Chapter 270
Building sets (2)
But what could he do? He could only do his best to work with what his path allowed and shape it to fit him.
For his Base Methods, IAM settled on a pragmatic choice. His most-used word, [STOP], could occupy one of the three recommended slots for both attack and defence. It made sense — the word functioned the same at its core, but the outcome rested entirely on his intent.
When used offensively, [STOP] was meant to freeze an opponent long enough for him to follow with a decisive strike, to open a window for a devastating attack.
When used defensively, the same word could buy him the critical seconds to put distance between them or to escape. The mechanics didn't change — only his aim did.
He told himself it was a good start. Even if [STOP] took up a slot in both attack and defence, the guide's numbers were only recommendations. He could create more methods to fill the remaining spots, tailor them to specific situations, and expand the set as his understanding deepened.
So he penciled [STOP] into both lists and began to think about what the other base attacks and defences should be, knowing that solid foundations here would let him build the rest later.
His thoughts were now on what choices he could make to simplify his vast options, words upon words and ideas began to form in his head.
Until suddenly, it clicked—an epiphany that made him almost laugh at himself.
He could use words similar to games! Simple, direct, and functional commands.
He wasn't talking about things like Rasengan or Hadouken or any flashy techniques like that. He meant the basic attacks or skills like [BIND] [STUN] [DODGE] [PIERCE] [SLASH]
This realization opened countless possibilities for IAM. It was as though a floodgate had burst open in his mind, but instead of drowning in options, he finally saw order taking shape. By reducing his choices to something structured, he could now arrange everything in a way that gave him both something to focus on and flexibility—a framework that could grow with him rather than limit him.
He could already picture it vividly. If he held his sword and said [STAB], the word itself would align his intent, which would make his action sharper and stronger and guide it toward that single purpose.
The speech would act as a trigger—not to command reality, but to unify his thought, will, and action into one smooth action.
After all, speech wasn't just about influencing others. It had always been able to influence the speaker too. Words could anchor intent, strengthen resolve, and refine thoughts.
In his case, they could amplify the force behind every action, like a burst of self-inflicted motivation that made his body obey his own will with greater clarity and pushing him to perform the task better.
After a few minutes of writing, IAM finally created his base methods.
Attack Base Methods: [STOP] [PIERCE] [STAB] [BREAK]
Keeping in mind that he would also be using a sword alongside KASSARA, he made sure to include words that fit naturally with swordplay. These would serve as his base attack methods for now.
Defense Base Methods: [STOP] [DODGE] [BLOCK] [COUNTER]
This would make up his defensive set, at least for the time being. He hadn't tried them out yet, and he wasn't entirely sure how much mana each action would require, but he felt confident. These were solid foundations—something to build from, something that finally gave shape to his path.
Next, he moved on to special methods.
He already had one special method that involved KASSARA and his mana bullets.
His thoughts drifted back to the KASSARA manual, and he inwardly chuckled at what he had read there.
This special method was currently his strongest form of attack, particularly potent for someone at his level. It packed a serious punch and could turn the tide in a dangerous encounter.
Unfortunately, it wasn't something he could use casually, not even during training with KASSARA. The sheer scale of the attack would make too big of a mess. It was far more suited for facing deadline creatures—and those weren't exactly going to be wandering around the academy.
For now, he kept the details to himself, writing it down on one of the two recommended special attack slots.
As for the other attacking spot, he didn't have one yet, so he could only wait for his understanding to increase a little more.
For his special defense method, he already had one for one of the slots. Keeping with the gaming theme he had in mind, he decided to include something called [DODGE].
This wasn't the same as his base dodge. This [DODGE] would consume far more mana than the base version. From his current capacity, he estimated it would take a massive fifty percent of the mana stored in his core. In return, however, it would make him far more likely to evade an attack he couldn't handle with ordinary defenses.
The same principle applied to his other special attack method, which, in terms of sheer devastation, would require eighty percent of his mana. It was risky, but it reflected just how powerful and decisive these special methods could be when used correctly.
He left the other slot for his special defense method empty as well, satisfied with the ones he had for now.
Next, he moved on to healing methods, which proved to be a more challenging task. There was a reason ascenders who focused on healing were considered valuable.
Healing methods were rare and difficult because most of them caused some form of deterioration to the ascender using them. Not many were willing to take that risk.
Additionally, the power to heal didn't come from nowhere—it came from the person receiving the healing. It drew upon their life force.
The ascender would manipulate that life force to mend injuries. This meant that depending on the severity of the injury, using such a method could cost years of the person's life.
Because of this, whenever possible, normal methods of healing were preferred. Relying on an ascender for recovery could literally drain someone's life force to the point of death if overused.