Side Story: Joseph

Knock, knock.

Joseph looked up from the report resting on his desk and turned toward the wooden door of his office.

He frowned. "Who is it?"

"Tom."

"Come in, then," Joseph sighed, shifting his gaze away from the door.

Tom entered and immediately noticed the papers spread across the desk.

"It seems I've disturbed you. I apologize."

Joseph waved his left hand in a dismissive gesture. "If it were someone else, I would have made them wait. I don't mind being interrupted if it's you. Besides, I would have called you anyway," he said, picking up the report.

"Something urgent?" Tom asked, closing the door behind him and taking a seat.

"Not urgent, but suspicious nonetheless," Joseph sighed again. He had been sighing a lot lately.

"A messenger delivered this in the morning," he explained, passing the papers to Tom.

"What is it about?"

"It's a report from all the villages that share a boundary with the forest, like ours. There's been a decline in awakened beasts beyond a certain level. The reason is still unknown."

Unlike the outskirts, the inner region of the forest lay above a mana leyline, increasing both the quality and quantity of atmospheric mana. An environment like that was ideal for beasts to grow stronger and even advance to the second grade.

"A change in the leyline, perhaps?" Tom guessed, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

"If it is a shift in the leyline, I just hope it didn't move toward our side. Beasts are drawn to regions with high mana density—that's the only reason our village has been able to survive so close to the forest," he added.

Joseph nodded in agreement. "We're only skilled enough to deal with stragglers chased out from the forest depths. If the leyline shifted any closer to us, it would attract beasts far beyond our capabilities."

He turned to look outside the window, at the yard where kids were sparing with each other.

"Regardless, increase the rounds of scouting in the forests. There is no harm in being cautious about it. I rather hear complaints from my subordinates than see people dying due to carelessness",

"I agree. No one here can face a bunch of second grade beasts."

"That aside, you didn't come here just for this," Joseph said, placing the report into the drawer of his desk.

"Mhm, I wanted to talk about your boy," Tom replied, immediately capturing Joseph's full attention.

"Go on."

"The boy is talented. I'm not just talking about his high spirit stat or his skills. Those are rare for someone his age, but they're not what make him exceptional, in my opinion."

Joseph remained silent, listening intently.

"The boy is sensible, hardworking, mature, and hungry for power. Since he started sparring under my watch, he has lost every match—yet he has never complained or shown any signs of giving up."

Peter had all the qualities needed to thrive on the path of a warrior. Good stats and exceptional skills at birth could provide a strong foundation, but without the will to work relentlessly and the hunger for greater power, people tended to stagnate or even abandon the path of ascension entirely.

Joseph smiled. "I'm happy to hear praise for my son from someone as strict as you, Tom. You can keep inflating my ego."

Tom smirked. "I wasn't praising you, Joseph."

"Aye, aye. Just remember, he did come out of me," Joseph added, pointing at his pants.

Tom could only shake his head at Joseph's antics. Deciding not to let him control the flow of the conversation, he steered it back on track.

"That's why I came—to confirm something with you," he said, looking at his younger captain. "What are your plans for him?"

Joseph raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"

"If he's given the right opportunities, he could easily unlock an uncommon class like you did. And if he's exceptionally lucky, maybe even an unusual-grade one."

The System was unkind—it treated everyone equally. Yet, in this so-called world of equality, the disparity between people was a gulf that only widened over time.

An uncommon-grade class was worth five common-grade ones, and the same principle applied to higher grades.

"It would be a tragedy to clip his wings before he even takes flight."

The System valued effort above all else. It only rewarded those who strove for greatness. Even noble scions had to undergo trials from an early age to qualify for a higher-grade class.

"What father doesn't wish for his child to surpass him?" Joseph asked, his voice softer, almost weary.

Tom could count the number of times he had seen Joseph look so disillusioned and despondent since his return from adventuring—with a wife in tow.

"Mariah is being selfless because of her overprotectiveness. No one knows that better than she does. The truth is, no one loves my son more than his mother. She'll come around before it's too late."

"Until then, push him as hard as you can without breaking him, Tom. I'll do the same. I'll start training him to unlock his Perception stat tomorrow."

That would keep him busy for a while, Joseph hoped.

"I would've done it even if you hadn't told me," Tom said, standing up and making his way to the door. "But I hope you remember—sparring has diminishing returns. If he wants to acquire anything beyond a common-grade class, he'll need real combat at some point."

Joseph sighed. "I just hope Mariah comes to her senses before that."

…

"Let's try something new today," Joseph said.

Peter opened his eyes, curiosity flashing across his face. "Not meditating?"

Joseph shook his head with a smile. "You can do that later. I think it's time we start working on unlocking perception."

Excitement lit up Peter's face. He was so different from how Joseph had been as a child—Peter thrived on training, while Joseph had once preferred playing around.

"How do we train for it?" Peter asked eagerly.

In response, Joseph handed him a blindfold and began wrapping cloth around his wooden sword.

"Put the blindfold on. We'll spar. My sword is padded, but it'll still hurt and leave bruises, so let me know if it gets overwhelming," Joseph instructed. "And remember, this isn't a race. You won't unlock it overnight—it took me a month."

Peter nodded and tied the blindfold over his eyes, gripping his sword tightly.

Joseph started walking around him, watching as Peter instinctively turned toward the sound of his footsteps.

He smiled—then activated Shadow Step, erasing his presence.

"Perception is a mental stat—like a sixth sense. It plays a crucial role in skills like Danger Sense, but training it can be quite troublesome," Joseph explained.

He had never been fond of reading, something he regretted later in life. His son, however, had inherited his mother's love for books.

"As far as I know, senses can be divided into three types: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual. We are naturally attuned to Physical and Spiritual senses," he continued.

"I won't go into physical senses—you're already familiar with them. Spiritual senses, on the other hand, are instinctively present in everyone because the soul is an essential part of our being. However, due to the limitations of our mortal bodies, we can only use them subconsciously unless we train them. Mana Sense, for example, is both a spiritual sense and a skill."

"Mental senses are different. Unlike the other two, they don't exist naturally—we have to cultivate them from the ground up. Physical senses come from our organs, like eyes and ears, while spiritual senses stem from the soul. But mental senses? The mind wasn't meant to sense—it was meant to think."

"To train perception, you must discard both your physical and spiritual senses. Necessity is the mother of creation—when your mind is deprived of all external input, it will slowly develop a new way to perceive the world. That is perception."

Joseph swung his sword, striking Peter's left leg. The boy stumbled and fell, but before he could fully regain his footing, another strike landed from behind.

He could see Peter struggling to suppress any sound of pain, his small body tensing under the repeated blows. Yet, not a single cry escaped his lips. Joseph couldn't be prouder.

This training was as difficult for him as it was for his son, but seeing Peter endure without complaint only strengthened his resolve to continue.

"Don't just try to feel my strikes—anticipate my position," Joseph instructed. "Defend by blocking or counterattacking."

He continued his relentless assault, striking unpredictably while effortlessly dodging Peter's wild swings.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Mariah watching from the study room window. A part of him was relieved—she hadn't tried to intervene.

"Tell me when you want to stop," Joseph offered.

"No, it's fine," Peter replied, his voice steady. "The pain is only momentary. If I use my Recovery {Physical} skill to heal the area before it worsens, it barely takes any mana—especially since the sword is padded."

Joseph smiled. The boy was always optimistic.