Sidegrade (2)
I stroked my chin as I gazed at the aura, now vastly larger than before. According to SwordTasteStar's explanation, this kind of growth led to tremendous inefficiency. A flickering, flame-like aura versus a sharply refined one—just comparing the two made it obvious which was more efficient. But there was a tremendous wall between them, making it hard to reach. She said that if you could achieve it, nations would come begging for your power, so talent played a huge role.
'But it's been less than a month, so I can't rely on talent anyway.'
Even if my body was gradually adapting to the Four Seasons Forest, talent was a separate issue. The kneading technique the dwarf taught was straightforward—just follow the instructions. But aura and internal power methods were completely different. They all relied on 'feel.' So even as my mana kept surging, if I couldn't grasp that feel, it was meaningless.
'Guess I should ask SwordTasteStar first.'
The realm called Aura Blade or sword aura. Did I have to fight with this inefficient mess until I stepped into that realm? If there was no other way, fine—but since problems could arise, I wanted an expert's opinion.
'Cheonma will give advice too. I can ask if falling straight to sleep after hearing the incantation is normal.'
I'd post it all on the Gallery instead of asking separately. That way, they could exchange opinions easily. Maybe I'd even get advice from others.
Aura Got Even Bigger
YasaengGrill (photo of massively enlarged aura)
Ate an inner core yesterday, recited the incantation Cheonma taught me, and passed out right away. Woke up from some dream and my aura amount had increased. Is this normal? Thought I'd hit Aura Blade, but just the aura went insanely huge;;
└Cheonma Reciting the incantation and passing out? How peculiar.
└YasaengGrill Isn't that normal?
└Cheonma Usually, gaining enlightenment clears the mind. But falling asleep? Even this lady has never heard of it.
└YasaengGrill Then the dream's hard to explain too.
└Cheonma What dream did you have?
└YasaengGrill Just flying around in the sky? Same as when I had that fever last time.
└Cheonma Flying in the sky... Are you certain it was just a dream?
└YasaengGrill What do you mean?
└Cheonma It might have been your soul leaving your body.
└Talking about astral projection?
└Seems like it. Isn't that something immortals experience?
└Grills becoming an immortal?
└Escaping to the heavens, leaving the body behind lol
└Grills... How come only your soul came, sire...
└YasaengGrill You bastards;; If that's the case, it's a bit creepy. My soul might've really popped out. But nothing's confirmed yet.
That's when it hit me.
└SaryeongSul-eun Sarang-ida Astral projection isn't easy. This king can teach you.
└How do you do it?
└Who's this guy? New fixed nick.
└Some weirdo with a strange concept. Claims he's the Blood Demon King, sealed in Cardir's fridge?
└What kinda bullshit is that lol
└Even Olfather said he's Cardir lol Probably just a roleplayer.
└So he's a boomer. Got a method?
└SaryeongSul-eun Sarang-ida Wait. This king will tell you soon.
└SaryeongSul-eun Sarang-ida Alas. Unfortunately, I can't write spells in the Gallery. If this king had a body, I'd write it on paper myself.
└What wild concepts people come up with lol
└He sells the sealed vibe so well lol
└Ask a friend ㅇㅇ
└SaryeongSul-eun Sarang-ida He says he'll lower the fridge temp more. Such an insolent fool.
└lmao
└rofl
└lmao
This random SaryeongSul-eun Sarang-ida pops up outta nowhere. He claimed he could do astral projection. Trust level was low, but everyone acknowledged it was possible. So I had to consider it might not have been a dream.
└YasaengGrill Not exactly a good thing, right?
└SaryeongSul-eun Sarang-ida If soul and body stay close, maybe. But if they separate forever, the soul wanders alone, and the body stalls. If only the soul leaves, the body lives on like a vegetable—brain dead or coma state.
I got the gist. Definitely better as a dream than astral projection. Losing your soul would be disastrous.
└SwordTasteStar Wait. But why's that aura like that? Why so huge? I told you it's super inefficient;;
└YasaengGrill I know, it just grew on its own. Mana amount's the same.
└SwordTasteStar Same mana input but bigger?
└YasaengGrill Yeah.
└SwordTasteStar Mana consumption same too?
└YasaengGrill Yeah
└SwordTasteStar Seems like efficiency improved in a weird way;;
└Sidegrade whoa
└Real sidegrade lol Same everything but aura size jacked up lol
└Ever seen a case like that? Don't think so, I'm curious too.
I wondered if there were cases like mine. Even SwordTasteStar was stumped. Luckily, history's full of weird shit. Soon a drifter remembered a similar case.
└There was one. Like 300 years ago? That era's Sword Saint was similar to Grills, I think.
└Oh yeah. What was his nickname? Super impactful.
└Something like X-God Sword Saint?
└Yep, that was it lol
└No way, a Sword Saint with a nickname like that? lol
└Couldn't even reach Aura Blade, but aura grew insanely like Grills lol
└Couldn't cut space but destructive power off the charts lol
└Ultimate move was compressing all aura and thrusting?
└ㅇㅇ Blew up a castle with that alone?
└YasaengGrill So you're saying I'm that freakishly strong?
└Nah, at least he had Sword Master basics.
└Basics alone wrecked other Sword Masters. That's why he's in history as Sword Saint.
└YasaengGrill Then what am I?
└Just a freak?
└YasaengGrill You bitch;;
└SwordTasteStar I know of him too. First, test that aura's effects. Might just be flashy show.
I followed SwordTasteStar's advice. Was this flame-like aura actually effective? Aura wasn't just intangible energy—it had form and changed effects based on the tool. Sharp like a sword for cutting, blunt like a club for hardness