Episode 41
Episode 41
Ancient Artifacts were rare treasures that couldn't be obtained easily.
Moreover, having already suffered one attack, it was now half-destroyed.
It was obvious to anyone that another strike would surely shatter it completely.
"Stop that bastard! Protect the artifact!"
"I hide in the night!"
Lee Han chanted the spell again.
As Lee Han disappeared into the darkness with the incantation, the attackers gnashed their teeth in frustration.
First, he had blocked their attempt to take down the mage, and now this—that damn priest was proving to be an extraordinary nuisance.
"He knows how to fight. He must be a battle priest assigned as the mage's escort! I'll handle him myself!"
The leader of the attackers, laboring under a strange misunderstanding, rushed toward the artifact.
He had decided not to leave things be, fearing the situation might spiral out of control.
"Move!"
While running, Lee Han threw one of the iron pellets Professor Voladi had given him.
And he chanted the spell.
For novice mages who had just begun learning magic, casting spells in such a desperate situation was practically taboo.
Even skilled mages could fail under pressure and excitement without proper training—let alone beginners.
A failed spell was the best-case scenario; worse, it could cause mana backlash or even injure the caster.
Yet Professor Voladi hadn't bothered warning Lee Han about this.
—Every combat mage goes through this. Why warn him? He just needs to overcome it himself.
...As a result, Lee Han ended up chanting the spell without even realizing he was taking a dangerous gamble.
And astonishingly, that gamble paid off.
Just as Professor Voladi had assessed, Lee Han was the type whose abilities shone brighter when faced with danger.
Pat!
The iron pellet, enchanted with Lesser Manipulation, floated into the air.
Normally, it should have moved weakly and sluggishly, but infused with Lee Han's massive mana, the pellet moved with a force that surpassed the limits of Lesser Manipulation.
'Go!'
With Lee Han's Intent, the pellet shot forward like an arrow.
In the darkness, reacting to a suddenly flying pellet while invisible was no easy task.
Thud!
The pursuing attacker was sent tumbling backward with a dull impact.
"Watch out!! He's using hidden weapons!"
"He's skilled in combat! Be careful!"
The attackers drew their swords and went on guard.
As Lee Han retrieved the pellet, he felt a tingling, burning sensation in his brain.
His body kept running while his mind separately controlled the pellet.
'Focus... I have to focus!'
Professor Voladi might have been insane, but his words certainly held truth.
Real combat forged growth.
...And Lee Han was experiencing the meaning of that firsthand.
Compared to endlessly spinning pellets in a classroom, controlling them in a life-or-death situation was proving far more effective for his improvement.
With every moment—shooting the pellet, catching it, spinning it, and shooting it again—he could feel his control increasing!
'!'
Lee Han was startled by a sudden metallic taste. When he licked his lips, he realized blood was trickling from his nose.
His mana was fine.
He had simply overexerted his mind.
Crack!
A brilliant sword flash split the pellet cleanly in two.
The enemy leader had swung his sword with impeccable timing.
"Focus on the footprints! You can track him by his footsteps!"
'Damn it. I was so close.'
Lee Han stared regretfully at the Ancient Artifact just a few meters away.
If he could just rush in and destroy it, that would be enough—but the three remaining attackers were firmly blocking the way.
"I smell blood. Follow the scent!"
Hearing that shout, Lee Han realized that dragging things out would only put him at a greater disadvantage.
No matter how much he had practiced swordsmanship, his lack of real combat experience made him no match for his opponents.
He had to strike first while he still had the advantage.
A sword swung, and blood splattered. One attacker, who never expected Lee Han to launch a preemptive strike, collapsed on the spot.
"There he is!"
Whoosh!
The attackers pulled something from their sleeves and scattered it—glittering powder. Though Lee Han didn't know what it was, he could guess that contact with it would disrupt his invisibility magic.
Without hesitation, he rolled his body to the side.
"Damn bastard!"
Even after scattering the luminescent powder, the attackers couldn't spot their target and began cursing. This wasn't just some ordinary nuisance.
"Stay calm. As long as we don't let our guard down, we won't be caught off guard."
The leader spoke in a wary voice.
No matter how skilled Lee Han's invisibility magic was, the moment he moved or lunged, sound was inevitable.
If they focused solely on their hearing, they might detect him.
'Where did he go?'
But no sound came.
Even the scent of blood from the earlier enemy seemed to have vanished.
Thud!
"?!"
"You little—!"
Another attacker fell after being ambushed near his fallen comrade.
Only then did the leader realize how Lee Han had masked the scent of blood.
He had pretended to leave the area but had instead hidden right beside the blood spilled by the attackers.
The leader, forgetting the situation for a moment, couldn't help but admire him.
Beyond magic, this guy truly had a talent for fighting. No matter how much a dull-witted person trained, they'd never come up with such tactics.
"Move!"
"Hup!"
At the sound of an incantation in the air, the remaining attacker hastily ducked. The leader sharply shouted,
"Idiot! It's a fake spell!"
But it was too late. Even the last subordinate collapsed.
Instead of raging, the leader let out a peculiar smile and drew his sword.
"It's been a while since I've faced someone like you. I'm Garakse."
Lee Han didn't respond. As if expecting this, the leader nodded.
If his opponent had been careless enough to answer such a question, he wouldn't have been able to take on so many in the first place.
"You think I can't see you, don't you? Relying on that pathetic magic."
Clang!
"But you've already started to become visible."
His words weren't empty bravado. Lee Han was genuinely surprised by the pressure of Garakse's precisely aimed swings.
"You can hide your scent, but you can't hold your breath forever."
"...!"
He's tracking my position by listening to my breathing?
Lee Han was dumbfounded.
He'd heard that exceptional swordsmen displayed physical abilities beyond human limits, but this surpassed even his imagination.
No matter how skilled, this was...
Garakse's sword began weaving through the air, gradually tightening the pressure.
His swordsmanship resembled the "Scattering Sword" (Hwan-geom).
Not the "Illusion Sword" with the character for "illusion," but the "Scattering Sword" with the character for "scattering"!
With each swing, the next attack followed seamlessly, filling the air and restricting Lee Han's movements.
Lee Han countered with the "Azure Rock Sword," but his opponent's skill was a step above.
With every clash, Lee Han felt himself being pushed further into disadvantage. Without his invisibility magic, he would've been overwhelmed in an instant.
Above all, the shock reverberating through his sword with each collision was immense.
'Is this the swordsman's technique I heard about from Alarong?'
He'd heard that a skilled swordsman didn't just wield their blade with brute strength—they could channel their body's mana into the sword.
It allowed them to unleash power that surpassed mere physical strength.
Right now, Garakse seemed to be doing just that—imbuing his sword with mana, sending tremors through Lee Han's arms with every clash.
'I have to force my mana into it too!'
Steeling himself, Lee Han drew out his mana.
Since awakening to magic, he had grown far more adept at channeling and manipulating it.
Just as he would when casting a spell, he pulled his mana and poured it into his sword.
Crash!
"!?"
Garakse was startled by the sudden shift in his opponent's attack.
'What the hell is this guy?'
Lee Han's swordsmanship was quite impressive.
For Garakse—who had faced and defeated numerous swordsmen across the empire—to acknowledge it meant it truly was remarkable.
Moreover, it wasn't just his swordsmanship—his mindset was quite remarkable as well.
Most people who prided themselves on being decent swordsmen would fail to gauge their opponent's strength when facing someone stronger, recklessly charging in only to be swiftly defeated. But Lee Han was different.
He immediately recognized Garakse's strength, abandoned his greed, and switched to a defensive stance.
This wasn't something just anyone could do.
In a life-or-death sword fight, who could possibly abandon the desire to defeat their opponent and focus solely on enduring?
And yet, by doing so, one might end up falling without accomplishing anything.
But Lee Han had chosen that path, and Garakse highly respected him for it.
However, Lee Han lacked strength.
Even if his swordsmanship was decent, he couldn't match a swordsman like Garakse, who could freely channel mana into his blade.
On top of that, Lee Han's swordsmanship belonged to the heavy greatsword style.
Normally, Lee Han's greatsword techniques should have overpowered Garakse's Illusion Sword in terms of raw force. But if he couldn't even win in strength, he had no chance of victory.
...And then, suddenly, power began surging into his sword.
A force overwhelming enough to crush Garakse!
What the—?
'Was he hiding his strength? What? What's his game? Why now?'
Garakse, who had been composed until now, panicked for the first time.
There was no reason for a swordsman who could imbue his blade with mana to pretend to be weak.
The opponent he thought he had completely cornered suddenly felt distant again.
'Is this really happening?'
Even as Lee Han poured mana into his sword like a madman, he couldn't help but question himself.
This was the complete opposite of the swordsmanship he had learned so far.
True swordsmanship wasn't just about swinging—it required preparing for the opponent's counterattacks. After all, the opponent wouldn't just stand there and take it.
But right now, Lee Han had abandoned all stance, focusing solely on offense.
Pouring mana into his sword with such intensity made it impossible to execute any other complex movements.
'Is this really the right way?!'
And Lee Han's doubts were justified.
This wasn't normal swordsmanship.
Channeling mana into a sword wasn't about mindlessly pouring it in and calling it a day—it was about circulating mana through the entire body, from the blade back to the flesh and vice versa.
Even with this circulation method, the strain and exhaustion on the body were immense. But to just expel mana without cycling it?
This was a suicidal swordsmanship technique—one that could make him cough up blood and collapse without it being surprising.
Had Lee Han not been invisible, Garakse would have immediately noticed just how extreme his posture was.
Then, perhaps, Garakse might have realized Lee Han was doing something reckless.
But Lee Han was under the effect of Invisibility Magic, and an unseen enemy shook Garakse's focus.
He couldn't make sense of it at all!
If he had kept his composure, he might have stood a chance. But instead, Garakse mindlessly took the blows, forced into a desperate defense.
Crack—
"Huh?"
Lee Han, who had been overwhelming his opponent, suddenly heard an ominous sound from his sword.
At first, he thought he misheard, but no—he had heard correctly.
'...This is bad!'
His sword, unable to withstand the mana, was beginning to shatter.
'What kind of cheap sword is this?!'
The swords used by the attackers were considered high-quality even by imperial standards, but Lee Han didn't know that.
He shamelessly complained without even considering the absurd amount of mana he had poured into it.
'I have to finish this before it breaks!'
If he reduced the mana output now, while he could barely control it, he might lose his advantage.
It was better to go all out and end it decisively.
Resolved to finish it in one strike, Lee Han began pouring mana into his sword like a madman.
In response, Garakse gritted his teeth and drew another sword—one made of Black Magnetite, a blade capable of absorbing mana.
Drawing this sword against another swordsman was humiliating, but he couldn't afford to lose.
'I'll crush you right here!'
At that moment—crack!—something shattered.
And then, the previously invisible sword revealed itself, its form wreathed in violently scattering mana flames.
A bizarre attack, neither Aura nor magic, shot through the air.
BOOM!!!!
Even the Black Magnetite sword, capable of absorbing mana, was useless.
The attack struck Garakse like a tidal wave.