as I looked at the figure before me.

A girl with a petite figure and orange hair. Her mischievous amber eyes were filled with curiosity. She was waving her hand in front of me.

"What are you doing standing here with your eyes closed?". She asked.

I sighed and slowly replied.

"It's nothing. I was just feeling a little nostalgic."

"Nostalgic? But you're a new student?". The girl heard my answer and asked curiously.

"It's nothing, don't worry." I shook my head, smiling.

"Um...alright. You're also a new student, right? You're wearing a white tie." She asked with a bright smile, her hands clasped behind her back.

The way to tell which year someone is in at Hollis is simple. For males, it's based on the color of the tie, for females, it's based on the color of the bow tie. White for first years, gray for second years, and black for third years.

"Yeah, I'm a new student. You too, right?"

"That's right. Hehe." She continued to laugh and said.

"My name is Livy, Livy Hadley. What's your name?"

"My name is Danz, Danz Grayson. Nice to meet you." I replied.

"Yeah! Nice to meet you too."

Strangely, I had a normal conversation with Livy, one of the main characters, without feeling anything strange. Was it because I was old? A calm conversation with Livy was something unthinkable for me in my previous life. I would have tried to avoid her before.

Well, having lived two lifetimes, I should be over this by now.

Also, I don't really need to avoid the main characters in this life. Approaching them naturally will help me gain their trust in the future. Since I've already met them, I'll just go with the flow, there's no need to avoid them like in my previous life.

"I'm in class 1-B, which class are you in?" Livy asked with a curious look.

"Me? I'm in class 1-A. I guess we're neighbors then. I hope we can help each other in the future." I replied.

"Of course!"

'She's still the same, huh? Shining like the sun'. I thought to myself.

"Ah, it's getting late. We should move, it's almost time for the opening ceremony". I said.

"Ehh, that's a bummer. I was really starting to enjoy getting to know you. Now we have to part ways?". She revealed a sorrowful expression.

I could only slightly laugh at Livy's face.

"So cute".

"What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing. I have to go. See you later".

I said and immediately turned around and left, leaving Livy in the crowd. I headed towards the hall.

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