The Last Sword Saint
The words engraved on the tightly shut iron door read:
[The Last Sword Saint.]
So this was the Sword Saint he had been waiting for. With a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, Kang Hyun-jun slowly opened the door and stepped inside. The room was filled with dim light. There was no sign of Sidenmiller; instead, an altar stood at the center with a sword planted in it. Only that spot was flooded with brilliant light.
"What is this?"
Was he supposed to pull that sword out? Sidenmiller did seem to enjoy dramatic staging. Without a word, Hyun-jun walked toward the altar in the center. As soon as he reached it, the white light rippled like it was dancing.
Wuuung.
When he reached out, the sword embedded in the altar resonated.
Do I just pull it out?
Hyun-jun hesitated for a moment, then drew the sword from the altar. It came free smoothly, as if it had only been stuck in soft earth.
Shhhk.
With a sharp metallic scrape, the naked blade was revealed.
"Beautiful..."
The first thought that came to him at the sight of the sword glittering in the white light slipped from his lips before he could stop it.
"As expected of my reincarnation. You know how to look at a sword."
A cynical voice sounded, and someone stepped out of the darkness. He wore a steel cuirass and a sword hung at his waist.
"I am the Last Sword Saint, Sidenmiller."
"I'm Kang Hyun-jun."
Their introductions were brief. Sidenmiller moved to Hyun-jun's side.
"Aura Blade... can you use it?"
Refining aura into a sharp edge to strengthen a sword was a technique some B-class Hunters could use, but in general it was a method commonly employed only by those at A-class and above. It was not a technique that could cut everything, but because Aura Blade was fundamentally superior in slicing power, it was a terrifying art that could cleave even ordinary steel with ease.
And now Sidenmiller was asking Hyun-jun, who was only a C-class Hunter, to use something that extraordinary.
"Recall the memory from when I descended into your body. With my help, you clearly used Aura Blade then. That should be enough for now."
At Sidenmiller's words, Hyun-jun searched through his memories of that time. He remembered the overwhelming mana he had felt when Sidenmiller had descended. But recalling the flow itself was not easy.
"It doesn't seem easy, does it?"
"Honestly? No, it isn't."
"Can't be helped. I'll give you a little help."
He felt a hand settle on his shoulder.
"I'm going to pour my mana into your body now. Don't resist. Just accept it and remember the flow."
"W-wait... GAAAH!"
Before he could even answer, mana surged into him. Instinctively resisting the invading force made agony explode through his entire body. It was pain violent enough to twist him inside out.
"I told you not to resist!"
With a short bark, Sidenmiller stopped feeding mana into him. But the pain did not stop. Hyun-jun writhed in torment until the mana Sidenmiller had poured in finally began to fade.
How much time passed? When the mana inside him dissipated and the pain at last receded, he barely managed to gather his wits.
"That's mana collision. In the real world, you'd be dead."
"No wonder... it hurt like hell."
Hyun-jun forced out the words and got to his feet. He had learned about mana collision in basic training. If he remembered right, it was a terrifying phenomenon that brought a person to death in the end, after unleashing unbearable pain first.
"And that's why I warned you, didn't I? Not to resist."
"You know very well that's not easy, don't you? To avoid resisting a mana collision like this, you need at least the mana control of an S-class Hunter."
Hyun-jun snapped back, irritated.
"You can do it too."
"Fine. Please help me again."
"I'd do it a hundred times if needed."
Sidenmiller nodded and stepped closer again. Then he placed his hand on Hyun-jun's shoulder.
"I'm going in."
"Yes, sir."
The instant he answered, Hyun-jun felt Sidenmiller's mana forcing its way into his body. He tried not to resist, but precision mana control on this level was not easy.
"Ghh, ngh!"
As expected, searing pain crashed over him like a wave. He groaned and collapsed, while Sidenmiller took a step back and watched the scene unfold.
"Krrrgh..."
Only after some time did the mana finally settle. Hyun-jun exhaled raggedly and managed to push himself up again. He had thought he was getting used to pain, but that had been a mistake.
"Feels like I'm going to die from the pain."
"Even if it hurts enough to kill you, you won't die here, so don't worry."
Sidenmiller said it with a faint smile.
"And we have plenty of time."
That was the greatest advantage of the training room.
"Please do it again."
"Good attitude."
The mana injection began again. And how many times had he repeated the cycle of collapsing with a scream and getting back up? Hyun-jun realized that his control over mana had improved noticeably.
"Please do it one more time."
"Good attitude. The important thing is to keep challenging yourself."
"This time will be different."
Hyun-jun steadied his breathing, his face tense. The moment Sidenmiller's hand touched his shoulder, a massive amount of mana poured into him. Hyun-jun did his best to control the mana inside. The internal force that had been moving to resist him all began to obey his command, and before long it quieted down.
Remarkable. Carthago and Hashashin both told me he had talent, but this much...
Sidenmiller did not say it aloud so as not to break Hyun-jun's concentration, but he was deeply impressed by that shining talent.
This time, maybe it is possible. To stop them!
Sidenmiller's eyes glinted.
"The wild mana has settled down. Now focus on the movement of my mana."
From here on, it mattered. Hyun-jun knew that too, so instead of answering he nodded and concentrated on Sidenmiller's mana.
"I can see it! I can see it!"
"You can feel it?"
Sidenmiller asked, watching Hyun-jun exclaim in awe. Surprise colored his voice. He had not expected Hyun-jun to sense the flow of mana this quickly.
I should revise my judgment. Without a doubt, this talent is at hero level even among the 990,000 lives.
It was dazzling talent.
"Focus properly and feel where the mana is flowing."
"It's gathering in my mana circuits."
Any Hunter who had awakened would develop mana circuits, organs that let them use mana and unleash various transcendent powers. Hyun-jun sensed Sidenmiller's mana encircling his own mana circuits and spinning rapidly around them.
"You'd do well to memorize the route that mana takes."
And how much time passed after that?
"I memorized it."
Thanks to repeated learning, he managed to remember the path mana took.
"Not bad."
Sidenmiller lifted his hand from Hyun-jun's shoulder.
"Just now, you learned the basics of the Mana Circulation Method."
"The Mana Circulation Method?"
"Yes. If you use mana the way I've taught you, your mana circuits will strengthen. I assume you understand what that means."
Hyun-jun nodded instead of answering. Strengthening the mana circuits meant increasing the maximum capacity of his mana.
"From here on, I plan to pass down part of my swordsmanship. If you train swordsmanship while using the Mana Circulation Method, not only will your proficiency rise quickly, but your body will also be strengthened as mana stimulates your muscles. Naturally, you are to tell no one about my swordsmanship or the Mana Circulation Method."
In this world, no one knew a training method called the Mana Circulation Method. Hyun-jun had no intention of telling anyone either. It was better to keep such an excellent training method to himself.
"I have no plans to share it. Why would I do someone else a favor?"
"That sounds a bit like Hashashin, but it's a satisfactory answer."
Sidenmiller's mouth curved faintly.
"Try using Aura Blade. You should be able to now."
Hyun-jun raised the sword and poured mana into it just as Sidenmiller had taught him. Faintly, an Aura Blade took shape.
"Wow..."
At the sight of the brilliant blue aura, the first one he had ever seen with his own eyes, Hyun-jun let out an involuntary sigh of admiration. Watching him, Sidenmiller smiled with satisfaction.
"I don't know what happened to you, but your mana circuits were a mess."
"What? What do you mean..."
"I mean they weren't functioning efficiently at all. But don't worry now. I've opened the path for you."
In other words, he could become even stronger.
"From now on, I'll teach you part of the swordsmanship I have mastered."
The swordsmanship of the Sword Saint. He could not hide how excited he already felt.
"As I explained before, training swordsmanship while using the Mana Circulation Method will not only raise your mana capacity and proficiency easily, it will also strengthen your body. So be sure to train both together."
"Understood."
Hyun-jun nodded and answered. It was advice from a true strongman, and he was taking every word of it to heart.
"I'll show you the sword form. Watch closely."
Then Sidenmiller demonstrated his sword movements. They were flamboyant yet restrained. Even without any real knowledge of the art, Hyun-jun could vaguely tell it was high-level swordsmanship. It was on a completely different tier from the sword forms the instructors at the Hunter Training Center had shown him.
"Can you copy it?"