Chapter 30

"Oh no." Bilbo said. "Don't tell me you are getting addicted to it!"

"No! I'm not! I just asked for it since it can help me deal with my anger! That way I can slowly loosen up! It is for medical purposes!" Max defended himself.

"You're not getting any from now on boy!"

"I don't need it anyways!"

Then, they clashed once more.

Max swung Kanshou towards Bilbo's arm but it was dodged by making distance between them. Max took his chance and threw both swords at Bilbo but they were blocked.

"You think I'll fall for that?" Bilbo said.

"I didn't hope for it anyways." Max said as he charged toward Bilbo with new projections of Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands.

The blades clashed while emitting sparks everywhere. Throughout his spars with Bilbo, Max slowly got used to the rhythm of the fight.

Previously, he didn't have much chances to fight against experienced opponents like Bilbo.

Yes, he could wipe the floor with Marcus and Eric and the others in Horizon, but against an opponent who could hold his ground for a prolonged time, his flaws would be clear as day.

Like his habits for example. He copied too many styles from too many people. But that was not all, he also copied their habits. And that was bad.

Bilbo helped him realize that and made him worked harder because of it. And his mana reserves, his reflexes all increased. He was an invaluable teacher.

"You're getting slow old man." Max said as he blocked Bilbo's sword with Bakuya.

"That might be so, but you're still naive!" Bilbo said as he threw a handful of dirt toward Max's eye.

Max dodged the dirt while stepping backwards and threw his swords again.

"This again?" Bilbo said as he blocked the swords but then was surprised because the first set of Kanshou and Bakuya returned right at that moment and was about to slash his back.

He hurriedly turned around in an effort to block those at his back but then sensed Max attacking him with a new set of twin swords.

And the ones he had blocked earlier were returning from his sides.

He was surrounded with no way out.

"I got you!" Max yelled as he swung the twin swords towards Bilbo and managed to leave a small gash on his arm before Bilbo disappeared from his vision.

"Well done! But as my friend says; first blood matters less than last breath!" Bilbo said from behind Max as he tripped him up and put his blade on Max's neck.

"How did you do that?!" Max was surprised. He had never seen Bilbo move that fast.

"You didn't think I was going all out in our spars did you?" Bilbo said with sarcasm.

Max was a little disheartened but got over it instantly because no matter how small it may seem, he finally managed to land a hit on Bilbo. That was an accomplishment.

"You did well kid. I'm proud of you. You are really approaching the limits of a mortal. And at such a young age too *sigh* I was still eating my snot at your age…" Bilbo said regretfully.

"Limit of a mortal? What does that mean? Are you an immortal?" Max asked confused.

"Oh, Oblivion, no. There is no such thing as an immortal. We call the limit before being exposed to divinity, mortal limits." He explained.

"Mortal limits cannot be breached before being exposed to divinity?"

"Yeah. Every being has the limit, otherwise the world would've been a really chaotic and dangerous place. It is a restriction put on the mortals by the gods, and only They can lift that restriction."

"How does that work?"

"By praying to them obviously. You have to bow before the mights of the gods and their divinity. Through that, they may or may not lift your restriction. Some might even be chosen as their Champions and gifted artifacts."

"So, if I want to get stronger, I have to pray to a divine in hopes of overcoming my limits?"

"Yes. You can choose whichever one you want, You don't have to be a devout believer. But, you have to complete a labour for them."

"Which one did you pray to?"

"My lord is The Paragon. Aside from being the God of Craftsmanship, Protection and Well-Earned Luck, he is also known as the God of Heroes. Because of that, he is quite popular amongst the adventurers. He is a very benevolent god, so you don't have to worry that your labour would be something impossible."

"What happens if you don't complete your labour?"

"Hehe you don't wanna know about that. Living in misery would be your best outcome. Never ever have that thought cross your mind." Bilbo replied.

"I'm not that stupid. All I have to do is pray for their help?"

"Yes. But you have to chant Their honorable name."

"Honorable name? What's that?"

"A three line Aria dedicated to the specific god only. Normal prayers may or may not receive replies, it's not certain, but through reciting Their honorable name, you will surely receive an answer. But using it in vain would only result in divine punishment. And if you want to overcome your limits, you have to recite the honorable name."

"I see. Who would be stupid enough to use it in vain anyways?"

"Oh you have no idea. There are way too many people. Anyways, which divine will you pray to? Assuming you want to break through your mortal shell obviously."

"I'm thinking of The Paragon since you said all that."

"Good choice. You might be able to join the Vigilants of The Paragon in the future if you're lucky. Anyways I'll tell you the honorable name now and you can pray later. You will need to prepare a sacrifice though. Anything works as long as it has some meaning to you. You can go hunt a game too."

"Got it. I'll get to it as soon as possible."

"Good. Now listen carefully, the first line of the honorable name is;

The Paragon who sits upon the Silver Throne…

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Seriously stop. Writing an extra chapter a day is really hard! I really didn't think it'd be like this!!

Once again, I'm really glad I didn't say 50.

…extra is on the way 🫥