Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 68

68. Sweep Operation (2)

“Aura… you said?”

A word rarely heard in this era.

No. A word whose very existence is unknown to most, having been erased by the Oseong [Five Stars, likely a governing body or powerful organization].

“Yes, Aura. Have you heard of it?”

It was time to tell him about it.

“Hmm. I think I heard it from the Lord [family head] when I was young.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. We’re a pretty old family, so the Lord personally teaches us about history. He always says a family that forgets its history has no future…”

Wise words indeed.

‘We must not forget Gibson’s past.’

As a prestigious family of swordsmen, they could never forget the existence of Aura.

“He said it was the power knights possessed a thousand years ago? He said it was the only power that made wizards tremble.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I asked him how knights could have such power, and I almost got scolded. He said it was a real power…”

The guy shrugged, raising both hands.

“Looking back, I don’t know why he got so worked up. I was just curious.”

Clearly, the Lord was aware of the existence of Aura.

[Of course, of course. Gibson can’t *not* know about Aura.]

From the Lord’s perspective, he must have been displeased with anyone who doubted Aura.

“You find it hard to believe too, right? How could a knight possibly beat a wizard?”

For a moment, I found the guy asking so earnestly to be… endearing.

‘He doesn’t even know he already has it in his body.’

Of course, with the prestige of knights at rock bottom these days, Drew’s reaction was only natural.

“Drew, I actually believe in Aura.”

“Huh? You believe in such legendary tales?”

I couldn’t reveal that I knew because I was reincarnated.

“Yeah. I’ve actually been researching it since I was young. Because…”

I rattled off a pre-prepared story.

“When I was five, I was chosen by a constellation.”

“A constellation? Wow! I knew someone with your talent would be chosen by a constellation!”

I stopped the guy from making a fuss.

“Yeah. But that constellation said…”

That wasn’t the important part of the story right now.

“He said Aura actually exists.”

“……Huh?”

“And he said he wasn’t a constellation of magic, but a constellation of swords.”

As I looked to the side, Oberon was scratching his head, looking embarrassed.

“Huh, a constellation of swords? Is there such a thing?”

A thousand years after Aura disappeared. It was only natural that the existence of constellations of swords had been forgotten.

“Yeah. I was able to learn how to acquire Aura from that constellation.”

“Heh…….”

Perhaps sensing that the topic of the conversation was unusual, Drew moved closer and whispered.

“Delemain, are you allowed to learn such things? You’re not kidding, are you?”

“I’m not kidding. And I’ve actually accumulated Aura in my body.”

Drew’s eyes widened like saucers. He couldn’t speak, his mouth just gaping open.

“Ugh?”

“I’m serious. There’s no reason for me to lie about this.”

“……That’s true. I’ll keep what I just heard a secret. Admun will too, of course.”

Drew, who wasn’t usually one for jokes, quickly dismissed his doubts.

“But why are you suddenly talking about Aura?”

“That golden mist is the Aura energy.”

“Ah!”

The guy stared intently at the golden haze. He nodded as if he understood, but his face soon turned to shock.

“Whaaat! You said that golden mist was the same as what Admun and I have been accumulating in our bodies! Does that mean we’ve been accumulating Aura too?”

Only then did he realize what I was trying to tell him.

“Yeah. Actually, what Delema Academy has been teaching you wasn’t a method for gathering mana. It was all a method for sensing Aura.”

“N, no way.”

“That foreign energy you said you could feel well is Aura. You have an incredible talent for Aura.”

The guy was in shock. His usual playful expression had vanished without a trace.

“……So that’s how it was.”

However, Admun was nodding calmly.

[He must have sensed it.]

It was as if he had expected that he was cultivating Aura.

‘Well, it would have been passed down in the Dolph family. They would have seen my data too.’

The Dolph family, who had preserved the artifacts of a thousand years ago, would have had no doubt about the power of Aura.

“Yeah. That energy you two are feeling is the legendary power of Aura.”

They were silent for a long time.

‘Let’s give them some time.’

They needed time to accept it. They might feel betrayed that I had taught them the techniques of knights when they were wizards. I could certainly be considerate of that.

[What if Drew says he doesn’t want to learn more Aura?]

‘I can’t help it. I’ll have to go and persuade the Lord of the Gibson family.’

Visiting the families of my companions one by one, gathering my companions again. That was an essential process for me.

The Oseong families, whose influence on the world has grown even greater than it was a thousand years ago. To stand against them, I would need the same companions as before.

‘Even if I have to reveal the events of a thousand years ago to the Lord, I must obtain a companion like Drew.’

To that end, I had to recruit a talented kid like Drew.

How long had passed?

The sun, which had been in the mid-sky, was now nearing the horizon.

“Ian.”

Drew spoke again.

“Then can I use Aura too?”

“Of course. If you keep practicing like you are now.”

“Then can you show me what you use? I don’t think I can believe it until I see it with my own eyes.”

I understood. He was saying that he had been accumulating a power that had only been passed down in legends. Of course, he would want to see it for himself.

‘But I can’t use it right now because of the Hyeon-gwa… [a type of fruit or substance]’

However, the problem was that all the blood points in my body were blocked due to the Hyeon-gwa.

At that moment, Oberon raised an eyebrow.

[What are you talking about? Why can’t you use Aura?]

‘Huh? I ate the Hyeon-gwa.’

[Hyeon-gwa blocks the blood points, but it doesn’t paralyze the muscles.]

‘Ah…?’

Originally, Hyeon-gwa blocks the blood points and stops the flow of energy. It interferes with the flow of energy in the body, regardless of whether it is Aura or mana.

[You’re controlling Aura with your muscles now, so it has nothing to do with Hyeon-gwa.]

But what about me now? I was accumulating Aura in my muscles, so it had nothing to do with blood points.

‘I just assumed I couldn’t use it….’

I had fallen into the prejudice that I couldn’t use Aura if I ate the Hyeon-gwa.

I immediately started operating the Aura in my body.

Woo-oong!

The energies wriggling vigorously in my muscles as always. For some reason, the Aura seemed to be more energetic than usual.

‘Huh! I was caught up in my own prejudice and almost missed an opportunity to develop.’

[You see? You’re still a rookie who needs this Oberon? How great would it be to train in a place so full of energy?]

This time, I had to admit it. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have even thought about trying.

“Okay, Drew. I’ll show you now.”

As I took out the ten-thousand-year-old dagger from the subspace, Drew and Admun’s expectant gazes gathered there.

“Watch closely.”

The Aura had already gathered in my forearm muscles. It wriggled over the muscles and flowed into the dagger.

“Uh-oh?”

Woo-oong!

The sword vibrated violently. The Aura, reaching the 4-star level, was enough to dye a single dagger.

“Wow…….”

“That’s Aura.”

The brightly shining dagger was even coloring the children’s eyes.

“It’s too early to be surprised. The power of Aura is enormous.”

I slightly twisted the direction of the dagger and drew it across the ground.

Fwoosh!

The dry dirt floor cracked roughly. Even without applying any special force, it was cut as cleanly as if it were clay.

“That’s awesome.”

The two people gaped at the sight. Drew’s eyes were already filled with longing.

“……I want to do that too.”

A desire to learn. Because he was a guy with a thirst for getting stronger, he clenched both fists.

‘That’s a relief.’

[I know, right.]

As befitting a knight’s bloodline, he seemed to be captivated by the allure of Aura.

[If you had shown him from the beginning, he would have come over a long time ago, right?]

‘I didn’t know I could use Aura after eating the Hyeon-gwa either.’

A thought flashed through my mind at that moment.

‘Ah, then……. Can I collect the Aura here too?’

[Hmm. Since you’re not receiving it through the dantian [energy center in the body] anyway, but collecting Aura with your muscles……. It might be possible?]

Oberon and my eyes met in the air.

There was no time to soothe the shocked Drew and Admun. I had to try operating Aura right away.

‘If it works……!’

[It’s a super jackpot.]

The shimmering heat haze in front of my eyes. If I could absorb the energy that was so densely condensed that it was visible, I would definitely be able to grow at an incredible rate.

“Guys, just a moment.”

I fell into a trance like that.

* * *

‘……Crazy.’

That was the only way to express it.

The Aura filled my body in an instant. The concentrated, high-purity energy roamed between my muscle cells.

[You’ll be able to save a few years.]

It was as Oberon said. One day here would be equivalent to almost a month outside.

Even for Drew and Admun, who were unskilled in handling Aura.

Woo-oong!

The golden energy was rippling around my body while I was gathering Aura.

‘It’s a bonanza.’

For us, it was a place where we could grow faster than anywhere else.

[But I think we should slowly get out of here today.]

It was as Oberon said. The sun was already setting.

Whoo-oong!

The energy that had been rising like a heat haze gradually began to swirl like the wind.

“I’m a little late today. Get out of here quickly. Your bodies won’t be able to handle it soon.”

Grantel appeared just in time. Following his and the Leaf Clan’s guidance, we quickly moved away from the hall.

“Did you inform the Origin Clan?”

Grantel’s eyes, for some reason, seemed to be filled with sadness. His head shook mournfully.

“Unfortunately, I heard that one Origin Clan child has already gone missing this morning.”

It was a tragic result.

“……They’ve already moved.”

“That’s what I’m saying. And there’s more bad news.”

“What is it?”

“The leaves nearby told me that the number one warrior of the Ho Clan was seen taking the Origin Clan away.”

“Hmm.”

It was news that made me groan involuntarily. The number one warrior of the Ho Clan would have martial prowess comparable to an 8-star knight. He must have been a difficult opponent even for Grantel.

“Still, it’s valuable information. We need to be fully prepared when those guys attack the Gwigwang Clan.”

“That’s right. They’ll be aiming for the day of the full moon too. Let’s wait for that time too.”

Determination filled Grantel’s eyes. He was ready to engage in a power struggle with the Ho Clan’s number one warrior.

“No. We’ll go find the Gwigwang Clan in advance now. We’ll go and set up traps.”

My opinion was a little different.

“Traps……that’s a good idea, but the Gwigwang Clan lives hidden inside a barrier. They don’t come out except on the day of the full moon. Even if we go looking for them, there’s no way to meet them in advance.”

A knowing smile spread across my face. That wasn’t a reason to stop me.

“It’s okay. I know a way to solve it.”