Chapter 25: Preparation Part 3

After he finished his preparations, Shane left the temporary camp with his party and moved forward.

Since it was a dungeon that had been raided dozens of times before, finding their way was not difficult.

“All three of you fought under difficult restrictions, so I will add a restriction for myself as well.”

Shane then set a condition for himself, which was to use only first-circle magic.

Of course, he did not intend to use runes either.

Just ordinary first-circle magic.

With that, clearing out the Ratmen’s lair would not be too difficult.

***

The path they followed behind Shane led to a huge dome-shaped tunnel.

There were large glowing stones on the ceiling, so they could barely see the inside, and the Ratmen were bustling about underneath them.

This was because the Ratmen patrolling the tunnel earlier had not returned.

Perhaps because of this, as soon as the group entered the tunnel, a dozen or so Ratmen that were each emitting threatening cries directed their killing intent towards them.

“Ah, is this killing intent?”

Dilaila who had tasted Shane’s intense and dense killing intent just recently frowned.

She was confused about something.

In contrast to Shane’s killing intent which felt like she was stabbed with a knife, the killing intent emanating from the dozen or so Ratmen was more like being poked with a blunt chopstick.

“Big brother, the number of enemies is too many to handle at once…”

Although first-circle magic wasn’t without killing power, that was only true when the enemy was defenseless.

However, Shane responded with a relaxed smile.

“Just watch. Dilaila, you’re first.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll show you how a handful of dirt can become a threatening weapon.”

Shane conjured the first-circle spell wind blade without any incantations.

This was possible because first-circle magic was relatively simple compared to other spells.

“Wind blade? But is that really wind blade?”

Dilaila quickly recognized the magical pattern emanating from Shane but then tilted her head in puzzlement.

As far as Dilaila knew, wind blade had decent cutting power but lacked the durability to maintain a clear shape.

And so it often lost its effect even against weapons that contained no magical power.

“But why is it so… thick?”

Just like Dilaila said, the wind blade Shane summoned looked far different from the spell she knew.

A typical wind blade was at most 50 cm long, but the one Shane summoned looked literally like a sword.

“A mage should not be confined by common sense. Dilaila, Why do you never try to add magic to the earth?”

“What?”

Dilaila was a member of the underground folk race.

She had an innate ability to control earth, and from a human perspective, this was very similar to magic which allowed her to serve as a mage in human society.

But to Dilaila, controlling the earth was closer to a supernatural ability than magic.

Because of this, while she had knowledge of magic, she never thought to make use of it.

Her abilities were so exceptional that she could instantly shake the ground and create huge walls. This made such efforts seem unnecessary.

Shane pointed this out.

“A mage is often said to walk a predetermined path and then become a pioneer by opening new paths at some point. But that is wrong.”

With that, Shane shot the wind blade at a charging Ratman.

“There is no predetermined path for a mage. No matter which path you are on, you must carve out your own way. The magic taught at the academy is merely ‘how to walk’ not the path itself.”

The Ratman’s claws swung to shatter the wind blade, but the blade deftly avoided the attack and sliced deeply into its side.

It was hard to believe this was the cutting power of a wind blade.

Despite this, the wind blade did not lose its form at all and flew toward its next target.

“In that sense, the wind blade is also just one of the ‘ways to walk’ taught at the academy.”

The wind has a natural flow. However, the wind blade controlled this flow which reduced its destructive power.

This approach is simpler because it makes it easier for novice mages to handle elements.

However, Shane did not take this obvious path.

Instead of controlling the wind, he guided it and allowed the flow of the wind to form naturally.

Shane didn’t stop there; he infused his will into the wind.

Infusing will into magic.

Like a swordsman infusing his will into his sword and making it float on its own.

Shane also infused his will into the wind blade.

If a high-ranking mage had seen this, they would have been shocked.

A mage manipulates magical power, not will.

Unlike a swordsman who manipulates the universe within their body, a mage manipulates the universe outside their body.

Despite this, Shane effortlessly combined magical power and will.

It was the result of choosing how to extend one’s own abilities, rather than simply following a predetermined path.

At that sight, Dilaila belatedly came to a vague theoretical understanding of Shane’s magic and looked at him with a shocked expression.

“A mage is a pioneer and seer who carves out new paths. If a mage was just someone who recites fixed magical patterns, every librarian in the library would be an archmage.”

“Crazy …”

Despite her shock, Dilaila redefined her future based on those words.

Just like Shane said.

At some point, she might have been content with the power she could wield.

Magic at the academy might have been merely a tool for grades.

It was only natural.

Human magic, unless it reached a certain level, was far inferior to her current level of manipulating the earth.

Even if she took the time to become an archmage, by then, Dilaila would have further developed her own abilities.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t only Dilaila who was shocked.

Even Kein and Anais.

They too opened their eyes wide in disbelief as they watched Shane’s wind blade.

It was only natural.

“Wh-what on earth…”

“How is that possible?”

Another wind blade had been summoned before they knew it.

The two wind blades flew freely through the air and started tracing lines that resembled Klein and Anais’s swordsmanship.

No, rather,

It was even more graceful and beautiful with the blades striking at the vital points of the Ratmen within those lines.

It was only natural that they would be shocked like that.

“In terms of physical strength, I didn’t inherit the same talent as you, Klein.”

But.

“That doesn’t mean I’m inferior when it comes to handling magical power.”

Using magical power based on theory was entirely Shane’s own ability.

At least in the realm of theory, he was not inferior to Klein’s instinctual realm.

This was the result of Shane’s efforts to cultivate himself over a long period of time while he was trapped within himself due to corruption from his past life.

“Watch closely. This is the sword a warrior must wield on the battlefield.”

Therefore, understanding, analyzing, and executing the swordsmanship Klein and Anais displayed,

And even going further beyond it was not difficult for Shane.

***

The entire giant underground dome reeked of the blood of Ratmen.

“Ugh…”

Dilaila felt dizzy from the smell of blood and pinched her nose, Klein furrowed his brows with a complicated expression on his face, and Anais was purely impressed.

“Amazing.”

Anais struggled to remember the sword path Shane had just demonstrated with his magic.

To Anais, Shane’s wind blade was the epitome of ideal swordsmanship.

However, Shane stopped her.

“Anais, do you remember what I just said?”

“…To carve out your own path?”

“That’s right. What I showed you was simply the path I analyzed. You need to hone your own sword. Use it as a reference but don’t get lost in it. The moment you’re blocked on your own path, you’ll forget how to overcome it. Not only mages can become pioneers of their field.”

“…Okay.”

“And Klein.”

“Yes.”

“Did you gain any insight from watching my battle?”

“……”

In response to Shane’s question, Klein nodded his head and looked at the numerous Ratman corpses.

Shane never killed the Ratmen in a straightforward manner.

At times, he avoided the vital points of the Ratmen, making them move awkwardly and agitating their comrades.

At other times, he killed them with a single strike, instilling the fear of death in them.

It was as if he was imprinting it into the monster’s instincts.

Shane had controlled every action of the Ratmen to produce the intended results.

His understanding of the monsters’ habits was scary.

Additionally, when the Ratmen felt moderate fear, Shane would release a few and allow them to call for their comrades.

As a result,

The number of Ratmen that was initially only a dozen or so has multiplied to dozens.

And not only that. Although Shane’s wind blade was clearly similar to Klein’s swordsmanship, its nature was completely different.

It was a domineering swordsmanship.

The stance, as if conquering the world, was vastly different from Klein’s swordsmanship which seemed to embrace the world.

This difference was only normal as it was all dictated by the wielder’s will.

And Shane demanded such results from Klein.

Unlike what he had told Dilaila and Anais about carving their own paths, he was now setting an example for him.

This fact left Klein feeling confused.

His older brother had always displayed a prickly demeanor but he had never possessed such a tyrannical personality.

When did this change occur?

What could he have experienced to show me this kind of swordsmanship?

At the same time, Klein’s body trembled.

It was a reaction close to faint fear and rejection.

But Klein also felt a small shift in his heart which left him confused.

Unconsciously, he realized that Shane’s path was not wrong at all.

This was due to Klein’s genius understanding of swordsmanship.

Sympathy was utterly useless in battle.

Battle was pure madness itself.

He instinctively understood that there was no room for soft emotions like sympathy in the sword.

Had he not known, he might have been unaware, but with the complete form right before his eyes, Klein’s talent did not overlook such an excellent textbook.

What has my sword been for all this time?

Surely, this question would haunt Klein for a long time.

However, at least his sword would never again harbor feelings of sympathy for his enemies like before.

Even if he could not achieve Shane’s level of domineering swordsmanship,

The sword that introduced hesitation to himself would no longer exist.

……And just like that, five days passed.