/
A few days went by.
In the meantime, the swordsmanship training continued.
It wasn’t grandiose. Still, Lloyd ran and kept running in the training ground. Additionally, he learned how to hold a sword, how to do the basic posture, and how to use his feet in his spare time. It was a thorough basic-oriented training.
However, Lloyd never complained. Neither did he protest to Javier to teach him powerful sword skills nor did he ask Javier to teach him techniques that might help him in the real world. He just kept training silently.
His teacher, Javier, was amazed every day. The very same was true for the people of the Baron’s residence, they were surprised too.
“Did the Young Master only train today?”
“Yes, I told you so. He never complained once all day long, from morning to evening.”
“Oh my God. Even though it must be exhausting every day….”
“I know right. I also couldn’t believe it when I saw it.”
“Me too. This is kinda nonsensical, right?”
“What do you mean by nonsensical?”
“Well, maybe the Young Master has some kind of illness?”
“What do you mean by illness?”
“It’s like a mental illness.”
“So, do you think he’s crazy?”
“Yes, that’s right. I think he’s a little crazy.”
“…. You have a point.”
A conversation like this went back and forth between the maids. The soldiers of the mansion would also look suspiciously.
“What’s wrong with the Young Master these days?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“No, it just looks a little bit weird, isn’t it? Have you ever seen that man drink nowadays?”
“Oh, I don’t think so?”
“Right?”
“Uh. Speaking of which, apparently it’s been 15 days since last I’ve seen him drink?”
“Wow, goosebumps.”
“Why?”
“I’ve come up with a ridiculous guess that makes sense.”
“What is it?”
“Isn’t Lloyd, that man, taking pills in secret?”
“Medicine?”
“Uh-huh. Medicine.”
“So, what kind of medicine?”
“What kind of medicine? Drugs, dude.”
“What?”
“Sssh. Keep your voice down. Listen, a human being who was constantly looking for alcohol every day suddenly stopped drinking overnight. Besides, he only trained diligently all day long? If this isn’t because of pills, it must be because of something.”
“What… say something that makes sense.”
“Why doesn’t it make sense? I heard some drugs can make you abnormally focus and immerse yourself in one thing. Isn’t that why he has been training all day?”
“….”
“I’m right, aren’t I? Else, does it make sense for that scumbag to train so hard?”
“Ugh, um. Shut up, dude.”
“Why?”
“Behind you, behind.”
“… Behind? …. Uh, ah, greetings, ma’am!”
The soldiers, who were chatting while guarding the front gate of the mansion, hurriedly bowed their heads. Marbella Frontera—the baroness who appeared behind them—smiled gracefully.
“All of you have been working hard today, too.”
“Oh, not at all.”
”Here, can you pass this towel to my son after his training is over for me?”
“I understand, ma’am.”
“Thank you. You have a lot of free time while on duty, right?”
“Pardon?”
“Pleasant conversations are an excellent way to relieve boredom. However, please moderately keep the line regarding the topic of the conversation. He’s my son, after all.”
“…. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Conversations about this issue often came back and forth. The maids said he was crazy. The soldiers thought he had taken some kind of drugs. The baron and his wife gave a look of joy and concern.
So far, Lloyd’s training has gone smoothly. But it was followed by Javier’s surprise.
‘It’s as if he has become someone else.’
The training lasted from morning until evening. Training is what it’s called, but actually it’s more like a hellish routine.
Running all day long, or even rolling on the ground. He swung the sword tediously in the same position. The palms of his hands were on the verge of becoming tattered.
‘And yet, he never complains. Far from that, he’s enjoying it instead.’
At first, I wondered how many days that curious look would last. But, I’ve changed my mind now.
Rather, I was worried about him getting injured. Lloyd was too motivated. I had to watch Lloyd’s training nervously every moment. Then, with a knife-like sharp timing, I stopped Lloyd and forced him to rest.
‘How can a person be so different?’
A drunkard who was seeking alcohol every passing day. A human scumbag who used to get drunk and acted out. But, I can’t find it in him anymore.
‘And those weird stories he recites for me every night.’
Thanks to him, I was able to sleep soundly for a long time.
Concrete or whatever it was. About strain and so on. The bending is when blah-blah. Obviously, it wasn’t a magic spell. I couldn’t remember properly because I fell asleep quite fast.
At first glance, it seemed to be an academic subject. However, the power was stronger than sleeping pills. All I had to do was sit comfortably on a chair.
A few words and my consciousness already slipped away. Without even realizing it, I already slept soundly.
By this point, it wasn’t surprising anymore, yet it was mysterious.
Still, Javier frowned silently.
‘What the hell is that person’s real self really like?’
Trashy in the past. A succession of surprising behavior in the present. The gap was too big to think of him as enlightened. Rather, it would be more believable to say that someone else’s soul had entered the wretched Lloyd’s body.
‘Of course, such an absurd thing is impossible.’
I shook my head. Then I spoke to Lloyd, who was approaching from his 30th lap around the training ground.
“Please stop, Lloyd-nim.”
“Huff, huff. Already? I think I can still run.”
“I know that.”
“Then, why?”
“Now, we’re moving on to the next level of training.”
“The next level?”
“It’s mana sensitivity training.”
“Oh.”
Lloyd’s lips curled up.
The moment he had hoped for had arrived.
‘Honestly, I was getting tired of doing basic training.’
Running hard like he was about to die, he devoted himself to training without any complaints. Thanks to that, he had gained a fair amount of stamina.
His complexion became clear and his whole body was full of vitality. Even the feeling of waking up in the morning feels more vibrant.
Due to his hard work, he was able to acquire quite a lot of RP.
‘I’ve got more than I predicted. I’ve already accumulated 97 RP.’
Within a few days, Javier’s favorability to him had risen an additional 1. The RP gained was 18. In addition, Baron Frontera’s favorability had increased by 2 which gave 20 RP, and the baroness’ favorability had increased by 3 which gave 30 RP. With this, Lloyd was gradually getting a feel about this RP acquisition system.
‘The RP I can get from Javier is 18 per +1 favorability. And then, it’s 10 per favorability points for the baron couple. This means there was a difference in the RP given by each character in the novel.’
Perhaps, the higher the importance of a character in the novel, the more RP it gives. Lloyd speculated that.
‘Then, I’ll have to focus on Javier’s favorability. By the way, the baron and his wife surprised me a little bit.’
In fact, the baron couple didn’t have a big proportion in the novel. Technically speaking, they were just extras at the beginning of the novel. However, they were giving more than half of Javier’s RP. Perhaps, there were more hidden roles that have yet to be revealed.
‘Anyway, I’m finally doing the mana sensitivity training.’
There was a new feeling. I was also looking forward to it.
‘To defeat Sir Neumann, at least from this point on, I have to train mana sensitivity.’
There were only 15 days left until the duel. Of course, starting the mana training doesn’t mean that manaheart can be formed within 15 days.
Forming a manaheart takes an incredibly long time. Those who lack the talent would need more than 10 years. An average person would take about 5 years, while a talented person would take about 2 years. Those who are called the geniuses of the century would also take about 6 months. It takes that much time even when learning under the guidance of a skilled teacher.
‘However, Javier made manaheart in just one day. Even if it’s with my help.’
While I was thinking, I could hear what Javier said to me.
“Obviously, don’t expect to form a manaheart right away just because you started your mana sensitivity training. You have to take it step by step. Anyway, just by doing mana sensitivity training, you could enhance your physical capabilities gradually.”
Javier’s guidance continued.
“Then, please sit over here.”
“Like this?”
“Yes. Relax. Relax your shoulders.”
“Is this all right?”
“Yes. Starting from now, I’m going to inject some mana into Lloyd-nim’s body.”
“So, what do I have to do?”
“No, just close your eyes and feel the path of my mana.”
“Is this like, something that’s called ungijosig1운기조식 (ungijosig): is a term used in fictional martial arts novel. Refers to the act of generating energy and controlling the flow through breathing from the pores.?”
“What is ungijosig?”
“There’s such a thing called that. Let’s get started.”
“I understand.”
Lloyd closed his eyes.
Being relaxed, I loosened my taut body out of all my strength.
Soon, Javier’s palms touched my back. Unlike his noble appearance, I felt his palms which were calloused just like a crocodile’s skin vividly. Not long after, cool and clear energy seeped through my back.
Tsssss….
“….”
This feeling, is it mana? It felt strange and unfamiliar.
Mana seeped through my skin and muscles. Just like a tissue splashed with water.
It went down through my gut and nestled under my navel. It was often called dantian. There, the mass of mana made a U-turn. It climbed onto my spine as if it was on a highway. While climbing up my spine, it also gradually stimulated my nerves. It shot to the top of my head from the back of my neck and then came down while covering my face. So the mana, which reached my heart, finally wrapped around it.
Dug! Dug!
My heart beating sound could be heard vividly. There was a sensation when the muscle of my heart contracted from the diastole2Diastole: is when the heart muscle relaxes. In this state, blood will fill the heart’s chambers. state. It was vigorously sucking blood and then pushing it away. When a mass of mana permeated the bloodstream, it naturally came into my heart.
Then, I controlled the energy to move throughout my body. It felt like my whole body was being opened and cleaned up.
Lloyd stayed in that condition for a long time before he opened his eyes.
“How is it?”
Javier’s voice could be heard louder than before. It wasn’t just that. The training ground became even more visible; The shape of the clouds floating in the sky. All of these were more apparent than before.
If the previous vision was a normal HD quality, now, it felt like it had been upgraded to full HD quality. Additionally, I could feel the caress of the wind more.
With only a single mana sensitivity training, all of my senses had improved slightly.
Lloyd turned back. There was a slightly proud look on Javier’s face. So, Lloyd smiled too.
The first mana sensitivity training he had done.
I gave my most honest impression of the experience to Javier.
“It sucks.”
“…. Pardon?”
“It sucks.”
“….”
Javier’s proud expression froze and cracked. But Lloyd casually spat out more, as if his face was made out of iron plate.
“There’s not much of a difference than I initially thought.”
“Didn’t you feel the mana moving around in your body?”
“Oh, yes I felt that.”
“Lloyd-nim, it’s proof that you’ve sensed the mana. In fact, you must’ve keener senses than before.”
“Oh, this? Are you only going to give me a splash?”
“Lloyd-nim.”
Javier’s eyes which looked towards my side darkened. There was some chill in his voice.
“You can’t say that this is bad. This is the way it should be.”
“About the mana sensitivity training?”
“Yes, it is. Lloyd-nim is very mistaken right now”
“A mistake? What kind of mistake?”
“You expect too much, for example.”
“You think I’m getting ahead of myself?”
“Precisely.”
Javier’s answer was a little bit poignant.
“Just because of mana training, we’ll never get noticeably stronger or superhuman-like. It’s the opposite. For forming a mana heart, the most important thing is to take it step by step. Just like you couldn’t get satiated at your first drink. Lloyd-nim, if you have some common sense, you’ll know it well.”
“Yes. Of course I know.”
“But, why are you in a hurry?”
“In a hurry? Me?”
“Yes, Lloyd-nim. Are you feeling nervous as the date of your duel with Sir Neumann approaches? However, a duel was too much from the very beginning. Sir Neumann is by no means a weak man. He’s a knight that has stepped on the threshold of Sword Expert.”
“I know. A Low-level Sword Expert. I’m not an easy target. However, it’s just that I’ve only learned a normal mana training technique for only 15 days by then.”
“…. Pardon?”
Javier, who had been reacting coldly all this time, hesitated for the first time. Lloyd looked at Javier with meaningful eyes.
“Do you think I’m only good at making a mess and then complaining?”
“Of course….”
“Do you want to keep pretending?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Look here. Javier Asrahan. Why would I’ve pointed you out and asked you to teach me swordsmanship? Or did I seem like a fool who would dare to challenge Sir Neumann after only 15 days of normal mana training technique?”
“That’s a matter of course…”
“Let’s be a little honest. You have a separate technique you’ve been working behind my back, not this ordinary one, right?”
“….”
As expected. I always feel that Javier is not very good at lying.
‘Because he’s so obvious.’
I couldn’t stop my laughter at the thought. So I giggled.
“Shall I say it out loud? The Asrahan Core Technique. Teach me that. Will you continue to try to get away even after all this?”
“….”
Javier’s eyes widened.
Asrahan Core Technique.
As written in the ‘Iron-Blooded Knight’ novel, this technique—which is created by Javier—made him the first Grand Master in history.
1운기조식 (ungijosig): is a term used in fictional martial arts novel. Refers to the act of generating energy and controlling the flow through breathing from the pores.2Diastole: is when the heart muscle relaxes. In this state, blood will fill the heart’s chambers.