Sometimes in life, one has to ask oneself important questions. What do I want to do with my life? What brings me purpose? How do I feel about someone? This was one such situation as Jake asked himself a vital question:
Am I actually a fucking idiot?
Jake had tried hard. Really hard. Artemis was helping him as much as she could, too, but so far, Jake felt like he’d made no progress. It had been over a week since he began practicing with the goddess, and all Jake had learned so far was to dodge a little bit faster with lower stats.
Logically, he understood what she said. Jake also knew what he wanted to do and formed vivid ideas and plans. Sadly for him, no matter what he tried, he simply got no response as he’d shot several thousand arrows with no change in the concepts he could infuse.
To make matters worse, Artemis was all supportive, which just made Jake feel infinitely less cool.
“Concepts aren’t something one easily understands, especially if you’re trying to deepen your comprehension of difficult concepts. The concept of time is notoriously one of the hardest of all, and it’s not at all surprising it takes some time. Also note that often understanding of concepts doesn’t come a little at a time. It comes in floods as one steps over certain boundaries of insight.”
Was what she was saying the truth? Yeah, but that didn’t make Jake feel any less dumb, especially when he compared himself to those around him. Sylphie innately just understood a lot of concepts, and easily learned ones related to the wind. Dina was a beast when it came to comprehending anything nature-related, and even the Fallen King had deep insight into the concepts he used.
Finally, there was the Sword Saint, and the more Jake trained with Artemis, the more he understood how much of a monster the old man was. He still vividly remembered how the old man had touched upon the concept of the void merely by traveling through it and seeing it once. How the old man’s skills were pretty much all born from his deep understanding of concepts. He was simply on another level compared to someone like Jake.
Trying to understand the difference between them wasn’t even something Jake could begin to do. According to Artemis, there were some traits people who were incredibly skilled at comprehending concepts had in common, though.
One of them was a powerful imagination that could go beyond the ordinary. It was a commonly known fact that humans couldn’t actually imagine anything new. All they could do was create something from all the building blocks they already had obtained through their memories.With the system, this remained the same for the most part. However, there was now a new way to get knowledge: from the system itself. Merely by trying hard enough to imagine something truly new, on rare occasions, the system ended up helping a little, a new image or visualization thus being made reality. People who were able to do this more than others tended to be pretty good at understanding concepts.
The second important trait was the worldview of the person. This was one of those truly unidentifiable kinds of things that, despite eras of study, there was no way to measure. It all came down to how someone’s brain worked when viewing the world. Those who were skilled at comprehending concepts often viewed the world as far more abstract. They saw metaphors and meaning in things that others didn’t.
Third important trait was understanding oneself. This one was a bit like the one before but more related to how someone saw their place within the multiverse. Someone like the Sword Saint saw himself as a swordsman. Just his title alone was part of his identity. It was an arrogant title, claiming he wasn’t merely a swordsman but one standing at the apex.
When going over these three traits one by one, Jake felt that he wasn’t particularly outstanding in any of them besides maybe the last one. Jake had an okay imagination, but he was more the type who had to see something firsthand. He could imagine things, sure, but his solutions to fights were rarely very imaginative.
As for the second trait, Jake was definitely weak there. Jake didn’t really think much about the things he saw, and he kind of felt that his Bloodline was actively a demerit in this aspect. With his Sphere of Perception and high Perception stat in general, Jake saw what he perceived as fact. He didn’t try to overanalyze as he knew his Sphere always showed him the truth. He didn’t need to look for deeper meanings, for if there were any, he would have already detected them.
Finally, with the third trait, Jake did know exactly who he was and where he fit into the world. The problem was, that didn’t really help much as Artemis made one more thing clear...
“These traits aren’t to be viewed in isolation from one another. The Dao Sect has the most people who specialize in mastering concepts above anything else, and according to their teachings, one needs all three. They support one another and create a greater whole, so merely being strong in one is far from enough.”
So, yeah, things didn’t look good for Jake. Artemis kept trying to help him, though, as the two of them went into the Colosseum once more for what had to be well over the hundredth time as they entered it roughly every hour – minus the time they actually spent in there, as the cooldown period of the Emblem only began after both exited.
“I also have some understanding of the concept of time, but not because I ever practiced it,” Artemis said. “As you progress through the grades, you innately just get more insight into how the world works. You don’t even feel that you do, but as a C-grade, your unknowing understanding of the world is leaps beyond what they were as, say, an E-grade. Understanding all concepts at a low level becomes elementary once you reach a high enough level. There is a reason why you will have a very hard time coming across any S-grade unable to teleport or any god unable to stop time on a localized scale.”
Jake nodded along, understanding that part. Perhaps the easiest example for Jake was the concept of flying. When in E-grade, Jake needed wings to fly around, while in D-grade, he could easily fly simply by using his mana. Everyone could fly through the use of their energies in one way or another, not because everyone learned the same magic but because everyone understood some of the basic laws of the multiverse, at least enough to fly around a bit.
Artemis nocked an arrow as she took aim. “As I said, time is a powerful concept, and with the stats of a mortal, it’s hard to use. All concepts still require some level of energy to truly display what they’re capable of. With my limited power, I can do a few things, though.”
Watching closely, Jake saw the movement of energy he recognized as having the concept of time mixed into it swirl around the arrow. Artemis let go of the string a moment later as the arrow flew forward... and slowed down. Strafing to the side, Artemis shot two more arrows, both of them doing the same as they flew forward about a meter before stopping.
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Right after shooting a fourth arrow, all three of the initial ones suddenly shot forward again alongside their final brethren. Four arrows struck the wall of the arena within a tenth of a second of one another, all of them flying with roughly equal power.
Turning to Artemis, Jake saw she was breathing heavily, and her aura was a lot weaker than before.
“This body really is pathetic,” she muttered before standing up straight. “Do you know what I did there?”
“You delayed the three first arrows so they would launch at the same time as the fourth one,” Jake said.
“And how did I do that?”
“Through the concept of time,” Jake shrugged. “More specifically... well, I guess you didn’t tell the arrows when to start moving again with a mental command. That would likely have drained too much energy. So my guess is that you infused each with a packet of Willpower that effectively put each arrow on a timer, and you perfectly executed the shots so everything lined up.”
“You detected the concept of time infused into each arrow?” Artemis guessed.
Jake nodded in confirmation.
Artemis observed him a bit before smiling. “You know, besides the traits I mentioned earlier, there is one thing that tends to bring people ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding concepts. However, as this method doesn’t help those naturally talented in the area in a meaningful way, it isn’t often discussed as a trait.”
“Is that thing hanging out with gods on a daily basis and getting personal lessons?” Jake asked semi-jokingly.
“I reckon that doesn’t hurt, but no. Even the greatest teacher needs a competent pupil, or both are just wasting their time,” Artemis shook her head. Jake wasn’t entirely sure he agreed as if he felt as if the First Sage could have taught even the dumbest kid in every class to ace every test.
“What is it, then?” Jake asked with some curiosity.
“The Void Mechanic. Arnold, I believe, is his name. I looked into the people close to you, which wasn’t hard as this man is quite famous for a variety of reasons, especially among some of my friends in the Altmar Empire who are very keen to have him visit one day,” Artemis began. “Do you think he fits the three traits I mentioned earlier?”
“Fuck no,” Jake instantly replied. Arnold didn’t view anything as even halfway abstract. If he couldn’t make a formula or algorithm to understand something, he didn’t even bother trying to use it. He was a man who sought knowledge beyond anything else, and he demanded logic before he would accept anything. A realm of logic that perhaps only he could understand, but logic nevertheless.
“Yet the concepts he deals with are of an incredibly high level. My guess is that he understands nomological concepts by forming his own logic around them. But in order to begin even considering concepts, he needs to first perceive them. And that’s where another trait helping to better understand concepts comes into play: the Perception stat.”
“If that’s the case... doesn’t that mean I’m more daft than I first imagined?” Jake muttered.
Artemis just smiled and shook her head. “Seeing is understanding, as the saying goes. When one becomes able to perceive concepts, one also becomes able to analyze and try to understand them. Form one’s own concept from another’s. Someone like the Void Mechanist does this through study and a high level of intellect that can’t truly be copied. However, for people like you and I, that isn’t gonna happen.”
“Are you saying you also struggled to understand concepts?” Jake asked her.
“I don’t think comparing our situations makes much sense,” Artemis shook her head. “You already far surpass anything I had accomplished when at your level. That includes my comprehension of concepts. You may think you’re bad at it, but that’s only because you’re trying to understand concepts that someone of your level shouldn’t even be touching upon. And if they did, it would be in a school of magic you were highly specialized in.”
“Is that a yes or no?” Jake asked, unable to hold himself back from at least teasing her a little. Mainly to make himself feel better, as he had been feeling quite incompetent during the last few days.
“A yes, for the most part,” Artemis sighed. “I sucked at studying concepts, and like you, I learned best while in combat. Trial and error was my way forward until, finally, things would just click into place. Something I believe you can relate to.”
Jake nodded as Artemis continued.
“My highest stat was Perception for most of my Path. At times, Agility got close to overtaking it, with it happening at times during my earlier levels, but as I got higher in grades, the more I focused on Perception,” Artemis began, and as she’d regained some energy after the arrows earlier, she began pacing back and forth.
“Most of the stats are rather self-explanatory and easily understood. Strength makes your body stronger, Agility makes you faster, Intelligence makes your spells more powerful, Toughness makes you more resilient, and so on and so forth. Then we of course have the three stats that include the resources in Stamina, Vitality, and Wisdom. The stats that are often considered the odds one out and least understood in general are Willpower and Perception. Willpower is its own thing, but I would argue that Perception is far less understood than even Willpower. The reason for this is how the stats are expressed to others.”
Artemis pointed toward the ground with a finger and focused. After about a second, the sand began whirling around ever so slightly before calming down. Jake had no real movement of energy, and he instantly knew what Artemis had done.
“With pure Willpower, you can make the world do as you want it to. You are limited by nothing but your imagination, which, as we have discussed, is a legitimate limitation. Oh, and, of course, your energy reserves and mental energy. However, the limits of Perception are not anything that can be seen outwardly. In my eyes, Perception is the most personal of all the stats. It does not affect the world – outside of when skills make use of it – but instead is entirely internal. Only you know what your senses perceive, and even if you could share a sense with another, there is never any guarantee that two people who are looking at the same thing see it identically.”
“The old trope where you can’t know if your version of a color is the same as someone else’s,” Jake muttered.
“Something like that,” Artemis nodded. “When most people think about Perception, they think about the usual senses. Smell, touch, hearing, taste, and the one most people consider: sight. Along with that, there are naturally the ones to sense energies, and whatever skills provide. However, there are so many more, some of which I’m sure you’ve noticed. Perception also affects the danger sense of every living creature. It affects their ability to perceive space around them, to notice if others are nearby, estimate how powerful other beings are, and many other things that would take too long to list, but perhaps the most important thing it does when we’re talking about understanding concepts is Perception’s effect on intuition.”
By now, Jake was very engaged as he listened on.
“Intuition is, in my humble opinion, the greatest benefit of having high Perception. All living beings are, at least in part, driven by instinct. It’s only natural. Even someone like the Void Mechanist unknowingly relies on his intuition all the time. It’s what gives birth to those moments of inspiration while studying something or those that subtly guide him to research one topic over another to find a wished-for solution faster. It’s the same for you when you’re trying to improve your understanding of a concept. At any moment, inspiration may strike, birthed by your intuition making a thought appear.”
Artemis was still pacing back and forth in the arena, clearly quite passionate about this particular topic.
“Not to say intuition can’t be dangerous. It isn’t perfect by any means, and it can easily lead you astray should you trust it entirely. Instincts are naturally flawed, but in this particular context, when it comes to comprehending concepts... there are no wrong answers. No one has the exact same comprehension of a concept as another, and the only one who needs to accept your understanding is the system, nothing nor anyone else.”
Stopping her pacing, Artemis looked at Jake and smiled. “That’s why I don’t think you have any cause to worry. Even if you find comprehending a concept difficult right now, and even if you don’t have the personality traits that correspond to a high level of conceptual understanding... it doesn’t matter. Just let your high Perception do the work and keep practicing and experiencing more and more until finally you intuit an answer. Rely on your instincts, and trust them to guide you to comprehension.”
Jake had gone into this lesson with the hope of improving his archery... what he hadn’t expected was to instead learn things about his Bloodline and himself that he hadn’t even considered before. Neither had he expected Artemis to once and for all confirm a theory Jake had since his integration into the system. A definitive universal truth Jake saw no good argument against:
Perception best stat.