Max

*It could be considered fate we met today. This blade might be better suited for you though. Remember; path, skill, technique, and Dao. It is all connected.* **Ch 846**

## Dreamer

They were probably pre-cultivating students of the academy, and one of them was arduously swinging around a real steel sword while the others laughed at his clumsy performance.

Still, there was something about the youngster's determined expression that resonated with him, and something about those seemingly clumsy swings he appreciated. So Zac took off his hood and flashed over, appearing in front of the kids and a startled attendant in an instant whose eyes turned to saucers when she recognized who he was.

The young boy looked part-afraid by Zac's sudden appearance and part-confused over his words. Even then, his hand stretched out to grab the scabbard, a glint of hunger in his eyes. **Ch 846**

### Death

* He was only in the early stages of the E-grade but showcased commendable skill. But skill alone wasn't enough to survive on a battlefield like this. A sudden surge from the Kan'Tanu had cut him off from his squad, and he found himself isolated and surrounded. **Ch 1,069**
* the soldier's heart had been pierced, and an infusion of hostile Dao had destroyed most of his lungs. He didn't have the Vitality or a constitution strong enough to tide him over until the pill could mend the damage. He exhaled one final time, his hand still gripping the shortsword as the inexorable end of all living arrived. True Death trumped Zac's Dao of Life, and the young man's soul entered the cycle of reincarnation. **Ch 1,069**
* "It's… you," the young man coughed, his voice barely a whisper as his blood joined that of the others in the ground. "Thank… you… for the..." **Ch 1,069**
* He signed up for the program to donate his body after his death but there were concerns about raising him as a Revenant with his destroyed heart. **Ch 1,071**

## Awakened

* There were also troubling reports of Max talking with the sword when he thought no one was looking. There were no signs of mental issues, but the doctors felt it possible something went wrong because of the rare resources that went into Max's awakening. That splinters of his previous soul were lodged in the depth of his aperture, causing a mental illness resembling schizophrenia. Zac had a different theory he tested via the application of controlled violence. **Ch 1,177**

## Spirit Tool

* Second Wind
	+ A shortsword with an inscribed blade gleaming with sharpness (**Ch 846**). After being infused with Death it gained a darker hue while its inscribed edge emitted a cold sharpness (**Ch 1,178**).
	+ Given to him when he was a Dreamer by Zac. **Ch 846**
	+ Named in **Ch 1,177**
	+ Why did he awaken with a weapon already bonded with his soul? **Ch 1,177**
	+ it was more accurate to call it a Soul Sword now. The nascent spirit in the sword Zac gave Max after returning from the Orom World had somehow fused with Max's original soul. The sword was now closer to Love's Bond than a normal Spirit Tool. **Ch 1,178**
	+ Max's dependence on [Second Wind] was far greater, to the point his soul might as well live and die with the blade. Would he even survive its destruction? **Ch 1,178l**
	+ It was infused with 1 and a half cycles of death and conflict by Zac **Ch 1,178**

## Cultivation

* Sword Hymns? **Ch 1,177**
* He was no slouch, and he did work hard on his swordplay. But he couldn't hold a candle to the talents of the Echelon Classes. So why the special treatment? And what about the other odd things he'd noticed? **Ch 1,177**
* the young swordsman's strength, frankly, wasn't impressive enough to warrant it. His affinities had clearly risen compared to his human counterpart, thanks to the special attention that went into his awakening. It was still only at the level of an elite, a noticeable gap from people such as Vilari and the Echelon Class. **Ch 1,178**

### Inheritance

* Zac offered him a chance at the Blade Emperor inheritance if he could form a Fragment of the Sword aligned with his path within six months. **Ch 1,178**