Arthur Sterling stood in the rain like a god hidden in the rags of a beggar.
His brain was a fortress of martial perfection. Ten million strikes! He could close his eyes and see every possible angle, every parry and every lethal thrust of a blade. It wasn't just muscle memory, it was a profound and almost terrifying understanding of the concept of the sword itself.
[Ding!]
[Cultivation State]
↳ Host has achieved Domain-Level Sword Intent.
↳ Host has bypassed five major cultivation tiers.
Arthur dismissed the prompt with a thought. The 10,000x return didn't just give him quantity, it forced an evolution in quality. Caden's desperate struggle to master a basic D-rank sword swing had translated into Arthur instantly inventing a God-tier variant of the technique in his mind.
"Why lift a finger to train when the world is full of eager idiots willing to do it for me?" Arthur mused as he stepped out of the slums.
He didn't bother looking back at his employee. Caden was a long-term investment. Right now, Arthur needed a platform to expand his portfolio. The memories of his predecessor pointed him in one direction. The Vanguard Bastion! It was the premier military academy of The Mortal Domain and the only place that hoarded the resources, artifacts and high-tier targets he needed.
He walked through the winding cobblestone streets of the city. The disparity between the slums and the inner city was jarring. Pristine white towers loomed over the squalor below and were guarded by men in gleaming silver armor. It was a society built entirely on classism and raw power.
Arthur fit right in. He might be wearing a torn mud-stained tunic but he walked with the posture of a reigning emperor inspecting his estate. People instinctively stepped out of his way because they were unnerved by the cold predatory aura radiating from his towering frame.
He arrived at the towering iron gates of the Vanguard Bastion's recruitment center. Hundreds of hopefuls were lined up and most of them were draped in expensive silks and accompanied by armed retinues. They were the spoiled children of nobles, chatting loudly about their innate talents and the low-grade beasts they had paid mercenaries to kill for them.
Arthur didn't have time for lines. He bypassed the winding queue of aristocrats. His heavy boots splashed against the pristine marble courtyard as he walked directly toward the massive double doors of the registration hall.
"Hey! You!"
Arthur paused and slowly turned his head.
A young man in an outrageously lavish crimson coat stepped out of the line. His hand rested on the gem-encrusted pommel of his rapier. He had the arrogant punchable face of someone who had never been told no in his entire life. Three heavily armored guards flanked him.
"Are you blind, peasant?" The noble sneered and looked Arthur up and down with absolute disgust. "The line for the servant staff is around the back. Though smelling like that, I doubt they'd even let you shovel the beast dung."
The surrounding nobles chuckled. They were eager to watch the slum trash get put in his place.
Arthur just stared at him. He didn't feel insulted. You didn't get angry at a mosquito for buzzing, you just swatted it!
"Move." Arthur said. His voice was a low rumbling baritone that carried over the rain.
The noble's face flushed with rage. "You dare speak to Garrick of House Vance like that? Guards! Break his legs and throw him in the gutter!"
The three armored guards drew their steel broadswords and stepped forward to surround Arthur.
Arthur didn't reach for a weapon. He didn't even shift his stance. He simply let a fraction of his newly acquired Domain-Level Sword Intent bleed into the air.
As the guards lunged, the crisp sound of the system chimed in his mind.
[Ding!]
[System Remark]
↳ Host has projected Domain-Level Sword Intent.
The air in the courtyard instantly dropped by twenty degrees. A terrifying suffocating pressure descended upon the square like a physical weight. It wasn't magic, it was the sheer conceptual weight of ten million perfect deaths.
"BOOM!"
The three guards slammed into the marble floor. Their armor sparked against the stone as they were driven to their knees by an invisible crushing force. They gasped for air while their eyes went wide with primal terror.
Garrick's arrogant sneer vanished entirely. His knees buckled under the atmospheric pressure. He tried to draw his rapier but his hand was trembling so violently he couldn't even grip the hilt. The sword intent felt like a thousand invisible blades resting gently against his throat, promising instant decapitation if he breathed wrong.
"Argh..." Garrick choked as his legs gave out completely. He collapsed onto the wet marble and coughed up a mouthful of blood as the sheer spiritual pressure bruised his internal organs.
The entire courtyard fell dead silent.
Hundreds of arrogant nobles stood frozen in absolute horror. They couldn't comprehend how a man in beggar's clothes had just crushed a high-noble and his elite guard without moving a single muscle!
Arthur looked down at Garrick and stepped over his trembling body.
Deep down, his brain almost short-circuited!
He only released a tiny fraction of his intent but it was enough to bring armored guards to their knees.
The sheer scale of his new power was completely absurd.
He quickly hid his astonishment and kept his ruthless facade.
"Next time," Arthur said coldly. "Mind your own business. Interfering in mine is a terrible investment."
He walked through the double doors of the registration hall. The registration instructors had felt the terrifying spike of Sword Intent from inside and were standing behind their desks pale and sweating.
Arthur walked up to the head desk and stared down at the trembling senior instructor.
"I'm here to enroll." Arthur stated flatly.
The instructor swallowed hard. His eyes darted to the doors and back to Arthur. He didn't ask for a name. He didn't ask for a background check or a written exam. In the Vanguard Bastion, absolute power overrode all rules.
With shaking hands, the instructor opened a locked mahogany box and pulled out a heavy obsidian medallion. He slid it across the desk.
"T-The Vanguard Bastion welcomes you, sir." The instructor stammered. "This is the Black Token. Elite Student status. You have unrestricted access to the inner campus."
Arthur snatched the token and felt the cold weight of the metal. Perfect.
[Ding!]
[Acquired Item]
↳ Vanguard Bastion Black Token
He turned and walked toward the inner gates, leaving the terrified staff behind. As he stepped out into the sprawling manicured grounds of the inner academy, he felt a sudden prickle on the back of his neck.
It wasn't a threat. It was an observation. An incredibly dense and refined magical signature was locked onto him.
Arthur casually glanced up toward the towering spire of the central administration building. High above and standing on the observation deck behind a wall of enchanted glass was a figure draped in silver.
Arthur's predatory smile returned.
Through the pouring rain, Headmistress Sylvia Thorne was staring right at him. She was the legendary untouchable Arch-Mage of The Mortal Domain. Her eyes were narrowed as she tracked the anomalous monstrous sword intent that had just rippled through her academy.
Arthur didn't look away. He had no idea who this silver-draped woman was, but judging by her aura, she was definitely in charge. He simply held her gaze and casually tossed the Black Token in the air to catch it.
"I know my battery is close by." He whispered to himself.
He had just secured his frontline employee. Now, it was time to acquire upper management.