Chapter 227 Volume IV - Chapter 72: Sword Style’s Mastery
It wasn't what I thought.
The facility where Dorhud and his troops were resting looked like a hotel. The only difference was that it was under government control.
So when Dorhud and I arrived at the facility, I expected to see soldiers in the lobby, anywhere we passed.
Well... Here's the part that wasn't what I thought. Before I could see a single soldier, Dorhud handed me over to the hotel staff who suddenly appeared in front of us.
Not that I have much to complain about. I'd rather keep to myself and not bother with the other dwarves, but it would have been nice to see who I'd be with... At least I could see the troublesome people, and it would certainly be useful to know what kind of people I would be fighting.
"Tomorrow we'll be right in the middle of the battle, so ya better rest up good and get ready."
That was the reason why he sent me straight to my 'room'. I couldn't find anything to say, so I had no choice but to be taken to my room, which was quite close to the entrance.
And now I am in that room...
It's a nice one, to be honest. First of all, it's spacious, it has a bathtub for the bathroom and the bed is quite comfortable.
What more could I want from a room?
I let out a deep sigh and let myself fall into my bed.
It's not nighttime yet, the sun hasn't even set yet. So I have plenty of time...
I looked at the ring on my right hand and a big smile appeared on my face.
Should I take a look at the artifacts I stole from Caleuche?
As I focused on the inventory inside my ring, images of a pile of artifacts flashed through my mind.
When I imagined all of them materializing in the real world, my bed turned into a feast of light. One after another, the artifacts materialized and fell onto the bed, and when the process was over, my bed was filled with artifacts.
In the game, I could only see the artifacts in my inventory. Now, seeing them in a pile like this...
Ahahah, I feel like I've opened a treasure chest.
I quickly started to check them all. What they are for and in what situation they can be used.
Of course, the first thing I checked was the two artifacts I used to escape from Caleuche.
Just as the president said, the artifacts that gave me invisibility and the ability to create clones were badly damaged.
The invisibility artifact is a silver compass-like charm with a red jewel in the center that can be worn directly anywhere on my clothing. There are cracks on it that show the damage it has taken.
The artifact that allows me to create clones is a simple thing that looks like an armband. Compared to an armband, it's not very elastic and it's uncomfortable, but it has pretty good camouflage so these little things can be overlooked. Its damage is not as pronounced as with the invisibility amulet, but it can be felt.
In short, both artifacts are still usable, but they are likely to break the moment I use them. So they are not things I would use much except in emergencies.
Aside from them, I have a lot of useful and useless artifacts at my disposal. I should examine them too...
*******
It took me a total of two hours to finish going through everything, categorizing them according to their function and what to do with them.
I have to say... At the end of those two hours, I was definitely satisfied. A few artifacts would be very useful for me at some point, especially in the future.
For example, an earring that allows me to stay underwater longer and move better.
Then another charm that allows me to replenish my mana reserves faster.
Even a bracelet that allows me to tell if someone is lying, which might be one of the best artifacts I've ever acquired.
Of course, there are also simple artifacts whose only function is to glow slightly, and their usefulness is highly questionable.
In this way, I have finished sorting out the ones I will sell as they are of little use to me, the ones I won't always use as they are useful in certain situations but will continue to keep in my ring, and the ones I will keep on me no matter what.
After a second burst of light above my bed, all the artifacts I had specifically set aside went back into my ring and the room was silent for a moment.
I sighed deeply, pulled the curtains, and looked out the window.
The sun is setting and I have nothing to do again...
After closing the curtain, I let myself fall back on my bed, put my head on my pillow, and started to think.
What are they doing now, I wonder...
Adrian must be trying to get stronger. I can imagine him swinging his spear and getting scolded by Lithoa.
Julian... He's probably studying and hanging out with Adrian. At least I'm sure he's not being a punk anymore.
And Alex...
I didn't hear from him when I left Cevilian... I hope he's okay... I need to keep in touch with him when I get back, no matter what. I'm worried something might happen to him.
I'm sure Lucia is reading in her room, lying on her bed, and trying to finish several books in a row next to her. She's probably in her own room, so she has to be unmasked and relaxed.
Celine...
My face fell for a moment when I thought of her, and the silence filled the room, more intense and pronounced than before.
She's trying, isn't she? She said she'd be much better when I came back. She promised... so she must be good, at least she must be trying to be. She's not someone who makes empty promises. I trust her.
So instead of dwelling on it, I want to see how far she's come directly when I get back. It'll be better that way.
Sue... Hmm... I actually have no idea what she might be doing. Just having an ordinary day, I guess.
Now that I think about it, I don't know anything about what exactly she likes to do or doesn't.
When I thought about that for a while, a smile appeared on my face.
That's why I like her, I guess. The fact that she is close to me in this world where I know all the important characters and at the same time she makes me feel 'different' compared to the rest of the world.
The fact that she looks like an ordinary person, and she really is, but she resisted all the things she went through until she met me...
I will spend more time with her when I go back.
Of course, I'll spend more time with Clara too. I haven't heard her voice, let alone seen her face for so long... I miss her as much as I miss everyone.
I paused for a moment and then sighed deeply.
No, I miss her more than anyone else. She's the first family I've ever had, my only sister. I don't have anything more precious than her. At least not yet.
Ah... I should have asked for a communicator for myself, I completely forgot.
I looked at the wall, I kept looking, and finally, I closed my eyes.
Actually... Is it better if I don't talk to them at all for the time being?
I'm going to war. I have to remember that. If I talk to any of them, I'll want to do it all the time, expecting to get out at any moment and talk to them again while I'm at war.
It's best to get away from things that will distract me.
I sat up, cross-legged, and opened my eyes.
If there is still a long time until nightfall... then I can work on my sword style.
I was going to start swirling my mana inside my body, I was going to start, but then I thought of something.
First, I waited for a while, and then I started to swirl my mana as I had planned to do.
But I didn't stop there, I analyzed what was happening, I wanted to see how much progress I had made compared to before.
My mana gathered in my chest and spun, then became more and more unstable, and with it, under my control, it spread to my limbs.
I didn't stop there. I gathered the mana that was spreading through my body in my right arm and then directed it to my index finger.
My index finger now looked blurry because of the immense amount of mana flowing violently in reverse.
This was much more dangerous than usual, one wrong move and I could have lost my finger, but thanks to my consistent practice of the technique and my increased mana control, this was not too difficult.
So, I went even further in order to fully practice the technique. I swung and swung my blurred finger while controlling that mana inside.
Even though my control over the mana became more difficult, I skillfully kept it in place, steady. When I did this for a few more seconds... what I was waiting for happened.
<<------------------------------
Congratulations! You have acquired a sword style mastery, which is [Sword Style: Ambiguous Flow(D-)]!
As you continue to learn the style, your mastery grade will increase!
------------------------------>>
I took a deep breath and stopped spinning my mana, and the blur on my finger disappeared.
I have mastered the first phase of the Ambiguous Flow sufficiently, even exceeding the limit normally required, and just now... I showed it to the system and finally achieved mastery of the style.
Now I should slowly move on to the second phase, there is no reason to wait any longer now that my general level is at grade D-.
With that, I stood up, took out my sword from my ring, and gripped it with both hands.
Analyzing my copy of Ambiguous Flow, it is clear that the style is based on the refraction and blurring of the sword's image by the intensifying and constantly swirling unstable mana. Of course, as the sword is fueled by wild mana, the amount of destructive power is greatly increased.
Now I can go further.
The only problem is that it is precisely here that the shortcomings of the style are largely exposed. The copy's guide is insufficient to go fully to this phase and beyond.
I will fill this gap with the information in my mind until I get my hands on the original.
Now... The second phase of the style is about controlling the breakage of the sword's image after it has been refracted. This requires tremendous mana control, just like the first phase.
I must match the unstable mana surrounding the sword with its surroundings. I have to move it so that it flows with the mana in the atmosphere.
By applying the sword movements shown in the second phase to the situation, I can match my mana with the mana that is always in a state of flow, albeit slow. In this way, while controlling the mana in my sword, I can also have partial control over the mana in the atmosphere.
I need to use this partial control to spread the refraction on the sword into the environment, and then train until I can control this refraction.
In this way, the only thing that becomes indistinct is not my sword, but my immediate surroundings.
With this technique, I can even create tiny illusions, even if they are limited.
Yes... It's easy to explain, but it will probably take me a few months to perform it properly, just like the first phase. Mastering it will take more than just a few months, maybe even a year.
Still, no giving up! As usual, I will train until I am exhausted to death.
I put a smile on my face and after I started spinning my mana, I directed it toward my sword.
When the image of my sword broke and blurred, I closed my eyes and focused on the mana in the room. I tried to feel it, which was easy, and then I tried to see the tiny flow it always had, which was difficult.
When I could feel the millions, billions of mana particles flying around the room, I started to move the mana in my sword. I tried to match it, just like in theory.
The result was... frustration.
Well, it wasn't like I could do it on my first try. Why did I get such an idea? I'm not a sword/mana genius or anything...
I quickly rewound back to the beginning, again and again... never stopping.
So much so that I kept doing it until midnight.
What finally stopped me was that I ran out of mana and fell asleep from exhaustion as soon as I fell on my bed, let alone lay down on it.
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