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.
The door opened, and the figure of his vice-captain emerged on the other side of the door. Nodding at him, Tom entered and raised an eyebrow after noticing the papers spread across the main desk.
“It seems I’ve disturbed you. I apologise.” He murmured, still holding on to the doorknob, heels turning back.
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 remarked, picking up the report, using his chin to gesture in an inviting gesture.
“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?” Tom said, sparing him a curious glance before properly focusing on the papers.
“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.” Joseph informed with a grim gaze and a tense expression on his face as he interlocked his fingers in front of his eyes.
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 tier.
“A change in the leyline, perhaps?” Tom guessed, realising the seriousness of the situation. Adopting a similarly serious expression, he paid more attention to the report.
“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, feeling a shiver down his spine just thinking about the scenario. How will they defend against a bunch of second-tier beasts?
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 village kids were sparring with each other.
“Regardless, increase the rounds of scouting in the forests. There is no harm in being cautious about it. I would rather hear complaints from my subordinates than see people dying due to carelessness”, Joseph insisted, looking at the smiling future of their small settlement with worry in his eyes.
“I agree. No one here can face a bunch of second-grade beasts,” Tom immediately nodded, passing back the papers.
“That aside, you didn’t come here just for this,” Joseph said, placing the report into the drawer of his desk. After discussing a heavy topic, he wanted to talk about something milder.
“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 makes him exceptional,” Tom stated with an enthusiastic tone, smiling ear to ear. As a close friend of Joseph, he couldn’t help but feel happy.
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 finally smiled. “I’m happy to hear praise for my son from someone as strict as you, Tom. You can keep inflating my ego.”This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Tom smirked. “I wasn’t praising you, Joseph.”
“Aye, aye. Just remember, he did come out of me,” Joseph added, pointing at his pants before laughing as he leaned back.
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,” Tom said seriously. It would not be wrong to call him Peter’s godfather.
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.
Both Tom and Joseph had grown up in the village, and as the older one among them, Tom had known Joseph since his childhood. 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 selfish 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.” Joseph insisted, a fervent belief in his eyes and a gentle smile.
“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, standing up from his meditative posture. It was time to add more to his training.
Peter opened his eyes, curiosity flashing across his face. “Not meditating?”
Joseph shook his head with a gentle 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, Joseph observed. Peter thrived on training, while Joseph had once preferred playing around.
“How do we train for it?” Peter asked eagerly, quickly rising following his example.
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. It took me an entire month, so don’t expect anything today”
Peter nodded and carefully tied the blindfold over his eyes, gripping his sword tightly. He patiently waited for his father to begin the training.
Joseph started walking around him, watching as Peter instinctively turned toward the sound of his footsteps. He smiled before activating 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, noticing the lack of response to his movements after activating his skills.
“You’re already familiar with Physical senses. No need to mention 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,” One of the most fundamental and crucial senses to Joseph’s knowledge.
“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 wooden 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, only giving him limited time to stand back. “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 as she hadn’t tried to intervene.
“Tell me when you want to stop,” Joseph offered his son, after giving a nod to his wife.
“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. Glancing at his beautiful wife, he noted a conflicted look on her face. He was right to be hopeful. Their son’s optimism was affecting her.