Chapter 14 – Paths to Power

The afternoon sun bathed the training yard in a warm golden glow as Sylvie sat on the porch steps, absently twirling the dagger in her hand. It was nothing extravagant, but it was well-made—sturdy, balanced, and clearly meant to last. The edge gleamed as she tilted it under the sunlight.

Her sparring session with her father had left her drained, yet her mind buzzed with restless energy. The way her body had moved, the way she had reacted—none of it should have been possible for a girl who had never trained before. But she had trained. In another world, in another life.

Her gaze drifted toward Sylas, who was on the opposite side of the yard, carefully cleaning his sword. He had been watching her ever since their match ended, his expression unreadable.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"Sylas, I need to ask you something."

He glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Skills." She tapped the dagger against her knee. "How do they work exactly? I know they improve with practice, but there's got to be more to it than that."

Sylas wiped his blade with a cloth, considering the question. "Skills are tied to the system," he said. "The more you use them, the more proficient you get. Once you reach a high enough proficiency, the skill becomes stronger. But there's a limit."

"A limit?" she echoed, frowning.

"Yeah. Skills can only evolve beyond their basic level if they're tied to your class."

Sylvie straightened. "Explain."

Sylas leaned back against the porch railing, twirling his cleaning cloth between his fingers. "When you awaken, the system gives you a list of first-rank class options based on the skills you've developed before turning ten. If you pick a class that matches your strongest skills, those skills will continue to grow. If you don't, they'll stay at their basic level forever."

Sylvie's mind raced. That meant even if she trained every day and reached mastery in a skill, it would never evolve unless her class supported it.

She set the dagger down beside her. "So, let's say someone picks a combat class, like a [Swordsman]. What happens to any other skills they had before awakening?"

"They stay at their base level," Sylas confirmed. "They don't disappear, but they won't evolve past a certain point. If someone learns swordsmanship before they awaken and then chooses a [Swordsman] class, their skills will grow stronger over time. But if they pick something else, like an [Archer], their sword skills will stay stagnant."

A slow realization crept into Sylvie's mind.

Her combat abilities were from another life. If she had already maxed out [Combat Basics], that meant it was stuck unless she took a class that incorporated it. But she didn't want just a combat class. She needed something that combined her past knowledge, her tinkering abilities, and her ability to fight.

Something unique.

Sylas continued, "Once you pick your first class, you have to reach rank two to unlock stronger classes. And getting to rank two isn't easy."

"How does it work?" she asked.

"You need at least twenty levels across all your first-rank classes to advance," he explained. "Or you need at least two first-rank classes to reach level ten each."

Sylvie tapped her fingers against the porch railing, absorbing the information. "So if I wanted to become a high-level fighter, I'd need to train for years, stacking levels until I could reach rank two?"

"Exactly," Sylas said. "Most people don't even think about getting a second first-rank class, though. It's easier to focus on one path than to split your efforts."

"But it's possible?"

"Sure. If you develop multiple skills before you awaken, you might get more than one first-rank class option. But leveling takes time, and balancing multiple classes is hard. Most people pick the strongest one they can and stick with it."

Sylvie frowned.

She wasn't like most people.

She had combat instincts, but she also had her mind—her knowledge of machinery, her ability to build and repair. If she could combine that with her fighting ability, she wouldn't just be strong—she'd be unpredictable.

She needed a class that let her fuse those abilities together.

Sylas sighed and stretched his arms over his head. "Anyway, that's how it works. The system sets you on a path based on what you've learned, and after that, it's all about leveling up."

Sylvie hesitated before asking her next question. "What about you? What class did you get?"

Sylas smirked. "I awakened as a [Fighter] when I turned ten. It's a well-rounded combat class—strong, durable, and focused on close-range combat. It's not flashy, but it's solid."

"And Father?"

Sylas's smirk faded slightly. "Father is a [Knight], a rank-two class. He earned it years ago after serving in the military. He's strong—really strong. If he hadn't left the army, he could've ranked up even further by now."

Sylvie absorbed that. A rank-two class meant Callan had at least twenty levels of experience under his belt. No wonder he was so disciplined.

Then Sylas added offhandedly, "Of course, there are some people who don't follow the normal system at all."

Sylvie stiffened slightly. "What do you mean?"

Sylas shrugged. "It's just rumors, but some say there are special abilities—things that go beyond skills and classes. Stuff that only a handful of people in the world have."

She kept her expression carefully neutral. "Like what?"

"Nobody knows for sure," Sylas admitted. "Some say they let you break class restrictions, while others think they give unique powers that can't be copied. I've heard whispers that high-ranking nobles—maybe even members of the royal family—might have them, but it's not like they go around talking about it."

Sylvie forced herself to nod as if this was new information.

So aspects weren't common knowledge. That meant she couldn't just casually experiment with [Tinkerer's Blessing] in front of others.

She glanced at the dagger beside her and made a decision.

Picking up the blade, she focused her mind and tried to activate her skill.

Nothing happened.

She frowned and tried again.

This time, a translucent message appeared in front of her.

[Skill level insufficient to analyze this item.]

Her fingers tightened around the handle.

So [Tinkerer's Blessing] had limitations. She had assumed it would work on anything mechanical, but apparently, there were restrictions.

Before she could ponder it further, another message flashed.

[To increase proficiency in Tinkerer's Blessing, construct or modify complex mechanisms beyond known designs.]

She exhaled slowly.

If she wanted her aspect to grow, she had to invent, repair, and innovate.

A slow smirk formed on her lips.

She was just getting started.

Status

Name: Sylvie

Age: 8

Class: Unawakened

Rank: None

Attributes:

• Strength: 3 (↑1 from training)

• Intelligence: 7

• Agility: 4 (↑2 from sparring and movement training)

• Mana: 10

• Dexterity: 11 (↑1 from precision training)

Aspect:

• [Tinkerer's Blessing] (Proficiency: 8/10)

Skills:

• Combat Basics (Proficiency: Max)

• Observation (Proficiency: 5/10)

• Running, cooking, washing…