Solitary Sword Sovereign

Energy Maps

Cell by cell, limb by limb, Will could feel himself grow. His height increased as well as his skeletal structure. His eyes became sharp and focused, with silvery white pupils, while his face lost traces of its childishness and became more angular.

A stronger square jaw appeared on the young man as his shoulders widened. He had no facial hair but he was still quite masculine. His short silver hair was now even more pronounced thanks to his more mature appearance. 

But it wasn't just his maturity that had changed.

Will was not used to having an adult body, but it felt good to finally match his true age. 

'I can't believe I look this good.'

Will wasn't considered handsome before, but now he could without a doubt be called such. He was immobile but he could see his reflection on the screen that Hercules had appeared in.

He now looked like a sceptic with intelligent eyes. The kind that looked to see through whatever was in their path. Will didn't like colourful looks, but he couldn't help but be charmed by how exotic he looked. 

'It's like I'm a black Hitsugaya if he was more handsome.'
Will was already quite the confident person with high self-esteem. But now his self-esteem shot through the roof.

"Modus had restricted your growth because you had not cultivated at all in your childhood. From 6 years old to 16 is the best period for physical cultivation. He wanted you to stay in that form for as long as possible to make up for the lost time. 

King Yama's gate is a high-class dungeon. One that is time-locked and too high level for your world. Nothing truly ages in there. It's also an area that few people have complete control over. The system's influence there is weak. Making it the perfect place to hide someone or something away from the prying eyes of powerful System Administrators that Modus is competing with. 

But now is the time for your body to grow back to its original age. If you had continued with an adolescent body, your cultivation would have been limited greatly. I have included a few shape-shifting spells that link well with your hydromancer abilities, so you can change form as you wish. At least enough to fool weak mortals like you."

Will did not doubt that Wodin truly looked down upon him, but there was nothing he could do. The only way to change the All Father's opinion was with action.

'All I need is time.'

Once Will had fully absorbed the knowledge Wodin had given him and his body had completely stopped growing, he did a check on his skills. 

He fired off an Unbound Vector and thrashed it about in the tiny confines of your room.

"I have given you all that basic knowledge so that you can have a better understanding of how to apply your powers. You have an abnormal amount of high-tier skills, the kind that needs a certain amount of knowledge to use. I have no intention of holding your hand each time you meet an enemy, hence I have given you the tools to analyse the abilities of yourself and your enemies to better traverse your path.".
Will was ecstatic as he felt the raw power Unbound Vector was giving off. He had shrunk the ribbon of light until it was only a metre in length, but he had no doubt that it was as damaging as a True Strike many times its size.

" I'm sure you have noticed, but I've added quite a few basic spells. From a simple fireball spell to a basic 8 Trigrams Divination Spell. 

The Great Absolute, Yin and Yang, 3 Circles, 4 Ideas, 5 Combinations, 6 Paths, Seven Stars, 8 Trigrams, 9 Palaces. All spell and martial matrices could be classified under these categories of Energy Maps. The categories of Energy Maps were the templates for every skill in existence. 

For example, your Suijin no Ikari comes under the Yin Yang category and the 8 Trigrams category. The rating of skills from G- to SSS has to do with how many types of Energy Maps were used to create the skill. 

The system normally handles the complex processing, but under normal circumstances, one is supposed to learn the theory behind the 8 Energy Maps to properly utilize spells. It's like the difference between an athlete who is completely intuitive and an athlete who also understands the underlying science behind their actions. It can make a big difference.

I want you to use this knowledge to reconstruct all the skills you currently possess. Your Unbound Vector, True Strike, Skill Cancellation and Suijin no Ikari are the ones I want you to focus on the most. Because you did not learn these through the system but through your own understanding. So they have much more room to grow. 

Especially your true strike. A true strike happens when intent, technique and energy harmonise to perfection. I'm sure that's what you were told. That's only part of the truth. 

The harmony mentioned depends on one's level of cultivation. In other words, you have to constantly practise your intent, energy and technique every time you get stronger, otherwise, you will lose the ability to use Truth. Let alone utilize Unbound Vector."

Odin was concerned that Will had gotten too strong too fast without fully grasping his own strengths. This was why he was going to great lengths to empower Will in a manner that didn't damage his future prospects. 

Thanks to the knowledge Odin had imparted to him, Will was now much more aware of Higher Senses.

Truth was the most difficult of all higher senses to understand. It was stable, viral and ephemeral at the same time. It was an energy that could turn into matter and vice versa. 

Once one became used to harmonising the requirements of Truth, one can directly summon the energy from within and infuse it into their body, spells, skills, objects and creatures. People capable of utilizing Truth in its raw form without having to arduously harmonize technique, energy and intent were called Truthseekers.

Truthseekers were very valuable and could perform many miracles others could not, which is why they were so valuable. Certain areas that were uncharted required the presence of a Truthseeker in order to increase the survivability of the explorers. Especially Truthseekers with multiple higher senses. 

You only have a few hours until the tournament begins. Now it's time for you to show your worth to me. I want you to win this tournament under the guise of a mage. No Higher Senses. No Anti divinity. No sword skills. No concepts. Everything else is permitted. 

You need to prove to me that the Water Meister class was not wasted on you. 

So strengthen your skills with your new knowledge and body. Simulate the next upcoming battles in your mind as many times as needed and reach perfection. I expect you to win this tournament without so much as a scratch. Do you accept my conditions?'

Will's now more mature face grinned cheekily at Odin. His Unbound Vector writhed in excitement as it expressed his will clearly.

Adelda did not show much of a reaction on her face but she could not help but look forward to Will's performance in the upcoming battles. 

'Well, at least he is now much more pleasant to the eye. This makes my job a little more pleasant.'