Black String of Fate

What now?

Now that Xavier has finally found his complete freedom, he is lost. With no significant debts to settle from the past life, nor a desperate purpose in his mind, Xavier has nothing to do.

'Wow... I never imagined I would be in a position like this. I've already tried going down the path of a revolutionary, but that didn't work out well, and I have no intentions of trying once again. The hero can do all that bullshit.

In the first place, such a task never suited me. I have always been a violent individual who tried to solve things by force. I lacked the mindset of selflessness and empathy to even properly begin seeing the world, let alone changing it.

It didn't matter that I was the strongest individual in the world, those with real power in such matters are people who can have comrades they can trust by their side.

Trusting people... Such a basic thing seems so far-fetched to me...'

Xavier turned around and started walking towards the city, realizing that during this whole scenario, he hadn't eaten once.

'Damn, now that I'm no longer a ninth-tier Archon, I need to eat regularly...'

While going to a small establishment he saw nearby, he saw the soldiers and the lord up close. The Lord turned around and nodded at him, as he went back to managing his knights.

'I guess he'll be in line for a while...'

Xavier nodded back and went inside to eat. He got disgusted looks from others who saw his dirty appearance, but he did not mind them as he sat down and ordered a hearty meal. He indulged in the simple but fulfilling soup and bread as he thought about his future. He wanted to be free with no grand goals, but he didn't want to just sit around and do nothing with this precious second chance at life.

'There is a saying, "When you can't find your calling, go become an adventurer."

I don't know how true it is, but that doesn't sound too bad. Furthermore, I may be able to experience things I never would have experienced before if I saw the world a bit more. I have a fresh mind with no worries or duties, so it would be much more stress-free than taking on some grand duty. But for that...

I need to become a Pathwalker again.'

********

Pathwalkers are those who tread on the path of power. The ones who vie for greater strength, those who harness the natural forces of the world. They are the true representation of superhuman power in this world and are generally considered superior to the mundane Uninitiated. One can have strength, riches, power, fame, everything if they are powerful enough.

Beyond the social hierarchy, this hierarchy of power also existed. Though, it is mostly nobles or those who are of privileged birth who are of high rank. Exceptions to this stereotype existed, and Xavier was one such exception.

There are 10 known tiers of Pathwalkers, each significantly more powerful than its predecessor.

Novice

Veteran

Elite

Expert

Master

Grandmaster

Sage

Savant

Archon

Paragon

Each tier has 3 sub-tiers: Initiate, Advanced, and Crafted.

The Pathwalkers are either divided into warriors or magicians, and this choice is usually taken at the very start of their journey. They need to make this choice in order to focus on one aspect of themselves and improve it with a single focused mind. It is as such according to the famous saying, 'Jack of all trades, master of none'.

Those who try to do both usually end up wasting their time and talent, reaching only mediocre heights.

'In my last life, I was an Archon in the way of the sword. I was infamously called the Immortal Sword Demon, well, before my Demon King nickname, due to my reckless fighting style and my near-undying vitality. Even before that grand title, I was called the cockroach, or the pest who keeps coming back, and many other things by the ones who've had the misfortune of facing my sword.

I walked my path of the sword, surpassed everyone who walked a similar path as me, and reached the peak of swordsmanship beyond the imagination of anyone.

Take it from someone who reached the absolute peak of the Crafted Archon tier, no swordsman or magician can touch upon the mythical Paragon tier. The current conceptions about the path to power are flawed and lead to a dead end with hopelessness at the end. After being stuck in that realm, I looked for ways one could become a Paragon, and found an ancient scripture that contained such details.

The only one who can touch those elusive heights is an Arcane Weaponist, a ridiculous being beyond common sense who has reached the same height as me in both the fields of magic and weapons. They can wipe anyone out of existence with both their magic and the sword. It is said that once you reach those heights, you have ascended beyond your shell and have reached a new level of Existence.

A Paragon isn't selective in his skillset, he is the one truly supreme.'

Xavier then had an idea, a whimsical wish, a passing thought pop into his head, one that someone as aimless as he desperately needed.

'Why don't I try to reach the Paragon tier this time? As far as I know, even though Archons are exceedingly rare, there have been a few instances in history where they have come into existence. They are powerful and rare enough to define an era, so people usually consider Savants as the final tier of power and the true powerhouses of the world.

The mythical Paragon is completely unheard of by normal people. Scholars have tried devising what kind of existence they could be, but only those capable of being an Archon can even begin to fathom just what absurdity is a Paragon.

I want to reach that height. I was a Crafted Archon, an existence considered to be the most powerful in all of history, but still a far cry from an assumed Paragon. Having just glimpsed into the mere shadow of capabilities required to be one, I can say without a doubt that my whole path to it was wrong.'

Xavier fell into deep thought as he started reminiscing about his beginnings,

'It was a lucky stroke of fate if anything. I found a sword manual written by a Savant, most likely his final legacy. I religiously practiced that technique and grew in power, drunk in my arrogance that I found a supreme technique that no one could beat.

But, as all good things come to an end, I started feeling its limitations when I was a Crafted Sage. When I finally became a Savant, that technique was no longer able to give form to my full power. It was limiting me. That was when I distanced myself from the world for some time and trained in the Great Forest of the Forbidden Continent against beasts on my level.

I personalized my technique, made it something divergent from the weak Savant who wrote it, and that transformed the Savant's Demonic Sword Arts and gave birth to my greatest masterpiece, the arts of the greatest swordsman to have ever lived,

The Supreme Demonic Arts.'

Xavier sighed as he recalled,

'But that wasn't enough to reach the Paragon level. It also exhausted its potential at the peak of the Crafted Archon level and left me with my further path to power blocked.

To be honest, I was never unsatisfied with that level. No one could stand against me, I was the strongest. Now, I realize that even though one alone could never defeat me, multiple people close to my level can. The hero was an Advanced Archon, and his party was composed of Crafted Savants with some magician girl who was an Initiate Archon.

Their battle sense, tenacious will, and stupidly blind trust in each others' abilities somehow turned the obvious outcome of their battle with me into their victory.

I need a new start. A new way of fighting, a new path to power. I cannot pick up a sword like I used to, otherwise, I'll conform back to using that limited art I created, stuck without achieving any growth. I need a way to improve, or even create a whole new battle art that surpasses that old one.

What I desperately need right now, is inspiration. I need something to enlighten me, or else nothing will change.'

Xavier finished his food and placed a few coins on the counter, as he headed to the adventurers guild to create his license.