1. The First Letter (29)
what is mana
It was a question that could be answered differently depending on the person.
Scholars will say that it is the primordial substance that makes up the world. Theologians would say that it is the seed of power sown by the heavenly god Arus when he created the world in ancient times, and wizards would say that it is an infinite unfulfilled state that has the potential to become all things through processing.
However, for the swordsmen, the definition of magical power was very simple.
everything.
It was magic that interfered with strength, reflexes, strength and duration of auras, and even control of the body and mind.
With a little more exaggeration, it could be said that magical power is literally everything to a swordsman. It was because all the capabilities required for a swordsman were linked to magic.
Of course, that doesn’t mean magic power is omnipotent.
No matter how much mana you possess, it is useless if you do not know how to use it properly. And, depending on how to control the mana, the efficiency was also very different.
For example, imagine putting water in a canteen. Someone will make a small stream and transfer the water to the canteen without loss, while others will try to fill the canteen by pouring the whole water.
Both can serve a purpose. However, in terms of efficiency, the former had to be overwhelmingly better.
The same was true of mana. The efficiency of mana differed depending on how the right amount was invested in the necessary parts. So the swordsmen paid a lot of attention not only to the amount of magic power, but also to its control.
But even so, in order to use mana well, the sheep had to support it first. This was an undeniable reality.
So swordsmen who were born with excellent magical power were themselves objects of envy. Even commoners would marry or marry into aristocratic families like stallions if they possessed a large amount of magic power.
That was it, so it was natural for Thean to show his pride to me. The amount of magical power I had was below average.
To be more precise, averaged across continents, I would be in the top ranks. But this was an academy. Of course, the standard of ‘average’ was also different.
And even if the standard of the academy was set as the standard, the amount of horse power was excellent. He had an overwhelming advantage over me in terms of sword power and endurance.
Even I was pretty tired right now. Thean probably didn’t even know he was aiming for this moment.
He is the one who single-handedly defeated seven of his gang. If you defeat such an opponent one-on-one, your control over the group will be strengthened.
He was definitely a smart guy. It was unfortunate news for me.
With a thump, Tean’s gigantic body thrashed again. It was a straight line. Tian’s unique charge method that doesn’t give up on anything other than the target he’s aiming for.
I realized through a few workshops. It’s my loss to face it head on.
Fortunately, Thean wasn’t good at mana control. If you wanted to face it, you could face it a few times. If my blow landed in a vital spot, Te An would have no choice but to collapse as a human being.
But that was only a few times. As time went on, it was obvious that my side, which had a lot of magical power, would become more and more tired and exhausted. In that case, it would have been better to avoid the body instead of sharing the battle.
Fortunately, the blow to the extent of receiving Te An’s sword for the first time did not continue.
There were still footprints hidden in the dust at the spot where he first received Tean’s sword. traces of dents.
That testified to the power of Tean’s sword. It was terrifying.
Thean’s sword slashed from top to bottom. The blade wasn’t standing still because it was in the scabbard, but looking at that terrifying puncture, it would have been a fatal blow if even one was allowed.
My body, which had predicted the path of the sword in advance, twisted and narrowly avoided the sword strike. But that wasn’t the end.
Thean, he swung the huge sword like a fork. A heavy down stroke followed by a continuous horizontal slash without even the slightest delay.
Of course I couldn’t avoid it. He only managed to avoid a fatal blow by raising his sword.
With a thump, my body was thrown into the sky. I felt this way when I was fighting against Seria.
I thought as I rolled on the ground. I could feel the grains of sand between my panting breaths. It was because of inhaling the dust.
Crazy bastard, I muttered a curse to myself and quickly got up. But rather than rushing back right away, Thean chose to whistle in admiration.
“Great, Ian. Your movements are really unusual. To be honest, I didn’t expect you to survive this well.”
“Isn’t that enough to hold on? I’m thinking of punching you in the mouth later.”
Thean then giggled and laughed. It sounds like you heard an interesting story.
“If so, accept defeat like a man. The men of the Southern Ten Kingdoms are responsible for the outcome of fair fights.”
I gritting my teeth like that, but I thought that Thean was so confident that he was confident.
That’s what the academy is. Talent can still be measured by human imagination, but some people called ‘genius’ couldn’t even do that.
Truly a God-given talent.
The academy is a place where talented people from all over the continent gather. Even there, the kids who stood in a shining position had skills that were different from the level that the middle or lower ranks were fighting against.
For example, isn’t Seria like that?
If she drew her sword with the intention of destroying her opponent, it was clear that neither I nor Thean would last long. In that case, there is a high possibility that I and Thean will lose their lives, so I can’t do that.
Thean also had a grasp on my subject. That’s why, at a level where Seria couldn’t pull out her sword, she was quietly scratching her. It also encourages others.
Does such a person have the right to bring up Seria’s painful memories?
No one deserved that. Even more so if it was a guy like Tean.
how, what should i do?
It was a single hit. It was enough to feed the counterattack. But there was no time to continue worrying.
Thean is approaching once again.
I tried to avoid it by moving my body, but my muscles creaked and didn’t listen, perhaps because the impact of the hit was still there. Eventually, the sword is erected again to block it.
Kung, thump, thump, a suppressed scream leaked out of my mouth at the successive blows. Thean drew his sword horizontally for the last time.
Like a ball hit by a bat, my body bounces off.
Rolling on the ground, drinking dust.
It didn’t make sense. I regretted it a little.
I reacted too emotionally. At first, the heat rose to the top of my head and I didn’t even think about it, but now that I think about it, it was a problem how to deal with it.
There was no strength in the arm. I had to get up, but Tian didn’t even run to me anymore. It just slowly walks towards me.
“That’s when.”
Panting, I staggered to my feet. My questioning eyes turned to Thean.
He was watching my movements carefully to see if he was still vigilant.
“How did you do it?”
“… … what?”
“The day I first sparred with that bastard.”
I don’t know, I wanted to answer that, but it was more urgent to fill my lungs with oxygen. I glared at Thean without a word.
Thean was approaching me, strengthening the hand holding the greatsword again.
“It was an attack that was unavoidable… I mean, at some point, it was dodged. As if the space was distorted.”
Crazy bastard, if that was possible, I would have been the head of the academy.
Manipulation of time and space belonged to the highest level of magic. Of course, as a prosecutor, there was no way I could do that.
At that level, it was a state that was allowed only to a few superhumans called ‘masters’ who distorted the laws of the world based on their imagery.
However, avoid it.
For some reason, those words were deeply embedded in my brain. A tingly feeling, as if remembering something.
And ‘foot’, ‘foot’.
My eyes focused on a spot in the muddy clearing. The next moment, Thean’s sword swung again.
I rolled over with all my might. A thump, a shock sound echoed in the place where I left. Thean exclaimed.
“I’d get tired quickly after that… Ian!”
“f*ck you!”
Then I blew myself up again. Thean drew his sword in a straight line to the point of being honest, and without considering anything else.
Yes, now I can feel some composure in Thean’s voice. So I rolled on the ground, staggered to my feet, and distanced myself from Thean.
Thean looked at me with a relaxed expression. He also realized that I had reached my limit.
My gasping breath, now even the sword was cumbersome. I returned my sword to my waistband.
I meant to focus on avoidance. Thean seemed to find it quite funny.
“Are you going to try to reproduce the evasion at that time? Good good… I’m going to have fun watching. yes?!”
And Thean kicked the ground without even considering a counterattack. A straight jump, the solid legs supporting his huge body reached the ground first.
It was then. His posture is staggering.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of my ankle twisting. “Oh,” said Thean, looking at his feet.
It was obscured by the dust, so it was hard to see, but there was a concave groove left there.
The footsteps of the first time I received Thean’s blow.
It was only at a shallow level. Nevertheless, there was a clear elevation difference with the surroundings. And when a huge body like Te An moves, a corresponding amount of momentum is generated.
It was good even if it staggered a little. It just collapses.
However, Thean was not an easy opponent. Even in the pain of spraining his ankle, he clenched his teeth and tried to lower his sword. And the attempt to regain balance.
Isn’t that why he even threw away his sword?
My body hooked and narrowly avoided Tean’s sword strike. Thean’s bloodshot eyes grazed me. The look in his eyes that said I couldn’t end it like this.
It was a wonderful intuition. A hatchet was pulled out like lightning from my waistband.
Puck, and a cool blow sounded. Because my hatchet hit Thean’s chin.
Even if it wasn’t, it was a posture that was going to collapse. Adding to the weight of that torso and the momentum of the rush, my hatchet shook Tean’s brain.
Even so, Thean tried to hold on. It was a monstrous tenacity. He stood on the ground with both feet. Then I threw myself at him with all my might.
Thean rolled on the ground first. If you roll all the way to the ground while your brain is shaking, you will be completely unconscious.
However, I was already in a situation where I had already rolled too much and had to adapt. The moment when Te An gasped and looked up at me with a bewildered gaze.
I had already taken the hatchet and was ready to strike the face of Te An beneath me.
Pak, pak, pak, pak. One after another, the hatchet hit Te An’s face, and blood gushed out each time.
It wasn’t a straight edge, but as the hatchet was short, it swung at a speed that could not be compared to that of a sword. It was also for this reason that I gave up my sword as a means of fighting back against Thean.
No matter how great a swordsman, Thean was still inexperienced. It was inevitable that the judgment on how to respond to armed forces other than the sword was immature.
The hatchet hit Thean’s head several times, but Thean turned his head several times to try to hold on to his spirit. But that couldn’t be possible.
Kkap, do it.
The tip of the hatchet cut deep into his temple. That was it.
Had Tean’s toughness been lacking, he might have died instantly. However, his tenacity strengthened by magic was beyond imagination, so he was probably able to withstand it.
Thean’s head snapped and fell. It’s fainting. There were numerous bruises all over his face.
It will be worth seeing tomorrow, I thought to myself and got up. Fatigue came later.
Twist, and my body tilted. I wanted to just fall down and throw it away. But it couldn’t be.
As I was about to hang the hatchet back on my belt, I heard someone shouting.
“I, I am Lupin, the third son of Countess Rainella, who is proud of the empire!”
My gaze moved slightly behind my back. There, a noble man who had come to his senses was sitting down and pointing at me.
I pretended to be strong, but I felt it. There was fear in those eyes. It was a situation where even the blood that splattered from hitting Te An was not properly wiped.
With blood spattered on his head and face, he must be afraid as a young nobleman.
“Go, how dare you touch me?! If you get down on your knees right now and ask for forgiveness… … .”
“hey.”
The man who introduced himself as ‘Lupin’ immediately trembled at my low call and looked at me with fearful eyes.
His eyes trembled. Instead of answering, I threw a hatchet.
With a snap, the hatchet slammed close to the side of Lupin’s head, sending it crashing into the ground. Hee hee hee, Lupine belatedly stunned and crawled away.
It was a throwing skill close to acrobatic. Thinking back on it, I couldn’t tell when I had this level of skill, but it didn’t matter at this point.
I was tired and wanted to go home. So I trudged past Lupine.
Then he pulled out the hatchet stuck in the ground. Lupine was now crying.
“Does the count’s three sons say that they want to be beaten up like that these days?”
“Huh, huh… … .”
Lupine took a deep breath. He was about to shed tears. I whispered in his ear one last time.
“Next, no. Did you know today? I’m crazy.”
Lupine nodded vigorously. I patted him on the shoulder and straightened my upper body to whisper in his ear.
There were only seven groaning bodies in the clearing, and only one man trembling in fear as if he were about to pee.
It continued to be so until the sight was discovered by someone.
*
The fate of Thean was known during the swordsmanship practice lecture the next day.
It happened that some students were mocking Seria as if to listen.