D.I.O

Chapter 249

‘Next is the SS rank, and after that, I need to start training for the UT rank. A hundred trillion training points have to be acquired…’

Once a skill exceeded a certain rank, the successful performance training value had no meaning.

This was because the requirement numbers were very large. It became more important for a user to have a successful skill performance that was one or two ranks above their current rank. This was a condition that, if met, would allow the user to upgrade their rank without fulfilling the astronomical successful performance training value requirement. In Lancelot’s case, two successful performances of the skill one rank above his current rank or one successful performance of the skill two ranks above his current rank would allow him to upgrade his spear-stabbing skill’s rank. This was traditionally why it was important to train constantly.

This was a general opinion that everyone acknowledged and went by, but Lancelot had a slightly different idea and perspective.

If he needed a hundred trillion successful training points to fulfill the basic successful performance training value, he would get a hundred trillion.

Others would call it crazy, but Lancelot really thought this was the most appropriate way for him to upgrade his skill rank, and he put this thought into action. Wasn’t this way of thinking more hopeful and helpful than thinking that one would never progress?

Due to Lancelot thinking this way, he went on to earn EXP and training points by slaughtering countless lower-level monsters, and he poured all his earned EXP points into training in the time-multiplied training room.

If he utilized the 100x time multiplier training room, he would be able to experience a whopping 14,400 hours for every 12 hours in real life. In other words, Lancelot would experience 600 days in the training room for every half day in real life. Considering that Lancelot experienced an average of 3,600 days for every week in real life when he was using the training room, excluding the time he spent in the hunting fields to earn EXP points… Lancelot was actually experiencing the passage of nearly 10 years every week.

The training room was a special space that accelerated the passage of an individual’s time, but users were unable to develop one’s internal energy capacity or read books and gain knowledge in this space precisely because of that. However, the space allowed users to raise their skill’s training numbers, so Lancelot took full advantage of the training room whenever he logged onto DIO. He repeated his spear’s stab strike on constant repeat.

‘It’s something that I’m very thankful for.’

Lancelot sincerely thought this as he continually stabbed with his spear, again and again.

Whoosh!

He was thankful.

Whoosh!

Very thankful.

Whoosh!

Eternally thankful.

Ping!

“Huh?”

While repeating the same movement as he had done countless times before, Lancelot, who had just finished a spear stab strike, momentarily froze after hearing an unusual sound.

He stabbed with his spear with all his might as he had done countless times before, but this time around, the surrounding air didn’t burst outward as it usually did. However, Lancelot was sure that he didn't make any mistakes.

Of course, if his proficiency wasn’t at a level where he could recognize whether he successfully performed a spear stab strike even after all this time, then all this was for naught.josei

Lancelot checked his system messages.

/Spear Art skill has risen to SS Rank!/

/Updating your special ability and skill. The overall effect of your Spear Art skill has strengthened!/

As he expected, Lancelot did not acquire any special abilities or titles.

Special abilities and titles were no longer offered after he attained A Rank, so Lancelot thought that he would not be acquiring a new special ability or title until he reached the UT rank.

“So, I need to train up to the UT rank now, right?”

If someone were to search all over DIO, they would find that only Arthur, Merlin, and Cruze had ever reached this lofty supreme skill rank. Yet instead of being happy, Lancelot checked his training level for the next rank’s training requirements.

[Skill: Spear Art

Succeed in performing a spear skill one rank above your current skill rank.

100%

0/1

Spear Art

S Rank

Training Level Progress: 99.9%]

The training window was much simpler than what Lancelot expected.

The problem was… that brevity spoke volumes.

“… Oh, my.”

Lancelot couldn’t start his next rote training move.

According to his plan, he would start his next rote training move to work his way towards the ultimate rank, or UT rank, right away. However, if he did not fulfill the successful training requirement denoted in the training window, further rote training wouldn’t be useful anymore.

If someone trained to [level up] or [rank up] one level at a time—or in other words, if someone tried to reach the transcendent martial arts rank through simple rote training, they wouldn’t be able to rise to the UT rank. This reality was starting to sink in for Lancelot.

“Ah, how regretful.”

In a way, it was a hopeless situation. His overarching plan collapsed within a few seconds, but Lancelot did not seem too crestfallen or sentimental.

Once he decided on his path, his resolve would not be shaken, no matter what adversity he faced; that was Lancelot’s personality. Nevertheless, he also would not stick to a singular path if he knew it would not benefit him.

If he had stuck to an impossible pathway, he would have already collapsed over a hundred times during this seemingly hopeless, never-ending training regimen. Walls, barriers, and obstacles, which had seemed insurmountable at the time, were everyday occurrences for Lancelot.

There was still a long way to go, so how could he afford to get discouraged?

“I’ll have to find another way.”

He was an ordinary person, so that’s why he needed to put extra thought and preparation before acting.

However, after choosing an option, Lancelot would throw everything at it.

Perhaps he was able to do this because he had absolute faith in whatever choice he made.

Of course, he was not foolish enough to believe that his choices were never wrong.

His firm belief was that even if his choice were wrong and he ended up wasting time because of it, the experience and knowledge that he would acquire from that mistake would become the foundation and basis to make him a stronger being.

Every hardship and adversity tempered him, and even if he failed in some of his endeavors and attempts, he would never regret his choices.

‘Anyway, it’s just a wall. I have encountered walls countless times from the moment I first started training.’

There was ultimately no means of climbing to the full transcendent realm using his current plan due to this wall. Lancelot was currently facing the wall of despair that countless others had faced, which had led many down a spiral of despair into the deep abyss, but Lancelot didn’t hesitate.

“My only regret is that I won’t be able to see what it’s like to reach the full transcendent realm just by achieving a transcendent rank in spear stabbing…”

DIO’s system could correct and calibrate SS Rank skills, but it couldn’t correct and calibrate UT rank skills as this skill rank was a completely different dimension from the SS Rank. Even the Noblesse and Jenica never even considered or planned for a UT Rank correction and calibration system.

This was because not everyone ascended to the transcendent realm (which was divided into gradients ranging from the pseudo-transcendent, like Arthur, to the full transcendent) through enlightenment. Some people even reached the transcendent realm as a pseudo-transcendent with the guidance of a god, who was either from a very special environment or a high position. If a group like the Noblesse were involved, even an innocent young child who knew nothing could become a transcendent being.

Nonetheless, the resources that would be needed to bring about such a result would be enough to buy an entire planet or two. No matter how difficult a position the Noblesse were in, there was no way they were prepared to expend that much for DIO. This was especially because there was always the chance that the entire DIO system could be taken over by another, just as Tan had done to Jenica.

“Well, if training is no longer useful, I guess I must level up. Anyway, since my stabbing has reached the SS Rank, the power of my stab attack will be much stronger.”

Lancelot possessed an SS Rank skill, so his Spear Art skill was comparable to Level 17 to 19 beings. However, that achievement was only limited to stabbing, so Lancelot’s actual combat power output was much lower than what a normal Level 17 to 19 being could produce.

“Possibly Level 14… Even if everything works out in my favor, Level 15 is probably my limit.”

In terms of attack power, Lancelot was top-notch amongst the Masters, but in terms of all other stat areas, Lancelot was definitely weaker than most Masters.

Lancelot left the training room and recalled his list of monster grinding areas.

“As always, thank you for your hard work, Carlin.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks, Lancelot. Are you going right back in again?” Carlin, the gate managing NPC, naturally asked whether Lancelot was planning to re-enter the training room.

Carlin had tried to stop Lancelot from immersing himself in the training room like a madman many times in the past, but he had stopped interfering once he realized that Lancelot was working hard and training in earnest.

“No. I need to earn more EXP points, and I have a few things to think about.”

“Alright. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

As Carlin watched Lancelot leave, he remembered the gaze Lancelot used to have in the past. Lancelot’s eyes had looked so empty and helpless, like those of someone looking at a pile of ash that had burned and incinerated everything.

Now, Lancelot had improved to the point where he was incomparable to his past self. His facial expression was calmer, and the sense of victimization that previously oozed out from his general tone and behavior had disappeared.

Yet Carlin soon frowned. “Most of the training room time multipliers he entered were at 100x… so… he’s already spent hundreds of years in the training room.”

No matter how ordinary a being was, if they trained for hundreds of years, they would become an extraordinary being. If this were true, why weren’t more people doing this relatively easy thing? This was because hundreds of years of training was not a simple feat.

In fact, it was almost impossible to practice and train with total focus for hundreds of years. No, to be precise, such a long period of time would not be easy to even live through.

Lancelot had been continuing his forced and focused training session for hundreds of years, so it would not be weird if he had totally lost his mind.

“What the hell… is driving him to do all this? How is a guy, who came from a planet that hasn’t faced any extreme war or pain, able to do this?”

It was easy to set goals, but it was not easy to keep walking down one’s planned path without giving up.

Although Lancelot was a talentless being, which was something even he readily acknowledged, there was something special about him.

“Well, with the kind of talent that he has, I guess the Noblesse won’t be paying attention to him…”

Carlin sighed lightly and greeted the next user. He was still on the clock and working after all.