Chapter 41

Rare treasures like ancient artifacts were invaluable, not easily obtained. Moreover, after suffering an attack, the artifact lay half-destroyed, visibly fragile. It was evident to anyone that another attack would certainly shatter it.

"Block that scoundrel! Protect the artifact!"

"I hide in the night!"  Amidst the chaos, Yi-Han recited another spell.

With the incantation, Yi-Han vanished into the darkness, causing the attackers to grind their teeth in frustration. They remembered how this pesky priest had thwarted their attempt to defeat the mage earlier.

"He knows how to fight, that one. A battle-priest guarding the mage, no doubt! I'll handle this myself!" the leader of the attackers, laboring under a strange misconception, charged towards the artifact.

He was driven by the fear that leaving the artifact unattended might complicate their plans.

"Move!" Yi-Han yelled, hurling a iron marble he had received from Professor Boladi as he ran.

And then, he chanted another spell.

Usually, for beginners who had just learned magic, casting spells in such desperate situations was taboo.

Even skilled mages could fail their spells under pressure and excitement if they weren't well-trained. For beginners, it was almost a given. A failed spell was the best-case scenario; at worst, the mana could backfire, causing self-harm.

However, Professor Boladi had never given Yi-Han such warnings.

"A battle mage must face such challenges. Why warn them? They must overcome it themselves," Boladi believed.

Unaware of the risks, Yi-Han continued to chant.

Miraculously, his risky gambit succeeded.

Just as Professor Boladi had assessed, Yi-Han shone brightest when faced with danger.

Pop!

The <Lesser Control> spell caused the iron marble to levitate.

Ordinarily, the marble, slow and weak, should have moved minimally. But fueled by Yi-Han's immense mana, it transcended the limits of the simple spell.

"Go!" Yi-Han commanded, his will propelling the marble forward like a bullet.

In the darkness, and with their target invisible, the attackers struggled to respond to the suddenly appearing marble.

Thwack! One of the pursuers was struck down.

"Be careful! He's using hidden weapons!"

"He's skilled in combat! Stay alert!"

The attackers drew their swords, vigilantly on guard.

Yi-Han, while continuously running, felt his brain buzzing as if on fire from controlling the marble.

‘Focus... I must focus!’

Though Boladi was eccentric, his teachings had a point. Real combat spurred growth.

Yi-Han felt the truth of those words in his bones.

Controlling the marble in a life-threatening situation was far more effective for skill improvement than merely rotating it in a classroom.

With every moment of sending the marble flying, catching it, rotating it, and launching it again, Yi-Han felt his control improving.

Suddenly, he tasted blood. Licking his lips, he realized blood was trickling from his nose.

His mana was intact; it was his mind that had been overtaxed.

Crack!

In a flash of sword light, the marble split in two.

The enemy leader had swung his sword with incredible timing.

"Focus on the footsteps! We can find him by his footsteps!"

‘Darn it. So close.’

Yi-Han eyed the ancient artifact, mere meters away, with frustration.

It seemed he could just rush in and smash it, but the remaining three attackers blocked his path firmly.

"The scent of blood. Follow the scent of blood!" came the command.

Upon hearing the shouts, Yi-Han realized that delaying any further would turn the tide against him. Despite his practice in swordsmanship, Yi-Han knew he was no match for his opponents in real combat experience. He had to strike first while he still held the advantage.

The sword swung, blood spattered, and to the attackers' surprise, one of them fell, caught off-guard by Yi-Han's preemptive strike.

"There he is!"

Swoosh!

The attackers pulled something from their sleeves and scattered it. It was a sparkling powder. Yi-Han didn't know what it was, but he guessed that it would disrupt his invisibility spell upon contact.

Without hesitation, Yi-Han rolled away.

"Damn it!" the attackers cursed, failing to see Yi-Han even after dispersing the glowing powder. He was more than just a nuisance.

"Stay calm. As long as we're vigilant, he can't touch us," the leader said with a wary voice.

Even with invisibility magic, making a move would inevitably produce noise. By focusing solely on sound, they could detect him.

'Where did he go?'

But no sound came. Even the scent of the enemy's blood, which had been present before, was now gone.

Thud!

"What?!"

"This brat...!"

Another attacker, approaching the fallen comrade, was suddenly ambushed and fell.

Only then did the leader realize how Yi-Han had deceived them. Yi-Han had pretended to leave the place and hid next to the blood that the attacker had spilled.

Impressed, the leader couldn't help but admire Yi-Han's skill. A less clever fighter, no matter how well-trained, couldn't have come up with such a strategy.

"Move!"

"Huh!"

Hearing the sound of a spell being cast, the attacker instinctively ducked. "Fool! It's a fake spell!" the leader exclaimed sharply.

But it was too late. The last of his men fell.

Instead of anger, the leader let out an amused laugh and drew his sword. "It's been a while since I've met an opponent like you. My name is Garakse."

Yi-Han didn't respond. The leader nodded, as if expecting no answer. If Yi-Han had been the type to get distracted by conversation, he wouldn't have been able to take down so many opponents.

"You think you're invisible. Relying on that petty magic."

Clang!

"But you're already in my sight," Garakse declared.

His words were not empty bravado. Yi-Han was taken aback by the precision with which Garakse swung his sword.

"You can hide your scent, but you can't hold your breath forever."

Could Garakse detect his position by his breathing? The thought left Yi-Han incredulous.

He had heard of exceptional swordsmen surpassing human limitations, but this was beyond his imagination.

The opponent's swordsmanship was a Dispersing Sword Technique, not one of illusion, but one that spreads out with each swing. Each stroke seamlessly led to the next attack, gradually filling the void and restricting Yi-Han’s movements.

Yi-Han countered with his own Azure Rock Style Sword technique, but Garakse's skill was superior.

With each clash of their swords, Yi-Han felt increasingly disadvantaged. Without his invisibility magic, he would have been overwhelmed instantly.

Moreover, the shock from each collision was considerable.

'Is this the technique Arlong talked about?'

A skilled swordsman, he had heard, doesn't merely wield the sword with physical strength but channels the body's mana into the sword, transcending physical power.

Every time Garakse's sword met his, the shock intensified, a testament to the mana infused in his sword.

‘I will forcibly imbue my sword with mana!’ Yi-Han resolved, drawing upon his mana. Since his awakening to magic, he had become proficient in infusing and manipulating it. Like casting a spell, Yi-Han channeled his mana into his sword.

Clang!

"!?" Garakse was taken aback by the sudden change in his opponent's attack.

'What's with this guy?' he thought.

Yi-Han's swordsmanship was commendable. For Garakse, who had faced and defeated many swordsmen of the empire, to acknowledge this meant Yi-Han truly was impressive. It wasn't just his swordsmanship; his mindset was remarkable too. Many swordsmen, proud of their skills, would recklessly attack a stronger opponent and quickly self-destruct. However, Yi-Han was different. He immediately recognized Garakse's strength, abandoned his greed for victory, and switched to defense.

This was no easy feat. In a life-threatening duel, who could abandon their ambition to defeat their opponent and simply endure? Yet, Yi-Han had chosen this path, and Garakse held this decision in high esteem.

But Yi-Han lacked power. Even with his decent swordsmanship, against a swordsman like Garakse who could freely infuse his sword with mana, he was at a disadvantage. Moreover, Yi-Han's Azure Rock Style was meant to overpower the lighter Dispersing Sword Technique. If he couldn't win in strength, he had no chance of victory.

Suddenly, Yi-Han's sword began to fill with an overwhelming power, surpassing even Garakse.

'What? Was he hiding his strength? What's his plan? Why this surge in power now?'

Garakse, discarding his earlier composure, was flustered for the first time. There was no reason for a swordsman who knew how to imbue their sword with mana to feign weakness.

Just as he thought he had the upper hand, the situation seemed to slip away.

'Is this right?' Yi-Han wondered, pouring his mana into the sword like a madman. This was a complete departure from the sword techniques he had learned. Swordsmanship wasn't just about swinging a blade; it was about anticipating the opponent's next move. But now, Yi-Han abandoned all form and focused solely on attack. Concentrating on infusing his sword with mana left no room for complex maneuvers.

'Is this really the right way?!'

Yi-Han's doubts were indeed valid. This was not normal swordsmanship. Infusing a sword with mana wasn't about mindlessly pouring power into it; it involved circulating the mana through the body and the sword. From the body to the sword, and back again. Such continuous circulation of mana placed an extraordinary strain and fatigue on the body. Simply expelling mana without circulation? That was a suicidal technique, liable to cause collapse or even spitting blood.

If Yi-Han hadn't been invisible, Garakse would have quickly noticed the extremity of his stance. Perhaps then, Garakse might have realized that Yi-Han was engaging in an unusual and dangerous tactic.

However, Yi-Han was under the effect of an invisibility spell, and the unseen enemy was unsettling Garakse's mind.

He couldn't figure it out!

If Garakse had remained calm, he might have stood a chance. But instead, he was thrown into a defensive position, frantically countering the relentless attacks.

Creak-

"?"

Yi-Han, dominating the fight once more, felt an ominous sound emanating from his sword.

Yi-Han thought he had misheard, but it was true.

'...This is bad!'

The sword he wielded began to fall apart, unable to withstand the force of the mana he had infused into it.

'What is this, a cheap sword?'

The sword used by the attacker was actually of renowned quality in the empire, but Yi-Han was unaware of this. He complained unjustly, not considering the amount of mana he had poured into it.

'I'll end this before it breaks!'

Reducing the mana at this stage, with his control already faltering, would risk being overpowered by his opponent again.

He decided it was better to go all out and finish the fight.

Yi-Han, resolved to end it in one strike, began to recklessly infuse even more mana into his sword.

Garakse, gritting his teeth in response, drew another sword. This one was made of black purplestone, a material known for absorbing magic.

Drawing this sword against a swordsman was a humiliation, but he couldn't afford to lose.

'I'll overpower you with this!'

At that moment, a 'crack' sounded, and something broke.

The previously invisible sword of Yi-Han, now revealed. The wildly scattering sparks of mana took the shape of a sword. It was an attack neither of aura nor mana but of a strange form, hurtling through the air.

Bang!!!!

The black purplestone sword, designed to absorb magic, was utterly useless.

Yi-Han's attack swept over Garakse like a tidal wave.