Chapter 149: Sword Aura
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 149: Sword Aura
“Gek… Gekgek.”
One limp lizard.
After a grueling training session with Baek Yeon-yeong, I was sprawled out flat on my back.
A master of Baek Yeon-yeong’s caliber was helping me train.
One might think I was blessed, but it was a little different.
My master was undeniably a master. So much so that I had yet to find anyone who could compare to her.
However, just because someone was a master didn't mean they were good at teaching others.
I knew that better than anyone.
Still, back when I was weaker, she used to train me by playfully toying with my body.
But what about now?
I was a lizard that had grown as large as it could.
On top of that, I now possessed Dragon Scales, which meant it was okay to handle me roughly.
You could say I’d gone from being Baek Yeon-yeong’s favorite plush toy to her personal sandbag.
Of course, she wasn't just tormenting me for no reason.
She must be putting me through this wringer to help me achieve some kind of enlightenment.
“Your internal energy is certainly at the Peak Realm, but there’s something a little lacking.”
As expected, my internal energy had reached the Peak Realm.
Since I had long since surpassed the entry level of the Peak Realm, it would be fair to call it the mid-stage.
It would have been a problem in its own right if I were still at the First-Rate level after eating all those elixirs.
“What do you think the Peak Realm is?”
“Ge-ek.”
“The opening of the middle dantian. You could think of it that way, and that’s usually how it’s divided.”
The reason I was certain I had reached the Peak Realm was also because I had opened my middle dantian.
Opening another dantian had undeniably made me incomparably stronger than before.
Panting, I listened intently to her words.
“To begin with, realms aren’t something you can divide as if cutting with a knife. Especially Third-Rate, Second-Rate, and First-Rate. Those words didn’t originally denote realms. But I hear that these days, some people use strange phrases like ‘a mature Third-Rate’ or ‘the entry-level of Second-Rate.’”
What in the world was a ‘mature Third-Rate’?
At that rate, Baek Woon would introduce himself as being at the ‘pinnacle of the First-Rate.’
“Compared to those, the Peak Realm has clear criteria for division. The presence of a middle dantian is one, and the ability to use Sword Aura is another.”
…Sword Aura!
I finally realized what Baek Yeon-yeong was trying to teach me.
“You should be able to coat things with your internal energy, even if it’s not a sword.”
Baek Yeon-yeong picked up a fallen tree branch from nearby.
Ssssk…
A black energy shimmered over the surface of the branch.
“If you coat a blade, it’s Blade Aura. If you coat your fists, it’s Fist Aura.”
With Baek Yeon-yeong’s internal energy, she could probably draw out a Sword Aura the size of a whole tree, let alone a branch.
The fact that she was controlling it so finely meant she wanted me to watch and learn.
“Just opening the middle dantian doesn’t lead to a dramatic increase in combat power. Not unless you’re like someone who devours elixirs and inner cores.”
“Gekgek…”
I glanced at her cautiously.
The reason I had grown so much stronger after opening my middle dantian was that I could now handle the power of the elixirs and inner cores I hadn't been able to before.
In other words, an ordinary human, for whom even a low-grade inner core was a rare sight, wouldn't have experienced such dramatic growth just from opening their middle dantian.
It seemed the elixirs from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, including the Gongcheongseokyu, and the ones I received from the Snake Queen had really paid off.
“Gekgek.”
“But Sword Aura is different. It allows you to cut what cannot be cut, making it worthy of the name ‘Peak Realm.’”
My master’s wrist moved slightly.
Kak!
The branch, following the trajectory of her movement, carved a deep groove into the wall.
“This is Sword Aura.”
She had cut a solid wall with a tree branch.
It was an amazing feat, but this was Baek Yeon-yeong we were talking about.
She could probably do something like this even without Sword Aura.
But the branch would have likely shattered, unable to withstand her power.
“If you wrap your entire body in this, it becomes a protective aura.”
The black energy enveloped her whole body.
It looked just like a suit of armor.
…I think ‘Strong Protective Aura’ is more accurate than just ‘protective aura.’
“Rather than covering your whole body, it’s easier and more efficient to use a weapon to focus it on a single point. This is why martial artists above a certain level insist on using weapons.”
“Gek…”
In other words, the fact that Baek Yeon-yeong didn't carry a weapon meant she had far surpassed even them.
It meant she was so overwhelmingly powerful that there was no difference for her between covering her entire body with aura and focusing it on a single point using a medium.
“Therefore, to use Sword Aura, the first step is to hold a weapon.”
Perhaps that was why the Snake Queen used a sword.
It would be several times more efficient to focus her energy on a sword than to wrap her enormous body in aura.
So, does that mean I have to use a sword too?
Should I try holding one in my mouth like when I fought the Dilophosaurus?
“Huiya, what are you worried about?”
“Gekgek?”
“You have ten swords.”
I looked down at my hands.
Five sharp claws on each one.
What if I could focus my internal energy into these hands and draw out Sword Aura?
Dragon's Claws, Eagle-Snake Life-Death Struggle, Nine Yin White Bone Claw, Gaegaek Divine Claw.
All of my techniques would become even stronger.
“Do you understand?”
“Gekgek!”
She was explaining things so well, which was unlike her.
It was all sinking in perfectly.
“Good. Are you ready now?”
Of course, Baek.
…Huh?
Ready for what?
“Get in position, Huiya.”
“Ge-ek… Gekgek…”
A lizard with sad eyes.
I was thoroughly beaten by Baek Yeon-yeong, and even suffered the humiliation of being used as her famous sword, Gomodo, having Sword Aura wrapped all over my body.
Fortunately, it seemed Baek Yeon-yeong held an important position within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, so she couldn't continue the training for days on end.
And so, the first session of Sword Aura class came to an end.
Of course, only Baek Yeon-yeong left; I was left behind in this room.
“Geeeehng…”
This pathetic disciple was reduced to the miserable state of munching on tasteless Grain-Free Pills.
Just as I was about to shed a tear in the corner…
Creeak.
The heavy door opened, and a familiar voice drifted in.
“Phew, you’re in a really deep place, aren’t you?”
My believer.
The pride of the Tang Clan.
It was the kind-hearted Tang Soyeong.
“Gegegek!”
I rushed toward her with a happy heart.
“Aah! What, why are you so big?”
Huh?
Right, Tang Soyeong didn't know about the size of a Gomodo-Lania.
“Kiooong!”
“Kieeeek!”
The spiders hanging from her shoulders couldn't hide their excitement either.
Why are you guys excited?
“C-Calm down! You’ll be able to catch up soon enough… If not, we can just focus on certain parts…”
Thump!
I lightly bonked Tang Soyeong on the head with my tail.
“Ouch! I was just kidding. Ahem, this is perfect timing. Could you help me move this?”
I looked to see what she was talking about and saw her dragging a large box.
“She said you’ve probably been chewing on nothing but Grain-Free Pills for days, so she told me to bring you something delicious.”
So my master sent her.
“Gekgek!”
“If I’d known you were this big, I would have brought more.”
My wonderful Soyeong.
I gently stroked her head with my tail.
“Hehe… Aah! D-Don’t be mad!”
Tus and Pus were hitting her, alternating from both sides.
Leaving the three of them to sort things out, I opened the box Tang Soyeong had brought.
Inside was a dish made from a large bird.
To be specific, it was closest to a whole chicken soup.
Drool started to trickle from my mouth.
Just when I was thinking the nutty flavor of the Grain-Free Pills wasn't so bad, I realized my palate was definitely more suited to meat.
I wanted to gulp down that chicken right this instant.
But there was a problem.
“Ge-ek…”
My body wouldn't move properly because of the training with my master.
To be precise, my front paws and mouth wouldn't move as I wanted.
I had used my teeth and claws relentlessly to try and draw out Sword Aura.
“…Huh? Hero Go, are you hurt?”
“Kioooong!”
“Kieeeek!”
The three bickering members of the Tang family turned to look at me at the same time.
Tus and Pus raised their front legs as if they were angry.
“Ge-ek…”
Baek Yeon-yeong did this to me.
I let out a sorrowful cry filled with that meaning.
“Kiek.”
Tus and Pus quietly sat down as if they had never been angry.
…You disloyal brats.
“Kieeeh!”
Nephila Jurassica shuffled over to me and gently nudged my front paw with her long leg.
‘Good grief, you fool. You should have done better.’
There was no way Nephila would say something like that, but I felt like I heard it anyway.
“…So that’s why she sent me. It can’t be helped. I’ll have to feed you myself!”
Tang Soyeong.
The more I see her, the more I think she's a good kid.
It's not because she brought me meat; I've always thought that.
Tang Soyeong and the spiders came to my side, tore off pieces of chicken, and placed them in my mouth.
Gulp.
Ahhh.
Now this is food.
I had no way of checking, but I felt that the skill called Gourmet was also very satisfied.
A whole chicken soup eaten in the middle of arduous training.
Could there be any food better than this?
I was mindlessly accepting the meat when it happened.
“Gek?”
I noticed something was a little strange about Pus’s body.
“Gekgek.”
She looked… skinnier.
Her butt was definitely plump before.
I flicked my tail this way and that, asking Tang Soyeong about the situation.
“Ah, that… We needed some spider silk for something.”
“Kiong!”
Pus nodded.
Spider silk?
Come to think of it, Nephila’s butt seemed a little smaller too.
“Kieng.”
Judging by their reactions, it didn't seem like the silk was taken by force. It looked like they gave it willingly…
But why would they need spider silk?
“They said they needed to make a few sets of clothes.”
Clothes.
The quality of these spiders’ silk was certainly good.
They weren't ordinary spiders, but ones capable of evolving into a relatively high-tier species, so they could produce silk with the strength of steel and the texture of silk.
But why make clothes all of a sudden?
“You’re pretending not to know. You know, that outfit. The one with the exquisite mix of black and white.”
Tang what's-her-name.
What are you talking about right now?
“Mae-i-du?”
I think something is going very wrong.
“They said it was named that because it’s a beautiful garment of two colors, black and white, worn with a cloth on the head.”
Had I ever told anyone about that outfit?
The Snake Queen had seen it once in my mind.
And…
“She even asked me for advice, you know? Ahem, I put in a good word.”
There was one other person here who had seen everything about me.
“That red dragon and the dragon with long claws were going wild… H-Hero Go? What’s with that pointy face?”
I wrapped my tail around Tang Soyeong and lifted her into the air.
“Kyaaaak! I get it! I’ll keep my mouth shut!”
It’s too late!
No, what on earth have you been telling people?
And what’s the reason for making such a bizarre outfit?
Is some strange culture going to spread throughout the Central Plains because of this?
“I-I just… Hero Go’s master said she needed to make clothes that fit her body type, so…”
Sss.
I released my tail.
Beaming smile.
You should have said so sooner.
“Gekgek.”
“What’s with that sly look on your face?”
If a human is going to wear it, then I welcome it with open arms.
“Hmph! Anyway, don’t worry. I don’t know what it is, but I told her everything I, Tang Soyeong, remember!”
I was worried, but if it was something my master wanted to try on, I could understand with my vast generosity.
I think it would be fine even if that outfit spread throughout the Central Plains.
Assuming a human wears it.
“Of course, I still don’t understand why they have to make an outfit for a chubby snake!”
…It is for a human to wear, right?