Chapter 9 | Paladin Class: Awakening the Strongest Demon System

Afterward, the two of them exchanged several more rounds.

Faced with Jiang Lin's attacks, Zach relied on an assassin's agility to dodge each one narrowly, launching counterattacks in return. Meanwhile, Jiang Lin was able to quickly judge his opponent's intent based on his movements, allowing him to evade.

However, the style of their battle was completely different from the fight with Anya.

If the duel with Anya was a clash of techniques that left Jiang Lin feeling invigorated, then the duel with Zach was pure frustration from being unable to land a touch.

As for speed... I really need to train that...

Jiang Lin made a silent resolution in his heart:

'System, watch closely. Next time, give me a speed boost!'

Of course, Jiang Lin didn't know if the system could hear his inner thoughts, but there was no harm in shouting it out.

They clashed several more times, but Jiang Lin still couldn't lay a finger on him, causing dark lines of frustration to appear on his forehead.

'It seems I can't just focus on his openings. Against this kind of enemy, I should try making a miracle happen with brute force...'

Jiang Lin thought rapidly.

Then, his sword stance shifted. He transformed from his previous agile and light movements to an incomparably fierce and overbearing style. The aura of a paladin made it seem as if his entire being was bathed in holy light.

He took a large stride forward, seizing the opening during the recovery frame of his opponent's attack. He swept his sword out in a horizontal arc, aiming straight for Zach's waist and abdomen, leaving him with no room to dodge.

Seeing Jiang Lin attack this way, Zach knew his opponent had discovered a way to counter him. He held his wooden sword vertically to block Jiang Lin's strike.

Just as he prepared to widen the distance again and continue circling Jiang Lin with his speed advantage, Jiang Lin controlled the direction of his wooden sword. He targeted the weakest point of Zach's defense and, under Zach's shocked gaze, used brute force to flick the wooden sword away.

Clatter.

The wooden sword landed crisply on the ground. Zach looked at his palm in disbelief.

'I didn't hold on tight enough... it flew out...?'

Seeing his move succeed, Jiang Lin was also somewhat surprised.

The strength of his opponent's grip was much lower than he had imagined...

'So the gap in advantages between professions of the same level is this obvious...'

'If I had known, I would have just used brute force from the start...'

'Uh, hey, System, how about you just put all my points into strength?'

Jiang Lin imagined that if his strength and defense were high enough, he could let the opponent hit him however they wanted. As long as he could catch them once, he could defeat them.

To be fair, Zach was a man of character; he said he would suppress himself by three levels and he truly did, showing no mercy whatsoever.

【The arrogant genius is but a clown before you; as a demon lord, you have suppressed them ruthlessly and with ease】

【Quest completed】

【Reward obtained: Randomly copy a skill mastered by the opponent】

【Randomizing...】

【Copy complete. Skill obtained: Breath Concealment (Perfect)】

【Do you wish to learn it immediately?】

Jiang Lin hesitated for a moment and then chose 'No'.

The reason was simple: the previous 【Paladin Breathing Technique】 had almost killed him, and his spirit was still somewhat weary even now.

If he were to immediately learn another Breath Concealment technique for which he had even less talent, he didn't know if he would be able to walk out of this classroom alive.

...

"Hey, you beat me using nothing but brute force. What kind of skill is that?" Zach said, somewhat unconvinced, though in reality, he was mourning his two silver coins.

Jiang Lin was about to respond, but he didn't expect Anya to speak up first.

"You couldn't even hold your sword steady. Did you skip breakfast?"

If the fight with Jiang Lin was a satisfying exchange of techniques, then fighting Zach was pure frustration because you couldn't touch him.

Anya had deep personal experience with this.

"That's because I restricted my strength to level 3!"

"How can a level 3 assassin's strength compare to a level 3 paladin?" Zach was still defiant.

"Then what's the point of you just hiding all the time?" Anya voiced Jiang Lin's inner thoughts.

"Exactly! Anya is right!" Jiang Lin nodded in agreement.

Seeing the two of them standing on the same side, Zach slumped and stopped arguing.

At this moment, the swordsmanship teacher, Monsa, who had been watching from the side, walked over and said to Jiang Lin:

"Jiang Lin, when did you train your 【Basic Swordsmanship】 to this level?"

Jiang Lin thought for a moment and prepared to use the excuse he had thought of earlier:

"I suddenly had an epiphany a few days ago, and my swordsmanship has improved by leaps and bounds since then."

Faced with this answer, the others showed expressions of doubt.

Zach, of course, wore a look that said 'I knew it'.

"Don't worry. The secret cult in Boulder City has been completely wiped out by the Temple. Tell me honestly, were you afraid to show your talent before because you were being threatened by secret cult members?"

Hearing the teacher's question, not only Jiang Lin, but even Anya and Zach were completely stunned.

Anya: 'Didn't they say geniuses need time to settle?'

Zach: 'Is it really not an old grandpa?'

Jiang Lin: 'What on earth is going on?! Why is this being linked to a secret cult??'

Suddenly, as if hearing a keyword, the system started acting up again:

【Side quest unlocked: Find the Organization】

【As an all-evil Great Demon Lord, how can you claim to be part of the demonic path without experience in a demonic cult? To become a Great Demon Lord who makes everyone tremble with fear, you must first start by ruling a demonic cult. However, since your foundation is still shallow, start by joining a large-scale demonic cult first】

【Requirement: Join one of the Four Great Secret Cults and become a secret cult member】

【Reward: Neurological reaction speed will be strengthened; enhancement degree is double that at the time of quest issuance】

'Become a secret cult member?'

Jiang Lin felt a bit numb.

'Is... is there a survival guarantee for this?'

Jiang Lin felt like the system was asking him to put his head on the line.

And what the hell were these Four Great Secret Cults? He had never even heard of them before!

...

Seeing Jiang Lin freeze in place after hearing the question, Monsa began to doubt himself as well.

'Hmm? Is that not it? If not, could there really be such a thing as a sudden epiphany?'

Jiang Lin remained silent for a long time before changing the subject:

"Teacher, I have already trained my 【Basic Swordsmanship】 to its peak. What swordsmanship should I switch to next?"

Though still confused, Monsa instinctively answered Jiang Lin:

"You are still a student, and since you've trained your 【Basic Swordsmanship】 to a superlative stage, you can go to the Temple later to apply for a free, higher-tier swordsmanship manual. However, the specific style will depend on your profession."

"The free swordsmanship for a paladin should be 【Holy Light Heavy Slash】. This is a special martial technique that requires merging magic essence into melee moves. The difficulty will be several times that of 【Basic Swordsmanship】. But since you've already laid a solid foundation, you should be able to pick it up quickly."

"Of course, if you don't want the 【Holy Light Heavy Slash】 they provide, you can also spend contribution points or gold coins to purchase other martial techniques. The quality of what you can buy depends on how many gold coins or contribution points you are willing to pay. You could also learn swordsmanship from the Jianghu from traveling merchants or martial arts halls. What you choose to learn is up to you."

Hearing this, Jiang Lin nodded to show he understood.

Monsa added:

"However, your level is still too low. Personally, I suggest your future focus should be on increasing your level. Otherwise, no matter how high your swordsmanship talent is, you won't be able to utilize it in real combat."