The Volford Family walked the path of the sword. To them, any other path was nothing but inferior.
Naturally, Cyrus turned out to be a sword genius.
He mastered the Volford Sword Art at the very young age of ten, a feat that even surpassed the standards set by the greatest geniuses of the past.
Not only that, but Cyrus's golden finger was the talent he was born with.
Aura Affinity (Grade S)
He was favored by Aura itself, and so he was born an Aura user, a sign of true Master-Grade hunter.
In the novel, only a few were ever born with talent. It was even rarer for someone to have more than one. But Cyrus was born with three.
His second talent was:
Predator's Instinct (Grade S)
Another grade S.
This talent was truly broken and the main reason he had survived this long.
It was a passive talent, like Aura Affinity. It let him sense killing intent, hidden enemies, and even their weaknesses.
No stealth, no illusion, no such tricks could fool him.
His third talent was:
Life Devour (Grade S.)
This was a talent of dark nature, something that clashed with his public image of a gentle swordsman.
So he kept it hidden.
Throughout the story, only a handful ever learned of it.
Life Devour worked more like a skill than a talent. It allowed him to absorb a part of the life essence of those he killed.
Like his other two talents, it was an overpowered, but what made it terrifying was how well it worked with his Karmic Eye.
The Karmic Eye was a talent too, but different by nature. It held authority over the very laws of the world.
A possessor of a Karmic Eye could bend the world's laws with their will.
It was such an overpowered concept that even near the end of the novel, the Karmic Eye still stood as one of the highest powers.
In the novel, nine types of Karmic Eyes were introduced, each holding authority over a different law.
Outside the Volford family, only seven other individuals possessed one.
"If I remember right, Arthur had two in the later parts of the story, one he bought from the system store and the other he got from refining his friend's soul,"
Compared to the other Karmic Eyes, the one he had was different.
A Karmic Eye was tied to the soul. Only a few were born with it, blessed by heaven itself. It couldn't be passed down or inherited from parents, unless special conditions were met.
But it was slightly different with the Volfords.
Because of the great feats achieved by the Sword Supreme, the Goddess of Humanity blessed him with the Karmic Eye of Time, also called the Eye of Samsara.
It was a blessing to his bloodline. Everyone with his blood could use the Eye of Samsara.
Another trait of the Karmic Eye, like the Eye of Samsara, was that it could evolve and grow stronger alongside its user.
At the earlier stage, the Eye of Samsara could only stop the flow of the river of time. While that feat alone wasn't small for most, to Cyrus, who knew the Eye's true power, simple time stopping was nothing.
Each use of the Samsara Eye consumed life force, basically the user's lifespan. That was the limitation that kept most people from overusing a Karmic Eye.
It was a trump card, something taken out only when things were truly grim.
But Cyrus was different.
He spammed and overused the Karmic Eye. Thanks to his S-Grade talent Aura Affinity, he had abundant reserves. And with Life Devour, he had a way to refill the life force he lost.
Considering all that, Cyrus himself was a broken character.
As that thought crossed his mind, and the optimism of the situation overshadowed its grimness, a smirk stretched across his lips.
He knew what was coming.
Even though he was tired not physically, but mentally and even though it was midnight, he couldn't afford to sleep.
Tomorrow was the Opening Ceremony for the first years of UN Academy.
It marked the start of the novel.
The prologue.
And the event that concerned him most: Cadet Placement.
The UN Cadet Training Program valued practical experience over theory and passive learning.
It was the most efficient way to produce capable hunters.
That's why Cadet Squads existed, groups created to carry out real-world missions and gain experience.
From the second year onward, anyone who met the basic requirements could form their own squad.
But the top four squads, the ones with the highest achievements, influence, and contributions. officially represented the academy. They were given special privileges and treatment.
These were the official squads:
1. Heavenly Court
2. Radiant Church
3. Hounds
4. Shade
Cyrus was the founder and commander of Hounds.
The Cadet Placement took place after the Opening Ceremony, where the official squads got the first chance to recruit any talented cadets they found.
Basically, tomorrow was the talent hunt.
And Cyrus already knew exactly what he had to do.
"In the novel, after the opening duel, Cyrus left and wasn't present for the placement exam. But for my best chance against Arthur, I have to gather as much hype and influence as I can."
A wide grin spread across his lips.
"Be ready to witness the show set by the transmigrator, one that will even overshadow the Heavenly Court's influence."
Chuckle!!