Chapter 12: Leaving Storm Castle (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12: Leaving Storm Castle (1)
Another six months passed.
It was March 12, 1790. Spring was slowly approaching the Mitel Kingdom, which stretched out below Storm Castle. In half a year, once his tenth birthday had passed, Jin was set to leave.
Just as Murakan had guaranteed—wagering a staggering one hundred apple pies—Luna had not revealed his existence to the family.
However, Murakan never got to collect his prize, as Jin had also bet that Luna would keep the secret.
The past six months had been a quiet, tedious time for the guardian knights and servants of Storm Castle. For Jin, however, it was a period of rapid growth that had flown by in a flash.
"I’m sick of it. Truly sick of it."
Murakan shook his head as he stared intently at Jin.
"Not only did you cut your mana movement time from ten minutes to five seconds in just one year, but in another six months, you’ve learned to perform mana release as naturally as breathing. I’m seeing it with my own eyes, and I still can’t believe it."
Jin had completed his mana movement training in one year, exactly as planned, even though Murakan had estimated it would take two. In the six months since Luna’s departure, he had mastered mana release.
He had managed his pace perfectly. However, the significance of his training went beyond mere speed.
In his previous life, he had spent a mere three years rushing to reach the 5-star rank, leaving no time for such fundamental training. Having started at the late age of twenty-five, he’d had no choice but to pursue the quickest results.
But now, by practicing mana movement slowly and repeatedly, he felt he had reached an entirely different realm. It was the difference between the scenery one sees while sprinting down a path versus the view one gets while walking it at a leisurely pace.
"I’ve been like this since the day we met. Why the sudden fuss?"
The mana release training he started after Luna left had also come easily, much like mana movement. Still, the six months he spent on it served as an excellent review, revealing just how flimsy his fundamentals had been in his previous life.
"Be glad this is Storm Castle, kid. If this were somewhere like the Viment Imperial Academy, people would’ve hated you for being such an insufferable genius."
That was something Jin had heard several times from his 'teacher' in his past life.
I wonder what my teacher is doing right now. Probably still a snot-nosed brat.
The face of the mage who had first awakened his talent for magic flickered in his mind. Back then, the mage who taught Jin had been two years his junior.
Even so, he was a 7-star mage, and he was already aiming for the 8th. This world is full of gifted people. I can't get complacent. I have to keep striving and miss nothing.
Jin shrugged and smiled.
"So, are we starting the actual Spirit Energy Release today?"
"Yeah. Tell me when you're done with the transcriptions."
"Murakan, are you even paying attention? I finished transcribing the secret manuals a week ago."
He had completed the task of transcribing the secret manuals of other families—a privilege granted only to flagbearers—excluding the ones he deemed unnecessary.
While he couldn't fully comprehend the manuals yet, the transcribed notes would prove their true worth as his swordsmanship improved.
Now, the only thing left to master before leaving Storm Castle was Spirit Energy Release.
When Murakan had first mentioned Spirit Energy Release, he hadn't expected the actual training to begin while they were still at the castle. He had only brought it up to fire up the boy's motivation, but now he was on the hook until they left.
"Ah, right. It’s not that I’m not interested. Well then, let’s get started."
Murakan adopted a solemn tone and had Jin sit cross-legged.
"I’m telling you in advance: Spirit Energy Release cannot be mastered in a short time like everything else you've done so far."
"I know."
"So don't get impatient. This technique is both the absolute basic and the ultimate finishing move. First, I'll give you a demonstration."
Whoosh!
The moment he finished speaking, black energy billowed from him like smoke.
It was spirit energy. If fog merely blurred one's vision, Murakan’s spirit energy was a deep darkness that seemed to swallow light itself.
It was the first time Jin had seen this energy since their first formal introduction.
It looks much denser and heavier than my own spirit energy.
Fwoooo… Jin stared intently at the flickering, dancing energy.
It felt as if the energy was beckoning him, tempting him to reach out and touch it.
"The color of the power is different, but it looks almost the same as when you release mana, doesn't it?"
"It does. Though this looks far more mysterious."
"A mage’s mana release is the act of connecting their personal mana to the mana existing in nature. And what did I say one seeks to achieve through that?"
"Mana recovery and magic enhancement."
"Right. You use the power of nature to replenish depleted mana and increase the power of your next spell. Spirit Energy Release is the same. However, there are a few key differences."
"What kind of differences?"
"Spirit Energy Release isn't about connecting your power to nature. It’s about connecting nature to you."
"Connecting nature… to me?"
It was a difficult concept to grasp.
The aura and mana possessed by humans are like rivers. A river always flows toward the sea. A river is never larger than the sea; it is merely a branch of the sea reaching into the land.
Spirit energy was the opposite.
"Shadows," Murakan said, scattering the spirit energy that partially veiled his body with a wave of his hand.
"Spirit energy is ultimately derived from shadows. If so, where did those shadows begin?"
It was a simple, short question, yet it was imbued with the profound mysteries of a god.
"They must have begun with Solderet."
"Not 'must have.' Every shadow in this world was explicitly born from Solderet’s will. Solderet is the master of all shadows, and you are his sole contractor."
Murakan emphasized his next words.
"In other words, you, too, can become the master of all shadows in the world."
Pulling the countless river-veins called 'shadows' toward himself—toward the source, the sea itself.
That was Spirit Energy Release.
Murakan’s spirit energy began to form small, individual whirlpools. Each was barely larger than a plum, but thousands swirled together, forming a dazzling, complex pattern.
"Watch closely what happens next."
Jin heightened his senses to their absolute limit. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he waited to see what Spirit Energy Release would do.
What in the world…!
As the full-scale transformation began, Jin couldn't help but gasp.
The glass coffin behind Murakan. The candlesticks and torch stands placed near it.
The shadows they cast across the dark basement stretched into long, liquid streams, surging toward Murakan’s whirlpools. He reflexively turned his head and saw the shadows of the bookshelves doing the same.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit him.
An extreme sense of dissonance, unlike anything he had ever experienced, washed over his body. His clenched fists were damp with sweat, and he felt an instinctive urge to recoil.
Is this an illusion?
The thought snapped Jin back to his senses. But it wasn't an illusion; it was a misconception. The shadows of the objects were undeniably being drawn toward Murakan.
It was ghostly.
The overwhelming pressure radiating from Murakan as he was slowly drenched in darkness made every hair on Jin's body stand on end. It was a pressure that made it feel as if there wasn't a single being in the world he couldn't kill.
Jin realized instinctively that he must not be crushed by that pressure. According to Murakan, shouldn't it be the shadows that were afraid?
That dark, terrifying power.
In the end, it was a power he was destined to wield.
As the fear faded from Jin’s eyes, the corners of Murakan’s mouth curled upward.
"Indeed. An attitude befitting a contractor of a thousand years."
Sssssss…
The thousands of shadow-whirlpools began to slow. The long, liquid shadows of the objects slowly returned to their original places.
Having gained a powerful realization, Jin now saw the scene as something incredibly stable and peaceful.
As if the night had ended. Or as if a festival had concluded.
The detached shadows all found their rightful places.
Jin was drenched in sweat, but he wore a refreshed expression as he pulled his damp shirt away from his chest.
"How was it?"
"It was incredible."
"Is that all? After I went through all the trouble of showing you this Murakan’s ultimate technique?"
"It felt like the day and night of this basement changed according to your will."
Murakan nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer Jin had scrambled to come up with.
"Day and night, huh? It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that. In ancient times, people loved to associate those who wield spirit energy with such words. 'Ruler of the Night,' or 'The One Who Creates Darkness at High Noon.' A bit childish, though."
"Yeah, it is a bit childish."
"Right? Besides, 'Ruler of the Night' is a title… prone to a fair amount of misunderstanding. Humans from about two thousand years ago used to call me that. Pwahaha! Now that I think about it, it wasn't entirely wrong, either."
What kind of crude joke is this crazy dragon making in front of a kid?
Jin swallowed the remark and chuckled.
"Anyway, do you have a feel for it? It’s basically just an application of mana release, so I expect you understood it."
"I have a very clear feel for it. I think if you give me an hour, I could do the same."
"This little brat is getting cocky again. I told you, Spirit Energy Release isn't something that can be mastered in a short—"
"I know. I meant that I can perform the release, but I won't be able to produce the same power and effect as you. Even with a simple vertical slash, there’s a world of difference between a master and a novice, right?"
"Exactly! That’s why I said Spirit Energy Release is both the beginning and the end."
"Then, what level was what you just showed me, Murakan?"
"Intermediate. Or maybe slightly better than intermediate."
Intermediate?
Jin could guarantee it. Even if the Great Mages of the Zipple family demonstrated 9-star magic, it wouldn't be superior to the Spirit Energy Release he had just witnessed.
Murakan hadn't directly demonstrated its power by destroying something, but one didn't need to see it to feel the sheer superiority of the power known as spirit energy.
"When you reach the peak and master Spirit Energy Liberation, it’s possible to slaughter a million-man army in an instant. For a living being, the disappearance of their shadow means death."
Clang!
Suddenly, a pair of candlesticks hanging in the hallway snapped and fell to the floor.
"And for an object, the disappearance of its shadow means destruction."
Jin stared blankly at the fallen candlesticks, unable to hide his shock.
"Wait, dammit! I controlled my strength because I didn't want to break anything. Why the hell did the candlesticks fall? Now I have to fix them before we leave. How annoying."
Crrrk, crack!
It wasn't just the candlesticks. Large cracks were also appearing in the stone base of the glass coffin where Murakan had slept for a thousand years.
"Bloody hell."
Murakan sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. While he had been waiting for Jin to visit the basement, he had just made a new set of chores for himself.