A dark mist rose from the card and rushed into Raymond’s forehead.
Raymond felt a blur in front of his eyes. When he came to, he was standing in a pure white world.
This world had no end. Raymond looked down and saw his own reflection beneath his feet.
His body was completely black. His face had no eyes, ears, nose, or mouth. But in his hand, he held a familiar regulation longsword.
"Is this... my body?" Raymond was shocked.
Then, his body began to move on its own, without him controlling it.
Raymond felt his legs bend slightly as he quickly swung the longsword - it was the exact move he had practiced over and over last night.
This one sword was smooth and powerful. It was ten times better than when Raymond himself practiced it.
He could feel that this body was far stronger than his own.
Its strength, stamina, speed, reaction, and coordination - none of them could compare to Raymond’s real body.
"Wait... Could this black body be the Black Iron Stage expert sealed inside the experience card?" Raymond suddenly realized what was happening. He gasped. "He’s practicing [Basic Swordplay] for me!"
After that, the body kept training, following the methods Baron Lucian had taught him.
It never got tired. Not only did it perform every move perfectly, but it also fed the knowledge into Raymond’s mind.
Even more terrifying - this body didn’t need to rest.
And because of that, Raymond’s mind didn’t feel tired either.
It wasn’t until Raymond had spent a hundred days in this white world that his mind returned to the empty space.
He immediately opened Lorraine’s card and checked the countdown number.
[Draws Left: 0 (23:39:23 until next draw)]
"So I spent a hundred days in that white world, but in the real world, only a moment passed." Raymond finally let out a sigh of relief.
He turned to check his info panel - and froze completely.
The line that used to say [Black Iron Stage Level 5 (Experience: 2.94%)] now read [Black Iron Stage Level 10 (Experience: 0.11%)].
Five levels in one go!
Not only that, but the skill bar, which was completely empty before, now had a new skill - [Basic Swordplay (Advanced).]
Holy shit, this was amazing!
Raymond could barely contain his excitement. He left the empty space in his mind and returned to the real world.
That’s when he clearly felt a power merging with his body.
His bones became stronger. His blood vessels widened. His nerves thickened. Even his muscles bulged out.
Raymond noticed that on his info panel, the [Unhealthy] tag next to his name was gone.
"This experience card was totally worth it!" Raymond said in amazement.
The card said it only gave 100 days of training, but it actually gave him the results of training 24 hours a day, non-stop, without sleep.
In the real world, Raymond couldn’t even train efficiently for 8 hours a day.
So, this experience card gave Raymond the same growth as a normal person training hard for a whole year.
"I practiced Basic Swordplay all the way to Advanced in such a short time. I really do have talent for swordsmanship!" Raymond slowly grabbed the longsword beside him. A feeling of the longsword connecting with his body rushed into his heart.
With himself as the center, he could clearly sense the distance between everything within five meters around him.
He casually swung the sword, and it cut the wick of a candle perfectly. The flame stayed on the tip of the blade.
"So this is what it’s like to have Basic Swordplay at the Advanced level? It’s really strong!" Raymond flicked the flame off the sword tip and slowly put the longsword away.
According to Baron Lucian, all swordsmanship and magic in the world would produce amazing effects as the user’s skill level increased.
Starting from Beginner, then Intermediate, Advanced, Master, Grandmaster, Legendary, Epic...
The same skill gains a completely new quality every time its proficiency goes up a level.
When Raymond’s Basic Swordplay went from Beginner to Advanced, he gained the abilities "Distance Control" and "Precise Striking."
And that was just from absorbing one sinner. He needed to find a way to absorb more.
Brando!
Serena!
You two thought throwing me into the Abyss Prison would solve all your problems?
But you never expected this prison to become the perfect place for me to grow stronger.
"Just wait. I’ll be out soon. And I’ll make you both pay." Raymond turned his head toward the window. His eyes were sharp, like a hawk’s.
...
Evening. The Guard Hall.
"You’re finally here!" Hal yawned as he looked at Raymond, who seemed full of energy.
Hal picked up his cup, about to finish his cold coffee.
Then his eyes glanced at Raymond’s tight leather armor. He frowned. "Did you put on the wrong armor? Your straps are about to snap."
"Maybe I ate too much at dinner," Raymond said with an awkward laugh.
"Eat up. There’s no midnight snack in prison." Hal’s eyelids drooped as he raised a hand to call over another guard.
"This is Bucky. He’s Black Iron Stage 8, same as you-a junior guard. You two will be on night duty together. If you don’t know the rules, ask him." Hal rubbed his eyes and turned to leave.
"Thanks, Captain. Let me walk you out." Bucky, a total brown-noser, hurried after Hal and followed him out of the guard hall.
There were about a dozen junior guards left in the hall, all cleaning their own captain’s desks.
Raymond had just picked up Hal’s trash can when he heard whispers behind him. Even though the junior guards had lowered their voices, the words still rang clearly in his ears.
"A noble brat coming here to pad his resume? He’s gonna have a rough time!"
"I saw his name in the guard files. He’s only Black Iron Stage 5. He hasn’t even learned Basic Swordplay."
"That weak? Perfect! Let’s just dump all the dirty work on him. It’s not like he can fight back."
Raymond could feel their unfriendly stares boring into his back. It was like needles pricking his skin.
Just then, Bucky walked back into the hall with his chin held high. He stopped in front of Raymond and dropped a bucket on the floor.
Inside the bucket, dirty brown water floated with a few ragged rags. A toilet brush hung from the side.
"New guy," he said. "Wipe all the tables and floors. Then scrub every toilet on this floor-make them shine." Bucky glanced at the other junior guards with a smug look. "And move fast. If you’re not done by midnight, you’re gonna get beaten."
The junior guards around them heard this and stopped what they were doing. They all looked at Raymond with gleeful expressions.
"Hey, Raymond, my trash can needs to be polished till it shines too!"
"Kid, my boots are dirty. Make sure you polish them before your shift ends!"
"Our captain’s desk is a mess. Come organize the files later."
...
Raymond heard all of this. He put down the trash can and sat down right on Hal’s chair. "If I do all your work, what are you going to do?"
Bucky was stunned for a second, then sneered. "I suggest you drop that noble attitude. This is Abyss Prison. Strength is what matters here. Finish the work I gave you first, then help out the other guys."
As he said this, Bucky leaned in closer to Raymond and warned him, "Hal told you to follow my orders before he left. If you don’t listen, you’re going to have a bad time."
"We’re all junior guards. Why should I listen to you?" Raymond didn’t even look up.
Bucky couldn’t believe a new guy was talking back to him.
He straightened up and raised his voice on purpose. "Raymond, you dodged the draft because you’re a coward. You’ve already disgraced the Lucian Baron name. What, now you want to embarrass your family even more? How did the Lucian Baron end up with a loser like you!"
The moment he said that, all the junior guards burst out laughing.
They didn’t even try to hide their mockery. Some of them even whistled.
"Bucky, stop wasting your breath. Make him do the work!"
"If he doesn’t want to, make him kneel and apologize."
"Exactly. He’s a pathetic Level 5. If he doesn’t listen, just beat him up. Why are you even reasoning with him?"
...
Raymond listened to all this filth, and his eyes turned cold.
He had only been here two days. He didn’t want any trouble. But these people were asking for it.
"Bucky, since you’re so eager to help, why don’t you do all the work yourself?" The moment Raymond said that, the whole room went dead silent.
Bucky’s eyes went wide. He looked like he wanted to eat Raymond alive.
He never expected a Level 5 nobody to talk back to him.
"I was being nice to you! Today, I’ll teach you how things work around here." Bucky grabbed a trash can next to him and swung it at Raymond.
Raymond didn’t even get up from his chair. He casually unhooked his scabbard from his belt and blocked the swing.
Crash!
The entire bucket of trash dumped right onto Bucky’s head.