Chapter 6: New Objectives

"So, as Viscount Kaine, I have only 500 gold coins at my disposal?"

Lis received confirmation from Joyce and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. His predecessor had been such a spendthrift—squandering the Kaine family's annual income along with years of savings, only to remain a novice mage after all that time. No wonder he had become a laughingstock among the nobles of Fes. Lis had hoped for a life of financial freedom, but it seemed being reborn as a noble still meant facing a financial crisis. 500 gold coins might sound like a lot, but in reality, it was nothing; a single piece of ordinary magical equipment could cost hundreds.

"Get 300 gold coins ready for me; I have a use for them."

Lis spoke listlessly. Joyce didn't ask what they were for; he simply bowed and agreed.

"Do we have any other properties in the city? Preferably one with a spacious, secluded open area."

Joyce thought for a moment. "I am not sure if you have other requirements, but if that is all, there is a warehouse on Belay Street with a courtyard. It is usually used to store goods from our outer estates and shops. If you need it, I can arrange for it to be cleared out by tomorrow."

"Clear it out first." Lis hesitated, then asked, "How many family guards do we have, and what are their capabilities?"

Forgive Lis for asking; his predecessor had been so indifferent to matters of his own safety, but this was crucial for Lis's next steps.

"By royal law, you are permitted a ten-man guard, but currently, we only have three hired guards and three exclusive guards raised by the family, for a total of six. Among them, there is one Gold-rank warrior, one Silver-rank, and the rest are Bronze-rank." (Note: The requirements for the number of guards for a court viscount are strictly enforced, as all court nobles congregate in the capital.)

"What weapons are they proficient in?"

Joyce looked up at Lis, hesitating. "I am not entirely sure. Captain Welf is proficient with a longsword, while the other guards mostly use spears. Would you like me to inquire for you?"

Lis pondered for a moment. "Never mind. Just have Welf come to the study. And tomorrow morning, prepare a set of commoner's clothes and leave them in my room."

Joyce bowed and exited the room. A moment later, heavy footsteps approached.

"Knock, knock..."

"Come in."

The door opened gently to reveal a powerfully built middle-aged man in light leather armor. He rested his left hand on his right chest and bowed. "Good morning, Master Lis. How may I serve you?"

Lis looked at the family's only Gold-rank warrior. He truly lived up to the warrior class's emphasis on physical strength; his arms were nearly as thick as Lis's thighs.

"I’ve been thinking of strengthening my body lately. What weapons do you and the other guards specialize in?"

Welf was slightly surprised. His young Viscount had always been obsessed with magical research, rarely leaving the house, which had made the guard duty quite easy. Why the sudden interest in physical training? Could it be...

"If you only wish to improve your health, you don't necessarily need to use weapons. We could assist you by focusing on basic strength training, such as the upper body, the waist..."

Lis's expression darkened. He knew exactly what Welf was implying. He waved his hand and said directly, "Never mind that. I want to start with weapon training. I’m not sure which one suits me, so I want to try them all."

Welf didn't mind. He wasn't a family retainer raised by the Kaine house; he was just an employee under contract. As a Gold-rank warrior, he commanded a certain level of respect even before minor nobles, and an occasional joke was harmless.

"I specialize in sword and shield. Among the other guards, there are those who use spears, bows, blades, axes, and hammers. While I wouldn't call them masters, they can certainly give you a proper introduction."

"Fine. I’ve had Joyce clear out a warehouse on Belay Street. Tomorrow, bring two guards and the weapons to that location so I can practice."

Although it was strange not to train in the manor's courtyard, Welf didn't overthink it. He couldn't fathom the whims of a noble master; he would just follow orders.

After Welf closed the study door and left, Lis let out a sigh of relief, his right index finger tapping against the bronze-gilded mahogany desk.

It was time to put the second class specialty on the agenda: the Warrior specialty, [Weapon Mastery].

This was one of the easier warrior specialties to acquire, as it required no prerequisite quests. One simply needed to reach intermediate proficiency in ten different weapons to obtain it automatically. The effect of [Weapon Mastery] was straightforward; unlike other specialties that provided various buffs, its power was entirely focused on the mastery of weapons held in hand.

[[Weapon Mastery] — Strength attribute receives a 2x multiplier; all weapon initial proficiencies are fixed at intermediate; the mastery level of the highest-proficient weapon is increased by +1.]

This was the warrior specialty Lis deemed most suitable for himself. With his [Omnipotent] talent, he could acquire skills from other classes, making the proficiency boost from [Weapon Mastery] incredibly useful.

Of course, the real prize came later: an unconditional one-level increase in the proficiency of his most skilled weapon!

In the game "Divine Revelation," weapon proficiency levels were divided into Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Legendary. Setting aside NPCs, it was notoriously difficult for players to push weapon proficiency to the Legendary tier, which was why [Weapon Mastery] was so highly sought after by warrior players. After all, once a player’s proficiency in a weapon reached Advanced, they could instantly elevate it to Legendary, a benefit that rivaled any top-tier specialty.

This effect also applied to staves, making the [Weapon Mastery] specialty the envy of many mages. Consequently, in his past life, very few players possessed Legendary Staff Mastery, and a significant portion of those who did were special classes like Magic Swordsmen who could acquire [Weapon Mastery].

Since he possessed the [Omnipotent] talent, Lis would certainly not pass up this specialty he had coveted in his past life.

His goal for the coming period was set: while diligently studying arcane arts, he would work to master the [Weapon Mastery] specialty as quickly as possible. As for other class specialties, he likely wouldn't have the opportunity to acquire them for some time. The top-tier specialties of other classes were beyond his current reach, and he didn't want to settle for just anything. After all, it was rare for a mage specialty like [Arcane Mind] to be a direct, inferior version of his current [Arcane Thinking] that could be easily replaced.

What worried Lis now was how to avoid the death that awaited him in just over three months.

As this was the opening of the main storyline of the Fes Kingdom in the game, he had too little information. He felt as though he were staring into a fog, not knowing where to begin. He didn't even know if he was already being watched by the mastermind behind the scenes. His encounter on Langai Street today had served as a warning: he needed to be low-key and disguise himself when going out, otherwise, he would be as transparent as glass to those with ill intent.

"The road ahead is long and arduous," Lis sighed.

Never mind, no point dwelling on it now. Better to hurry up and test out his fresh, new Arcane subsystem!