“Today, apprentice. Or is this the first time you’re seeing me?” the master said, a slight curl on his lips betraying his stern tone.

  “I… Y-Yes, master!” Nar said, stepping forward.

  Behind him, instructor Liv left them to it, and the door closed itself.

  Nar found himself, for the first time, alone and face to face with the Master of Blades whose attention he had so much craved.

  His heartbeat was fast, and he alternated between terrified and the need to scream in celebration. He had done it, right? He had earned the master’s instruction! Else, why would he have been called there?

  “Have a seat,” the man said, gesturing towards the chair opposite him.

  “Yes, master,” Nar said, stepping forward.

  Now that he found himself within one of those offices, Nar realized that rather than cramped, they felt rather cozy instead.

  The walls were covered with some sort of beige paneling, instead of the usual red rust metal he had grown used to seeing almost everywhere on the aethership, and there were several, simple and tasteful looking decorations lining the walls, with most of them appearing to be pictures of several different types of bladed weapons.

  In a corner, stood a dark, narrow set of drawers that rose nearly to Nar’s chin, atop which was something that Nar had a feeling was some sort of potted plant.

  “Like what you see?” The master asked, as Nar sat down.

  Nar stiffened immediately. “Y-Yes, master!”

  The master scanned the pictures on the wall.

  “More bladed weapons than you’ve ever seen, no?” he asked. “And you can dispense with the “Yes, master!”’s. We’ll both grow tired of it in a conversation.”

  “Yes, ma… Hmmm. Yes,” Nar said, with an awkward nod.

  This is happening! He thought, trying to contain his excitement and fear of ruining things from bubbling out of him. Just stay calm. The question! Shit! Answer the question!

  Nar nodded awkwardly again. “I didn’t know there were so many.”

  “There are many more than the ones present here,” the master explained, still scanning the walls with a deep, inscrutable gaze. “A lot of them would be variations of the ones you can see here, built for special ends. And the rest are weapons that aren’t fit for our purposes… Your own longsword is over there.”

  Nar turned around, following the direction the master motioned towards.

  Indeed, he easily spotted a weapon that looked very similar to his sword.

  “It’s… With the two-handed swords?” Nar asked, frowning. Then he stiffened, realizing he had spoken without being told so.

  The master chuckled. “Relax, apprentice. This is just a chat. And yes, that is an astute observation. The longsword is, indeed, represented here alongside another subset of two-handed swords. Though, as you can see, none of those swords hold a particularly thick blade.”

  Nar nodded slowly.

  The swords were long, yes, one of them quite long indeed, if the scale of the longsword was anything to go by.

  In that one picture, there were swords of straight blades and curved blades, and even undulating blades. The longsword had a simple guard, but others had more elaborate and complex ones. In fact, two of the swords depicted had some kind of metal gauntlets attached to their hilts.

  “The debate on whether the longsword belongs with the two-handed weapons, the single-handed weapons, both the single and the two-handed weapons or, in fact, a category of its own, is one that will never be settled,” the master said. “However, that only speaks to the versatility of the weapon. And that brings us to you, your training, and the path you're aiming to build.”

  Nar nodded, forcing his expression to remain neutral.

  “And said path is… Very interesting, shall we say,” the master said. “And I confess that it had me scratching my head for a good while. The Keeper of Records and the Master of Aura’s as well.”

  “Because it’s a hybrid?” Nar couldn’t help asking.

  The master shook his head, a slow smile growing on his lips. “If only that were why. However, that is as good enough as a place to start this complex conversation, I suppose… The Keeper of Records tells me you don’t fully understand the meaning of what a hybrid class is, and to be fair, that tends to be the truth amongst new apprentices. So, tell me, Nar, what do you think a hybrid class is? And how does it relate to you in particular?”

  Nar thought about the question for a few moments.

  He had indeed considered K’s words after their meeting in the Records, and he had to confess, he still didn’t know why K had told him that he was both right and wrong in his understanding of what a hybrid class truly was.

  “I thought a hybrid class was one that could fulfill two roles. Tanking, DPS and party leader. Maybe even healer,” Nar said. “Someone who can equally fulfill two roles, but maybe not as well as a specialist class. I choose to be a tank/DPS, so that I could both take damage and deal it. So that I could be strong… On my own.”

  “For your dad, correct?”

  Nar swallowed, but nodded, looking down at his hands.

  “Well, you aren’t entirely wrong. But you are looking at it from a somewhat wrong angle,” the master said, folding his arms. “You see, it’s not one’s class that is hybrid. It’s one’s path, for its one’s path that gives one their class, and not the other way around.”

  “Really?” Nar breathed, his eyebrows raising in surprise.

  “Yes. Therefore, it’s the path that is hybrid, and that is what you see reflected on your class, and then on your role,” the master said. “You don’t actually need to fulfill multiple roles to be considered a hybrid. You can be a full tank, and still be a hybrid. Or you can be a hybrid DPS between melee and casting, or melee and ranged. Just to give you some examples.”

  The master smiled at Nar’s confusion.

  “Ok. Let’s take a step away from the hybrid concept. What is a path?”

  “A path is…”

  Nar’s voice died in his throat.

  Now that he thought about it, did he actually know?

  He had always worried about his path. Obsessed over it, even, both prior and during the Climb. He knew only that he needed to get the right attributes, by doing right by the you are what you do tenet of the System. But other than knowing he needed to build a strong path, the right path… He didn’t actually know what that meant.

  “Yes?” the master prodded him.

  “I… A path is getting the right attributes, right?” Nar asked, already knowing that he was missing the mark. “And the right skills, to do what you want with your class…”

  “So, to build a path it’s to make sure you are doing the right things, so that you are what you do will reward you with the right gains?” the master asked him.

  “Yes!” Nar said, relieved. “That-that’s it.”

  “Hmmm,” the teacher said. He leaned back on his chair and looked up with a thoughtful expression. “But then, how do you know you’re getting the right attributes and skills? What are they right for?”

  Nar, who had followed the master’s eyes upwards, to find that the ceiling too, was covered with pictures of bladed weapons, snapped his eyes back to his master, who was still apparently contemplating the weapons above their heads.

  “I… I’m not sure what you mean, master,” Nar said, honestly.

  The master shook his head, and looked directly at him instead. “Yes, you do. Think, Nar. What kind of attributes and skills do you want?”

  Surprised, Nar considered the master’s words.

  “At first, I wanted [Strength] and [Constitution]...”

  “The founding pillars of a melee and tank paths, you assumed,” the master said. “But then?”

  “Then… Things happened. I didn’t have a shield, but I needed to tank. I needed to not get killed… I had to use my sword. My arm! I needed to get faster. I needed to dodge better. Parry. Avoid being hit… And I needed to be fast too, so that I could run from the back of the party to the front, whenever I had to…”

  “So, you needed to be highly mobile, and self-sufficient in the frontline,” the master said, leaning forward. “That meant [Speed], [Agility], [Reflex]...”

  “And then [Instinct]. And [NPC],” Nar added. “My [Constitution] was also high, but not like Gad’s. Uh, she’s our tank. And I didn’t have her [Toughness] either. Still don’t even have that attribute.”

  “You will unlock it eventually,” the master said. “All melee paths do. It’s inevitable for us to be hurt throughout combat, and it stacks up. However, [Toughness] is not a core attribute for your path, is it?”

  Nar sighed. “I don’t know… No. I guess it's not. I gave up on that idea of the normal tank.”

  “There is no such thing as a “normal” tank, Nar” the master said, with a half-smile. “All tank Climbers get a shield and a mace, but only about 60% of those actually stick with the shield, and less than 5% stick with the mace.”

  “Really?” Nar asked, shocked. “But the shield…”

  The master chuckled and shook his head.

  “There are as many ways of tanking as there are of dealing damage,” the master said. “And after your third and final assessment, in a month and half’s time, most of the apprentices staying with us, and not just the tanks, will be receiving new weapons and learning new ways of fighting. All according to their paths and affinities.”

  “I… I don’t know mine yet,” Nar said, hesitatingly.

  “No, but you do have a very clear idea of what your path is,” the master said, his eyes boring into his. “Come on, Nar. Think. This is no time for modesty, or worry. Dig deep, and tell me what your path is about.”

  Nar took a deep breath, unable to look away from the master’s stare, feeling as though he was being pulled into it.

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  “I’m fast enough to not be hurt, but I would like to be tougher as well,” he said, the words spilling out from him. “But I want more than that. I want the power to cut down anything that blocks my way. I don’t want to just dodge and parry, I want to take it, and if I can't take it, then I want to cut through it!”

  He felt his hands shaking atop his legs.

  Without realizing it, he had balled them into fists, and his tone had risen. However, the master did not speak, and Nar knew he wasn’t done yet.

  “I want to face anything, and know I can bring it down,” Nar said. “Alone.”

  The image of the massive guardian they had fled from in horror came to his mind. As did that hand belonging to the boss of the cannibals they had ran from, leaving behind Crystal knows how many Climbers to suffer at their hands. And then, burning hotter than anything, he remembered Jul’s face, begging him to turn back. To not leave the others, as he was blinded by the light shining through that gate to the outside… As well as the fear of losing his dad, and of the enemy closing in behind him and raining death upon him.

  “I don’t want to be afraid. Not ever,” Nar said, his sight going blurry. “I don’t want to run… I want to stand strong. And win. Always. No matter what.”

  The master said nothing for a moment, and Nar felt a burning spread through his body.

  Shit… What in the pile did I just say, he thought, whipping furiously at his eyes, swallowing down his embarrassment.

  “I-I’m sorry,” he stammered. “Everybody wants this stuff. I…”

  “Correction,” the master said. “Everybody wants this stuff, the same way they want to be rich, or popular, or successful. Few actually pursue it. And fewer still make what you just said the concept at the very heart of their paths. For that is what a path is, Nar, a concept that guides you. The things you truly want to achieve. The ideals that mold who you are… And in your case, is to stand tall and bring down anything blocking you. And to stand tall and take anything thrown at you. Two concepts, forming the one concept of standing tall against anything. Never running. Never fearing. The core idea at the center of your path. A hybrid concept. The ultimate defense and the ultimate attack.”

  Nar pursed his lips, looking away. “It sounds impossible… Childish.”

  “Yes, it does,” the master said, making Nar wince. “And you’re far from being the only one to chase after it. Tonight, after you, I’ll have to tell an apprentice that it will be extremely hard for him to pursue such a path. In fact, I’m certain that it is impossible for him. For you see, hybrid paths, not classes, are usually a bad thing. A foolish dream misleading the arrogant and the unaware. Those who think they can dedicate their entire lives to not just one concept, but two! And path concepts are jealous, greedy things, Nar. You either commit yourself fully to one, or you will scramble as you chase after more than one. And you will fail. And fail spectacularly at that!”

  Nar clenched his jaw, shying away from the intensity of the Master of Blades.

  “I know…” Nar eventually whispered. “But I have too.”

  “For you dad,” the master said.

  “Yes. After that, I can do anything else. Change to anything else…”

  “It will be too late by then,” the master said. “Your path will be broken and you will likely fail in rescuing your dad from the cubeplant.”

  Nar gripped his legs. “I have to.”

  There was no hesitation in those three words, and for the first time he stared back at the master, returning a stare that was as equally fierce and intense.

  “I will do whatever it takes to make it happen,” Nar said. “Whatever it takes. Even if I need to leave this ship, and find another teacher.”

  The two of them held each other’s stare, and though Nar became aware of a trembling in his hands, he ignored it. It didn’t matter. He had Climbed for a reason, and now that he was out, having gone through everything he had, he wasn’t going to change his mind. He wasn’t going to abandon his dad. If he had to find another teacher, then so be it.

  “Good!” the master said, grinning.

  “W-What…”

  Nar deflated at the sudden change in the master's attitude. He was reminded of Kur doing the exact same thing to him, back at the start of their Climb.

  “Excellent!” the master said. “You pass!”

  “But-But… You just said it was a bad thing! A stupid thing!”

  “And 99.9999999999% of the time it is,” the master said, nodding. “However, in that tiny, slim 0.0000000001%, there is a way. You know why? Because there’s a cheat!”

  “A cheat?” Nar asked, frowning.

  “Yes, a cheat! Something that allows one to pursue a hybrid path. Achieve not just one concept, but two… Very rarely, even more,” the master said. “And before you ask, two is the limit for you. One could argue there’s a third in there, but I’m calling it at two for now. Any more than that, and we risk diluting your path from the promise it carries.”

  “But… What is my cheat?” Nar asked, then he froze. “My aura?”

  “Yes, Nar. Your aura,” the master said, looking pleased. “You not only have a tremendous amount of aura, more than even most in our aura class have. But you also have the foundation of well-established pathways to enable you to bring all of that aura to full use. And not only that, you also have your hidden passive, [The Aspiring Champion], which will ensure that all of your modifiers go into your [Aura].”

  “But is that good?” Nar asked. “Don’t I need other attributes?”

  “You do. But here again, you have your cheat. Unless I’m very mistaken, you’ll be getting the attributes you need from your [The Aspiring Champion] passive as it upgrades,” his master said. “Combine that with a 3 plus modifier in [Aura], which you should eventually reach without too much difficulty, and you will find yourself with an unparalleled amount of aura with which to power your path. Then further combine that with your already substantial and initial upgraded pathways, your weapon, which lends itself to a flexible fighting style, enabling both offense and defense, the all-important initial attributes that you have gained, amongst which is [Instinct] no less… And you find that rather than a single cheat, it's a combination of several things that enable your way forward. And the damndest thing is that alone, these things are all exceedingly common, except perhaps for [Instinct]! But it's their combination that gives rise to something very, very rare indeed. I won’t say unique, because nothing’s ever unique in the Nexus, but this comes as close as I’ve ever seen…”

  Nar leaned back against the chair, still stunned at the turn of events.

  “So… I can do it?”

  “Can? Yes. Will you? That remains to be seen,” the master said. “I wasn’t just pulling your leg there. I needed to know you had the mettle and determination to see this through. A path is a hard thing to build, and a hybrid path is exponentially more so. You’ll need to work the hardest of any of my apprentices if you’re to succeed. You will need to make sacrifices and cut out everything that does not fit within your core, hybrid concept.”

  “Like the gathering class?”

  “Yes,” the master said. “And any other elective classes. You will need to be focused, Nar. And extremely disciplined. And you will also need to forget about joining the Tanks Hall.”

  “What?” Nar said. “But then, how am I going to be able to tank?”

  “You won’t,” the master said, in a tone that brokered no space for argument. “You said it yourself, Nar. To stand alone. To take and deal the damage. You said nothing about protecting others, and that is key to any tanking concept. Instead, you will learn to self-tank.”

  “Self-tank…” Nar breathed. “But the others…”

  “Oh, I’m not saying that you won’t be able to protect them. But you will never be as good as a tank whose path is fully dedicated to protecting their party. No one can be good at everything, Nar. And if you want to achieve this path that is already tremendously difficult and overreaching as it is, you will need absolute commitment to your concepts. Focus. Sacrifice. Do you understand?”

  “Is that why it changed? To DPS/tank?” Nar asked, still floored.

  “Most likely,” the master said. “Your path will be one of brutal melee combat. One powered by aura to achieve unrivaled destruction and survivability. It is the path of a slayer. A destroyer that acts both with and independently of any party. The path of one who opens the way for others to follow. And one who stands alone against all odds when the need arises…”

  Nar stared at his master mutely.

  “You must understand, Nar. Hybrid paths, when in the near impossible cases that they work, they work. But not without extreme dedication, commitment and sacrifice. And before I waste my time, and Tsurmirel’s resources, I need you to guarantee to me that you will deliver on your end of this bargain that we are both about to undertake. For the chances of failure are incredibly high, and if you do not give yourself wholeheartedly to my training, then they become certain.”

  Nar sat up straighter, and looked deep into his master's eyes.

  “The Crystal Itself could not change my mind,” Nar breathed. “And neither will you, or anyone else. I Climbed through guardians, cannibals, spiders and that Ceremony, holding on with everything that I have, that I am, to this path. And I will do and give anything to build it. Anything.”

  The master exhaled slowly, his eyes never leaving his.

  “Very well, then. So be it.”

  Nar bowed his head, sighing in relief. “Thank you, master.”

  “Thank K and the Master of Aura as well,” the master said, with a sigh of his own. “They were the ones that fully convinced me to do this. It was not an easy choice, knowing what I needed to put you through, if we’re to make this work.”

  Crystal… Nar thought. What had he just signed himself up for?

  “No regrets now, apprentice,” the master said, grinning with a predatory glint to his eyes. “I won’t be holding back anything. And neither will the Master of Aura. Together, we will teach you to the utmost and most extreme of our knowledge and capabilities, leveraging the entirety of Tsurmirel’s might and resources to do it if we have to. Though of course, the guild will be expecting a return on such an investment...”

  Nar nodded. “As long as I can rescue my dad, I vow to serve Tsurmirel for the rest of my life.”

  “Good. We will remember this,” the master said, his smile gone behind an unyielding expression. “Now, although there is more to discuss, we’ll need to leave that for First. I have more apprentices to talk with.”

  He turned on his touch-screen, which Nar noticed was golden instead of black, and considered something only he could see, the screen an opaque white-blue on the side facing Nar.

  “Your schedule is going to include the following. Instructor Koh will teach you the basic ways of the sword. I have decided to have you learn alongside the other two-handed students in the Blades class, and you will trust me that I know what I am doing and that there is a reason for this,” he said, and Nar nodded quickly at his questioning look. “At the same time, you will continue to improve your pathways and [Mastery] with the guidance of the Teacher of Mastery. Do not attempt to establish any more pathways until you have received guidance. Is that clear? Good. You will also attend Slaying class with everyone else, of course, and you will also attend the weekly theoretical tank’s lecture of Tanking Situational Awareness and Decision Making. You’ll need that if you are to tank, both for your party and yourself. And every night, we’ll have a 1-on-1 session, where I’ll build upon instructor Koh’s teachings, as well as teach you to leverage your aura to make this path possible. You will need to trust our timings and approach, apprentice, what we teach you and what we don’t, and we’ll first focus on the DPS side of your path, as that is the one that needs the most work and the one that will open the doors for what is to come. Is that acceptable to you?”

  “Y-Yes! Of course, master!” Nar said. “Thank you, master!”

  “Good. Eventually, you will have 1-on-1 sessions with the Master of Aura as well, but the three of us, K included, agreed that first you must master the two basic skills that will form the backbone of your class.”

  He rubbed his chin, considering Nar. “Your path is not one of many skills. Or even overly complicated ones. I expect you to learn the first skill with relative ease, but it won’t be easy to master to its full potential. And for the second skill, it will be both hard to learn, and incredibly complex to master. As for what comes after, well, they will all be just as hard or harder. Simple in concept? Yes. But extremely difficult to achieve to their full capacity.”

  “Whatever it takes, master,” Nar said.

  “Don’t disappoint me,” the master said. “Hard work, commitment, dedication. I’ll demand these from you ten times more than from any of my other apprentices, and I already demand a great deal from them. And remember, Nar. Sacrifice. Of what, beyond just elective classes and the Tanks Hall, will be for you to decide. But know that the further you wish to climb, the more doors you’ll have to close on the way.”

  “Yes, master. I understand.”

  “Good. One truly last thing then, I promise,” he said, grinning. “Your [Instinct]...”

  “Yes?” Nar asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

  “Well, don’t worry too much about it for the moment.”

  “What?” Nar asked, his shock evident across his features.

  The Master of Blades chuckled. “I know. I know. [Instinct] is… A very broad and very deep topic, shall we say. You have enough on your plate for the moment, and I want you to focus on these foundations first. Of course, do not ignore it in battle, but don’t worry too much about it either, or in trying to make sense of it. We’ll come back to it in another 40 or 50 levels.”

  “50?” Nar asked, aghast.

  “Hmmm,” the master said, rubbing his chin. “Until then, you’ll have a lot more to worry about. And these things will be crucial for you to master before we can progress into the intermediate building blocks of your path.”

  “I… Alright,” Nar sat, taking a deep breath.

  The master smiled at him.

  “I know it sounds crazy. [Instinct] is an immensely powerful skill, and I’m sure you must have many questions about it. I know I did,” he said, his smile growing wider. “The System was less than useless in making sense of [Instinct]. But for now, keep a lid on those questions. Anything I tell you now would only make a mess of what’s already a very packed training schedule. So trust me, in time, we will talk of this again.”

  Nar nodded. “Yes, master.”

  It was perhaps the one thing he was… Slightly less happy about, within the context of what had been a stream of good news. But as with everything else, he would have to trust the man to deliver on his word, when the time came.

  “Very well. That is everything. Enjoy the rest of your evening. And the weekend. Rest. That is an order,” he said, smiling. “Come First, we’ll begin. And you won’t have much time to rest again, until the very end of the Intensive Pre-Delve Training.”

  And with that, he indicated the door.

  “Thank you, master!” Nar said, getting up and bowing. “I’ll see you on First.”

  “Hmmm.”

  Nar left, hearing the door closing behind him.

  For several seconds, he stayed where he was, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.

  Crystal… I did it. I did it…

  He had gotten the attention of the Master of Blades. He was going to be trained in his path, a path he was starting to slowly and properly come to understand. A path that was not going to be easy to build, if the master’s numerous warnings were any indication of, but a path he would do anything to build. Anything.

  To stand alone…

  His plans were unfolding much better than he had anticipated. Much, much better.

  Now, he just had to make it all work.

  Come First, I’ll show the master, he thought, finally stepping away from the door and walking down the corridor. I’ll show him just how much I’m willing to sacrifice for this. I will not fail him. Or myself.