Chapter 156: Eternal Seasons

After saying goodbye to his not-so-friendly friends, Zac returned home with the fatigue and exhaustion from the tournament still weighing heavily on him.

He went straight to bed without even bothering to take a bath or eat a meal.

By the time he woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

Since most students were heading to the ’Skill Archive’ to claim their rewards, all classes and training sessions scheduled for the day were cancelled.

After waking up, Zac took a long bath, prepared himself a simple meal, and then headed straight upstairs to the training room with the two books in his hands.

He first picked up ’Phantom Steps.’

Holding the book with both hands near his chest, he said, "System, learn it."

The skill book immediately dissolved into golden particles and drifted through the air before converging between his brows.

The next moment, an enormous amount of information about the skill flooded his mind.

He could mentally perceive exactly how the skill worked. Every detail of the skill settled into his memory with remarkable naturalness, as though he had personally studied and practiced the technique himself.

A few moments later, Zac slowly opened his eyes. "Ha... that was a lot."

[You think a simple A-rank skill like this is a lot? Wait until you experience what a real skill feels like.]

"I just hope it doesn’t give me a headache."

[Oh, I’m sure it’ll be worse than that.]

"Well, anyway. Open my status."

⟦ STATUS ⟧

Name: Zac Godson

Level: 44 (D-Rank)

Age: 19

Race: Human

Title: None

Bloodline: Fallen (Unknown) (Partially Awakened)

Traits:

• Divine Aura

• Divine Charisma

Awakened Abilities:

• System (Unknown)

• Swordsmanship (SS)

• Lightning (S)

Technique:

• Heart Sword (SS)

Skills:

• Overdrive (D) (Growth-Type)

• Phantom Steps (A)

Info Points: 0

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⟦ ATTRIBUTES ⟧

Strength: 125 (+35)

Agility: 118 (+28)

Physique: 128 (+38)

Wisdom: 88

Unallotted Points: 16

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It had been a long time since Zac had properly looked at his status panel. "It almost feels like the first day I awakened."

[Reminiscing, are we?]

"Don’t remind me. I don’t want to remember that day at all."

[Well, that’s what you get for not checking your status regularly. Come on, you should at least do that much.]

"Fine, fine. From now on." His eyes moved across the panel, searching for the newly acquired skill.

And just below ’Overdrive,’ he found ’Phantom Steps’ added to his skill list; his gaze then drifted lower and landed on his Info Points.

"Seeing that zero is putting a hole in my heart."

[Then go do something that earns them. Attending classes every day and training inside your house like a mole in a hole isn’t exactly how you gain Info Points.]

"Hey, I’m still new to all of this. What do you expect me to do? Bust into a terrorist hideout or start hunting down criminals?"

[Stop talking like a patrol officer and start talking like an awakened being.]

"You always have an answer, don’t you?"

[That’s why I’m called the Information System.]

Zac’s expression gradually changed as his attention shifted toward his improved attributes. "Simon really was telling the truth. All that training increased my base attributes to an astronomical level."

[True, but there is still a catch.]

"Of course there is. What is it?"

[Most of this growth was possible because your Fallen Bloodline has been doing a considerable amount of the work.]

"So even the growth I’m experiencing is being amplified by it?"

[Exactly.]

[There is still much about your bloodline that you don’t understand. Having affinity to all the elements and receiving an extreme increase in strength during combat are only two of its primary effects.]

[There are a lot more side buffs and advantages that come with it. You’ll understand them as you grow stronger.]

Zac nodded slowly.

Then something else caught his attention. "Why hasn’t my wisdom increased?"

[You really insist on demonstrating your stupidity every time you open your mouth, don’t you?]

"What now?"

[You spent the last few months relentlessly destroying your body through physical training. Why exactly would Wisdom increase from that?]

"Didn’t you say wisdom isn’t just intelligence? It also represents things like analytical ability and mental fortitude?"

[I did.]

"I’ve been practicing sword art every single day. That’s a mental technique, right? So shouldn’t Wisdom have increased at least a little?"

[No.] The answer came immediately. [Sword Art sharpens and reinforces the mind you already possess. It improves how efficiently you can utilize your mental faculties.]

[It does not inherently increase the underlying Wisdom attribute.]

"Fine," Zac muttered in defeat. "Let’s move on to the star of the day, then."

His gaze fell upon the second book resting beside him. ’The mysterious ancient swordsmanship manual.’

Zac sat comfortably on the floor before opening the book and began reading, but after only four pages, his expression had already changed.

"This is incredible."

[Yeah, that’s what you said after reading the first page yesterday.]

"No, this time I actually mean it."

Zac looked at the book for a moment before an idea occurred to him. "You know what? Why don’t I stop reading and let you explain it to me? It would be much easier for me to understand."

[Yeah? And why exactly would I do that?]

"Because you’re my system." A glaring emoji appeared on the panel. "And aren’t you supposed to be the most intelligent, knowledgeable, all-knowing existence in the universe?"

[That part is correct.]

"Then tell me." Zac narrowed his eyes slightly. "You do know what this technique is, don’t you?"

The system remained suspiciously silent.

"Oh, please. Don’t tell me your vast cosmic intelligence is only limited to remembering pointless nonsense from the ruined world before the apocalypse?"

Another silence followed. Then, with a reluctant sigh, [Okay fine, you win.]

[But remember, there isn’t much you can gain from what I’m about to tell you other than a little knowledge.]

"Well, a little knowledge is better than nothing."

[First of all, you need to understand that what you’re holding in your hands is probably one of the most valuable things this world could offer.]

"What?"

[Yes. A technique like this is rare even in the higher worlds.]

"Can you stop hyping it up and actually tell me what it is?"

[Fine. But I still can’t believe what you managed to get your hands on.]

Zac looked at the system panel. "Okay. I’m listening."

[First of all, just as that old man said, it isn’t from Earth. It originated from an ancient civilization that once flourished somewhere else in the universe before eventually being destroyed.]

"That’s pretty impressive, huh?"

[More than you could ever comprehend.]

[The technique is based on the four seasons of nature: summer, autumn, winter, and spring. Each season represents an entirely different form of swordsmanship.]

[And what you’re holding right now is the first form, Summer. That is where the name comes from: ’Eternal Seasons, Summer Form.’]

"So the complete technique is called Eternal Seasons?"

[That’s right.]

[The creator of this technique must have been an extraordinary swordsman with profound knowledge and perception of both the sword and nature itself.]

[As for this book, which represents summer, it embodies intensity, dominance, and the relentless advance of heat. Just like how the sun does not ask permission to shine and burns everything beneath it.]

[And that’s the essence of the Summer Form.]

[Plus, this is only the beginning of the technique.]

"Wait. You mean there’s more?"

[Yes. The true power of Eternal Seasons only emerges when all four forms are learned.]

[Just as summer, autumn, winter, and spring each embody entirely different principles, and every individual form can give birth to its own sword intent.]

For a moment, Zac froze in shock. "Wait. That’s not possible, is it? How can someone possess multiple sword intents? I’ve never heard of anything like that."

The system remained silent.

After a moment, Zac looked back at the panel. "Are you sure that if I truly master the entire technique, I could develop four different sword intents?"

[If you manage to obtain the remaining three forms...]

[Yes.]

Zac looked down at the book in his hands. "That’s insane."

[I know. But there’s something even more important you need to understand.]

"Which is?"

[There is an important warning written in the book.]

"Well, looks like this one comes with a disclaimer too."

[Yes, it does.]

[It explicitly states that the forms cannot be learned out of sequence.]

[You must follow the natural order of the seasons, beginning with summer, followed by autumn, winter, and finally spring.]

[Attempting to cultivate them in the wrong order can result in a cruel death.]

Zac stared blankly at the system. "Isn’t that a little horrifying for a disclaimer?"

[I suppose the creator preferred straightforwardness.]

"Okay. So what happens if I find winter or spring before autumn?"

[Simple. You wait until you find Autumn.]

"Right."

The system then went silent. Zac, on the other hand, waited for it to continue, but after a moment, he finally asked, "Is that it?"

[Yeah. That’s pretty much everything.]

"What about the technique itself?"

[Hey, I told you I would only explain what the technique is and give you a little of its history.]

[The book contains enough descriptions and illustrations for you to learn and practice the Summer Form yourself.]

"Okay. Then what about the sword intent?"

[The sword intent that can be cultivated from this technique is called Summer Sword Intent. And as for how, do you remember the first sentence you read yesterday?]

"You mean, ’Only beneath the merciless sun can an unyielding will be born’?"

[Exactly.]

[Just as that sentence implies, the book recommends practicing in environments of extreme heat in order to cultivate Summer Sword Intent.]

"Do you think whoever created this technique just really liked quotes?"

[I have no compulsion to answer that.]

"Fair enough."

Zac then returned his attention to the manual and began studying the stances described inside.

One by one, he went through the positions, movements, breathing patterns, and mana circulation required for the Summer Form.

Nearly four hours later, Zac suddenly stopped. "Wait!"

[Did you forget to flush the toilet after using it?]

"No, that’s not it."

...

"Although, now that you’ve said that... did I?"

[You are impossible.]

"Whatever. That’s not what I meant; I just realized I still don’t have a sword."

[Ah, finally.]

Zac closed the book and stood up. "Time to go meet the vice principal."

[Already finding another excuse to visit your sugar mummy?]

"No, idiot. Did you forget she said she knows someone who could make me a sword?"

[I do remember that.]

[But that doesn’t change the fact that you keep finding reasons to visit her, and constantly asking her for favors only strengthens my argument.]

"Hey, what can I say? My mom doesn’t want to involve herself in Variant life. Other than her, Armani is basically the only person I can rely on."

[At this rate, ’sugar mummy’ is becoming less of a joke and more of an official relationship.]

"You know what?"

[What?]

"If you had a physical body, you’d be the one I flushed down the toilet."

[Then I suppose it’s fortunate I don’t have one.]