Chapter 6
Ignoring Yibaek, who was practically bursting with excitement, Alex stepped into the backyard. He pulled the sword from its sheath and held it with both hands.
âHolding this after so long feels a bit strange.â
His physical body had been handling a sword until just yesterday, but his soul hadn’t held one in twelve years, creating a sense of disconnect.
Swish! Swish! Alex swung it lightly a few times, trying to regain his muscle memory.
[Hmm⌠You donât exactly give off an overpowered protagonist vibe, do you?]
Watching Alex swing the sword rather clumsily, Yibaek tilted his head in confusion.
[Are you⌠actually weak?]
Alex wasn’t sure why Yibaek sounded so disappointed, but he answered the visibly crestfallen spirit nonetheless.
âOf course. Iâve never properly learned how to use one.â [Though, considering that, you seem to know what youâre doing to some extent.] âMy sister and brother-in-law taught me.â [Ah.]
At the mention of his missing sister and brother-in-law, Yibaek went quiet.
In the meantime, after warming up and swinging the sword a few more times to get used to the weight, Alex took a firm stance once again.
Unlike his previous lighthearted posture, his concentration was now absolute.
He had never been formally trained, but that didn’t matter. For twelve whole years, he had watched the greatest, most marvelous, wonderful, magnificent, and adorable master of all.
Alex pictured âHero Leoâ in his mind.
He remembered his nephewâhow he had overcome the grief of losing his uncle, picked up a basic swordsmanship manual from the study, and started training all by himself.
Unlike Alex, who had struggled despite being taught by his sister and brother-in-law, Leo had mastered it flawlessly on his own.
âAnd later, the master he met praised his talent as extraordinary.â
Alex had spent twelve years right by that very Leo’s side.
He knew exactly what posture to take, what mindset to hold, and how to swing the blade.
Alex calmed his mind, tightened his grip on the hilt, and brought the sword down with all his strength.
Whooshâ! The sharp blade cut through the air, creating a sound completely different from before.
Swiiish! Without stopping, Alex swung the sword left and right in flawless form. His eyes never left the blade as he maintained the perfect balance of force.
Tap! Tack! He also carefully adjusted his footwork as he planted his feet on the ground.
âStrong when needed, gentle when required.â
Exactly as the âfuture Leoâ had done.
[âŚOh.]
Yibaekâs low murmur of admiration fell on deaf ears. Alex was entirely focused on the sword.
How much time had passed? Sweating profusely from intense concentration, Alex finally brought his sword to a halt, taking a deep breath to catch his wind. Then, with a small smile, he looked down at the sword his sister had gifted him.
âNot badââ [AARGH!!]
His sentence was cut short, drowned out by Yibaekâs bloodcurdling scream.
[My lower back! My shoulders! My arms!] [Why does it hurt so much?!] ââŚIt canât be helped. Itâs because my flexibility is lacking, and this uses completely different muscle groups.â
Attempting to execute proper, high-level swordsmanship with the body of a farmer who had only trained haphazardly was bound to put a strain on his body.
[Donât you feel any pain?] [The reason Iâm hurting is because youâre in pain!]
Hearing that, Alex rubbed his stiff joints. It ached, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.
âLooks like Iâll have some muscle soreness tomorrow.â [Owwwww!!]
Feeling pain for the first time in decades, Yibaek groaned in agony.
[Sharing sensations isn’t all sunshine and rainbowsâŚ. And unlike plugging up nostrils, I can’t even turn this off!] [Alex, take care of your body from now on.] [I don’t want to hurt!]
Hmm. Knowing he probably couldn’t make that promise, Alex ignored the groaning Yibaek and continued his thoughts.
Having encountered countless high-level swordsmen in the ‘future’, Alex had developed a sharp eye for swordsmanship, and he could tell:
âJust as my brother-in-law said, I really do have quite a bit of talent.â
If he built upon his current knowledge and trained step-by-step, taking ‘Hero Leo’ as his role model, he felt confident he could become an exceptional swordsman.
âAlright.â
Alex tightened his grip on the hilt once more.
Immediately after, their magic lesson began.
[Alright, shall we try creating a Circle?] [This usually takes quite a while, though Iâm not sure how it’ll go for you.] âIf I borrow your senses, wonât it be easy?â
With the abilities of a Lich like Yibaek, Alex thought he might even become a Grand Mage in a matter of days.
[It doesn’t work that way.] [Just because I borrow your sight and smell doesn’t mean I can control your body, right?] [Just like how I can’t plug your nostrils for you.]
Yibaek giggled slyly.
[I can only help you feel the mana. The rest is entirely up to your own capacity.]
Although slightly disappointed by Yibaek’s words, Alex let out a soft sigh and composed himself.
Right. Life is never that easy.
âWhat should I do?â
Thoroughly excited to be teaching the world’s very first Magic Swordsman, Yibaek explained eagerly.
[Remember yesterday when I said mana is like a giant rock?] [Well, among those rocks are tiny specks, like grains of sand. Imagine pulling those in through deep breaths.] [Visualization is key.]
Following Yibaekâs instructions, Alex breathed in, attempting to absorb the tiny grains of mana floating in the air. Inhale, exhale.
Then, the smaller particles among the abundant mana surrounding Alex began to flow smoothly into his body, almost like water.
[âŚAlready?] [I thought itâd take you at least a few tries!] [Alex, youâre insanely talented, aren’t you?]
Even as he listened to Yibaek, Alex stayed focused, striving to draw in more mana.
[Now, imagine directing that small stream of water through your body.] [Your body’s mana circuitsâthe pathways where mana flowsâare far too narrow.]
Yibaek explained step by step.
[Originally, mana circuits are at their widest when youâre born and gradually narrow as you grow up. Thatâs why mages start training from a young age.] [At your age, your mana circuits are almost completely blocked. No matter how much talent you have, becoming a mage should be nearly impossible.]
Alex was already aware of this. That was precisely why mages never accepted anyone as a disciple unless they were still young, regardless of their innate talent.
How many brilliant talents must have faded away into obscurity because of that rule? If only those people had been trained, perhaps the era of ruin would never have come.
âTo think I was one of them.â
Alex smiled bitterly to himself. He had spent his childhood wandering with his sister, and his youth farming, completely oblivious to his own potential.
Even after returning to the past, it should have remained a useless talent.
[But luckily, youâve got me!]
That is, if his instructor hadn’t been a Lich.
[Clearing a mana circuit of this level is child’s play!] [Let’s slowly carve a path all the way to your heart.]
Yibaek guided him through the path, leading the mana around his body toward his heart.
[No, a little lower. Perfect. Now move it 2 millimeters in that direction.]
Since they shared a single body, teaching was extraordinarily efficient.
[Wait, this actually works?]
Yibaek couldn’t help but marvel when Alex precisely manipulated the mana to shift it by exactly 2 millimeters as instructed.
[If you had learned this as a kid, you seriously would’ve become a Grand Mage.]
To control manaâwhich naturally possessed a wild, unruly natureâwith such delicate precision, especially on one’s very first day sensing it, was astonishing.
Even Yibaek, who had seen countless prodigies throughout his life, couldn’t hide his awe.
âPhew.â
Alex focused entirely on Yibaek’s instructions, manipulating the mana meticulously.
Though Yibaek made it sound effortless, Alex was concentrating so hard that sweat trickled down his face. If not for the mental fortitude he had forged in the ‘future’ while accompanying the Heroâs party (even if they were unaware of his presence), he would have collapsed from mental exhaustion long ago.
As the mana flowed along his circuits, he could feel delicate sensations he had never experienced before.
[Imagine shaping the mana inside your heart into a ring. Compress it tightly like dough so it doesn’t scatter.]
Though the metaphor was a bit odd, Alex moved the mana gathered in his heart as instructed, attempting to forge a round ring.
However, the tiny particles of mana refused to hold together, repeatedly slipping through his mental grasp like water droplets through fingers.
Frowning slightly, Alex exerted absolute focus to shape the mana into a ring.
And finallyâ A ring of mana was complete.
[I can’t believe you made it on your first try!] [And it’s so thick, too! Usually, a first ring is way thinner than this.] [At this rate, forming a 2nd Circle won’t take you long at all!]
Yibaek praised him sincerely. If he had hands, he undoubtedly would have given him a round of applause.
[This is a 1st Circle ring. The mana inside this ring will now obey only your commands.] [Unlike the disobedient mana floating outside.]
Phewâ Exhaling a deep breath, Alex opened his eyes and reached out with a bewildered expression, placing his hand over his chest.
He could feel his beating heart, and within it, the 1st Circle ring slowly revolving.
I really became a mage. It felt surreal, yet a surge of overwhelming emotion swelled in his chest.
âNowâŚâ
Itâll be even easier to make Leo happy.
That alone was enough to fill Alex with satisfaction, and he felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Yibaek.
[Since weâve come this far, letâs try casting a spell!] [Itâs probably best to start with elemental magic, right?] [I donât know how things work in this world, but where I come from, Black Magic was a complete taboo.]
Even though he had ended up becoming a Lich himself, Yibaek added with a chuckle.
âItâs the same here. If you get caught, the Holy Kingdom sends people to hunt you down immediately.â [Then Iâll just teach you elemental magic or non-elemental magic.]
Hearing Yibaekâs words, Alex fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, before speaking up.
âNo. Once Iâm skilled enough to completely hide it, teach me Black Magic, too.â [Black Magic?]
Surprised by his response, Yibaek listened as Alex spoke in a solemn, resolute tone.
âBecause no one knows what the future holds.â
If that worst-case scenario were ever to strike again, Alex was prepared to bargain with his very soul to save Leo.
[Hmm. Fair enough.] [Got it.] [Then letâs start with Fire Magic first.]
Yibaek explained the concepts in a way that was easy to grasp, even for a complete beginner like Alex.
[Magic is willpower.] âWillpower?â [Yeah. You visualize a complete image in your mind and desire it from the absolute depths of your heart. Powerfully, earnestly, and truly.] [With the absolute conviction that you must cast this spell.] [Then, mana takes that willpower and manifests it into reality.]
Listening intently to Yibaekâs explanation, Alex asked,
âAre magic formulas not required?â [Theyâre needed when constructing magic circles, crafting magic items, or casting spells beyond your current circle level.] [However, for basic magic, all you need is the mana you can control and absolute willpower.]
It was a fundamentally different approach from the mages of Solenium, who relied heavily on complex magical formulas.
[Understand?] âYeah.â [Then letâs give it a try.]
Alex and Yibaek prepared to cast the spell.
[The incantation word is ăFireă.] [Since itâs your first time, raise your hand to designate the target location. Once you get used to it, itâll be more convenient to do it with just a thought.] âGot it.â
Alex extended his hand forward.
[Imagine creating a fire in front of your hand.] [How big will it be? How hot? What color? How brightly will it shine?] [The more specific your image, the higher your chances of success.]
Following Yibaek’s guidance, Alex pictured a flame in his mind.
A flame about the size of a fist, as hot as the fire he used when cooking, colored vibrant red, and glowing as brightly as a campfire.
[Now, rotate your 1st Circle ring. Channel the mana released from the ring through your mana circuit and push it out toward your hand.] [Use about this much mana.]
Doing exactly as Yibaek instructed, mana gathered in front of his hand in an instant.
His own controlled mana, absolute willpower, and the incantation word.
âăFireăâ
At that moment, a flame erupted in front of Alexâs hand.
A blazing flameâthe size of a human head. It burned fiercely, radiating intense heat.
[Whoa! Success on the very first try!] [I knew you had talent!] […Wait, why is it so huge?!]
