Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Sword Heat
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The day after conquering the northern swamp and returning.
Kang Geohan visited the Kingdom Workshop, holding the Lizard King's crown he had received as his share.
"I want to use this to upgrade Femoral."
The nucleus of an unexplored region, and Oparts, served as materials for Gigant upgrades.
Since the Lizard King's crown was both a nucleus and an Opart, it was undoubtedly an excellent material.
Sure enough, Harold Smith's eyes lit up.
"Ah, this is some tempting material, huh?"
"Isn't it?"
"Yeah. Sell it."
"Pardon?"
He had asked for an upgrade, but he was told to sell it?
Kang Geohan widened his eyes.
Harold scowled at Kang Geohan.
"Sell it. I'll give you a good price. You can't handle this anyway."
"No, that's not right. Please upgrade it."
"Listen, Kang Geohan."
"Yes."
"I know you're outstanding—so much so that it's hard to believe you're White."
"But?"
"But this? No. You can't even produce Sword Heat yet, can you?"
". . . That's just because I haven't tried yet . . ."
"No. It's an advanced technique that only seasoned knights can pull off, so it's natural a rookie like you can't do it yet."
". . ."
"But a rider who can't even produce Sword Heat? This is out of the question. Even if I upgraded the Gigant with this, you wouldn't be able to use it. Hell, you'd just get flung around."
"Please explain in more detail."
Seeing Kang Geohan's blazing gaze, Harold Smith sighed deeply and explained.
"The part we can make with this crown looks like an SPU. We could create one far superior to the standard models."
"Then that's a good thing."
"It is. If the Gigant heart and rider can handle it. Think about it. Your perception would spike so much that the whole world seems to freeze. But the Gigant's output can't keep up. What do you think happens then? Your head and body start playing separately."
". . . Then can't we just boost the Gigant's output too? I have money now."
"Ha! How much?"
"Up to 15,000 silver!"
"Not even close."
"Pardon?"
"Even a 10,000 silver upgrade wouldn't keep up with the SPU boost. That's how superior this crown is as material."
". . . I still want to do it. If the world looks slowed down, that's good, right? I'd have more time to think when enemies attack."
"The problem is adjusting the imbalance between the Gigant heart and SPU falls entirely on the rider's skill. Inside you, the slowed enemy speed and your even slower body senses will clash. You won't even be able to move—you'll just get dizzy and puke if you're lucky."
". . . How can you be so sure?"
"That's why I asked about Sword Heat. If you can produce Sword Heat, there's at least a sliver of possibility. It transcends the limits of the mind."
"Transcends the limits of the mind . . ."
"Yeah. So you're not ready yet. Shut up and sell it."
At that moment, Kang Geohan's eyes gleamed instead. He grabbed Harold's hands tightly with both of his.
"Please do it!"
"Huh?"
"Upgrade it, please."
"You . . . what did you just hear?"
"I'll make it work. I can do it. Trust me and go ahead."
". . . Ha?"
"Then I'll go train right away."
Kang Geohan shook Harold's hands vigorously and hurried out of the Kingdom Workshop. As he passed through the door, he shouted once more.
"Please take care of it, Master!"
* * *
Kang Geohan wasn't blindly sticking his neck out without being able to produce Sword Heat.
He had his own reasons to believe it was possible.
'Before leaving the outpost, Kaltz definitely said that.'
Kaltz Black had visited, saying he'd teach a new training method since they wouldn't see each other for a while.
-You've gotten somewhat familiar with demonic twisting, so now I'll teach you about demonic vibration.
Twisting demonic energy. The next step was to flick the twisted demonic energy like plucking a guitar string to make it vibrate.
After explaining the trick and demonstrating, Kaltz said this.
-Now, Master's demonic energy has grown considerably. If you succeed in demonic vibration too, you'll be able to produce Sword Heat.
Unfortunately, unlike demonic twisting, he couldn't master demonic vibration right away.
But,
Kang Geohan believed in himself.
'I can do it!'
He resolved to master demonic vibration and produce Sword Heat before the upgrade finished, so he could ride the upgraded Femoral with pride.
That was why.
The moment his growth break ended, Kang Geohan practically lived in the training room beneath the Infinite Waterwheel.
Hoo!
Under gravity ten times stronger, Kang Geohan gasped for breath.
'Here, my movements slow down. My thinking speed and perception stay the same, but gravity definitely slows my body.'
Wouldn't piloting an upgraded-SPU Gigant feel just like this?
A world where everything is visible to the eyes, but the body feels leaden heavy, filled with disconnect.
Training here would get him used to that sensation, wouldn't it?
That wasn't the only reason.
'And . . . this place is perfect for training demonic vibration.'
From sporadic practice so far, the key to succeeding in demonic vibration was 'balance.'
'Twisting demonic energy is no problem. Flicking the twisted demonic energy is no problem either. The issue comes after.'
The flicked demonic energy sloshed wildly inside his body.
Mana splashed everywhere, jerking his arms wildly, bursting eye veins, thrusting his hips out—it was chaos.
'It felt just like trying to squat on a wobbly balance ball while holding an unbalanced barbell.'
In other words, utterly horrific and dangerous.
So what Kang Geohan had to do was constantly steady the center of the churning power. Firmly, like roots planted in the earth.
'Probably . . . that state of quietly maintaining balance is what they call transcending the mind.'
In that sense, this place with ten times gravity was the ideal training ground.
The heavier the body, the easier it is to maintain balance.
Like how a heavier person stays steadier than a light one on a shaking subway.
That's why he planned to fix his body in place here, under the crushing high gravity, and forcibly adjust his demonic energy.
'Of course, the risks are greater.'
Just as a heavy person hurts worse falling than a light one, failing to control the rampaging demonic energy after flicking it would deal even more damage under ten times gravity.
But like how focus sharpens carrying a heavy barbell, true concentration emerges amid real danger.
Kang Geohan trusted himself and was determined to see it through here.
'Here goes.'
Krunch!
First, he twisted his demonic energy five times.
It was possible because his demonic energy, ever since the Lizard King fight, responded surprisingly well.
Then he flicked it.
Boom!
Like catching a fastball bowling ball, Kang Geohan's back jerked.
'Hold it!'
He gritted his teeth and struggled to control the thrashing demonic energy. But,
Pop! Boom!
His cheek turned as if slapped, his left leg flew up, and he crashed butt-first to the floor.
Gurgle!
His stomach rumbled like he had indigestion, churning wildly.
"Ugh . . ."
Kang Geohan wiped the foam from his mouth and curled up.
His mana raged like a feral wild horse.
Kang Geohan forcibly seized the reins.
'Suppress it! I have to suppress it.'
Barely suppressing the demonic energy, he stood, grinding his teeth with bloodshot eyes.
'One more time.'
Ting!
He flicked the demonic energy.
Kaaaa!
He opened his mouth wide, but his throat choked—no scream escaped.
Even pinned under ten times gravity, his body couldn't stay steady and wobbled.
Sizzle!
Steam rose from his red-hot body like molten iron. Thirst burned, and heat threatened to cook his brain.
Kang Geohan walked.
Boom boom boom!
One wall of the training room had a gaping hole.
There, one could stand under the waterfall cascading from the 25-meter-high waterwheel.
Staggering, he shoved his body under the waterfall.
Sizzle!
The moment Kang Geohan entered, thick steam billowed up.
And the ten-times-gravity waterfall pounded his whole body. Not water drops—steel balls.
It felt like a hail of arrows on his skin, dizzying fear crawling up from his gut.
Still, the cold water eased the scorching heat considerably.
Kang Geohan gritted his teeth.
'I have to pin it down!'
The fear. The rampaging mana. The body leaping uncontrollably.
Instinctively, Kang Geohan focused strength on his core and lower body.
It tied into what he'd realized through past training.
Developing demonic energy in the core boosted physical abilities and stabilized mana control.
Developing it in the lower body stabilized mana and allowed summoning greater bursts.
Their effects overlapped.
No wonder a man's power comes from the lower body and gut strength.
Kang Geohan sat in place. As far as he knew, the best exercise for lower body and gut was squats.
He tensed his glutes, puffed his belly, and lifted his head straight.
Was it because head demonic energy related to sensing mana?
Just straightening his head cleared his vision and eased his breathing.
Kang Geohan kept his head from drooping forward and sprang up from his seat.
Psssh—
Steam hissed as he sat again.
'One more!'
He twisted demonic energy
and flicked it.
Krunch!
Forcibly holding his twisting body, he rose from his seat.
The crashing waterfall pinned his body, preventing it from flying off wildly.
Pssshhh—!
Steam erupted madly from Kang Geohan standing in place. Water droplets hitting his body poured down.
Kang Geohan's body trembled violently.
Drip drip.
Blood flowed from his nose, but Kang Geohan didn't even notice.
'One more!'
And once again,
the moment he sat and rose,
demonic energy connected straight from lower body to core to head, resonating.
Thumm—!
The resonance sound was different from before.
A lingering hum, mana resonating and spreading.
And,
the waterfall surged backward.
Splash!
No, it just looked that way.
The falling water evaporated before touching Kang Geohan. Steam billowed so thick it seemed the waterfall flowed upward.
"Ah . . ."
Kang Geohan exclaimed.
"This is Sword Heat . . ."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't applied to a sword yet, so not true Sword Heat, but the principle was the same.
The haze enveloping his whole body.
It sliced and burned everything approaching.
Even the waterfall under ten times gravity couldn't pass the rising Sword Heat haze, shredding and evaporating.
His soaked hair and clothes dried crisp in no time.
Sword Heat. Symbol of knighthood.
Proof of superhumanity that could slice and burn bullets.
Kang Geohan smiled.
He sat back down.
Thumm—!
Feeling the crisp demonic vibration flick, he sprang up.
No more shaking like before. The mana simply vibrated quietly in place, like a musical instrument.
Ripple ripple.
The Sword Heat haze danced around him like a celebration.