In the blink of an eye, another two months passed.
Before anyone realized it, winter had faded away. The breath of spring revived the world, and fresh green leaves began climbing the new branches.
A gentle spring rain always seemed to arrive at exactly the right moment, nourishing everything without a sound. The fine drizzle fell silently, enveloping the entire sky in a soft haze. Sitting beneath the eaves and watching the rain brought a refreshing sense of peace.
Luke had returned to his home in Demacia two months ago. With the Hexgate available, traveling back and forth was convenient, so it hardly mattered where he lived.
During this period, the relationship between Demacia and the twin cities had also grown considerably closer.
With the Hexgate operating, people from both sides traveled between the two regions far more frequently. It was no longer unusual to encounter Demacians in the streets of the twin cities or people from Piltover and Zaun in Demacia.
The growing trade between them had also brought substantial benefits to both sides.
Hexgates were now being constructed in several other cities as quickly as possible.
In the courtyard of Luke's estate, Luke reclined lazily in a chair beneath the eaves.
"Check in."
He silently issued the command.
[Check-in successful.]
[Monthly check-in detected. Automatically converted into a special check-in.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained one Realm Advancement Card.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained Advanced Magic Comprehension.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained the advanced skill, Windburst.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained two Advanced Skill Upgrade Cards.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained two Intermediate Skill Upgrade Cards.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained one Aptitude Breakthrough Pill.]
[The check-in rewards have been placed in the system inventory. Please review them at your convenience.]
A series of system notifications echoed through Luke's mind, immediately making him more alert.
Without realizing it, another monthly check-in had arrived. The rewards this time seemed fairly good.
The most eye-catching one was the Realm Advancement Card.
Luke's strength had been stuck at the late Holy White stage for some time. This Realm Advancement Card had arrived at exactly the right moment.
Without hesitation, he used it.
[Use successful. Congratulations. You have advanced to the early Glory stage.]
The moment the system notification ended, a vast surge of power erupted within him and continuously washed through his body.
His flesh grew steadily stronger, and his power climbed layer by layer. The sensation was indescribably satisfying, leaving him feeling completely exhilarated.
Only after some time did the feeling gradually fade.
Luke carefully examined the changes within himself.
This breakthrough had brought another substantial increase in his strength. More importantly, it meant that his physical body had now reached the very edge of the human limit.
The stages had originally been based originally been based on Demacia's six knightly ranks. Beginning with Trainee and ending with Glory, each rank represented a knight's honor, achievements, and contributions.
Eventually, those ranks had also come to be used as measurements of personal strength.
Luke did not know what stage existed above Glory.
He did know, however, that throughout all of Runeterra, people whose physical strength had reached the Glory stage were exceedingly rare.
Luke then examined his second reward, Advanced Magic Comprehension, and immediately claimed it.
An incredibly mysterious sensation surged through him.
His consciousness seemed to be drawn into another dimension, one filled with magical energy. It resembled a boundless ocean of magic, captivating enough to make anyone lose themselves within it.
Luke soared freely through that ocean.
After some time, he opened his eyes and realized that his understanding of magic had deepened considerably.
He currently knew very few spells. The only one he could actually use was Fireball. However, learning magic was no longer difficult for him.
His control over magical energy had also become far more refined.
At his current level, were Luke willing to devote time to studying magic, he could surpass many ordinary mages within just a few months.
But studying personally could never compare to receiving abilities for free, and Luke preferred to take life as it came.
Studying was out of the question unless he could master something immediately.
Getting him to spend even a little extra time on it was absolutely impossible.
Luke then examined his third reward, an advanced spell, and immediately chose to learn it.
[Learning successful. Congratulations. You have obtained the advanced skill, Windburst, Level 3.]
"Use the Skill Upgrade Cards."
[Skill Upgrade Cards used successfully. Windburst has advanced to Level 7.]
As the system notification ended, Luke's mind filled with countless methods and techniques for using Windburst.
It was clearly a magical skill. He needed to circulate his magical energy and cast the spell simultaneously.
Luke had already mastered the casting method. Curious about its effects, he raised one hand and directly mobilized the magic within his body.
A faint cyan light appeared around his palm.
Several pockets of air in front of him began compressing continuously. They formed transparent spheres suspended in midair, growing denser by the second.
Finally, they seemed unable to endure the pressure any longer.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Several explosions of compressed air erupted in rapid succession.
Empty pockets appeared in the air, and the powerful currents within them refused to disperse for quite some time.
Even the falling rain could not enter those areas.
"Oh? That's pretty good. Where did you learn that?"
Janna's voice suddenly sounded in Luke's mind. She appeared quite interested in what she had just seen.
"I figured it out myself. What do you think?" Luke replied through their mental connection.
After such a long period of recuperation, the wind spirit goddess had finally recovered.
Although she had expended a great deal of power during the previous incident, the experience had ultimately turned into a blessing in disguise.
Since that day, the number of people who sincerely revered her had risen steadily, as though her faith had finally crossed some invisible threshold.
Whenever she had nothing else to do, she would follow Luke back and forth between Demacia and the twin cities, almost as though she lived beside him.
"You spend every day doing absolutely nothing, so why does every good thing always fall into your lap?"
Janna was beginning to feel genuinely frustrated.
As a wind goddess, she was not exactly jealous of Luke. However, after spending so much time around him and watching him grow stronger while lying around every day, she could not help feeling somewhat bitter.
Even as a goddess, increasing her strength was not this easy.
This man was truly infuriating.
Luke sighed softly.
"I don't know either. Sometimes I find it frustrating too. There are days when I genuinely envy people like you who earn their strength through hard work."
"Go to hell!"
Janna scoffed and immediately manipulated the wind, sending the rain beneath the eaves and directly onto Luke.
The sight of him instantly becoming soaked left Janna thoroughly satisfied. A dazzling smile appeared on her beautiful face, filled with unmistakable delight.
Fortunately, Lux, Fiora, and the others were not around.
Had they heard Luke's outrageous remark, he would probably have received countless eye rolls.
Now that Luke was drenched, he could no longer continue lounging around.
He got up and returned inside to change his clothes.
At the same time, he silently committed this grudge to memory.
One day, he would definitely get even with her.
That woman had grown increasingly lawless simply because she was a goddess.
Sooner or later, he would make her experience the righteous hand of justice.
The living room was currently empty. Lux and the others were in Piltover. Ever since the Hexgate had become available, they frequently switched between the two locations.
Even now, the novelty had not worn off.
After changing into dry clothes, Luke continued examining the rewards he had not yet finished reviewing.
He had received two Advanced Skill Upgrade Cards and two Intermediate Skill Upgrade Cards. He had already used the latter pair to improve Windburst.
After testing the spell, he found its effects rather impressive.
The explosions might not have sounded particularly loud, but the actual damage was probably considerable.
After thinking for a moment, Luke issued another command.
"Use an Advanced Skill Upgrade Card on Consecutive Slash."
[Use successful.]
[Consecutive Slash has advanced to Level 9.]
Consecutive Slash remained an extremely practical skill because it increased Luke's attack speed.
After reaching Level 9, his speed with a sword had reached an astonishing level.
He could now unleash at least ten strikes in a single second.
"Still, that seems a long way from delivering a thousand strikes with one swing."
Luke muttered inwardly, suddenly thinking of a certain Wuju Bladesman.
Consecutive Slash allowed his sword speed to exceed the normal limits of his body, but that was all it could do.
To achieve another breakthrough, Luke would have to pursue a different direction, such as acquiring a new skill or learning a new school of swordsmanship.
Luke suddenly remembered that he had comprehended Wuju Sword Intent a long time ago, yet he had never filled the gap left by his lack of Wuju Swordsmanship.
Given the opportunity, he would still like to experience it for himself.
Of course, that could wait until an opportunity actually presented itself.
Luke turned his attention to the final reward.
"An Aptitude Breakthrough Pill?"
He did not even need to read its description.
Without thinking much about it, Luke retrieved the pill and tossed it into his mouth.
He chewed and swallowed it as though it were a piece of candy.
Luke had almost forgotten that aptitude existed.
After all, he usually relied on receiving everything for free.
However, he ate and drank extremely well every day. He bathed in rare medicines and precious treasures, and his check-ins occasionally rewarded him with even more valuable items.
Through years of gradual accumulation, his aptitude had already reached 99.
However, after reaching the extraordinary level of one in a million, it had stopped improving.
He only needed one more point to reach 100, Peerless.
The moment the pill entered his stomach, another system notification sounded in Luke's mind.
[Congratulations. Your aptitude has advanced to 100, Peerless.]
[Peerless effect: The difficulty of comprehending skills is greatly reduced.]
The system offered only those two simple lines.
Luke did not experience even the slightest unusual sensation.
However, the description of Peerless made him thoughtful.
Exactly how great was this reduction in difficulty?
Luke finally became somewhat interested.
An aptitude described as Peerless had to possess something extraordinary, and he wanted to see just how powerful it was.
At that exact moment, Fiora passed through the living room, apparently preparing to make herself a cup of tea.
Seeing her, Luke immediately called out, "Hey, gorgeous. Want to practice swordsmanship for a while?"
"Gorgeous?"
Fiora raised an eyebrow and looked at Luke strangely. Suspicion appeared in her cool eyes.
His choice of address could be ignored for the moment.
What truly puzzled her was when this man had ever become so proactive.
In the past, neither threats nor rewards could convince him to train. Yet now he was volunteering.
Everything about the situation seemed suspicious.
"What are you scheming this time?"
"That's rather insulting."
The corner of Luke's mouth twitched as he met her doubtful gaze.
"I simply want to move around a little. Besides, I'd like to learn your swordsmanship."
"You want to learn my swordsmanship?"
Fiora examined him once again.
To be honest, she had previously considered teaching him. The problem was that he had never shown the slightest desire to learn.
After some thought, she did not refuse.
"All right. Once the rain stops, we'll go to the rear courtyard."
Before long, the drizzle outside came to an end, and refreshing sunlight spilled from the horizon.
The two of them went to the rear courtyard.
Luke looked at Fiora's tall, elegant figure as she stood with a sword in hand.
"Let's begin."
"Since you want to learn, we'll start with the most fundamental footwork."
Fiora naturally had no intention of withholding anything from Luke.
She was not polite about it either. She walked directly over, pressed close against his body, and began correcting his movements.
This was naturally special treatment reserved exclusively for Luke.
Breathing in the faint fragrance drifting from Fiora, Luke began practicing the footwork.
Peerless Swordsmanship had originated when Fiora's ancestors drew inspiration from a style of dance.
After generations of refinement, it had eventually developed into the exceptionally sharp and precise swordsmanship practiced today.
In Fiora's hands, the art had flourished even further, reaching heights never before attained.
Luke learned extraordinarily quickly.
From footwork and movement to sword strikes, the application of force, and the proper timing, he understood nearly everything as soon as Fiora explained it.
Before long, he no longer resembled a beginner.
Fiora was not surprised in the slightest.
She had witnessed Luke's monstrous talent long ago.
She even believed that, were he willing to study seriously and devote enough time to the art, surpassing her would not be difficult.
Under Fiora's careful instruction, Luke continued studying seriously.
Not long afterward, several system notifications sounded within his mind.
[Congratulations. You have mastered the advanced skill, Peerless Swordsmanship.]
[Peerless Swordsmanship has advanced to Level 2.]
[Peerless Swordsmanship has advanced to Level 3.]
[Peerless Swordsmanship has advanced to Level 4.]
[Peerless Swordsmanship has advanced to Level 5.]
A succession of notifications sounded, and a Level 5 Peerless Swordsmanship skill had already appeared on Luke's status panel.
Only a little over half an hour had passed since he began learning.
Luke immediately understood the true value of his Peerless aptitude.
Peerless Swordsmanship was hardly some commonplace sword art that could be found anywhere, yet Luke had raised it to Level 5 almost instantly.
If Fiora learned about this, Luke feared that his kidneys would not survive the night.
Out of concern for his own well-being, he considered the situation carefully and decided not to tell her.
In truth, Luke had also been helping Fiora and the others improve their aptitudes for quite some time.
With the system's assistance, he had encountered almost no bottlenecks during his own improvement. He had only been briefly stuck at 99.
Their natural aptitudes were already exceptionally high, though he did not know how far they remained from reaching Peerless.
At least Luke now understood the purpose of the Aptitude Breakthrough Pill.
It existed to overcome the limits shackling a person's aptitude.
For some people, the highest point they could reach in their entire lives was determined from the moment they were born.
That was aptitude.
Aptitude represented a person's ultimate limit. The higher someone's aptitude, the greater the heights they could potentially reach.
It was actually extremely important.
It simply had little relevance to someone like Luke, who relied on receiving everything without effort.
Now that he had reached Peerless, however, its usefulness had immediately become obvious.
"You've learned enough of the fundamentals. We can begin actual combat practice now. Your foundation is extremely strong, so you can skip many of the usual steps."
Fiora walked to the opposite side of the courtyard and raised her rapier, preparing to guide Luke through a real fight.
She rarely asked this man to spar anymore.
The main reason was that every time they fought, she could clearly sense how much stronger he had become. It was exceptionally discouraging.
Fiora had therefore stopped subjecting herself to that frustration.
Her own strength had also broken through to a new level, making her unquestionably Demacia's greatest swordswoman.
Even so, she knew that she probably could not defeat Luke even if she fought with everything she had.
Perhaps that was not a bad thing.
As long as he continued walking ahead of her, she would always have a goal to pursue.
Besides, it made it especially satisfying whenever she managed to get on top of him.
"Come on."
Luke naturally had no idea what the cool and dignified Miss Duelist was contemplating.
He nodded and raised his own rapier.
At the same time, he prepared to hold back.
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