A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Thomas was sure of that.

But obviously the other party cannot kill people casually, but must take advantage of the environment and create an accident.

But after going through all this, Thomas found that he did not have much fear or anger.

Giuliano patted Thomas on the back from behind.

"Are you okay?"

"It's okay, Mr. Giuliano," Thomas replied softly. He himself could hardly believe that his tone was so gentle.

The second round of confrontation has already begun.

But this time, it was clearly a fight to the point. Both sides used standard swords. The blunted swords, combined with the training armor, made it extremely difficult to injure the opponent. Both sides fought in a standard manner.

Thomas' eyes were watching the two competitions, but his mind was recalling his own battle just now.

He had used his divine power to increase his swordsmanship skill points more than once, but something seemed to be wrong.

Because the idea of ​​"calling" the opponent's heavy attack just now did not conform to the theory of swordsmanship. But at that moment, he inexplicably felt that he could do it.

Once he succeeds, the opponent's full-strength attack will miss, and he will be unable to recover his strength, leaving a big flaw. Thomas can take advantage of this opportunity to counterattack.

So, was I wrong, or had I surpassed the limits of swordsmanship?

While he was savoring the moment, the five matches were nearing their end.

The five mercenaries each chose an opponent, and the last one to go on stage was Visa.

Basically, based on the principle of stopping at the right time, even if you are attacked, the most you will suffer is a little bruise.

It is clear from this comparison that these five mercenaries are still quite capable, and can basically reach Visa's level.

The contest was over, and everyone dispersed. Thomas finally had time to ask Giuliano his questions.

Giuliano smiled at his question.

"Thomas, the sword is a weapon with countless uses. Any ordinary person can perform countless moves with it. However, formal sword techniques have relatively fixed routines. Why is this? If I must say, it is that all other routines are not as cost-effective as formal sword techniques."

"You want to use the weak blade to knock the opponent's longsword away? That's fine, and you might actually be able to do it. But why didn't I ever teach you this? Because the risks of doing so aren't equal to the benefits. If you succeed, you'll only get a perfect attack opportunity, with no guarantee of victory. But if you fail, you'll lose your life."

"You can try to see if you can knock my sword off." Giuliano threw a training sword to Thomas and then slashed hard.

Thomas followed his instincts and aimed his sword, but unexpectedly, Giuliano feinted, twisting his blade and breaking Thomas's. Although the sword's trajectory was slightly affected, deviating from its original path, it still struck Thomas.

Of course, Giuliano restrained his strength in time and stopped there.

So that's how it is. Thomas finally understood.

The sword follows your heart, allowing you to wield it freely and strike however you wish. Fixed sword moves might not be the best option, but rather a second-best one. However, they offer the least risk.

Preserving oneself and killing the enemy are both crucial in combat, but if we must compare, preserving oneself is more important.

"Besides, your performance today was quite good," Giuliano said lightly. "You're barely at the average level now."

Although ordinary-level warriors are everywhere, being able to reach this level in just a few months is still impressive.

Giuliano also left, and Thomas was the only one left in the arena.

Sure enough...someone wants to kill me!

He picked up his training sword, then looked within again and saw the damaged godhead.

There are also nine groups of divine power surrounding the damaged godhead.

So much has accumulated over this period of time!

If he had not been stationed in another place and missed a mass, he would now be the Tenth Regiment.

He accumulated so much because he felt that the points added to this skill seemed to be a little less effective.

When first practicing footwork, a single burst of divine power can significantly increase the skill. However, afterward, perhaps due to the different skills of various weapons consuming more energy, or perhaps due to the higher skill levels requiring more divine power, the effect becomes less noticeable.

Thomas then chose to conserve his divine power and prepared to invest multiple balls of divine power at once to test the effect.

Now, with Giuliano's approval, he has reached the ordinary level.

Giuliano also said that the transition from novice to average level is a gradual process of practice and development. There are no clear markers for the entire process. There are no levels.

But the transition from ordinary to hardcore is different. Some people may reach hardcore status without realizing it through practice, but others need specific events to stimulate them. For example, they need to experience a life-and-death struggle, such as killing someone with their own hands, in order to break through.

I can’t explain why, it just happens like this.

Thomas speculated that the so-called backbone probably had to break some spiritual shackles.

Just like a new soldier going to the battlefield, he often dares not kill before breaking the psychological taboo. Even if he has a lot of skills, he can't use them.

Now seems to be the right opportunity for a breakthrough.

He used his mind to draw a ball of divine power into his body.

My muscles tensed slightly, and I felt my blood boiling, just like I'd done a warm-up workout. The only difference was that I didn't sweat.

The details I learned from various trainings emerged in my mind, like a fast-playing movie, but I could remember it clearly.

There are no other changes.

One ball was obviously not enough, so Thomas injected five balls of divine power at once.

This time, there seemed to be a little noise in his mind, as if something in his brain had been broken.

Before he could come to his senses, a sudden torrent of memories rushed into his mind.

The impact was so sudden that Thomas was caught off guard and groaned, holding his head.

In the torrent of memories that suddenly flooded in was the memory of his day-by-day sword training, and finally, during an all-out training session, he suddenly broke through his own limits.

Various moves that were originally incompatible were suddenly integrated and merged into one.

In addition, he unexpectedly understood what Qi-raising Slash was.

He didn't understand at first, but suddenly he understood what to do. He guided the power of the magic net and released a sword wind.

This move can unleash terrifying lethality at close range, with such incredible power that it can even easily cut through a shield.

Of course, this must be based on the energy of the magic network. In other words, it must be in contact with the magic network.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed before the shock in Thomas's mind gradually subsided.

He slowly stood up and felt the completely different condition of his body.

The body seemed to have suddenly grown a little taller and its shape had changed.

In the past, we could only say that we were in good health, but now we can say that we are strong and healthy.

The muscles in his arms have become noticeably thicker.

Of course, I am not as good as those bodybuilders in my previous life, but... I feel very strong and solid.

"This is... the core?"

Chapter 36: Savage Age 1

Thomas clenched his fist and picked up the weapon beside him.

The arena was filled with all sorts of weapons, including heavy halberds. Of course, all of these weapons were training instruments and lacked sharp edges.

He had tried this halberd before and found it quite heavy. Giuliano also said that this kind of weapon was only suitable for those with great strength.

Thomas picked up the halberd and weighed it. While it wasn't light in his hand, it wasn't heavy either. He could only say that the weight was generally comfortable.

I feel my strength has increased significantly.

Not only that, a layer of cuticle, or calluses, had appeared at the base of his fingers.

Thomas had been practicing for a while and had some calluses on his hands, but he was sure they were never this thick before.

Not only in the palms, but also in the fists. It is as if the fists have been honed for a long time.

The whole body undergoes corresponding changes in all aspects.

I've heard Giuliano say before that martial arts training takes ten years to achieve success. But looking at Visa's situation today, I realize that "ten years" is probably an exaggeration, or perhaps only applies to people with average talent. For those with true talent and diligence, five or six years is all it takes.

In my current state... I shouldn't lose to Visa, right?

Although the improvement was not as strong as he expected, Thomas naturally felt eager to try it out after reaching the core level in one go.

Now I should be able to protect myself a little.

It has only been half a year since he started practicing martial arts.

Half a year was considered a mid-level achievement, but this speed was beyond the realm of genius. It was likely to arouse suspicion.

Especially since this leap was so fast, even if no one else said anything, Giuliano would probably become suspicious. After all, my progress was under Giuliano's watch, so it was difficult to hide it.

In other words, we must be simple-minded in the future, otherwise there will be many variables.

Fortunately, in the martial arts world, it is difficult for a weak person to pretend to be strong, but it is easy for a strong person to pretend to be weak.

Just save some energy and slow down the pace a bit.

As long as it's not a life-and-death fight and he tries his best, he shouldn't be recognized by Giuliano.

But strength wasn't enough. To defend himself, he needed a weapon. Not the training equipment at the training grounds—those were shared. He had to get his own personal sword.

One dagger (now two) is definitely not enough.

Or I could go to the blacksmith shop in the city and buy one. But I couldn't afford a good sword myself, and a low-quality longsword...

Didn’t the bandit who was stabbed with a dagger last time have a long sword with him?

The quality was average, and there was a bit of rust from poor maintenance, but it was still a steel sword after all, so it would be sufficient for the time being.

Because of the knight assessment today, nothing else was arranged.

Otto was even more obedient—after all, the Vice Dean had been keeping a close eye on him during this period. Even a son couldn't stand up to his father.

Thomas reached the monastery's main gate. The monastery's defenses had been significantly strengthened, and the gates were guarded, so no one could just barge in. Furthermore, beyond the high walls, there were no obstructions, providing a clear view. The high towers were even patrolled. If a group clearly showed ill intent, the gates could be closed immediately.

However, Thomas was a member of the monastery after all, so he did not encounter any difficulties when he went out.

He quickened his pace this time and soon arrived at the hill where he had accompanied Otto last time.

The bandit he had stabbed earlier had vanished without a trace, apparently having been found by his companions following the scent of blood. But the sword he had hidden was still there.

Thomas drew his sword.

As mentioned before, it was a very ordinary sword, and because it was not well maintained, there was some rust on it.

It has been hidden here for a period of time, and the rust has spread significantly.

Fortunately, despite the rust, the blade itself was still sharp. After a little maintenance, it would be a decent weapon. And most importantly, it was his personal weapon.

With Giuliano's recognition, it would now seem normal for Thomas to carry a long sword with him.

He hurried back excitedly, and there was a small river ahead.

It is called a small river, but it is not small. It is about ten meters wide and there is a simple wooden bridge across the river.

The bridge was right on the way here, so Thomas hadn't thought about crossing it before.

But this time, Thomas stopped in front of the bridge.

Because there are people on the bridge.

"Rousseau?" He was a little surprised.

The other person stood on the bridge, motionless, and it was obvious that he was waiting for him.

Why is this mercenary waiting here?

Thomas remembered clearly that when he came out, there was indeed no one following him. After all, with good lighting and a wide field of vision, it was easy to determine this.

There's more than one way back and forth, the river isn't very big, and there's more than one bridge over it! Why was it blocked?

Wait, as for mercenaries, they usually have some tracking and investigation skills, so even though they didn't follow me right away, they were able to determine my whereabouts based on the clues...it's not too outrageous.

Rousseau looked at the young man in front of him with a sneer on his face.

He was wearing a monk's robe, but holding a long sword with a sheath in his hand.

It turned out that he went out to buy a sword... Although it was obviously second-hand from the old scabbard, it was still a sword.

The information was correct, the dog really had a keen sense of smell!

As soon as he sensed something was wrong, he took countermeasures...he bought a sword to protect himself. What a pity!