Order of Masteries

Will's lecture did not end there. Despite their seemingly perilous situation, the man talked as if he had all the time in the world.

"Considering that we are under Metallic Elemental Focus, I would focus on working on comprehending a metal-type concept. Alright, I've talked too much. I'm going to sit down and leave the rest to you guys." Under the stunned eyes of Giselle and the others, Will sat down as if he had no care in the world and started to sincerely meditate.

The Frozen Asgard Maidens found it hard to believe that Will was willing to let his subordinates die. Such Spartan methods were not uncommon, but the way Will had gone about it stunned the ladies above.

"He won't really abandon them will he?" asked Sophia, her tone uncertain.

Lisa massaged her temples and replied, "My worry is if his presence actually makes that much of a difference. How many of us have the confidence to deal with an Agonised Banshee?"

Sector Bosses were the strongest creatures in ordinary dungeons. But Unique Dungeons or special areas have powerful Sector Bosses that transcended the limits of what that dungeon or area was created for. These creatures were so overbearing that only one of their kind could exist within a large area. They were called World Bosses. They were creatures strong enough to rule an entire world.

A World Boss was a creature that was equal in power to the average level 100 cultivator at the very least. Agonised Banshees were already quite strong among most World Bosses due to their strange and unique abilities.

Lisa and Giselle were confident in defeating an Agonised Banshee as a duo if they were allowed to fight at full power and they had the assistance of powerful weapons and tools.

Now someone was claiming that they could defeat one in such an unfavourable environment. To the ladies, this was absurd and sparked many discussions.

Meanwhile, Will, the subject of their discussions ignored them and sat down while Lyra and Achilles smiled wryly at each other and prepared themselves for the trials ahead.

They were already prepared for such a scenario as Will had informed them that the path ahead was going to be filled with danger. Even Will himself could not see how he could defeat an Agonised Banshee without using his mage skills or empyrean intents.

"Even if I opened all my meridians, and used every sword technique at my disposal, without yuan, empyrean intents or spells, the odds of me defeating an Agonised Banshee one-on-one is just 30 % at best. So I also need to break past my limits." Will calmed himself as he readied himself for the task ahead.

Will's main purpose in coming here was still to train his abilities. But he could only train his abilities under certain circumstances. He was only able to use the recurring water blade to its peak thanks to Elemental Focus of the water element. Now he needed Elemental Focus of the metal element!

His mind already racing with ideas of how he could further develop his skills. This was a turning point in his journey as a cultivator, and he vowed to make the most of it.

From the first day he had an understanding of the elements, Will had dedicated countless hours to honing his control over the metal element. He tested the limits of his abilities but suffered from a lack of guidance. He had the ability to freely manipulate water thanks to the Water Meister Class and its passive skills.

[Skill: Water Manipulation 

(Passive) –This skill allows a player to manipulate water freely. This can be any type of water given that it is not within another life form.

Skill: Water Enlightenment 

(Passive) –This skill allows a player to gain a complete comprehension of water and a connection to the laws of the element of water.]

For the metal element, he also had Metal Enlightenment as well, however, unlike with the water element, he did not have Metal Manipulation or a metal manipulation ability of any kind. Hence his ability to use metal-related skills was more dependent on his martial arts and skills as a warrior than his metal element affinity.

[Skill: Dual Mind 

(Passive) –This skill allows a player to divide their mind into two parts. This can increase intelligence and grants abilities such as ambidexterity.

Skill: Dual Mind Propagation 

(Passive) –This skill doubles the abilities of the Dual Mind every five levels.

Skill: Basic Swordsmanship 

(Passive) –This skill gives the player knowledge on the uses of basic sword skills.

Skill: Sword Enlightenment 

(Passive) –This skill allows a player to comprehend sword skills and the laws of nature. It will allow a player to use any bladed weapon as an extension of them.

Skill: Battle Awareness

(Passive)- The ability allows the user to learn and grow in the midst of battle. The more the user fights, the closer their technique and senses become more attuned toward battle.]

The combination of Metal Enlightenment, Battle Awareness, Sword Enlightenment and Dual Mind allowed Will to have a flexible style that evolved with time, despite lacking guidance. Each day brought new challenges but came with few answers, but Will did not give up.

He never forgot Modus' words of wisdom.

"A hundred hours of planning and a thousand days of training for one hour of glorious battle. This is all one needs to reach the peak."

Thus Will took every opportunity to swing his sword. Now he had to take his understanding of the sword to the next level and this was the perfect environment to do so.

His Metal Enlightenment was greatly boosted by the enhanced Metal Elemental Focus. Elemental Focus also provided a small all-around boost to all Metal Element cultivators. Will's mental energy got a great benefit as Call of the Forest enhanced Elemental Focus, allowing the spell to also boost Soul Force and Mental Energy. Will's mind was his greatest vessel, so he was thrilled about this circumstance.

'Odin's plan seems to be working. Things worked out the way he predicted. That man is dangerous.'

After the tournament, Will and the higher beings held a meeting helmed by Modus and Odin. Odin had the ability to predict future possibilities, but he disliked going so far for a mortal.

Will had no idea what deal Modus and Odin had but the Norse deity did a reading for Will and they made a plan that helped achieve their objectives. As the King of the Norse Gods, Odin naturally knew Fafnir's Grave well. However due to certain restrictions, he could not do as he pleased and inform Will about everything, but he could use his knowledge of the dungeon to guide Will in the dungeon.

Back at Mt Olympus, Modus had stressed to Will the importance of this mission.

"Listen, Will, most mortals believe that a dungeon is a treasure trove of resources to use for one's strength. While that is true to a certain degree, it is also a dangerous mentality. Dungeons are as much a trial by fire as they are a collection of rare cultivation resources. If one enters a dungeon with the intention of using the entire process for training, one will achieve better results.

Using your planet's logic as an example, you will notice that there is no such thing as a purely theoretical scientist. At some point, one has to do a physical experiment and learn the practical side of things. This applies to everything from biology, to architecture to engineering to sports.

Even if you end up being a theoretical physicist, you have to have at least carried out multiple basic experiments like stoichiometry or litmus tests. The practical examination of the cultivation world is precisely dungeons!

The resources and experience for leveling up you receive are only part of the benefit. To be honest you are not lacking in any of these at the moment. But you are sorely lacking in terms of guidance, the right environments and worldly experience.

Right now, you need to learn from Narcissus and Jingsung Ha because their understanding of the Mind and their attributes suit yours greatly. You also need to sign a contract with Narcissus. But you can only sign a contract with him once your mind is at its peak.

When you sign a Contract of Equals with Narcissus, his greatest talent, his Mental Energy Manipulation, will also be shared with you. Narcissus is also of the metal and water elements as well so this contract will greatly benefit you. But your mind needs to be in its best possible state. If you contract Narcissus before your mind has reached the limit of its potential, your growth will be cut off.

A stronger mind also allows you, the mortal, to benefit more from the contract as well. So remember, your journey here is to master the mind, establish your first proper divine contract and improve your application of concepts. In that order."

After remembering the task at hand, Will focused as he started to clear his mind. Now Will needed to focus on manipulating his mental energy. He sat down and started meditating.

Narcissus materialized next to Will and yawned, "Wow, that was incredibly boring, watching you mortals struggle like this is making me even more lazy. Anyway, let's move on to the task at hand. Jingsung Ha taught you how to apply different traits to your Area such as the water element, radiant Energy and Bloodlust. Now I'm going to focus on two traits in particular. Focus and the Metal Element."