Chapter 113: Resolve
(Rodova Military Academy – Post Yu Shen's Speech)
After listening to Yu Shen's speech in the Rodova Circuits Changing Room, Leo made a decision.
He was going to reach the Grandmaster Realm in the next five months.
No matter how impossible it seemed. No matter how insane the task was. He was going to do it.
But the moment he started researching what it would take, reality hit him like a freight train.
The path to Grandmaster wasn't just difficult—it was brutal. A warrior had to refine their body to its absolute peak, pushing their muscles, endurance, and reflexes to the extreme.
Their body's mana absorption capacity needed to be expanded beyond its natural limits, concentrated and tempered to withstand the strain of a Grandmaster breakthrough, and their mind had to be sharpened to a razor's edge, fortified against the mental stress of advancement.
And as if that wasn't enough, the final requirement was the most daunting of all.
To qualify for the breakthrough, a warrior had to push FIVE Legendary-tier skills to Perfection.
The roadmap to skill mastery went like this.
Basic—>Intermediate —-> Advanced—-> Perfect.
And after spending countless hours in the library, researching his current skill-moves and what grade of mastery they were at, Leo was thrilled when he realized that several of his skills were already (Legendary) grade and at (Advanced) skill mastery, just one step away from perfection.
He found this out, because the activation timings he required to conjure these skills, were clearly noted within the library books as timings achieved when one was at the (Advanced) mastery stage.
However, while the list looked promising at first glance, there were some major issues with it, as his current skill set looked like—
(Vanish) (Legendary) (Advanced)
(The Kill Strike) (Legendary) (Advanced)
(Mirror World) (Legendary) (Advanced)
(Shadow Bind) (Legendary) (Advanced)
(Blade Switch) (Semi-Divine) (Basic)
(Full Counter) (Semi-Divine) (Advanced)
(Absolute Vision) (Divine) (Intermediate)
(Parallel Processing) (?????) (?????)
(Monarch's Indifference) (?????) (Passive)
(Faster Regeneration) (?????) (Passive)
(Dark Blade) (?????) (?????)
His foundational combat techniques were all Legendary-ranked, with the exception of [Full Counter], which was Semi-Divine.
And his mastery levels were consistent—Advanced across the board, except for [Absolute Vision], which was still at Intermediate.
However, as he stared at the list, something about it didn't sit right.
At first, he couldn't quite place the issue. Then, as his mind replayed the battle against Khyaal and the realization struck like a blade to the chest.
Most of his skills just weren't good enough to be kept around long term, as they weren't just unfinished—they were simply insufficient.
[Vanish] had been rendered completely useless by skills like [Full Vision], making it pointless to invest in any further, as any opponent he faced in the future who had even the most basic of perception skills, would always see through it with ease.
[Mirror World] also shared the same flaws, and after it having been countered by Khyaal instantly, Leo no longer felt keen on improving it anymore.
Contrary to both of them, [Shadow Bind] was actually a decent skill but had stronger variants available in the Academy's archives, making it a waste to refine.
And [Kill Strike], while deadly, was designed for assassinations, and in the Circuits, where kill shots were banned, it was practically worthless.
This meant that, only [Full Counter] was the sole skill Leo found worth improving, as its ability to reflect attacks had given him an edge in battle, making it the only technique truly worth pushing to Perfection.
But perfecting one skill wasn't enough for him to become Grandmaster, as he still needed four more.
For a moment, frustration threatened to surface. If his existing techniques weren't worth perfecting, then what the hell was he supposed to do?
As the fastest way to becoming Grandmaster was obviously pushing his (Advanced) mastery techniques to (Perfection), however, Leo knew that if he did do that, he would regret it massively in the future.
His ultimate goal was definitely not just the circuits, as he was aiming for skies much higher and if that was the case, then he had to start from scratch, no matter how insane that choice seemed.
If his old skills weren't good enough, then he had to abandon them, as instead of trying to perfect techniques that had already disappointed him, he had to invest in abilities that would actually push him forward.
'I know it will be harder, but for my second skill to perfect, [Absolute Vision] is a much better choice' Leo thought, as he decided to Perfect 'Absolute Vision' as his second choice.
Unlike [Vanish], this technique wasn't something his enemies could just counter with the right skill. It completely eliminated blind spots, making it invaluable in battle, and hence a skill that would be worth perfecting in the long run for sure.
Sure, it would be harder for him to push a technique that was at (Intermediate) mastery than (Advanced) mastery to perfection, however, he was convinced that it would all pay out in the long run.
Finally, for his third pick, Leo chose to invest in [Parallel Processing], as while it was a skill whose rank he still didn't know, it was undoubtedly a skill that had already proven its worth.
If he could refine it to Perfection, his ability to analyze and react in combat would reach inhuman levels, and hence Leo felt confident in choosing to invest in it.
Which ultimately left him with two open slots.
His first instinct was to count [Dark Blade], but after a moment of hesitation, he dismissed the thought.
That skill was his trump card, and until he understood its true nature, and the threats it could bring by revealing it, he was going to keep it hidden.
Which meant that he still needed to learn two more skills from scratch, to meet the quota.
'Holy shit. I'm fucked—' Leo realized, as it was only then that the sheer scale of what he was attempting settled in.
Five months. That was all the time he had to master three skills, learn two entirely new ones, while also pushing his body to its physical peak, expanding his mana reserves, and sharpening his mind enough to withstand the breakthrough.
Most warriors took years to become Grandmasters, yet Leo was attempting to do it in less than half a year, as for the first time since making his decision, a flicker of doubt crept into his mind.
The doubt wasn't about his ability to succeed as he knew he would reach Grandmaster eventually.
But rather it was about the time.
Could he realistically achieve all this in just five months?
There were no shortcuts here. No tricks. No clever workarounds.
Either he reached the threshold, or he didn't.
And if he failed?
Then no amount of ambition would save him, as even the weakest Grandmaster with weak skills was definitely stronger than the strongest Master with excellent ones.
*Sigh*
Leo exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
He was probably going to burn himself out, pushing his body to its absolute limit, walking the edge of collapse every single day. But that was the price he was willing to pay to set-up the correct foundation.
"Ha— hahahaha" he chuckled, as a slow grin crept onto his lips, not of excitement, but of something far more dangerous—resolve.
There was no safe route for him. He had already made up his mind. From this moment forward, every second of his day would be dedicated to meditation, training, refining his mana control, completing classwork, and improving skill mastery.
Every wasted moment was an opportunity lost, and he wasn't about to let his potential slip through his fingers.
There would be no unnecessary distractions. No pointless socializing. No idle conversations, no loitering after class, no wasted meals or indulgent showers.
As every second of his time would be optimized toward a singular goal—- which was becoming Grandmaster!
If the price of power was burning himself down to nothing mentally and physically, then Leo was willing to pay it.
As if he succeeded, he would become a powerful Grandmaster, but even if he failed, at worst he would suffer a physical and mental breakdown, but he would still be closer to Grandmaster than if he took things slow.
Which was still a big win in his books.
Giving a shoutout to a newbie just starting out in the MMORPG genre.
Do check him out if you want to---