Chapter 016
Mitchell went to the Runei family kitchen before starting his training in earnest.
As expected of the barren North, the kitchen was stocked with plenty of dried rations. Among them, he filled a large sack with various meat jerkies and stood up.
"If—if you take all of that..."
"It’s fine. If anyone asks, tell them I took it."
The chef shouted something from behind, but Mitchell blocked his ears and headed straight for the training grounds.
'I won't get in trouble later, will I?'
Well, if it happens, it happens.
His training was more urgent now; a little nagging wasn't a problem.
However, watching this, Kalian spoke in a tone that suggested he couldn't understand.
[Are you going into exile or something?]
"No, I'm just getting ready to train."
Mitchell pointed to a nearby tent, a sleeping bag he had used before, and the jerky he had just brought.
"I’m going to sleep there and train while eating jerky and drinking well water. Oh, don't worry about nutrition. There are plenty of edible wild plants growing in the back."
[...The main building is right there. Your room is there too.]
"That’s where I'll go once the training is over. To leave my luggage, too."
[Did you train like this before?]
"Not every time. And even if I did, it was only for a few days?"
In fact, from Mitchell’s perspective, this was quite manageable.
Back when he was studying and practicing black magic in the Kellion family, hadn't he stayed cooped up for months or even years? Of course, a servant had brought him food then.
Anyway, training should always keep one's feet heavy.
If they are light, one only thinks about going somewhere to play.
Mitchell was human too, so he did feel like sightseeing in the North, including Ranga.
It was just that seeing himself change through training was so much fun that he was acting this way.
[Hmm...]
Kalian shared a similar sentiment on that point.
He wondered if there was really a need to go this far, but since Mitchell wanted to do it, he decided to leave him be.
Once Kalian went quiet, Mitchell sat down on the ground.
"Should I start with the cultivation technique first?"
Mitchell observed his internal state while circulating his energy.
After several hours of doing so, Mitchell opened his eyes and frowned.
"The accumulation speed is too slow."
[That is normal. Instead, doesn't the total amount of Dark Aura increase just by circulating energy according to the cultivation technique?]
"Oh? You’re right."
Until now, he thought the only way to increase the total capacity was to use aura to its limit. Since Mitchell had started with 2nd-class Dark Aura from the beginning, it was only natural for him to think so.
[That is also a very good method. Then you must realize what the fastest way to increase the total capacity is.]
"Recovering energy with the cultivation technique and then using it to the limit."
[Correct.]
Hearing Kalian's words, Mitchell got a feel for how he should train.
Now that his aura holes were full, it was time to empty them.
First, he tried operating the Sky-Rending Flash.
Indeed, as he moved his energy along the path of the Sky-Rending Flash that Kalian had shown him during battle, the Dark Aura settled naturally onto the sword.
'Injecting the soul directly will come later.'
Since the overall framework was the same, the training effect was identical. Besides, since the souls remaining in his body were few, he had to save them.
'And more than anything, the purpose of doing this now is to empty the dantian.'
Mitchell swung the Sky-Rending Flash filled with Dark Aura.
A powerful burst of energy flew out, and the tree it struck directly exploded.
[Are you going to fire such crude sword energy at every enemy? Make it sharp. Sharp enough to slice through anything just by touching it.]
Hearing Kalian’s words, Mitchell recalled Grant’s Sky-Rending Flash he had seen before.
Even though the aura operation of the Sky-Rending Flash was unstable due to the damaged secret manual, the sword energy of the technique itself was perfect.
Perfect enough to smoothly bisect dozens of warriors.
'Come to think of it, I’ve never thought about making the sword energy sharp until now.'
It was the same when he first fought the bandits and when he fought the Lapel family.
And for good reason—as long as it was coated on the blade, the sword's own sharpness meant there was no problem with cutting.
When he used the Sky-Rending Flash using a soul, cutting hadn't been the objective anyway.
Mitchell channeled his will to make the sword energy sharp while simultaneously recalling the battle between Kayden and Cain.
The energy contained in every one of their sword blasts and sword force was restrained to the limit.
Engraving that sharpness—which felt like it could cut just by looking at it—into his mind, he continued to tune his own sword energy.
'I did it!'
Soon, a sharp blade of energy was formed.
Watching this, Kalian was dumbfounded.
He succeeded in manifesting the form of sword energy after just a moment’s thought?
Boom!
Of course, the tree exploded again the moment it was hit, but it was noticeably different from before.
And with another attempt, it improved even further.
Kalian didn't show his surprise and spoke as calmly as possible.
[At that rate, would you even be able to cut down a distant enemy? Firing sword energy is an extension of the sword you swing. Furthermore, the sword is an extension of your hand. Do not think of it the same way as a magic spell that you fire at fixed coordinates.]
"Ah!"
At those words, Mitchell immediately unleashed the Sky-Rending Flash again.
Crr-ack—
The harshly sliced tree slowly toppled over.
[Are you not going to do it properly!]
Though Kalian was shouting, a smile was playing on his lips.
It was just that Mitchell couldn't see it since Kalian was inside his body in a soul state.
Two days passed, and it was now the third day of training.
Mitchell repeated the same routine he had grown accustomed to.
He circulated energy according to the cultivation method and repeatedly fired the Sky-Rending Flash.
Before he knew it, the Sky-Rending Flash he fired had gained considerable sharpness, allowing him to cut down trees reasonably well.
'Should I start practicing the Spirit Descent as well?'
Perhaps because he had only been practicing the Sky-Rending Flash, he was starting to get greedy for other things.
Thus, he released his energy for the Spirit Descent.
Kreeeee—
As a monstrous form appeared due to the Spirit Descent, a ghostly shriek echoed.
A smile spread across Mitchell's face upon hearing that shriek.
'My own unique Spirit Descent.'
He didn't know why it took such a form, but hearing that it was uniquely his made him feel even more fond of it.
Furthermore, didn't it even have the ability to wither the enemy's spirit?
There wasn't a single thing he didn't like about it.
'Oh, except for one thing.'
This thing consumed an enormous amount of energy.
To give an idea, previously, even with a full dantian, he couldn't hold it for even a moment before being completely drained.
If he hadn't had the ability to convert souls into Dark Aura, he wouldn't have even dreamed of using it in battle.
However, thanks to the cultivation method Kalian taught him, his control over Dark Aura had strengthened, allowing him to use it much more efficiently.
Now, he could hold it for several minutes.
Since his ability had increased as soon as he learned the cultivation method, Mitchell couldn't help but grin.
Though Kalian, seeing Mitchell’s satisfied smile, clicked his tongue.
[Tsk, tsk, happy over just that much.]
"Just that much? I can hold it for a while now. If it’s like this now, won't I be able to use it longer later?"
There was no need to be frustrated already.
It had been ten years.
Ten years spent trying to fix his broken body in the Kellion family.
He had worked without a moment's rest during that time, but the results were meager.
In the end, instead of magic circuits, aura roads had been opened, so it was as if he hadn't achieved a single thing he aimed for in those ten years.
'Compared to that, this is great.'
As long as he worked hard, today would be better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today.
Even if there were no immediate visible results, his strength increased, his aura holes grew larger, and his sword became sharper.
How happy was that?
That was why Mitchell was enjoying the current situation so much.
Because he was moving forward more and more, even at this very moment.
"By the way, Master, at my level, how long should I be able to use the Spirit Descent?"
[Your level? Then you shouldn't be able to use it at all.]
"What? Not use it at all?"
Kalian let out a hollow laugh at Mitchell's words.
[You seem to have forgotten, but you are merely a 3rd-class. Emitting energy itself is something that should only be possible at the 4th-class.]
"Ah..."
Come to think of it, he had been using it so naturally that he had forgotten.
Seeing Mitchell's expression, Kalian shook his head and added an explanation.
[Do you think people divide realms for no reason? It is because what one can do differs depending on the realm.]
"But I can use the Spirit Descent. Now that I think about it, the Sky-Rending Flash is also an emission of energy, so shouldn't it be possible from at least the 4th-class?"
Kalian clicked his tongue at Mitchell's words.
[You brat, the Sky-Rending Flash is a technique that compresses energy. It’s because your insane descendants use the Sky-Rending Sword's cultivation method in a damaged state that they can't compress it stably. That's why they fire it off quickly before that energy explodes, isn't it?]
"Ah... then everyone has been using it wrong."
[Not entirely. Firing off energy is also a good way to utilize it. However, one must be able to compress energy stably for it to not place a burden on the body.]
Having said that much, Kalian caught his breath for a moment and spoke about Mitchell's current physical condition.
[Setting that aside, you are a special case.]
"Special?"
[Your growth is unbalanced. Normally, understanding and proficiency in martial arts, depth and purity of aura, and the amount of aura develop organically as one grows. However, you only have a large amount of aura. Even that is only possible because you can create Dark Aura from souls.]
So that's how it normally is...
He had already seen it in books, but hearing it from Kalian like this felt different.
[Anyway, it is because your aura holes and aura roads were created quite sturdily when they were first opened that you can use the Spirit Descent and the Sky-Rending Flash. It is truly a great stroke of luck.]
Kalian called it luck, but Mitchell thought of it more as an accident.
An accident occurred, and he just happened to have talent for martial arts, and overlapping with his existing spiritual talent, he was able to learn the Sword of Death.
'Is that luck?'
Well, either way, it was good for him.
[So, if you become a 4th-class aura user, using the Spirit Descent and the Sky-Rending Flash will be much easier.]
"Yes, I'll work hard!"
Mitchell gripped his sword again and manifested the Spirit Descent.
Then, he began to swing his sword.
No matter how outstanding a martial art is, the basics must be there.
If the foundation isn't solid, anything is just a castle built on sand.
Hadn't he felt that keenly both when he first learned magic and when he learned how to grip a sword from Grant last time?
'But I've already rested for three days.'
Mitchell reflected on his focus solely on martial arts and swung his sword.
When the aura holes were emptied, he filled them through cultivation and unleashed the Sky-Rending Flash again.
After filling the aura holes again, he manifested the Spirit Descent and swung his sword.
Repeat, repeat, and repeat again.
[...]
Kalian watched that sight without intervening as much as possible.
No, it wasn't that he wasn't intervening, he couldn't.
What could he say to a guy who trains like that?
Moreover, even though he was training hard, if his path was wrong, it would be one thing, but since he didn't miss even the basic skills, there was nothing to say.
[By the way, what if he succeeds within a week at this rate?]
It was a method he had also suffered from his own master.
Using something new as bait to keep pushing. How hard had it been when he was on the receiving end of that?
While cursing his master every day, they were days he endured through clenched teeth for new martial arts.
Of course, because it was that effective, he had no ill feelings toward his master now.
Thus, it was one of the things he had resolved to definitely do if he ever got a disciple.
[I must put him through hellish training...]
He couldn't be the only one to have suffered through something so good.
