Chapter 38: Extraordinary! Specialization!
"I'm going to do something Cersei would never expect," Tyrion murmured, his breath warm against Shae's neck.
"I'm going to… dispense justice."
With that vow on his lips, he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.
---
The Hand's Tower
In the chamber beneath the Hand's bedroom, Podrick's eyes snapped open.
For a few seconds he lay there, staring blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling, mind sluggish, unable to place where he was.
It struck him then—this was the first time since arriving in this world, nearly two months ago, that he had truly slept on a bed.
Before this, he either curled up on whatever rug or animal skin he could find in Tyrion's tent…
or simply leaned against a tree under the starlight, snatching what rest he could.
On especially fortunate nights, the hay in a stable or sheepfold felt like luxury.
And to survive, he had pushed himself mercilessly—training, grinding, forcing his body to grow stronger in the shortest time possible.
He was exhausted. Bone-deep exhausted.
Only now, lying on an actual bed, did he realize how long he had been holding himself together.
A chapter had ended.
And another had begun—one far deadlier than swords and arrows.
Court intrigue, politics, deception.
The most dangerous battlefield of all.
Podrick had never intended to remain uninvolved—not when he served Tyrion Lannister.
Their fortunes rose together, fell together.
Not entirely, of course—but if Podrick truly wanted a future of his own, he needed to tie his fate to Tyrion's as tightly as possible.
And now…
---
[You have gained insight into life. EXP +500]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
---
"Finally," Podrick muttered. "Back then it only took ten days to jump from level 1 to level 12. Now it's been almost two months and I've only gained five levels."
"The higher I go, the harder it gets… Gods know how long it'll take before I hit my ceiling."
The translucent panel flashed across his vision. Podrick exhaled, then relaxed fully into the bed and summoned his stat screen with a thought.
---
[Name: Podrick Payne]
[Age: 12]
[Level: 17 (44 / 1530 EXP)]
[Class: Noble – Squire]
[Unassigned Attribute Points: 5]
Strength: 9
Agility: 7
Constitution: 8 (+1.6)
Intelligence: 8
Perception: 7
Charm: 7 (Special)
Luck: 9 (Special)
Status: Energetic, Slightly Melancholic
---
"After putting my last two points into Strength before the battle, I've been hoarding the rest," Podrick murmured.
"And I was right. The higher my stats climb, the harder it gets to raise them through effort alone."
"Since hitting Strength 9, I can't increase it at all.
Agility went up by one with all the drills… Perception by two…
And that's everything I managed through constant training."
He let out a quiet sigh.
"Looks like I've hit the natural limit."
Staring at his character panel, Podrick rubbed his chin, mentally reviewing everything he'd gained these past weeks.
"…Alright then. Let's try adding one more point."
He abruptly sat upright, eyes sweeping across the attributes he could freely assign.
Eventually his gaze settled on [Strength].
"If I add one more point, I'll finally break past ten.
Right now I'm probably stronger than Bronn… but I'm still nowhere near Shagga or the other tribesmen."
"I'll test the difference at the training yard later."
"For now… let's drop one point into Strength."
He acted the moment the thought formed.
The 5 beside Free Attribute Points flickered and became 4.
And then Strength changed—
not just increasing, but transforming in a way he absolutely hadn't expected.
---
[Strength: 9 → 10 (Transcendent)]+
[Congratulations! Your Strength has surpassed the mortal limit!]
[EXP +1000]
[You have unlocked a new Feat: Heavy Weapon Master.]
---
[Feat: Heavy Weapon Master]
You have grasped the true nature of "weight," and learned to convert it into a form of overwhelming martial dominance.
You can now wield and master heavy weapons, colossal weapons, and heavy gear with far greater ease.
When engaging in contests of strength, you gain a temporary +20% Strength burst.
—Note: "I'm hitting you this hard… why aren't you dead yet?"
---
"…Holy shit."
"…What the actual—"
"I just pulled a legendary?!"
For a moment Podrick simply froze.
Then, seeing the glowing (Transcendent) beside his Strength score and the newly unlocked feat, he exploded off the bed like a spring.
The melancholy from a moment ago was gone—completely obliterated by exhilaration.
He had learned the value of feats the hard way.
Without [Tenacity], he would never have survived long enough to grow this far.
Tenacity made pain tolerable, wounds slower to worsen, fatigue easier to endure.
And beneath the text was an unlisted benefit—a monstrous regeneration ability.
It was the reason a twelve-year-old could now outperform grown men in stamina and physical resilience.
And now, with Strength breaking past ten—
not only had he shattered the mortal limit—
he'd earned another feat.
A combat feat, no less.
One that could directly determine whether he lived or died.
Podrick nearly laughed aloud.
A random point allocation had turned into the biggest windfall he'd seen yet.
"Does that mean… every attribute that breaks ten gains a feat?"
After several minutes of giddy excitement, Podrick forced himself to settle down.
He looked back at the glowing panel before him.
Four attribute points remained.
He rubbed his palms together, unable to suppress a fox-like grin creeping up his cheeks.
"So… how do I maximize my gains from here?"