Fireball (1)
If a strange haze rises from your sword, would you believe it? It sounded like something straight out of a fantasy or wuxia novel, so even I had a hard time buying it at first. According to SwordTasteStar, once you get the feel for it, it's ridiculously easy. But she said a guy like me manifesting energy right after her advice was a first. Apparently, it took her a whole hour just to grasp the sensation herself. Of course, it might be because her advice packed all her hard-earned know-how.
Is this aura?
YasaengGrill
(Photo of sword with haze rising from it)
Did exactly as SwordTasteStar advised. Is this aura? Asking cuz it happened way too easily.
└SwordTasteStar That's aura, yeah;; I couldn't believe it, but it's real.
└YasaengGrill Good, right?
└Don't get cocky. It's annoying.
└Some take months, this guy's doing it in a day lol
└Months? Took me 3 years, damn it lol
└How the hell did SwordTasteStar teach him? Tell me too.
└YasaengGrill She said just recreate the feeling of circulating mana, then send it flowing into the sword. I did exactly that.
└Hah;; Mind-blowing that she explains it like that, and insane that it actually works for him.
└Damn, if aura was that easy, everyone and their dog would be using it lmao
└StarlightPrincess Wow. Impressive. In mage terms, what circle would that be?
└It's like jumping straight to 3rd circle.
└StarlightPrincess I see. So it is impressive, right?
└What circle did you start at anyway?
└StarlightPrincess 5th circle. Could've started higher, but illness held me back.
└They're jerking off here too lol
└Aura Blade right from the start lol
└Not Aura Blade. It's sword aura.
└Same difference, idiot. Gotta nitpick?
└Pride.
└YasaengGrill Anyway, compressing this into a shape makes an Aura Blade, right? Ok, practicing.
└SwordTasteStar Practice is good, but maintaining the sensation is key. People forget it sometimes.
└YasaengGrill You can forget it?
└SwordTasteStar Same principle as conscious breathing.
The comments exploded the moment I showed off the aura. Cheonma, fulfilling her sub-mod duties, didn't leave one. Whatever. Now that one-on-one chats are open, she'll probably DM me.
'Is this really that great?'
I stared intently at the sword with its rising haze. Mana was definitely draining from my body, but it recharged with every breath, so it wasn't a big deal.
'SwordTasteStar said to squeeze it tight, right?'
She advised practicing until the haze sharpened into form. From there, it's all about talent—she can't help much. Still, she promised to do her best.
'Feels like I'm just taking without giving back...'
I wanted to repay SwordTasteStar for all her pro tips. But she refuses rare herbs, saying she doesn't want to get healthy. So what would she'd accept? Maybe something non-herbal, more material?
'Tricky.'
She was pickier than even Cheonma. Just mooching didn't sit right with me. She joked that marriage would do it, but obviously kidding. Hell, escaping this place is questionable anyway.
'Let's test it out.'
I grabbed a plain logging axe—not Cheonma's sword. Wonmo was napping, Ppareumbo riding my back. Nothing beats logging for testing sword aura performance.
'Normally it'd take a few swings.'
I recalled the sensation of channeling mana into the blade. First, feel the mana pooled in my danjeon. Treat the lower belly like a storage tank, she said. Pull from there, send to the weapon—done.
'Refill via circulation if it runs dry, but...'
SwordTasteStar claimed she'd never lacked mana. Her body accumulated it with every breath, like infinite power. Mine might adapt to the environment, but who knows.
'Gotta keep up the internal power method steadily.'
I flowed mana into the axe. Haze rose faintly. Called sword aura in Jungwon, aura elsewhere. It supposedly multiplies human strength several times over.
"Hup!"
How strong exactly? I swung hard at a thick trunk—the same tree I'd felled with multiple hits yesterday.
Crack!
The axe bit deep—straight through. Not tofu-sliced, but the center shredded apart.
Crunch-crunch!
The trunk shattered, toppling the massive tree with a thud! Good thing I swung away from the cave—would've wrecked the dwarf's barricade otherwise.
'Not slicing—exploding.'
I inspected the fallen trunk. I knew weapons got stronger, but not this much. Per SwordTasteStar, the haze is just mana leakage—the weapon itself doesn't change.
'Makes sense for an axe.'
Axes smash more than slice. Shredded trunk fits. A sword probably would've cut clean like butter.
'...Could it?'
I fetched Cheonma's sword from the cave. Tested without mana—just pressed to the trunk. Never dared before, fearing it'd chip. But now? Not sawing— just checking if it slices.
Shwick—
"Huh?"
My eyes widened. Barely any pressure, and it sank deep. Then smoothly sliced through.
Rumble—
Tree fell, but I was mesmerized by the sword. Knew it was good, but this good? Unreal.
'What kinda broken item is this?'
No need for aura with this. Obviously not logging with it—risky if it chips.
'She just handed me this?'
Respect for Cheonma surged. But worry too—too generous? Wanted to return it, but she'd refuse.
'Gotta get her a better one someday.'
Way too OP. Belongs back with its owner eventually. I auctioned all but one log.
Checked the auction house too—my inner core from this morning.
Inner Core: 500 silver nyang
"Whoa."
Price skyrocketing. 500 silver nyang = 5,000 gold. Double the owl bear corpse's 250. Cheonma's testimony boosted it.
'What if it's fake?'
Refund? Dunno. But with Cheonma's word, no issues. She'd vouch if needed.
'Time check...'
Logged into Gallery. An hour flew practicing circulation and aura. 1:30 PM. Plenty till sunset.
'Make some traps?'
Good for skills and meat. Gallery has tons of hunter trap guides—concept posts even. Easy.
'Issue's the small game area...'
Know rabbit paths, but muscle mushrooms there. Avoidable if unprovoked, but risky. Better clear for safety.
'Cave nearby too—kill two birds.'
Decided. Muscle mushroom first. Slow but hits hard. Weak to fire, so doable. Torch in one hand, sword in other.
'Fire essential cuz spores or whatever.'
Recalled crumpling the golden shield with one Beast Fist. Direct hit? Bones gone. Fight at range.
'Arrows probably useless.'
Even ants have head/thorax/abdomen. Not muscle mushrooms—branchy limbs aside, plant-like. Shred or burn only way.
'...Magic too, right?'
Sudden thought: fantasy staple, magic. Elite-only skill.
'Could I learn basics?'
Remote attacks, daily convenience—huge. Dove into Gallery.
Easy to learn magic?
YasaengGrill
Wanna pick up simple fire/water spells. Hard?
└Cheonma Tsk. Master one art to achieve greatness. Already straying?
└SwordTasteStar Sub-mod's right. I quit magic day one—don't even try.
└No idea how many magic wannabes flood this Gallery lol
└Grill, you'll regret it. Don't.
└Fr, we're nice for warning you.
Super negative—even from Cheonma and SwordTasteStar. Why?
└YasaengGrill Don't elves/demons use magic fine?
└They start high—3rd circle easy, beyond tough.
└Grill, you're human, right?
└YasaengGrill Yeah, just curious.
└Even demons/elves dread it. Theory-wise, humans superior.
└YasaengGrill Why?
└You gonna analyze breathing theory? Humans explore more—others don't.
└YasaengGrill Got it.
└ChangguPrincess Still, Mephisto's best~ Relay magic proves it~
└Demon lifestyle spells are legit. Life's comfy lol
└Praise the demon who invented AC magic!
└AC magic?
└Air conditioner
└Ah lol worthy of praise lol
└Chilled storage spell for me lol Cool booze daily.
└GrowTrees Elves invent tons too!
└Like what?
└GrowTrees Comm/scout magic and explosion spells!
└Wtf;; scary af?
└Those guys starting war fr?
└GrowTrees No worries. Elves love peace.
└YasaengGrill If you want peace, prepare for war—what's the diff?;;
└GrowTrees Ooo! Wise words. Noted.
└YasaengGrill Huh? That guy's seriously off, but whatever.
Anyway, magic's everywhere—like science here. Or is magic science?
└StarlightPrincess Wanna learn magic? I can help.
└YasaengGrill Aren't you busy exercising?
└StarlightPrincess Free otherwise. Pardon, but Grill, you do arithmetic?
└YasaengGrill High school grad;;
Underestimating me? Or literacy low here. No public ed—academies cover gaps maybe.
└StarlightPrincess High school grad? Dunno that, but you can do math. Good. Fire as math formula—easy. Like this...
Even StarlightPrincess's explanation left my jaw dropped. Symbols, no numbers. Post-exam math reset—lit major anyway. Zero clue.
└StarlightPrincess Get it?
└YasaengGrill That's basics?
└StarlightPrincess Yes. Pre-academy.
└Head explodes just looking?
└Me first lol
└Ah lol no life impact lol
Are all mages here Newtons/Einsteins? Earth's geniuses too, vs normies. Shelved magic dreams.
└YasaengGrill Uh... gonna pass. Math easy for you?
└StarlightPrincess Love it. Math explains everything? Someday Four Seasons Forest too.
└YasaengGrill No calculators?
└StarlightPrincess Why? Mental math.
└YasaengGrill ;;;
└So annoying lol
└Those types exist.
└Wired different.
Shelve magic clean. False hope hurts. Thank StarlightPrincess anyway—felt bad disappointing her.
'Gotta solve physically.'
Scanned cave. Eyes landed on it: the dwarf's gifted booze, ignored till now.
'That's it!'