Adventurer of Many Professions

Raymond didn't spend much time chatting with Arya before heading to the utility room, his long sword strapped to his back.

Once inside, he took off the sword, gripped it with both hands, and gave it a couple of experimental swings. At first, he noticed the sword felt heavier than the wooden stick he was used to, but strangely, it was easier to handle.

Curious, Raymond paused and thought it through. "The wooden stick is lighter, sure, but it has a larger surface area. That means more wind resistance when you swing it. Plus, the stick's uneven shape, thicker at the top, thinner at the bottom; throws off the balance."

He glanced at the sword. "This blade, though... it slices through the air with almost no resistance. The balance is perfect, and the anti-slip grip on the hilt makes it comfortable to hold. No wonder it feels smoother to swing."

Realizing this, Raymond felt a flicker of excitement. If wielding the sword was this efficient, he might even be able to swing it faster than the wooden stick.

But then, a thought crossed his mind, and he frowned. "Wait… what if I swing it a hundred thousand times, and it doesn't count because I'm doing it wrong? That'd be awful."

Determined to avoid wasted effort, Raymond opened the panel to check the requirements for his 'Swordsman' awakening:

"[Swordsman] Awakening Requirements: Swing a long sword weighing no less than eight kilograms 100,000 times in one day. Progress: 1/100,000."

His eyebrows shot up. "Huh? I've already completed one?" He remembered the two test swings he'd just done and nodded. "So there 'are' specific requirements."

Testing his theory, Raymond tried different sword-swinging motions, keeping an eye on the progress bar. Before long, he figured it out:

"As long as I stay in place, raise my hands above my shoulders, and swing the sword at a certain angle until my arms are straight, it counts. I can use one hand or both, and I can swing forward or backward."

With the method nailed down, Raymond adjusted his grip, holding the sword firmly with both hands. He raised it high above his right shoulder and swung it diagonally downward. After completing the motion, he brought the blade back to his left shoulder and swung again, alternating back and forth.

The numbers on the panel began to climb steadily, and a surge of motivation swept through him. His movements quickened, each swing sharper than the last.

Occasionally, in his rush, his hands wouldn't rise high enough, and the swings wouldn't register. But as he grew more precise, those mistakes became rare.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Time blurred as Raymond pushed himself harder. Sweat poured down his face, his breath came in heavy gasps, and his arms burned with fatigue. His hands grew stiff, numb, and sluggish.

Finally, with a low grunt, Raymond let out a roar of frustration and exhaustion. He collapsed onto the floor, his body trembling as he tossed the sword to the side.

"So… tired…" he muttered, sprawled out and staring at the ceiling, completely drained.

Raymond's breath came in heavy gasps, but his face glowed with satisfaction as he glanced at the progress displayed on the panel.

"[Swordsman] Awakening requirements: Swing a long sword weighing no less than eight kilograms 100,000 times in one day. Progress: 8,256/100,000."

He turned his gaze to the hourglass tracking his time. Forty-eight minutes had passed.

A quick mental calculation revealed that he had managed an average of 172 swings per minute; 20 times faster than when using a wooden stick. Raymond couldn't help but grin. "Swinging a sword really is better. No slipping even with sweaty palms. But at this pace… there's no way I'll hit 100,000 swings today."

His grin faded into a thoughtful frown. Each recovery session took about thirty minutes, and when factoring that in, his real pace dropped to around 105 swings per minute. That meant it would take nearly sixteen hours of swinging to reach the goal.

He glanced at the clock. It was already nearing 9 a.m., leaving him just 15 hours.

"If only the requirement was stretched to a full 24 hours instead of one day!" he muttered with a sigh, though he knew the system wasn't about to cut him any slack.

He had another problem pressing on his mind. Tomorrow, he had to take on a commission. The thought of heading back into the sewers to fight mutant rats filled him with dread. The rewards were diminishing, fewer skill points with each kill and the thought of cleaning up the disgusting creatures yet again made his skin crawl. He needed a new challenge, a new type of monster to test if they yielded better results.

There was also the matter of Lorene potentially joining their party tomorrow. If she did, Raymond planned to take on an adventurer mission aimed at advancing their rank to the coveted 'Black Iron Level'. Staying at the entry-level 'White Porcelain' tier was unsustainable.

White Porcelain missions were low-paying and split between the three of them; each person barely got four or five silver coins per job. Even if they took commissions every day which was nearly impossible due to the physical toll, it wouldn't be enough to cover their rent for the year. Most adventurers could only stomach one or two commissions a month, maybe five or six if they were desperate. The danger and pressure were simply too high to make it a daily grind.

No, advancing to Black Iron Level was the only way to make their efforts worthwhile. But first, Raymond had to complete his 'Swordsman' awakening.

"It looks like I'll need some help… and that means recovery potions," he concluded.

With the plan set, Raymond had a quick word with Arya and then headed straight to the pharmacy where he had previously bought an antidote.

The shop's shelves were lined with various potions; antidotes, healing potions, mana potions, and recovery potions, all of them basic grade. The labels caught his eye.

The Basic Healing Potion could heal minor injuries, though it couldn't compare to a priest's 'healing magic'. The Basic Mana Potion restored 100 magic points over ten seconds. But the potions all came with a major caveat: no matter the type, the effects couldn't be stacked. After drinking one, you'd need to wait six hours before it could be effective again.

Raymond focused on the Basic Recovery Potion, the one he needed most. According to the description, drinking it would double his stamina recovery rate for the next two hours. The price? Ten silver coins per bottle.

He mulled it over for a moment before handing over twenty silver coins for two bottles. It was a hefty cost, but he couldn't afford to waste time. With the potions in hand, he hurried back home, determination burning in his eyes.

The goal was clear: finish the awakening today, no matter what.

"I really hope this works!"

Raymond pulled the cork off the red "Primary Recovery Potion" and downed it in one gulp. The liquid was slightly bitter, but he didn't care, he needed the boost.

Grabbing his sword, he resumed swinging. At first, it felt no different than before, but as he continued, the potion's effects slowly kicked in.

Normally, after about ten minutes of swinging, his arms would ache, and his speed would start to drop. But now, fifteen minutes had passed, and not only were his arms pain-free, he felt a surprising surge of strength.

"This was worth every silver coin!" Raymond thought, his eyes lighting up. He gripped the sword tighter and began swinging at full speed, no longer holding back.

When exhaustion finally caught up to him, he let the sword drop and collapsed onto the floor. He glanced at the panel, his heart racing.

Progress: 28,123/100,000.

In just one hundred minutes, he had swung the sword nearly 20,000 times!

"If I keep this up, I can definitely finish the awakening requirements by the end of the day!"

After a brief rest, about fifteen minutes, Raymond recovered his strength and picked up the sword again.

---

Late at night.

The moonlight poured through the window, casting a pale glow on the room. In the dim light, a lone figure stood tirelessly swinging his sword. Each motion was precise, each strike deliberate, the blade cutting through the air so quickly it left faint afterimages behind.

"Almost... almost…" Raymond muttered under his breath, his gaze locked straight ahead. His movements were fueled by sheer willpower now, his exhaustion ignored as the finish line drew near.

On the panel, the numbers climbed steadily:

99,997/100,000.

99,998/100,000.

99,999/100,000.

Finally, with one last swing, the panel updated:

"Complete the [Swordsman] awakening requirements: Swing a long sword weighing no less than eight kilograms 100,000 times in one day."

"Awakening profession: Swordsman."

Raymond stood frozen for a moment, staring at the notification on the panel. A tired smile crept across his face. He had done it.