Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 299

Chapter 299: Flawed-Level Blade Law
Sterl transformed into an old man clad in a conical hat and a raincoat, day after day, year after year, immersed in the study of sword techniques and blade arts.

He had no secret techniques or powerful skills, just the most basic moves:

Chop.

Slash.

Pierce.

Stab.

Sculpt.

Sometimes he would practice for years without any progress.

Other times, he would gain enlightenment in the morning and master a skill by sunset…

Until these final techniques became creations akin to rules.

The old man, one day, ascended from being a mortal to a demigod!

Sterl’s true self suddenly opened his eyes! In his vision was that of an old man wielding various weapons.

The old man, who had practiced swordsmanship for an unknown length of time, had his raincoat shatter dramatically.

His face was none other than that of Sterl, the owner of the store.

Blade Law had been accomplished!

This skill had no shortcuts; it could only be attained through relentless practice.

Yet, it was force-fed into existence by blood force.

In that brief moment, Sterl felt as though he had lived through a century!

The grasp and cultivation of Blade Law were incredibly difficult!

Because of this, the boosts it provided were far superior to those of ordinary Laws.

Flawed-Level Blade Law granted Sterl the following abilities:

First, all basic skills related to cold weapons, such as fundamental sword techniques and blade arts, had their proficiency defaulted to maximum!

While this ability didn’t offer a high numerical boost, it was extremely practical, allowing Sterl to wield any weapon with great finesse.

Previously, he had deliberately practiced [Mastery: Proficiency in Multiple Martial Arts] to compensate for his lack of practical experience, but now, the enhancement from Blade Law was so exaggerated that Sterl had effectively transformed into a combat master.

Invincible! How could one describe it??

The subsequent benefits of Blade Law were equally impressive.

During combat, all output increased by 15% (this effect applies only to skills below divine level until the player reaches divine level).

This output boost was added after all damage calculations were completed, solidly increasing Sterl’s overall damage output.

The third effect was an active enhancement skill that added damage effects, accompanied by the sharpness of the blade.

The fourth effect, known as “One Sword to Split the Heavens,” allowed those who possessed Blade Law to forcibly shatter control skills, other attack skills, as well as buff and debuff skills with offensive techniques.

The last two effects left Sterl momentarily stunned. The third effect was straightforward, merely increasing damage like Flowing Water Law.

But the fourth effect made Sterl truly realize… what the profound worth of a Law meant?

Attack techniques could break through anything!

Blade Law indeed required its practitioners to dedicate their entire lives to its study.

And the outcome of that dedication meant that no matter how many layers of Law an opponent had cultivated, Sterl could shatter it with a single sword strike!

For instance, he could cut through the stagnation of Moon Law or the suppression of Silent Domain.

All could be severed!

And then…

Sterl faintly sensed the larvae within the Bionic Tear, along with the strange shackles attached to him, and his eyes lit up!

He had previously found it strange that even a demigod would have a hard time surviving this instance because the larvae were everywhere, and communicating with other “players” would subject one to various bizarre effects.

This instance was practically designed to prevent anyone from clearing it.

But now Sterl understood; a demigod who had only grasped the ordinary elemental Laws would be seeking death by coming here.

In contrast, a demigod who mastered a powerful Law like Blade Law was different.

If they approached with vigilance from the start, they could slice down all the larvae.

Of course, these demigods would also need corresponding intelligence to know beforehand that they couldn’t communicate with the players trapped here.

Once infected and possessed by the larvae, entering a state of living death left no hope for recovery.

Because of this, Sterl began to realize something.

“Perhaps the Valor Combatants tournament will be filled with such beings, demigods who possess all sorts of strange, rare, yet powerful Laws.”

“Their combat power is worlds apart from ordinary demigods.”

He was still able to ponder this.

After all, this instance posed no pressure for Sterl anymore; what did the Bionic Tear’s corruption have to do with him?

With Blade Law protecting him, he could stride confidently!

But just then, an unexpected change occurred.

After the relentless slaughter of the insect swarm…

A figure suddenly emerged from among the insects, a colossal beast bearing a massive creation that resembled a flower on its back. As the flower bloomed, the demigod-level beast withered and transformed into nutrients.

In the center of the flower stood a humanoid figure, adorned with dark purple scales and patterns, exuding a clear aura of life.

Its power was that of a perfected-level demigod!

But Sterl immediately noticed an unfamiliar Law emanating from this figure.

[Law: Swarm]

[Effect: ???]

Star Insight was not invincible; at least not for Laws or divine authorities, which were not clearly detailed on the panel, making it impossible to glean specific information.

“Ah!”

The bizarre figure let out an excited howl, and then light purple ripples rapidly expanded across the swarm.

Sterl felt an intense surge of anxiety; a certain unsettling emotion rushed through him.

One word could describe it: like a thorn in his back.

From behind, Sterl sharply sensed that the players, though silent, appeared to be quite elated.

They…

Seemed to be anticipating the death of the newly joined player in the instance!

“Here it comes! The power of the swarm!”

“He can’t withstand it! There’s no way he can block it; he’s doomed!”

“Oh! Good! Hahaha! He’s dead! The power of the swarm is here!”

…

These individuals were openly whispering among themselves, unconcerned about exposing their own issues.

They were completely confident.

It was confirmed that the newly entered player, who could be eliminated in a single blow, was doomed without a doubt.

But Sterl could confirm that the previous fear these people had towards the swarm was genuine…

Sterl’s true self began to piece together something —

Death was likely a special mechanism within this instance.

Once someone died, they probably became a puppet, truly losing control over their life and death.

Thus, it seemed that other players were usually pretending, or they mistakenly thought they were still normal; only when they saw others on the brink of death did their true colors emerge.

Unfortunately, it was destined that these “people’s” hopes would be dashed.

At this moment, despite Bionic Tear being affected by the side effects of the Energy Surge Capsules, as an item, it felt no pain or suffering.

Sterl commanded Bionic Tear to consume a Glory Potion once again —

The End of All Things!

Immediately, an incredibly eerie dark realm descended, targeting the figure that had unleashed the pure Law.

Then…

There was nothing more!

The light purple ripples extinguished, and the bizarre figure seemed to suffer a backlash, half-kneeling within the recently bloomed flower.

The Swarm Law was evidently of high power, but it did not possess the ability to break through all laws like Blade Law; otherwise, even the essence of all things could be forcibly severed.

Seizing the opportunity while the creature was immobilized, Sterl activated Flowing Water Thousand Cuts!

Having comprehended Blade Law, Sterl felt a significant boost in his combat abilities. He no longer formed countless tiny flying blades; instead, like when using the Rain Curtain Sword, he transformed myriad swords into one!

The sword in his hand glimmered with a cold light, exuding boundless power!

Sterl lunged forward with a fierce thrust!

However…

The bizarre figure easily dodged, slipping aside to evade the blade’s edge.

But Sterl’s left hand summoned another Flowing Water sword blade, slashing upwards from below!

Rip!

After the sound, the strange figure was cleaved in two.

Then, the Flowing Water blade transformed once more into needles that pierced through, shredding the body into pieces.

Ultimately, the figure turned into a stream of air, which was forcefully absorbed by Sterl.

After suffering significant damage, the stream finally broke free from Sterl and drifted into the distance.

A prompt appeared before Sterl.

[You have killed the monster: King Worm, gaining 0.4 points of blood force!]

“Not bad, getting this much blood force for a single kill. Hey, can I have a few more of those?”

Sterl smiled.

He simply smiled.

However, the players behind him wore strange expressions.

“Why are you still alive? How could you win?”

“It must be fake!”

“Die! You monster!”

…

The players who had previously appeared rather friendly finally revealed their true selves; they could not accept the fact that the newcomer was still alive, and they rushed at him in a frenzy.

As they charged, their bodies began to crack open, revealing the partially formed insect beasts within, flying wildly and looking exceedingly disgusting and terrifying.

But Sterl showed them no mercy.

With a swift motion of his sword, beams of light flashed as he effortlessly cut down these players, who were at best third-class.

In the end, while it appeared that all the players were annihilated, their deaths caused layers upon layers of transparent ripples to swiftly entwine around Bionic Tear, completely wrapping it up.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught.

Though Sterl’s true self vaguely guessed that this transparent ripple effect was likely quite strange, Bionic Tear was just an item.

Meanwhile…

After the players were nearly slaughtered, they transformed into streams of air drifting towards the sky, though these streams were extremely weak.

They were easily absorbed by Bionic Tear.

In total, Sterl gained only 0.1 points of blood force.

Moreover, the streams were completely drained, and they could no longer trigger any resurrection effects.

“It’s a pity these players haven’t fully realized they’ve become puppets of the instance; they could have gathered more intelligence,” Sterl’s true self shook his head.

At the same time, the swarm seemed to have communicated with the players.

They believed Bionic Tear was under the control of the transparent ripples, and once again, they frantically urged the masses, charging forward like a tidal wave!

Unfortunately…

What awaited the swarm was yet another pitch-black darkness.

The End of All Things!