Grain Finding, Recast as Potential

The Grain Finding trait ought to have been converted into Potential.

And yet Tyragos's grain stood out before Yujun's eyes with impossible clarity. Not one line of it, or two. Several.

"……."

Had the trait not vanished? He opened his status window, and not a single skill or trait remained.

Now that I think about it, Equanimity still seems to be working, too.

Perhaps his body had simply adapted to those effects. With his titles and item bonuses gone, Grain Finding no longer performed at anything like full strength—but the mere fact that it had activated at all was astonishing.

This... isn't an illusion, is it?

What if he swung at a false grain and Tyragos dropped him in a single blow?

The worry was unnecessary. Aside from the grain, the only way to finish Tyragos outright was a strike at a weak point, and Tyragos knew it. The beast rarely offered its back. Exploiting the grain was the best option he had, and with the other barbarians holding its attention, this was the moment.

Yujun did not hesitate. He swung the way he always had.

There was a grain along Tyragos's thigh, and that was what he aimed for—the easiest place to hit on a body that towered over him. The attack did not land. More precisely, it missed, the blade shearing past about two centimeters above where it should have struck. Tyragos was thrashing as it fought the barbarians, and landing a clean hit was anything but easy.

Figures. With my stats this low, of course it's hard.

Seeing the grain and actually cutting along it were two very different things. The one mercy was that Tyragos's eyes never turned his way. Had he dealt even a little damage, the beast might have come for him at once. Having just cheated death, Yujun breathed an inward sigh of relief and set himself for another strike. This time, he could not afford to fail.

He drew a deep breath—and then, to his astonishment, felt the world slow.

What is this...

It was the same sensation as when he used that skill. The effect was nowhere near as dramatic as before, but what mattered was that Super Concentration had surfaced at all—in this worthless body, stripped of every ability.

Tyragos and the barbarians slowed until the change was plain to the eye, and the grain shone clear. To fail to trace it with a sword even now would make him not a man, but a beast.

Yujun took one step forward and extended the blade. From there he moved only his wrist, drawing the sword along a diagonal. The trajectory locked perfectly onto the grain.

Blood beaded along a hair-thin line, and Tyragos froze where it stood. Even the tail that had been lashing went rigid, as if time itself had stopped.

A short span passed. It felt like eternity.

A dry crackle.

Tyragos crumbled to powder and vanished. No—it was erased.

Yujun let out a ragged breath. Holding Super Concentration in this body was brutally taxing. He had used it for barely two seconds, and already his head throbbed and his whole body prickled as if wracked with muscle pain. He had pushed past his physical limits. The backlash was only natural.

...Right. A level 10 just used Super Concentration.

Strangely, there was no message that his level had risen. Tyragos had gone beyond death. It had been annihilated. Just in case, he opened his status window.

His level sat at exactly 47. Given how strong Tyragos had been, he would have expected the experience to climb higher—but he wasn't receiving a single experience buff. In a way, it made sense. His stats had risen evenly across the board.

So I can't distribute them myself.

It hardly mattered. A clear improvement in his body, and a modest rise in mana, were satisfying enough.

Feels like the Swordsmanship effect came through properly, too.

He realized that several of the traits and skills he had once possessed were still taking hold, even now that he had been reduced to a weakened barbarian.

Don't tell me all of this is because of Potential.

The theory was still fully formed in his head, so Potential driven to its extreme was letting him manifest skills and traits without actually possessing them. It was inference without hard proof, but it held together. Otherwise, in what form was Potential supposed to express itself? His level hadn't leapt by the hundreds. It had risen only as far as it should have. And if the stats had been allotted at three per level, that all but confirmed it. Potential had nothing to do with stat growth or the rate at which he gained experience.

Which left him no choice but to suspect the part of him that could still call on his old abilities. For Yujun, that was nothing short of a blessing.

First, Swordsmanship. The theory sat in his mind so completely it might as well have been perfect, and as his level rose, so did his ability to put it into practice. He had grown strong enough that competing with the other barbarians was meaningless—no. He had recovered a portion of his former strength.

"Who was it? Tyragos is dead, right?"

"Then why'd the body vanish without a trace...?"

"Did it run?"

"No. It disappeared in an instant."

"Teleportation?"

"Talk sense. If Tyragos had an ability like that, they never would've sent us out to hunt it."

It was pitch-dark, and the melee had been a mess, so the barbarians never realized who had finished Tyragos. Yujun quietly slipped away from the place where the beast had stood. Drawing any more of their attention here would do him no good. He was already getting more of it than he wanted.

But regardless of his intentions, a crimson energy suddenly burst from the spot where Tyragos had fallen and began seeping into him. A radiance like bright firelight lit the surroundings and laid his face bare.

"Oh. What? Shin Yujun killed it?"

"I've never seen one that vivid..."

"Must've landed the weak point properly."

"Well, he put a real hit in before Tyragos even had a chance to tire, so..."

"But where did Tyragos's body actually go? Has it ever vanished this cleanly?"

The barbarians' muttering never reached Yujun's ears.

So this is how a barbarian gets stronger.

One hundred and fifty points of stats in total. A figure you could only match by gaining fifty levels outright. The math would have been different if he still had the Primordial Player perk. Either way, a single hunt had brought him tremendous growth.

I want to take what I need and get out of here.

This one had been a little different. He had faced Tyragos with his stats gutted, accepting the risk, and walking away without a scratch was an incredible stroke of luck.

I should put the sword to use a few more times.

Not swinging at empty air. Real practice—the kind that drew cold sweat.

Isn't there another one like Tyragos ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around? Three of them would be about right.

He was on the verge of some realization, or perhaps ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not quite, and the frustration of it was gnawing at him when—

"Shin Yujun!"

"How'd you do it?"

"Teach me too."

Of course there were barbarians closing in on the man who had all but soloed Tyragos. Their skin came in every shade, but every one of them was muscle. They had been wound tight until moments ago, and the smell of sweat rolled off them on a stifling heat. Yujun's face creased on its own.

I am not getting used to this.

He was half afraid he smelled the same way. The distinctive barbarian stench made no distinction between men and women. Unwilling to endure that particular misery, Yujun hurriedly slipped the ring closing around him.

Odzen, chieftain and highest authority of the Ledordang Tribe, received a curious report from his nephew, Yaji.

"Shin Yujun?"

"Yes. They say he took the contribution for himself. The crimson energy bestowed by the War God was clearer than any in living memory."

"Living memory? I've never even heard the name Shin Yujun."

"A quiet one. I've only passed him a few times myself. Hardly the sort who stands out."

"Hmm."

Odzen, lounging at ease in a great chair draped with Tyragos hide, let out a thin breath. True talent had a way of announcing itself. The Ledordang were a large tribe for the grasslands, but the barbarians lived packed close enough that everyone knew everyone. Bound by blood as they were, a barbarian of uncommon gift was inevitably the subject of rumor from childhood, and as a rule those were the ones who scored high when Potential was measured.

A barbarian's reputation could not be inflated. They sparred every day, and fists flew. Even a punch thrown in anger was treated as part of training, so unless you were truly strong, you could not be highly regarded among them.

And yet this Shin Yujun was peculiar. A man strong enough to take Tyragos alone had gone unnoticed until now? He could only conclude the fellow had been hiding his strength. But for what? Among barbarians who pursued strength, nothing mattered more than being known as strong. Those ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who showed promise were supported generously, besides. There was no profit in concealing one's power. Even if someone envied you, you simply crushed them. A cunning barbarian was destined to be weeded out from the start. There was no need to watch your back.

"No matter how I turn it over, I don't understand. Are we certain that man received a reward from the War God?"

"Everyone who was there saw it, they say. Unless someone cast an illusion spell, the report can't be wrong."

A barbarian, casting illusion magic? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Absurd enough that a passing dog would have laughed.

"I'd like to see this child with the unusual name of Shin Yujun."

"I thought you might. I've already summoned him."

"As expected. We understand each other."

"It's what I'm supposed to do."

"That's why I like you."

"Thank you."

Before the night was even over, word came that the chieftain had summoned him, and Yujun had to run without rest.

Just as well.

Better a swift turn of events than killing time. It sat easier with him. Growing stronger was only a matter of time anyway—no. Less a matter of time than of opportunity and circumstance. Give him the right conditions, and he could become a power no one in this world could approach.

The chieftain seemed to live in the largest tent in the village. Guided by a barbarian who stood nearly seven feet tall, Yujun came face to face with a man who regarded him with open interest.

"You're Shin Yujun?"

He had decided to be respectful here.

"Yes. That's right."

"You killed Tyragos?"

"My skill was good. Luck had nothing to do with it."

"Bold. I like that."

Chieftain Odzen rose abruptly from his chair.

"Let's see that skill."

He was not a man who spoke in circles.