Chapter 38

Fireball (1)

Would you believe me if I said a strange haze started rising from a sword?

It was the sort of phenomenon you would expect to see in fantasy or martial arts fiction, so even I had a hard time believing it.

According to SwordMaster, once you got the feel for it, it was actually very easy.

But apparently, I was the first person she'd ever seen who managed to release energy immediately after hearing a few tips.

SwordMaster herself said it had taken her around an hour just to get the hang of it.

Of course, maybe that was because her advice was packed with all the know-how she had accumulated over the years.

Title: Is this really aura?
Wild Grylls

(Photo of a sword with a shimmering haze rising from it)

I did what SwordMaster told me to do. Is this really aura?

Asking because it worked way too easily.

└ SwordMaster) That really is aura ;; I thought maybe, but you actually did it.
└ Wild Grylls) That’s a good thing, right?
└ Stop humblebragging. It’s pissing me off.
└ Some people take months and this guy does it in one day lmao.
└ Months, my ass. It took me three years, damn it lol.
└ How the hell did SwordMaster teach him? Tell me too.
└ Wild Grylls) She just told me to reproduce the sensation I feel when circulating mana, then imagine letting that mana flow into the sword. So I did exactly that.
└ Ha ;; I can’t decide what’s more ridiculous, someone explaining it like that or someone actually succeeding from that explanation.
└ Fuck, if you could emit aura from an explanation like that, every random idiot would be using it lmaooo.
└ Starlight Princess) Wow. That’s amazing. If you compared it to a mage, what Circle would that be?
└ For a mage, it’d be like starting at the 3rd Circle immediately.
└ Starlight Princess) I see. So it really is impressive, right?
└ What Circle did you start at, then?
└ Starlight Princess) The 5th Circle. I could have started higher under normal circumstances, but my illness prevented me from doing so.
└ This one’s flexing too lmaooo.
└ That’s basically like saying you started with an Aura Blade lol.
└ It’s not an Aura Blade. It’s Sword Force.
└ Same damn thing, asshole. Do you really have to nitpick?
└ Pride.
└ Wild Grylls) Anyway, if I think of compressing this stuff, that makes it an Aura Blade, right? Lol, I’ll practice.
└ SwordMaster) Practicing is good, but maintaining the sensation is more important. Sometimes people forget it.
└ Wild Grylls) You can forget it?
└ SwordMaster) It works on the same principle as consciously thinking about your breathing.

The comment section exploded the moment I showed them the aura.

Maybe the Heavenly Demon was busy carrying out her duties as a sub-mod, because she did not leave a comment.

Well, now that she could have one-on-one conversations, I figured she would just message me directly if she had anything to say.

Is this really that impressive?

I stared closely at the sword with the shimmering haze rising from it.

I could definitely feel mana leaving my body.

But since it replenished every time I breathed, it did not feel particularly significant.

SwordMaster told me to compress it as tightly as possible, right?

She had advised me to keep practicing until the haze took on a sharp, defined form.

From that point onward, she said it entered the realm of talent, so there was only so much she could do for me.

Even so, SwordMaster said she would help me as much as she could.

Feels like I’m only ever receiving things from her...

I wanted to give SwordMaster something in return for all the useful tips she kept teaching me.

But she was the kind of person who had even refused rare medicinal herbs because she did not want to become healthier.

Then what could I give her that she would willingly accept?

Would she take something material, as long as it was not an herb?

This is difficult.

SwordMaster was especially troublesome compared to the Heavenly Demon.

I did not like continuing to receive things without giving anything back.

She claimed that all she wanted was for me to marry her, but that was obviously a joke.

Besides, I did not even know whether I would ever be able to leave this place.

For now, should I test this out?

Instead of the Heavenly Demon's sword, I brought out an ordinary logging axe.

Wonmo was taking a nap, while Tree Sloth was riding on my back.

There was no better way to test the performance of aura—or sword energy—than chopping wood.

How many swings did this usually take?

I recalled the sensation of channeling mana into the sword.

First, I had to become aware of the mana stored in my dantian.

SwordMaster had told me to think of the mana stored in my lower abdomen as a kind of reservoir.

All I had to do was draw mana from that reservoir and send it into my weapon.

She said that once the mana in the reservoir runs dry, I’d need to circulate the cultivation method to refill it...

SwordMaster said she had never once suffered from a mana shortage in her entire life.

Because mana accumulated in her body every time she breathed, it apparently functioned almost like a perpetual-motion machine.

She said that given my environment, I might eventually become similar, but I had no idea whether that would really happen.

I should keep circulating the internal energy cultivation method consistently.

I let mana flow into the axe.

A faint haze began rising from it.

In the Central Plains, this energy was called sword energy.

In other countries, it was called aura.

Apparently, with this energy, you could produce several times the power of an ordinary person.

“Hup!”

Then just how powerful was it?

I swung the axe with all my strength.

The target was a thick tree trunk.

It was a tree that had taken several axe swings to bring down just yesterday.

Crack!

The axe blade sank deeply into the trunk—

and kept going.

It did not slice through it like tofu, but the entire center of the tree was torn apart.

Crrraack!

With its trunk practically shattered, the enormous tree began toppling over on its own.

It leaned farther and farther until—

THUD!

—it crashed to the ground with a deafening noise.

Good thing I had been chopping from the side opposite the cave.

Otherwise, I might have destroyed the barricade the dwarf had gone through all that trouble to give me.

It doesn’t cut. It explodes.

I carefully examined the fallen tree trunk.

I knew the weapon’s destructive power would increase, but I had not expected it to be this extreme.

According to SwordMaster, the shimmering haze was simply evidence of mana leaking out.

She had specifically mentioned that the fundamental nature of the weapon itself did not change.

Considering the characteristics of an axe, I guess it makes sense.

An axe was a weapon specialized more for smashing than cutting.

So it made sense that the tree trunk had been ripped apart rather than neatly sliced through.

If I had put the same energy into a sword, I probably could have cut through it like tofu.

...Could I really?

The moment that thought occurred to me, I went back into the cave and brought out the Heavenly Demon's sword.

To test it, I placed the sword against a tree trunk without channeling any mana into it.

Before, I had never even tried this because I was worried I might chip the blade.

But I was not trying to saw through the tree with a sword.

I only wanted to check whether the blade could cut into the trunk as a basic performance test.

Sssshk—

“Huh?”

My eyes widened.

The Heavenly Demon's sword sank deep into the tree with only the slightest bit of force.

Then it slid smoothly through the trunk as though there were hardly any resistance at all.

Rumble—

I was so busy staring at the Heavenly Demon's sword that I barely cared about the tree falling over.

I knew it was a good weapon, but I had never expected it to be this ridiculous.

What kind of absurdly broken item is this?

With a sword like this, there was barely any need to emit aura in the first place.

Of course, I had absolutely no intention of using the Heavenly Demon's sword for logging.

If I accidentally chipped the blade, that would be a disaster.

She just gave me a sword like this without hesitation?

My respect for the Heavenly Demon shot upward.

At the same time, I started to worry.

Hadn't she given me something far too valuable?

Part of me wanted to return it immediately, but the Heavenly Demon would probably refuse.

If I find a good sword later, I'll return this one to her.

This sword was simply too excessive.

It was something that ought to go back to its owner someday.

I put all but one of the fallen trees up on the auction house.

Since I was already there, I checked the price of the inner core I had listed that morning.

[Inner Core: 500 taels of silver]

"Whoa."

The price just kept climbing.

I stared at the current bid in admiration.

Five hundred taels of silver converted to 5,000 gold.

The owlbear corpse had sold for 250 taels, so this was already twice as much.

It seemed the price had risen this high because the Heavenly Demon herself had vouched that it was an inner core.

What if it turns out to be fake after all?

Would I have to refund the money?

I had no idea.

Still, with the Heavenly Demon backing me up, the buyer probably would not be able to make a fuss.

And even if they did, there should not be a problem as long as the Heavenly Demon testified for me.

Let's see. What time is it...?

I opened the gallery and checked the time.

More than an hour had flown by while I practiced the cultivation method and aura.

It was currently 1:30 in the afternoon.

There was still plenty of time before sunset.

Should I try making some traps?

It seemed like a good idea.

I could improve my handiwork and get some meat at the same time.

As for how to make traps, I could find everything I needed just by searching the gallery.

Adventurers occasionally uploaded guides on making hunting traps.

Some of them had even made it into the recommended-post section, so I should be able to make one without much trouble.

The problem is the area where the small animals live...

I knew where little animals like rabbits tended to pass through.

The problem was that Muscle Mushroom was located in that direction.

It should be fine as long as I did not provoke it, but there was no guarantee.

It might still be awake and wandering around nearby.

For safety's sake, it would be better to eliminate Muscle Mushroom first.

There was a cave there too, so I can check that out while I'm at it.

Decision made.

I would deal with Muscle Mushroom first.

Its individual attacks were powerful, but it was slow.

And since I had heard that it was weak against fire, defeating it should not be too difficult.

Wait, did they actually say it was weak against fire? They said fire was essential because of those spores or whatever.

It looked like I would have to hold a sword in one hand and a torch in the other.

I remembered the golden shield that had been crushed by a single Beng Quan punch.

If I took a direct hit from something like that, there was a good chance there would not even be enough of my bones left to collect.

So fighting from a distance would be better.

It didn't look like arrows would work, though.

Even ants had clearly distinguishable heads, thoraxes, and abdomens.

Muscle Mushroom was different.

Aside from its arms and legs, its body was long and narrow like a branch.

It was essentially closer to a plant, which meant I would probably have to either smash it apart or burn it.

...They said magic exists too, right?

Something suddenly occurred to me.

Magic.

The iconic power that appeared in practically every fantasy story.

It was supposedly an ability only geniuses were qualified to learn.

Maybe I could learn just a little?

If I could use magic, it would be useful in all sorts of ways.

Not just for ranged attacks, but for everyday survival as well.

The moment the thought occurred to me, I immediately opened the gallery.

Title: Is magic easy to learn?
Wild Grylls

I just want to learn some simple fire or water magic. Is it difficult?

└ Heavenly Demon) Ahem. One must devote oneself to a single path in order to achieve greatness. Are you already allowing your mind to wander elsewhere?
└ SwordMaster) The sub-mod is right. Even I gave up on magic almost immediately because of how difficult it is, so don't even try.
└ Guess he has no idea how many aspiring mages there are in the gallery lol.
└ Grylls, you're going to get yourself in serious trouble messing with that. Don't do it.
└ Seriously, we're only telling you this because we're nice.

Everyone reacted negatively.

Even the Heavenly Demon and SwordMaster.

I could not understand why they were all so against it.

└ Wild Grylls) Didn't you say elves and demons can use magic just fine?
└ Their starting point is high enough that they can usually reach the 3rd Circle. Going beyond that is difficult.
└ Didn't you say you were human, Grylls?
└ Wild Grylls) Yeah, yeah. I was just curious.
└ Magic is difficult enough to make even demons and elves grind their teeth. In terms of theory, they're actually worse than humans.
└ Wild Grylls) Why?
└ Do you carefully analyze the theory behind how you breathe? Humans just happen to be unusually curious. Other races usually aren't.
└ Wild Grylls) Oh. Got it.
└ Princess Chaenggu) But our Mephisto is still better when it comes to magic! You can tell just by looking at broadcast magic!
└ Demonic-race utility magic really is impressive. Life has gotten way more comfortable thanks to them lol.
└ Praise the demon who invented air-conditioning magic!
└ What's air-conditioning magic?
└ Air conditioning.
└ Oh lmao, yeah, that deserves praise.
└ Refrigeration magic for me lol. I get to drink cold alcohol every day now.
└ Let'sGrowTrees) Elves are inventing all kinds of magic too!
└ What kinds of magic are they inventing?
└ Let'sGrowTrees) Communication and reconnaissance magic, as well as explosive magic!
└ Whoa, shit ;; that sounds scary as hell.
└ Are those bastards seriously not preparing to start a war?
└ Let'sGrowTrees) Don't worry. Elves love peace.
└ Wild Grylls) How is that any different from "If you want peace, prepare for war"? ;;
└ Let'sGrowTrees) Ooooh! That's a wonderful saying. I'll take it to heart.
└ Wild Grylls) What?

There seemed to be someone seriously wrong in the head, but it would probably be fine.

Anyway, magic appeared to be used in all sorts of fields.

It was quite literally magic replacing science.

No.

In this world, perhaps magic itself was science.

└ Starlight Princess) Are you trying to learn magic? I can help you.
└ Wild Grylls) Aren't you busy exercising?
└ Starlight Princess) Other than the time I spend exercising, I'm pretty free. Forgive me for asking, but you do know arithmetic, right?
└ Wild Grylls) I graduated high school ;;

Was she looking down on me too much?

Or maybe there were simply a lot of people in this world who could not even do basic arithmetic.

Given the era, there was no reason to expect anything like universal public education.

Then again, they did have academies, so perhaps she was accounting for people from underdeveloped regions.

└ Starlight Princess) "Graduated high school"? I don't know what that means, but I assume it means you can do arithmetic. Good. Then you should be able to express fire mathematically.
└ Wild Grylls) Huh? Express what mathematically?
└ Starlight Princess) Fire. You formulate it mathematically. It's very easy. It works like this—

As Starlight Princess continued explaining, all I could do was stare with my mouth hanging open.

There were plenty of symbols.

There were just no numbers.

My knowledge of mathematics had reset itself the instant the college entrance exam ended.

And since I had been a humanities student on top of that, I understood absolutely none of it.

└ Starlight Princess) Well? Do you understand?
└ Wild Grylls) That's the basics?
└ Starlight Princess) Yes. You learn this before even entering the academy.
└ Anyone else feel like their head is going to explode just looking at that?
└ Me first lol.
└ Ah lmao, you don't need this crap to live normally.

Were all the mages in this world Newton or Einstein?

Then again, scientists on Earth were geniuses compared to ordinary people too.

I decided to cleanly give up on learning magic.

└ Wild Grylls) Uh... I'll just give up. Starlight Princess, do you find math easy?
└ Starlight Princess) I love mathematics. You can express everything in the world through mathematics, can't you? Someday, I'm going to express the Forest of Four Seasons mathematically too.
└ Wild Grylls) You don't have calculators here, right?
└ Starlight Princess) Why would I need a calculator? I can just calculate it in my head.
└ Wild Grylls) ;;;
└ God, that's obnoxious lmao.
└ You'd be surprised how many people like that actually exist.
└ Their entire thought process is different from ours.

Yeah.

I should give up on magic completely.

If I kept entertaining pointless hope, I was only going to hurt myself.

Still, I should thank Starlight Princess for offering to help.

Seeing how disappointed she seemed made me feel a little guilty.

In the end, I guess I'll have to solve this physically.

Was there really no other way?

I looked around the cave.

Then one particular object caught my eye.

Something I had left untouched until now.

That's it!

It was the alcohol the dwarf had given me as a gift.