Chapter 17: Thirteen’s Personal Divine Grade Techniques [Part 2] The only magic that The One and Laplace Demon approved for him to use was Rune Magic. He could use this Unique Ability up to its Intermediate Rank, which wasn't so bad. There was simply one big downside to using Rune Magic, which was that it consumed a lot of resources. Lots and lots of resources! 'Since my body is still young, and I can't carry heavy weapons, I'll master throwing and shooting techniques first,' Thirteen thought. 'For Throwing knives, throwing stones, slingshots, javelins, crossbows, and bows, it's better if I first study the Martial Technique, Cheap Shot Savant.' Thirteen particularly liked this Martial Technique because one of his previous hosts was a Cheap Shot Savant. The bastard would always attack his enemies from a distance, using the most optimum weapon in his arsenal. If the target was far away, he would use bows, crossbows, and slingshots. For mid-range, he would use javelins. For short-range, he would use throwing knives, darts, and stones. Heck, there was even a time when his Host picked up Dwarves and threw them like cannonballs, allowing the close combat fighters on his side to get up close and personal with their targets. Of course, the only reason why his previous Host had been able to accomplish such a feat was due to the fact that he was a two-meter-tall Barbarian who disliked fighting using swords and axes. It was a very shameless and dirty way of fighting, which was perfect for Thirteen, who had no plans of fighting fair and square. 'For Unarmed Combat, I will choose Beast Heart Drunken Fist.' Thirteen chuckled internally. 'I can't go wrong with that one. My first choice would be the Fist of the Northstar, but the Copyright God would punch me to death, so I can't use it.' Among the unarmed combat techniques of the Monk Class, the Drunken Fist was still the most unpredictable and annoying Martial Technique in their arsenal. Paired with the power of Bestial Strength, those who'd make the mistake of assuming that Thirteen was an easy pick without any weapon would find themselves getting pummeled to oblivion before they even knew what hit them. 'As for close combat weapons, I prefer Dual Wielding with short swords and daggers rather than using a single sword,' Thirteen smirked. The reason why he chose this fighting style? Because it was cooler! Dual-wielding made someone look like an expert fighter, and Thirteen wanted to look cool and intimidating. Also, when he fought the System God with a sword, it didn't work. Since that was the case, he decided to choose a different style this time, so when they met again, things would end up differently. 'Hmm... I can use the Martial Technique called Unlimited Blade Works. But this also belongs to the Copyright God, so I'll get a strike if I use it.' Thirteen grumbled. 'I guess I'll settle for Righteous Sentinel.' The Righteous Sentinel Martial Technique was both an offensive and defensive Martial Technique. However, it shined the most when the one using it wore vambraces or gauntlets. The Righteous Sentinels had incorporated defense in this Martial Technique, using vambraces and gauntlets as shields. With this battle style, there was no need to carry shields on the battlefield, making it a very versatile battle style. Of course, the vambraces had to be specifically crafted to withstand blows, serving as a shield in times of emergency. Fortunately, with Thirteen's Blacksmithing Knowledge and Rune Magic, he would be able to create these armaments, which he would be able to use during his Third Wandering. During the First Wandering and the Second Wandering, the Chosen Ones would be unable to bring any weapons, armor, accessories, or artifacts to Solterra. The omnipotent being who ruled over this world didn't want anyone to gain a massive advantage from the get-go, especially those who were born from powerful and influential families. Those who managed to survive their First and Second Wanderings would gain The One's recognition, granting them the right to use stronger and more powerful equipment up to two Ranks higher than their current ranks. This also applied to Avatars, which could be passed down to them through trading. While this might not sound fair to those who didn't have a strong backing, it was nobody's fault. Life was never fair, and they could only blame themselves for not being born into rich and influential families. Fortunately, Thirteen didn't have this problem. Even though his father was kicked out of the Leventis Family, he was still a very strong and capable Wanderer. A Wanderer that Thirteen could exploit to collect resources for him during his Wanderings. 'As for my movement technique... I'll choose two,' Thirteen thought as he chose the Movement Techniques called Traceless Shadow and Steadfast Brawler. Traceless Shadow was a Movement Technique used by Divine Assassins because it didn't leave any traces, like sound and footprints, behind. Its user's steps would be as light as a feather, allowing them to move stealthily without being detected. Steadfast Brawler, on the other hand, was a Movement Technique created for brawling. It was fast and unpredictable, allowing the user to create attacks of opportunity when mastered to its peak. It complemented Thirteen's Fighting Styles, allowing him to fight like a Brawler using his Beast Heart Drunken Fist and Righteous Sentinel Dual Wielding Battle Art. With these two Movement Techniques, Thirteen had all of his bases covered. He could be as stealthy as an Assassin going for the kill, or be as reckless as a brawler in one-on-one or group battles. "Cheap Shot Savant, Beast Heart Drunken Master, Righteous Sentinel, Traceless Shadow, and Steadfast Brawler," Thirteen muttered. "These will be my Core Fighting Styles, and all of them are Divine Grade Techniques." Thirteen believed that once he mastered these Techniques, he would be fine until he reached the third stage of the Human Rankings, which was called the Apostle Stage. Although he would stay at the Rookie Rank, the number of Techniques he could use would make up for his shortcomings. Force had no place where there was a need for skill. Just like the Leventis Family's Sword Art, Heaven's Divide. "No matter how strong they can hit, if they can't hit their target then it is meaningless," Thirteen said before closing his eyes. "Those who say that 'in the face of absolute strength, all tricks are meaningless' are idiots. Strength alone can't win wars. Strategies also play a role in it. "Although I can't have Absolute Strength in the short term, I am confident that I have Absolute Strategy and Absolute Tricks up my sleeves." As a System who had thousands of years of experience under his belt, Thirteen was certain that he would be able to outwit almost everyone, with the exception of Fate's Chosen. The so-called Heroes were protected by Fate, preventing any harm from befalling upon them during their growth phase. But this rule was not absolute. Thirteen was confident that he would be able to deal with them. But, it would require very meticulous planning on his part. Since he chose to defy Fate, he would need to beat Fate at her own game, using her own rules against her. In the past, he was nothing but a bystander who could only watch helplessly as his Hosts were killed in front of him. Now that he was given the opportunity to step into the world and become one of its players, Thirteen would not rest until he got his revenge. Even if this revenge would take him his entire lifetime to fulfill.