Chapter – 15
The knights and soldiers who had come to Mount Mantova to subjugate monsters diligently carried out their duties. The apprentice trainees and knight trainees, who had come to observe their work, spent three days at Mount Mantova handling the behind-the-scenes tasks to ensure the others could perform their missions smoothly, then returned to the estate.
After returning to the estate, Piranceva focused on swordsmanship training while secretly learning the Heavenly Demon Art, avoiding the eyes of others.
“Swordsmanship, physical arts, magic—all of these fundamentally require stamina.”
Piranceva realized that magic also relied heavily on stamina as he diligently trained from the basics in physical conditioning, something he had neglected while in Freedom.
“That guy only does the same things every day.”
From a distance, the group watching Piranceva still viewed him with dissatisfaction as he practiced only downward strikes, horizontal slashes, and thrusts.
“That damn brat…”
However, they couldn’t act against him as boldly as before because Piranceva was strong.
Midorant’s gang had been thoroughly beaten by Piranceva long ago, and recently, Holand, the strongest in Cedrin’s gang, had been defeated by Piranceva without even being able to lay a hand on him.
Although Simid’s gang still remained, they couldn’t confidently say they could beat Piranceva either, so they just watched, grumbling and cursing.
“Are we just going to watch like this? Shouldn’t we teach him a lesson?”
“How? We can’t beat him one-on-one. So we’d have to rush him all at once, but if we do that, it’ll reach the Marquis’s ears, and we’ll be kicked out the next day.”
What they feared most was being expelled from the Marquis’s estate.
There were others watching them, who mocked the gangs.
“These idiots. They don’t even realize they’ve already lost to Piranceva.”
As Skully spoke, Anthony and Pavel giggled.
“Right. If it were me, I’d swing my sword one more time instead of wasting time scheming like that.”
“No wonder they’re so stupid; even with so many people, they can’t beat Piranceva.”
The three kids, from a short distance away, cursed the gangs’ stupidity while simultaneously feeling impressed by Piranceva, who was focused on training alone.
“Isn’t that kid really amazing?”
“Piranceva is an uncommon name, so at first, I thought of Piranceva from the Count Ilya family.”
“I did too. But I thought there’s no way the genius magician famous for his magic would train so hard in swordsmanship.”
“Seeing him train so desperately, he can’t be a noble. He’s probably a commoner working hard to rise in status later.”
Their shared thought was that if he were a noble, he wouldn’t train with such desperation.
“I should consider making him my retainer later.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Piranceva, training alone a short distance away, smirked.
“They think I’d settle for being a mere Viscount’s knight?”
Even now, if Piranceva wished, he could become a magician of a Ducal house. His magical talent was that exceptional, and his genius was widely known, not just in the Empire but also in other kingdoms.
“As you said, instead of wasting time on such thoughts, you should swing your sword one more time. That would be more helpful.”
***
After the official training sessions where trainees gathered for instruction ended, Piranceva trained alone in a private training ground, focusing primarily on the Heavenly Demon Art.
Piranceva traced back through his memories, took one step, and drew a picture on the floor, marking it with a ‘1’.
Then, he also drew the next moving step and marked it ‘2’. Repeating this process of moving one foot and numbering it, he managed to etch 24 footprints and 24 numbers onto the floor.
Afterward, Piranceva observed the footprints from a short distance away.
“It looks like a picture that reminds me of something…”
Depending on how one looked at it, it resembled a whale or perhaps a constellation in the night sky.
It felt like an idea was just on the verge of coming to him, so he focused more intently on the drawn footprints.
“Ah!”
Then, as if something had occurred to him, his eyes widened, and he went over to the footprints and stepped on number 1.
“In the beginning, chaos caused a great explosion, giving birth to light and darkness…”
Piranceva stepped on the numbers written on the floor, muttering as if possessed.
“Light and darkness created the heavens, the earth, and the sea.”
Piranceva murmured as if recounting the origin of the beginning, but a tremendous secret was hidden within this.
The mana from Piranceva’s mana hole reacted to his movements, left his dantian, moved down his legs, and made his movements faster.
*Goooong…*
As mana leaked from his mana hole, the mana circle rotated, drawing in and absorbing surrounding mana to replenish the depleted supply.
As the consumed mana was replenished by the mana circle, the mana hole consumed even more mana.
The mana circle repeatedly drew in and absorbed external mana to compensate for the amount being consumed.
Piranceva, whether aware of this or not, focused on stepping on the footprints.
“Since it began with primordial chaos, the end will ultimately gather back into chaos, and through the cycle of chaos creating light and darkness again…”
It meant that from one, it splits into ten thousand variations, but the end is ultimately one.
And since that gathered one cycles back to begin again, it also meant the beginning and the end are the same.
Looking closely, Piranceva had his eyes closed. One could see his movements were happening subconsciously.
The mana circle rotated violently, drawing in surrounding mana and causing a mana flow phenomenon.
Unaware of this, Piranceva continued moving, stepping on the numbers recorded on the floor in sequence.
***
As another mana flow occurred, Marquis Eastern and the magician Ollis came out into the estate’s courtyard.
“Is it the private training ground we assigned to Piranceva?”
“It seems so. It appears he is trying to achieve something through mana meditation,” Ollis replied to Marquis Eastern’s question.
“With a mana flow of this magnitude, wouldn’t it create another circle? Piranceva told me he had formed three rings.”
“With this level of mana flow, it’s difficult to form another mana circle. In my opinion, he seems to be receiving a different blessing of mana.”
“A different mana blessing?”
Marquis Eastern looked at Ollis with eyes urging an explanation, and he soon spoke.
“Among the blessings of mana, the one many people know is Physical Reconstruction.”
“I know of it.”
“There are a few other mana blessings as well. A representative one is Brain Awakening.”
“Brain awakening, you mean…” Marquis Eastern mentioned the awakening he knew of.
“That is the awakening viewed from the knights’ perspective. For mages, awakening means the scope of the brain’s utilization broadens.”
“Scope of brain utilization?”
“Yes. Humans use their brain’s functions in a limited way…” Marquis Eastern nodded upon hearing Ollis’s words.
“The next is Mana Awakening.”
“Mana Awakening?”
“The body changes to accept mana more quickly. Mana Awakening usually occurs when one becomes a 5th Circle mage, for the most part.”
“So, are you saying Piranceva has become a 5th Circle mage?”
“That’s not it. As I mentioned a moment ago, with this level of mana flow, he wouldn’t even form a 4th Circle ring.”
Marquis Eastern shifted his gaze toward the location of his underground training hall where Piranceva was practicing.
“Continue.”
Ollis shared a few more stories about mana blessings.
After listening, Marquis Eastern asked, “So, in your opinion, which mana blessing does it seem he received?”
“Since I haven’t received all mana blessings myself, I cannot be certain, but with this level of mana flow, it might be Brain Awakening.”
“Brain Awakening… meaning he became smarter?”
“Yes.”
“He has talent, works hard, and now has become smarter too. If he continues growing like this, another monster will be born in our Empire.”
Ollis acknowledged Marquis Eastern’s words but also spoke with concern.
“However, human affairs are unpredictable.”
“True. Whether he will continue to grow like this or get stabbed to death somewhere—no one can guarantee that future.”
Marquis Eastern nodded slowly and spoke.
“Conceal Piranceva’s achievement.”
“Pardon?”
“If Piranceva’s growth becomes known to the Olphros Empire or other kingdoms, they will try to kill him.”
Ollis nodded upon hearing Marquis Eastern’s words.
“I understand.”
“The fewer people who know, the better, so keep it at that for now. I will inform Viscount Amand.”
***
Piranceva stood alone in the underground training hall. A satisfied smile formed on his lips, as he had experienced something unexpectedly beneficial.
“Receiving a Mana Blessing along with Physical Reconstruction, and gaining enhanced physical recovery ability at that…”
During his enlightenment, Piranceva received both a Mana Blessing and Physical Reconstruction simultaneously.
His Brain Awakening and physical recovery ability had risen to a level surpassing that of ordinary people.
Considering these two abilities alone, he had acquired capabilities exceptional enough to be called superhuman. However, this didn’t mean injuries would heal instantly.
An injury that would take an ordinary person 5 to 10 days to heal would recover in about a day for Piranceva due to his enhanced recovery ability.
Furthermore, he gained a self-recovery ability; unless he was instantly killed on the spot, such as by decapitation or a pierced heart, he could recover over time if treatment was possible.
“I understand that the physical recovery ability is a rare one, even among knights who have undergone Physical Reconstruction…”
This alone would undoubtedly become a significant asset for Piranceva’s survival on this continent.
Piranceva looked down at the footprints marked on the floor.
The numbers he had drawn were all worn away from how much he had stepped on them. However, the footprints Piranceva had made remained clearly visible on the floor.
“The numbers aren’t necessary. The Tienma Junrinbo is a footwork created to allow movement regardless of sequence.”
The Tienma Junrinbo was a footwork created to enable the smooth use of all the swordsmanship, physical arts, and martial arts recorded in the Heavenly Demon Art.
“The more I learn this martial art, the more I like it.”
Piranceva realized that the Heavenly Demon Art was a perfect martial art that compensated for the weaknesses of magic.
And it seemed that if he perfectly mastered the Heavenly Demon Art’s techniques, became a Sword Master, and regained all his sealed magic, he would be able to defeat the dragon that sent him to this world.
Piranceva gritted his teeth as he recalled the Ancient Dragon, Artilance.
“Just wait, you lizard bastard. I’ll soon strip all your scales off.”
