Supreme Swordfiend

Leon had not dreamt since the first night.

That first dream had been stressful only in retrospect, the calming white void hadn’t irked Leon while he’d been within it, while the revelations he’d inferred from the man named Sha had been as extraordinary as they were worrisome.

This dream was different.

He stood at the edge of a dry, sun-baked battlefield. Swords of all types littered the ground, most rusted beyond recognition. Though there was no sign of their wielders, evidence of a battle remained, dried blood stained the sands, a pile of swords at the centre of the field with a man standing proudly atop them the only signs of life upon the field of death.

Taking a step forward, a horrid pressure assaulted Leon. Like a brandished blade, or a starving beast. Threat, pure threat. The intent of a killer who had honed their bloodlust across innumerable battles.

It commanded Leon to cease- to turn back.

He stepped forward.

Each step was harder than the last, Leon’s recognition of the pressure growing with each one. This was a Swordfiend’s bloodline, yet it was not his. Had the man from his first dream returned to impart some more cryptic hints?

The fifth step marked an increase in difficulty, one that was beyond the fledgling swordsman. Leon collapsed to the sand, his eyes locked on the man atop the sword mound.

He was the source of the Swordfiend bloodline, its presence one Leon’s own bloodline rebelled against fiercely, the suppressive effect lightening as Leon’s own raging lineage screamed its defiance, beating back its kin, forcing Leon to resume his march.

Step after agonising step, until he was once more forced to stop. The next step would kill him. Of this he was sure. The boundless power behind that man’s bloodline would crush him if he dared to step forward. Nine steps was his limit, another thirty-one separating him from the sword mound.

The man atop it glanced back as if he’d sensed the intruder in his domain.

Leon woke at that moment, unable to recall the man’s face.

Had he even seen it?

Throwing the sheets off himself, Leon took in the disarray surrounding him. Pages covered every available surface, their quantity increasing the closer to Zerasos they were. The devil looked like shit. Slumped over his makeshift desk, hands idly moving papers back and forth.

“The fuck just happened?”

A small, barely perceptible twitch distorted the devil’s features as he turned to face Leon, exhaustion clear to see on his face.

“Morning kid. Your reclass was... violent. The amount of mana the System used... it tore your body apart, then rebuilt you. You blacked out from the pain. Shouldn’t have been so extreme at your level, but that seems to be a trend with you. Doing shit that shouldn’t be possible for your level. I can’t even read your Class name, just the rarity, which y’know impeded my ability to actually help you. Took me three hours of arguing my case to get all this.”

The devil gestured to the surrounding room.

“Pricks wouldn’t even sort it, just dumped the stack of papers and left. Most of ‘em are agreements, NDA’s that kind of thing. This one is what I was after. Turns out Unique is a rarity level most never see. It’s what it says on the tin- you’re a one-of-one now, no one else has ever had your Class. I’d advise you to catalogue it thoroughly. Info like that can be valuable to the right people. Now, before I keel over, I’ll answer the questions you had last night but didn’t get to ask, since ya know, you got turned into blood paste.”

With a clap, the papers vanished, the devil collapsing into a now uncovered beanbag.

“Don’t worry about [G] Grade for now- the Job tutor I got lined up for you will cover that side of progression, alongside how to master your internal energy. Most fighters pick up a few tricks they’ll use it for, though I know blacksmiths rely on it far more. Now, importantly, it’s Day Five. The Woods Tyrant is out there, somewhere. Don’t get cocky. Take it down nice and quick. Then we get some time off before you’re forced into the next area. Suit up, kid. Good luck. I’m gonna get some shuteye.”

True to his word, the devil passed out as soon as he stopped speaking.

Sighing as he pulled himself into his gear, Leon paid due reverence to the fridge god and received a sirloin in return. He had long since stopped questioning the fridge’s wisdom- a breakfast steak was unorthodox, but perhaps Leon would need all the energy he could get.

The lack of information from Zerasos about both the [G] Grade and internal energy was surprising- ever since they’d signed the contract, Zerasos had been eager to help Leon along, free with his information.

Perhaps it was similar to Insights? The more you knew, the harder it would become to progress?

Leon would be patient.

Another day and he would have his answers.

Today- a fight.

Strapping the last of his gear on, Leon contemplated withdrawing Wavecutter, deciding against it.

He’d know when he needed it.

Pulling up his status for one last check, Leon’s eye went to the quests section.

Name- Leon Knox

Race- [Human]

Grade- [H]

Class- [Unique- Sealed Swordfiend]- Level 0/1

Job-None!

Aggregate Level- 25

Stat Block:

HP-590/590

MP-310/310

Power-60

Speed-60

Constitution-59

Intelligence-31

Wisdom-30

Fame-3

Infamy-0

Skills:

[Inspect]-Level 2/2

[Giant Slayer Style]- Level 1/1

[Shifting Tides Style]- Level 1/3

Quests:

Fuel- Consume a slain foe in its entirety- bones, organs and blood.

Progress- 0/1

Reward- Class Skill

Dominance- Defeat a foe stronger than yourself without using your maximum strength.

Progress- 0/1

Reward- Class Skill

Supremacy- Force a weaker foe to flee through the use of your bloodline alone.

Progress- 0/1

Reward- Class Skill

Bloodline:

[H] Grade- Swordfiend (Sealed, 0% Unlocked)

Insights:

Water’s Power- Early Shallow

Air’s Pressure- Early Shallow

Lightning’s Supremacy- Early Shallow

At least these quests only required a single action to complete.

The low max level of his new Class was unexpected- though Leon supposed it made sense. With the aggregate level in play, a lower number of total levels with more power gained per level seemed to be a pattern the Classes would follow- the higher the rarity, the fewer levels you could gain in the class before being forced to reclass.

In exchange, your power would be greater than others at the same aggregate level. Presumably, there were other benefits, though Leon was unsure what they could be.

He was going to knock these quests out today- all of them.

Stepping out the door, Leon spotted a lone T-Rex wandering through the clearing that had once held the ashes of a campfire. The storm had dissipated while he’d slept, the skies still dark though not stormy.

At a mere level twenty, the rex wouldn’t offer much experience to Leon, being right on the edge of the five-level cut-off.

As the lizard turned to face Leon, jaws beginning to open, the swordsman flared his bloodline, channelling the experience from his latest dream into reality. While normally passive and content with merely evaluating any threats, his lineage responded to his call, clamping down on the overgrown lizard.

Leon silently thanked the strange man- he'd shown his junior Swordfiend how to apply his bloodline more effectively, though Leon suspected this had been an inadvertent outcome.

As an apex predator, the beast felt disdain for this small creature until Leon wrapped it in pressure.

The formless weight promised the beast one thing.

Death.

Swift and inevitable.

The small being raised a hand and the T-Rex ran for the woods, desperate to flee from the tiny yet terrifying being.

Relaxing his focus, Leon let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. Using his bloodline like that was tiring. It took too much focus to be effective in a fight, at least for now. Perhaps with sufficient training, it could become more.

For now, it was a tool for deterrence and posturing.

“Quest Complete- Supremacy

Reward- Unique Skill- [Sealed Fiend Eyes]”

“[Sealed Fiend Eyes]- User receives greatly increased knowledge of anything they appraise.”

An edgy name for such a basic skill, he’d test it once he ran into the target monster of the day.

Ensuring he’d properly secured his sword, Leon set off. He had a lizard to hunt.

Progress was slow until he had the idea of scaling a tree. Using his blade, he cut hand holds that allowed him to reach the branches. From there, the swordsman climbed until he perched atop the tree overlooking the woods.

They were vast- even at his height, he couldn’t survey them in their totality. The notable landmarks were all visible, though. The lake, the valley, the rotting hill and the stretch of scorched earth.

No sign of the tyrant from up here- there were rustling trees in two separate parts of the woods, the branches shaking from the impact of titanic footfalls.

Leon observed for a moment, wondering if there was any rhyme or reason behind the dinosaur’s movements.

Then the flames emerged, burning blue and clearly visible even in the morning light. Two plumes, roughly equidistant, from each other and from Leon.

Then the roars, all recognisable bar one. The unknown being louder, domineering and prideful.

Only one being could have made that sound.

Descending the tree with haste, Leon came to a startling conclusion.

The increasing intelligence of the monsters as the days had gone on pointed to a pattern.

Today’s foe? They had taken control of the wild lizard packs, bent their wills and set them to work.

Hunting humans.

The two plumes- Mike’s group and Selena.

Between the two- that’s where he’d find his prey.

Hitting the ground running, a wave of scarred velociraptors soon accosted Leon.

They didn’t stand a chance, claws bouncing off his armour, the Sunlight Greatsword leaving the horde bleeding and broken as Leon continued his charge.

He could have stopped, consumed a raptor there and then- and in exchange, he would give the Woods Tyrant a chance to change location.

Every second mattered.

The surviving carnotaurus exhibited similarly scarred states, one spotting Leon ahead of its brethren, the swordsman slicing the beast apart with minimal exertion before it could even attack.

The rest met the same fate- their stats and bulk too low to be of any challenge compared to the beasts Leon was used to facing down.

A wave of spinosaurus and T-Rex followed the swordsman, weaving between claws and jaws, pouncing on any that lowered their necks. Twenty of each species lay dead at his feet when he finished. Panting and blood-soaked, the worn swordsman moved on.

Burning energy to heal his injured muscles, a pair of Flamma Tyrannosaurus and Venomback Spinosaurus emerged.

Taking advantage of their propensity to spew hot napalm, the Venomback’s fates sealed by their own ‘comrades’- friendly the fire was not, as it chewed them up, Leon leaping from one burning lizard to another, plunging his blade through another neck, the severed head flopping to the floor.

Unable to even relish having finally killed a Flamma without it self-detonating, Leon dodged another fireball, then jammed his blade through the beast’s eye, reducing the creature’s brain to a gory pulp.

Onwards, ever onwards, towards the centre.

Towards the target.

The emergence of the tyrant’s final guardians- an Infernal Rex and Creeping Death Spinosaurus. The white-scaled trickster vanished into nothingness as Leon leapt to avoid a burning fireball.

The fight lasted longer than it should have- he knew how these foes fought and he was stronger than the last time they’d fought. With his increased Power, the Infernal Rex’s scales posed less of an obstacle, his sword able to reach the tender leg muscles that had eluded him previously.

He crippled both legs for good measure, taking a chunk of its tail as the beast retaliated.

With the tyrannosaurus hobbled, Leon pretended to take sadistic joy in carving up the defenceless beast, his perception focused on his surroundings.

When the strike came, he was ready. Another decapitated head to add to his collection. The Infernal Rex lost its head shortly after. The flood of mana wasn’t enough for Leon to gain his first and last level in his class.

That was fine.

The last battle awaited him.

He was sure it would give him more than enough.