The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth

Chapter 48: The Magic Competition (2)

It was truly unbelievable. While Aidan wasn't entirely sure about Mikhail, he had seen Karyl’s combat skills firsthand when he killed Curan in the lawless port. It was a flawless display of swordsmanship, an absolute victory achieved through sheer skill.

Could it be that he's a Sword Master at such a young age? That's absurd.

Not just among the current five Sword Masters, but even Chrome, known to be the greatest among those who walk the path of the sword throughout history, only reached that level at the age of fifteen.

There's never been such a case in the history of the continent.

Aidan’s throat went dry. If Karyl’s claim was true... It would be a momentous event that would shatter all existing records.

"There's no need to be so surprised. I haven't yet reached the level of a sorcerer with my mana points."

Aidan, caught off guard by his own expression, asked in confusion, "...What?"

He had been carrying out his duties at his own pace until now, but for some reason, he kept getting flustered in front of Karyl. He tried to hide his true feelings, but it was already too late.

Karyl lightly patted Aidan’s shoulder and said, "Please take care of him while I’m away. I have some matters to attend to. I’ll be back soon."

"G-Got it."

There's still plenty of worth to squeeze out of you. Please try a bit harder. Karyl showed a faint smile as he looked at Aidan.

***

Karyl left the city and ventured deep into its interior until he found himself on the outskirts of Azor.

Hmm, this should be far enough. He thought to himself, surveying his surroundings. Not a trace of human presence could be found.

Considering that most sorcerers live in Azor, the only people who would come to a forest like this are probably those gathering firewood for the castle, he reasoned, nodding to himself amidst the dense trees.

Although he could deceive Bargo Sira to participate in the Expert competition thanks to the mana gained from the Dragon's Heart, he still had only two mana veins opened in his body, technically making him a mere 1st class.

The only spells I can use are the support and basic 1st class spells that I learned in Einheri.

He had only purchased the grimoires because of Mikhail. I can't learn magic in the normal way. Unlike ordinary people who accumulate mana by opening their mana veins, my process is the reverse.

Nevertheless, there was a specific reason as to why he wanted to participate in the Expert competition—to gain the Eligibility to participate in the Master competition.

Only those who would reach 4th class and ascend to the ranks of sorcerers were granted the minimum qualifications to participate in the Master competition.

Under his current circumstances, finding a way to open more mana veins was impossible for him.

However, winning the Expert competition is a different matter. If I can outperform the sorcerers and prove my abilities in practice, I can participate in the Master competition without any further assessments.

That was his goal.

The first-generation magic created by the Council of Seven Elders, Karyl reminisced. Before this place turns to ruins, I must obtain those three spells.

In his past life, no one had been able to wield that magic.

In the ruins of Azor, where the monster corpses piled upon each other to form mountains, Narh Di Maug spoke with a bitter smile.

"This still exists, huh? Astonishing. I thought that Kaye Aesir was joking 250 years ago."

"What did he say?"

"He claimed that dragons were the ones who first taught magic to the humans."

"What?"

"Even now, other dragons remain indifferent to the affairs of the continent. They don't consider their relationship with humans to be friendly."

"Hmm..."

"Honestly, it's a story we had also forgotten. And what does it matter who taught magic to humans? Human mana is insignificant and poses no threat to us, so indifference is the only response." He said, rummaging through the debris of the ruins. "Of course, there are outliers like Kaye Aesir."

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Karyl asked in a hushed tone, his arms crossed and his sword clutched between them.

"Exactly. It doesn't really matter. But to think that there's dragon magic here. Magic that even I, a dragon, had forgotten."

Narh Di Maug pulled out a charred black tome out of the ruins.

Whoosh!

Although its form was indiscernible, when Narh Di Maug infused his own mana into it, to their surprise, the tome emitted a brilliant light, as if it had never been damaged.

"Does this mean the Council of Seven Elders were disciples of a dragon...?" Karyl pondered, he was slightly curious but not that particularly interested.

After all, he had no mana of his own, and magic had always seemed to be a distant concept to him.

"Or it could be the other way around." Narh Di Maug said, spinning the magic tome. "The Council of Seven Elders could have been dragons themselves."

Karyl concentrated his focus, gradually channeling the abundant mana from his veins to his fingertips.

"Flame Finger."

The mana flowed down his arms, gradually forming into a small flame flickering above his outstretched fingers. It was a basic fire spell.

Creating a flame in the shape of a sphere is called “Fireball”, while molding it into an arrow is called “Fire Arrow”. Both were classified as 1st class spells, on par with an archer's arrow at best.

But the magic of Kaye Aesir was of an entirely different magnitude, making such classifications seem insignificant.

Karyl thought, as he slowly extended his palm forward. Normally, one would release a Fireball here, but Kaye Aesir did it differently.

He employed the spell of Shadowless Spear layering power step by step. Flame Finger, Ignition, Heat, Combustion.

By layering these four stages, the Fireball and Fire Arrow he produced possessed incredible firepower, defying all norms. These are basic spells, part of the everyday magic that anyone from the empire can learn.

Yet, had no sorcerer ever thought to layer mana through the lowest-tier spells? No, they couldn't.

It was simply a matter of pride for high-ranking sorcerers who believed that higher-class magic was inherently stronger. That's why sorcerers always focused on the amount of mana they possessed.

As a result, techniques like Aiden's mana transformation came into practice. Of course, these proud notions weren't entirely wrong. Focusing mana internally rather than externally was safer and far more efficient.

However, Kaye Aesir challenged this notion. The goal of using stronger magic remained the same, but the approach was entirely different.

It required a shift in perspective. Of course, this shift also came with its limitations. Karyl, who had suddenly acquired mana without being naturally attuned to it and lacked any prior magical training, found it easier for him to accept this new approach.

It isn’t just a matter of setting aside one's pride. Kaye Aesir's method demanded an immense amount of mana.

Karyl realized he was not bound by any restrictions, given the overflowing magic that was boiling within his magic veins right now. Moreover, my understanding of magic is still rudimentary compared to someone like Mikhail. It isn’t possible for me to grasp complex formulas and principles right away.

Hence, he had to rely on the most perfect magic he could perform, which happened to be 1st class spells. To ordinary people, this would seem insane. After all, the difference in class was meant to signify the difference in power, akin to fighting a blaze with a matchstick.

But I already know the answer.

Karyl’s expression turned ambiguous as he recalled the answer he discovered within the memories of the Red Dragon, Riseria.

"Classifying magic by levels is foolish. If you pour 5th class mana into a 1st class spell, can you still call it 1st class?"

Kaye Aesir’s words echoed in his mind. And what if you could stack the power of not just Class 5, but Class 6, Class 7?

"Ignition," Karyl muttered, causing the flame in his palm to emit a red light as if it were on the verge of exploding at any moment.

Whoosh!

The spells that Kaye Aesir had demonstrated played back in his memory.

"Heat," Karyl recited in sequence.

"Gah?!" But then, just before he could start the final phase of “Combustion”, a searing pain coursed through him.

Simultaneously, the jewel in the mouth of the snake on the Bracelet of Greed glimmered. The bracelet on his wrist absorbed the condensed mana.

"Phew..." As the mana flowed into the bracelet, the pain disappeared, but so did the flame he had was in the middle of casting.

Hmmm, if I try to cast more mana than the limit of the two mana veins I've opened, the bracelet activates to stabilize it. The Bracelet of Greed calmed his surging mana but also served as an obstacle preventing him from exceeding his limits.

This is the issue I need to resolve.

He attempted to cast a spell once more.

"Flame Finger." A small flame flickered at the tip of his finger.

"Ice Finger." He extended his other hand, focusing his mana once again. A tremor ran through his hand, as small ice crystals formed.

As expected... Karyl nodded.

If it was impossible for him to concentrate on a single element, then perhaps casting two types of element magic simultaneously, pushing them close to their limits, would be the answer.

"Phew..." The act of casting two types of element magic at once was enough to cause a tremendous stir in the world of magic.

"Ignition." Five flames erupted, growing explosively.

"Freeze." Simultaneously, he summoned the opposing elemental magic.

"Heat." Karyl clenched his hand. This time, the previously unstable flames stabilized, as if soothed by the power of the opposing element.

It worked! His palms turned red-hot as if scorched by fire.

"Cold." White steam rose from the hand casting “Cold”, as if the two elements were battling within his body.

I can do this. Karyl couldn't help but cheer inwardly at the sight before him.

It was his attempt to surpass his own limits, utilizing the elemental mana he possessed.

Why would a swordsman like him focus on a competition that centered solely around fighting with mana? It wasn’t simply because it was a power he hadn’t acquired in his previous life.

If the Council of Seven Elders were truly dragons, it makes sense that humans couldn’t learn the magic they left behind, Karyl mused, watching the white steam rising from his palm.

If the first-generation magic is dragon magic... Then no one on the continent can wield two types of elemental magic simultaneously.

But that's not all. Having consumed the heart of a dragon and undergone a transformation, Karyl possessed elemental magic that transcended the boundaries of the human realm. Though still at a basic level, he could wield all five of the existing elemental magics. His mana was, in essence, dragon mana.

Hence, only I can learn the first-generation magic. Karyl's eyes gleamed with anticipation.