The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 210

163. Corruption

[Focus! To properly use dark energy, you must first open your bloodlines.]

Thump…!! Thwack…!!!

The explosions erupted. It felt like just yesterday that they were causing a ruckus trying to reseal the King of Darkness, but the Great Library was noisy every day with the resounding sounds.

Clang-!

Karril raised his sword, slashing upwards.

Scores of violet arrows rained down on him relentlessly.

It was Alln Zabiuss’s specialty, No-chant Magic Arrow.

Though merely a 2nd class attack spell, when used by the non-mage Alln, each arrow possessed destructive power comparable to a 5th, or even 6th class spell.

In the past,

Wasn’t it that very Magic Arrow that blew the head off Well Bahar, the necromancer of the Council of Seven Elders?

“Kugh!”

Deflecting the Magic Arrows, Karril felt a stinging sensation in his sword-wielding hand.

It felt like he had parried a heavy hammer swung by a heavily armored knight.

Clench……!!

It was then.

As he tried to draw upon more mana than a certain level, the Bracelet of Greed on his wrist tightened as if trying to break his bones.

Boom!! Bang…! Bang! Bang!

A slight tremor.

In that fleeting moment of pause, Alln Zabiuss’s magic arrows struck Karril’s body.

Sizzle…….

Black smoke enveloped Karril.

He stood there in a disheveled state, but he gripped his sword as if he had avoided any fatal wounds amidst the barrage of magic.

[It seems you can finally resist the bracelet’s restraints.]

Alln said, looking satisfied as he watched Karril standing despite his attacks.

“Haaap!!”

Karril burst through the smoke, charging towards Alln.

Boom……!!

[But you’re still far off.]

Alln’s magic orbs struck Karril directly in mid-air, exploding at his side.

He was thrown against the wall by the impact.

“Hoo. I’m reminded once again of how strong you are…”

Karril said, leaning against the broken wall.

His exhausted body slowly slid to the floor. He even tossed aside the Ice Claw he was holding and lay down as if enjoying the coldness of the floor.

[Heh heh… It’s because you’re wearing the Bracelet of Greed. The more powerful magic you use, the more magic the bracelet tries to absorb.]

“I’ve never been pushed this far even with this thing on.”

Once, Nar Di Maugh had jokingly told him that the Council of Seven Elders might have been dragons.

Of course,

That was a lie, but in his duel against Alln Zabiuss, Karril felt like he could believe that Alln was a dragon.

“I wish I had been born in the Magic Era. Is that the level of a mage from that era?”

[No. It’s just that I’m exceptional.]

Alln laughed proudly at Karril’s words.

[Certainly, magic was more prosperous and the spirits were stronger back then than now, but it’s still a bygone era. Even if a prophecy had been given, it wouldn’t have changed much.]

He said to Karril, who was sprawled on the floor, panting heavily.

Two weeks had already passed since he had stayed in Antium.

Karril wanted to move out right away, now that he had achieved his goals of Alln’s revival and finding traces of necromancy, but Alln instead decided to spend time training Karril here.

At first, he was dissatisfied, but after sparring with Alln, Karril began to think differently.

A mage acknowledged by a dragon.

Alln Zabiuss, the non-mage, was the perfect teacher and sparring partner, incomparable to anyone else in this world.

[Don’t be impatient. As it stands, if you go to the Platinum Dragon’s lair, you might not come back alive if he has other intentions.]

“Is it that bad?”

Karril frowned slightly.

[Of course. You’ve only been under the Platinum Dragon’s protection; you’ve never fought him, have you?]

“Are you saying you’ve fought him before?”

[Have you forgotten? I told you that the one who imprisoned me in the Gray Wasteland was the Platinum Dragon.]

“What?! You’re saying Nar Di Maugh imprisoned you, Master?”

Nine Darhon, who was standing behind him, shouted in surprise at Alln’s words.

[You, hurry up and circulate your mana. You’ll never reach 8th class with unorthodox methods like attribute conversion.]

“Ah, yes, I understand.”

He answered, scratching his head sheepishly at Alln’s rebuke.

The most basic of basics, done at the 1st class stage when people of the Empire begin to feel mana.

The training method of spreading mana flowing from the mana core throughout the body via the blood vessels was something most people didn’t do after becoming a mage.

“…….”

Nine Darhon fidgeted as if he was getting restless.

To be honest, he still couldn’t help but be skeptical that he could open his ninth bloodline with such basic training.

“Honestly, I don’t think it was this hard even when I fought Sword Masters. You… I’m realizing again just how amazing you are.”

[Heh heh, now you know the greatness of this body. But even I am reluctant to fight the Platinum Dragon.]

“Is that so…”

Karril bit his lip slightly.

Come to think of it, Alln was right. He had sparred with Nar Di Maugh occasionally in his past life, but it was mostly to gauge his level.

Comparison with his father, comparison with Sword Masters, comparison with Archmages….

As a foreigner, he wielded his sword to surpass them, aiming for those with magical power as his goal.

‘I never really set him as my goal.’

He had never seen Nar Di Maugh at his full strength.

[Don’t rely on the Bracelet of Greed. Unleashing its power can give you explosive strength, but it also damages your body.]

Alln walked over to Karril.

The bandages wrapped around his body rustled with each step.

[In my opinion, the reason Kaie Essir left that bracelet in Einherjar was not only as a tool to preserve life but also as a piece of training equipment.]

“I see.”

Karril raised his arm and looked at the bracelet he was wearing.

Certainly, as Alln said, he had always released the bracelet in dangerous moments.

Because he could use his full mana.

But paradoxically, it also meant that his body couldn’t handle his full mana.

[What do you have to do to fill a leaky pot with water? You have to pour in more water than is leaking out.]

Alln pointed to the Bracelet of Greed.

[That’s what your body is like now. By training to open your bloodlines while wearing the bracelet that absorbs mana, you’ll need more mana, and to accommodate that, your body will expand the size of your bloodlines themselves, unlike other mages.]

“…….”

[What if you reach 6th class in that state? Even with the same number of bloodlines, you’ll be able to wield far more mana than mages of the same level.]

He looked at Nine Darhon, who was standing next to him.

[Wasn’t this guy 7th class? If you succeed in this training, the absolute amount of mana you can wield will be completely different. You, at 6th class, will be able to use the same amount as him.]

Stroking his chin once, Alln continued to speak.

[It’s just one step for now. Just aim for that. Once you reach 6th class, many things will change.]

“Is that so? Actually, the amount of mana isn’t the only important thing. Of course, a large amount of mana is necessary to use high-level magic, but I…”

However, Karril, still unable to make up his mind, asked Alln again.

[I know. Your main focus is still the sword, after all. Even so, you know why you need to open your bloodlines and increase your mana, right?]

Karril nodded.

“The power of Mana Blade changes depending on the amount and purity of mana. That’s why I need to train my body, too.”

[That’s true, but it seems like something’s missing. Alright. To boost your motivation, I’ll add one more reason why you need to reach 6th class.]

“Hmm?”

Alln smiled meaningfully.

[The repository of knowledge I’ve imparted to you. Once you reach 6th class, you can unlock one side of it.]

“…….”

Unlike his expectant appearance, Karril clicked his tongue as if disappointed at his words.

“What? I already know that much. As you said, the repository of knowledge has already been imparted to me. Not being able to pull out what’s in my head isn’t a pleasant thing.”

[Heh heh… I wouldn’t have said anything if it was just that.]

“What?”

[Remember when we first met. There’s something I gave you, isn’t there?]

Karril narrowed his eyes at his words.

The place where the two met was the Gray Wasteland.

The only things he got there were the Ice Claw and….

“Don’t tell me. That box?”

[Yes. I didn’t know either. I didn’t know that the clue to sealing Eteral, the Queen of Tides, the Water Spirit King, was contained within it. The method to open that box is in my repository of knowledge.]

“……!!!”

Karril couldn’t hide his surprised expression at his words.

“Is that really true? Then you could just tell me, couldn’t you?”

[Kid. Magic isn’t something you can simply explain the method to. You have to master it with your own skills through the repository of knowledge.]

Alln chuckled.

[Furthermore, the fact that it’s possible when you reach 6th class means that you can open the box when you can wield Archmage-level mana. It’s impossible now.]

“That’s a shame.”

[Don’t worry. Since when have you relied on others? I know you’ve become greedy after contracting with the Spirit King, but still.]

He stood Karril up, who was lying down.

[So, I know you want to find the Platinum Dragon and quickly resolve the Empire’s problems, but… when else will you have this time to train without worrying about other things?]

Alln rested his arms on the staff he had placed on the floor and spoke to Karril.

[You are now undeniably one of the strongest on the continent, but that doesn’t guarantee you’ll win against everyone. How can you aim for the top if you can’t even beat the creatures of the continent?]

Karril gave a bitter smile.

“You’re right.”

It was then.

“L… Leader!!”

The librarian from the lower floor came up the stairs with a hurried voice.

“What’s wrong?”

Still with a disheveled face, he spoke to Nine Darhon, panting heavily.

“Void Dust… has been detected on the outskirts of Antium.”

“Finally…”

Having received the report, he looked at Karril.

“The two of them?”

At his question, Nine Darhon slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

“They’ve got the basics down pretty well.”

“Good. Alln, we’ll have to stop training for a while. Dealing with the nuisance takes priority.”

[Alright.]

Karril nodded and walked towards the stairs.

“What are you doing?”

“……?”

“You have to come with us too.”

“Ah! Of course, that’s right. It’s part of the deal. I have to make sure you guys are hunting properly.”

At Karril’s words, Nine Darhon hurriedly got up, thinking that he could finally end the tedious mana circulation.

“No. You’re going to fight with them too. You should take this opportunity to learn how to hunt. You don’t want to suffer later.”

“Later?”

Nine Darhon looked at him with a questioning expression at Karril’s words.

“And there’s no need to give those guys such a grand name. There’s a more fitting name for them.”

Karril smirked as he looked at him.

“Corruption (墮落).” [Referring to the Void Dust creatures]

He said with a stern face as he descended the spiral staircase.

“That name is enough.”