Becoming a Swordmaster by Reading Chapter 41

Finally, the morning and afternoon regular training sessions were all over.

Just as Roden had said before the training began, the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Platoon began to cut down the posts erected on one side, one by one.

At the beginning, their momentum was good.

“Eh. It’s nothing.”

“I could cut this with my eyes closed.”

“I think I could cut it in my sleep.”

It was certainly true.

For the most part, all the soldiers easily cut down the straw and bamboo posts.

And everyone also succeeded in cutting the post made of bundled tree branches, even if not cleanly.

But from then on, it wasn't easy.

“What? Why is it so hard?”

“Did I sharpen my blade too carelessly?”

“No way! Is this really the extent of my skill?”

There were surprisingly few people who succeeded in cutting down the pine post, which was only about 3cm thick, in a single blow.

Pine was at least a type of wood often used for cutting practice because its tissue was soft and its density was low.

But the reality was that it wasn't even easy to cut it in one go without using aura.

Of course, that's not to say that no one was able to cut the pine post.

The definite strongmen within the platoon cut the pine post without difficulty.

In particular, most of the soldiers who had passed the second preliminary round in the last competition were able to cut the pine post.

“See, you should’ve trained harder usually.”

“You can’t even cut this?”

“Watch carefully. This is the difference between you and me!”

But their triumphant appearance ended there.

In front of the next stage, the plum tree post, almost everyone was frustrated.

Only five people succeeded in cutting it.

They were Nedhab, Federico, Terne, Hugo, and Manolo.

‘If Zailo hadn't been sentenced to imprisonment, he probably would have been included here.’

Just like that, the five who succeeded in cutting the plum tree post became the envy of the soldiers.

“They really are different.”

“I still find it awkward that Nedhab is mixed in there.”

“That's why we have to train hard too. We should at least be able to cut a plum tree post, right?”

And along with envy, anticipation also grew.

Because they had cut the plum tree post so easily, they thought the next stage, the ash tree post, might be fine as well.

Furthermore, ash wood was familiar to the soldiers.

This was because its strength and flexibility were suitable, making it a material commonly used to make wooden swords.

But among the five, only Nedhab and Federico, just two of them, succeeded in cutting the ash tree post.

And even those two had no choice but to be frustrated in front of the next stage, the birch tree post.

Even Nedhab, who had succeeded in cutting the deepest into the birch tree post, had only managed to get his sword into a level slightly less than halfway.

‘So this is the limit of our soldiers.’

Moreover, the wooden posts didn't end with the birch tree post.

The ebony wood post still remained as the next stage.

The 7th stage was ebony, the 8th was limestone, the 9th was copper, the 10th was iron, and the 11th was steel.

The reason Roden did not prepare more than 12 stages was because the 11th stage was steel.

In reality, if one could cut steel, they were not at the level of a soldier.

Unless one came with a sword made of diamond, it was only possible to cut steel if one could use aura.

And if one could use aura, they were a 1-star knight, not a common soldier.

Furthermore, even if one used aura, it wasn't as if they could cut a steel post as easily as cutting a radish.

It was a rather difficult task for a 1-star knight, who could at most focus their aura to a single point.

One would have to be at least a 2-star knight to have a high probability of success.

‘In fact, even I had to take my time and concentrate to be able to cut the steel post.’

Just in case, he had Chevalier, who had prepared these posts with him, try it too, and the result was the same.

In conclusion, it would be a rare sight for soldiers to cut the steel post under normal circumstances.

The reason he had set up the steel post nevertheless was for a kind of symbolism.

Because the image of a knight that the soldiers dreamed of would be one cutting a steel sword with aura on the battlefield as if cutting a radish.

‘Just as important as giving a sense of accomplishment by achieving small goals is showing a concrete final goal to reach.’

And,

Swish, swish, swish, swish.

In the same vein, as soon as the soldiers' challenge was over, Chevalier raised his aura and split the birch tree, which no one had been able to cut, in two with a single blow.

It wasn't just the birch tree.

He cut down the ebony, limestone, and copper posts in order.

They were cut so easily that all the soldiers watching couldn't help but be astonished.

Furthermore, Chevalier's challenge did not end there.

Swish.

After seeming to concentrate for a moment, he first cut the iron post.

At that, a sense of anticipation grew among the soldiers.

The anticipation that Chevalier would cleanly cut down the steel post as well.

Just like that, a strange tension flowed through the training ground, and finally, Chevalier swung his sword.

Swish.

Seeing the steel post cleanly bisected, the soldiers let out a cheer.

“Wooooah!”

“That’s amazing!”

“You’re the best, Deputy Platoon Leader!”

But even amidst these cheers, Chevalier maintained his characteristic composure.

Then he opened his mouth towards the soldiers.

“This is the effect of the training you are receiving. You too can raise your aura and cut steel, just as I have done. So, all of you, strive forward.”

“Yes!”

“Then, dismiss!”

“Dismiss!”

Just like that, the soldiers, who had all finished confirming their current skill level and what their next goal was, rushed towards the valley for a cold water compress.

With great expectations for the future.

***

That evening.

Roden began his research for pure aura in earnest.

But before that, in order to study pure aura, he needed to review what pure mana was.

First, mana in its natural state was always pure.

But in the process of being refined into magical power, various impurities were mixed in.

Originally, any substance was bound to have impurities mixed in during the refining process.

So one always had to be careful to prevent impurities from mixing in during the refining process.

However, mages, who thought of magical power simply as energy itself, believed that impurities would not be created during the refining process.

Because they believed that the pure energy called mana, not a substance, clumped together to become magical power.

‘Of course, the mages’ thoughts aren’t completely wrong. Energy, in its essence, is not a substance.’

However, when energy clumped together, it became a substance.

That was why it was possible for magical power to hover around the heart with the physical form of a Circle.

It was for this reason that impurities were mixed in during the process of mana being refined into magical power.

For that reason, Roden gained a clue from this and conducted research on how to prevent impurities from mixing into magical power.

‘In conclusion, the core of the secret to refining pure mana into pure magical power was the location.’

A place with almost no impurities.

Training the mana breathing method in such a place was the best method.

In particular, the better the mountains and water, the lower the possibility of impurities mixing into the magical power.

But it was realistically impossible to go to such a place every time.

Therefore, an alternative was needed.

What Roden developed in that way was a spatial magic called ‘Clean Room,’ which turned the surroundings into a kind of sterile room.

‘If you use the Clean Room, no other substances besides mana can enter a certain space.’

Furthermore, even the impurities other than mana that were in this space naturally exited outside the Clean Room.

Thus, it became the optimal space for refining mana into pure magical power.

However, the Clean Room was not without its drawbacks.

‘There was a very fatal drawback.’

That was the fact that the Clean Room also treated the mage training within it as an impurity.

For that reason, the mage had to endure immense pressure in order not to be kicked out of the Clean Room.

Furthermore, since the Clean Room even treated oxygen as an impurity, one had to endure this pressure while holding one's breath.

That was why mages usually cast the Clean Room magic with their bodies plastered with various buff spells and potions.

Only then was it possible to train in the Clean Room for more than a minute.

‘And this is the realistic reason why I can’t train my aura using the Clean Room.’

Although it was a 2nd Circle magic, it wasn't as if Roden, who had reached the level of a 2-star, couldn't cast the Clean Room.

If he put his mind to it, it was possible to cast it by performing a sword dance at any time.

But the reason he hadn't cast the Clean Room until now was because it was not suitable for aura training.

‘Aura has a close connection with breathing. It’s because the mana, which has been primarily refined through breathing, seeps into the recovering muscles along with nutrients.’

In the end, aura training itself was impossible in a space where one couldn't breathe.

For that reason, Roden had to find a way to solve this problem while also allowing the aura to be purely refined.

‘For starters, it’s impossible to improve the Clean Room any further than this. If that had been possible, I would have already done it in my previous life.’

It was meaningless to incorporate into the magic formula the ability to distinguish between impurities and non-impurities.

This was because it required too many formulas, making the casting time of the magic excessively long.

If it were improved in this way, it would be to the extent that one would cast the magic today and only be able to enter the Clean Room tomorrow.

‘So, in reality, even if it’s improved, it should be seen as having almost no practical use.’

Just like that, because the solution called the Clean Room became meaningless, Roden's worries could only deepen.

And just before he went to bed for his nine hours of deep sleep.

A good idea came to him.

‘Yes. That should work.’

It was a way to obtain pure aura without using the Clean Room.