At the training ground behind the Technical Research Institute, Henwell crashes into the mountainside like a cannonball.
As the dust settles, Henwell breaks free from the rocks and reaches out to pull back the two long swords that had fallen.
Across from him, Newwood rubs his shoulder. âYou really hit hard, man.â
Henwell wipes blood from the corner of his mouth. âWhen I spar with someone at your level, if I donât go all out, itâs hard to even get close. Giving it my all means I canât control the force perfectly. How much strength did you use this time? Half your power?â
Newwood holds up two fingers. âNo more than that.â
Even though he expected it, Henwell canât help feeling a bit disappointed.
Though only a little over a month has passed since their last fight, Henwell has truly spent three years in the Eastern World.
During those three years, he didnât waste time in taverns or leisure.
Henwell is disciplined, he trains daily, using Will Lock to push himself. His strength has grown significantly since returning from the West, but it still isnât enough to harm Newwood.
Seeing Henwellâs disappointed look, Newwood canât help but tease. âWhat did you expect? Just because you visited another world, you think you can take on someone above your rank?â
âIf you were an average Glory Knight in Peace Haven, maybe you could beat me. But outside that, you can only guarantee you wonât lose! As the companyâs market investigator and security manager, if I fall to you easily, why would they even pay me?â
Henwell laughs. âI always forget your role and assume other Glory Rank experts are as strong as you.â
Newwood pulls out a chair and sits down. âYouâre a real workhorse, man. You run your faction well but still chase personal strength. Youâre married now, not busy making babies, but youâre so busy you barely touch the ground. If the company doesnât give you a âBest Employeeâ award, Iâll be the first to protest.â
Henwell kicks a big rock and sits down. âI donât want to self-criticize, but if I donât work hard, itâs not just about losing performance points. It could really get me killed. For my own life, I canât afford to slack off at all.â
Newwood points at Henwellâs gear. âSo, howâs the travel allowance? Pretty good, right?â
Henwell strokes the Dusk Greatsword in his hand. âItâs definitely impressive. The power it carries is unique. Do you know what itâs called?â
Right after Henwell completed his mission and returned, he immediately noticed changes in his weapons and armor.
His armor, war spear, and greatsword, all of them emit a faint cyan glow.
To avoid drawing attention, Henwell keeps his gear locked away in a secret chamber.
Later, he thoroughly inspects everything and finds that the overall performance of his equipment has improved dramatically.
There are still no extraordinary abilities attached, but the gear is much sturdier and sharper.
It may sound minor, but compared to before, the improvement isnât small, itâs multiplied.
Henwell can sense a special energy within his gear. This energy is subtle, lacking obvious offensive or defensive traits.
Faced with Henwellâs curiosity, Newwood doesnât hide the truth this time. âBecause you crossed worlds and left some traces behind, your gear has been imbued with a high-level power we call the Power of the World. Its effect is simple, it makes your equipment better and gives it greater potential to grow stronger over time.â
âOf course, thereâs a limit. It can only double in strength before the growth stops, and that takes a long time, probably around ten years. Also, your gearâs growth doesnât consume the Power of the World itself. That power has another use: when you face a Child of the World, it lets you easily pierce their defenses.â
Henwell looks puzzled. âDefenses? Iâve heard of Children of the World in my previous life. Theyâre those rare, fate-favored beings who always turn the tide in desperate situations. So here, Children of the World have super strong defenses? You need special methods to break through?â
Newwood shakes his head. âItâs not defense in the usual sense. Itâs a protective Power of the World shield. Put simply, you can pierce through their fate or luck and directly harm them. Thatâs crucial for you. Your enemies are kings and faction leaders, people who all possess some Power of the World. They stand out among the masses because of their great power, making them extremely hard to kill.â
Henwell starts to understand. âOh, so itâs like I can ignore their fate and kill them with a single strike?â
Newwood shrugs. âThatâs not far off. Youâre basically a supervillain now, the kind who disregards all the luck their opponents have.â
Then Newwood asks, âBesides your gear, did you gain anything else?â
Henwell clenches his fist. âMy physical condition has improved a lot, you felt that in our fight just now. Also, I gained an extraordinary ability. Ten years ago, when I reached a thousand kills, I got fragments of Law Protection but never knew what they were. After this mission, I finally gathered them all and gained a Secondary Law Defense ability.â
Newwood looks surprised. âNot bad! The higher-ups are really pleased with your work. Thatâs a passive ability mainly protecting against law-based damage, basically all kinds of magical attacks here. It also offers decent defense against physical attacks, though not as strong as against magic.â
âThe Secondary Law Defense skin lets you completely resist magical attacks below a certain threshold. For example, you can tank all spellcaster attacks below the Rising Sun class with your face, though it still hurts, so I donât recommend it. â
âFor Rising Sun class spells, roughly equivalent to Iron Knight attacks, you can block most of the damage. Thatâs enough to let you charge through their casting and cut off their head with one swing.â
Henwell asks back, âDo you have this kind of defense? I remember when you caused chaos at the transformation ceremony, you took a lot of spell attacks.â
Newwood replies, âWeâre on different paths. I donât use this kind of ability. But my personal defense is roughly at the Primary Law Defense level.â
Henwell canât help but imagine. âIf the secondary defense is this strong, the advanced one must be off the charts!â
Newwood scoffs. âDonât get your hopes up. This isnât some magic shield, itâs law protection. It even guards against attacks from gods. You think itâs some common trick? Advanced law skin? If you really reach that level, you could stand firm under divine punishment and slap gods across the face!â