Becoming a Swordmaster by Reading Chapter 55

In the midst of diligently enchanting the shields with defensive magic.

The 100th day since Roden completed his research on pure aura arrived.

This meant that all the aura within Roden's body had turned pure.

‘I was so busy I didn't even realize it's already been 100 days.’

Truthfully, Roden hadn't been able to pay much attention to his aura recently.

He had been consistently undergoing not only regular training but also personal training, but he hadn't had the time to check his physical condition as often as he used to.

It was only natural, as he had been conducting research to increase the soldiers' survival rate, which led to research on enchantment magic, and that, in turn, led to research on finding an energy source to replace the Mana Stone.

On top of that, he had been using all his evenings to practice carving and had even carried out a transport operation, so it would have been strange if he had plenty of time.

‘More than anything, I tend to enjoy being immersed in research too much.’

From his past life until now.

It was no exaggeration to say that Roden was mad about research.

That was why once he became absorbed in an interesting research topic, he didn't even think about checking his physical condition.

On top of that, his sleep time had recently been reduced by three hours because he was enchanting one shield a day, so it was only natural for his interest in aura to wane.

He didn't want to face the inevitable decrease in his aura absorption rate from not getting nine hours of deep sleep.

For reference, his current aura absorption rate had dropped significantly from 26% to 20%.

It was a part that showed how important nine hours of deep sleep was.

In any case, Roden consistently cast the impurity discharge magic, which lasted for three hours once cast, even amidst his busy schedule.

Because of that, 1% of the aura in his body was becoming purer every day.

And so, 100 days had been filled, and his aura had finally become completely pure.

‘Shall I check what changes have occurred in my body now that my aura has become completely pure?’

Roden naturally drew his sword and raised his aura.

In an instant, the aura gathered and began to cover the blade.

And so, the entire blade was perfectly covered in aura.

It was the level of a 3-star.

‘The time it takes to raise 3-star aura has been shortened a bit. I guess this means the density of the aura has increased.’

It was certainly easier to raise aura than when he had first reached the 3-star level.

The proof was that there was still a tremendous amount of aura left in his body.

Because of that, this thought naturally came to Roden's mind.

‘Perhaps I could even aim for the 4-star level?’

Since Roden had reached the 3-star level when his aura was about 20% pure, if he became a 4-star now, it would mean reaching that height in just 80 days.

In fact, this was an impossible feat, even for the bloodline of the Glockner family, from which only geniuses among geniuses were said to be born.

The minimum period of time the Glockner family thought it took to go from 3-star to 4-star was one year.

Even this was a story that would make outsiders gasp if they heard it.

‘So, even if the aura in my body is 100% pure, there's no way I can reach the 4-star level.’

For reference, 4-star meant the level at which one could cover the entire blade with aura.

If it was possible to cover the entire blade with aura like this, its strength increased tremendously, unlike just coating the blade with aura.

From 4-star onwards, they were said to be a light cavalry platoon armed with heavy armor in themselves, and this was the reason.

This was because not only 1-star and 2-star knights, but even 3-star knights could have their aura broken in an instant before a 4-star knight's aura.

For that reason, Roden couldn't think that he had become this strong.

‘But even so, I should check how much stronger I've become.’

And so, Roden raised his aura to the maximum to check how close he was to reaching 4-star.

As a result, he was able to confirm a surprising fact.

The fact that he had become a 4-star knight.

‘Is the effect of purifying my aura really this great?’

Roden was aghast as he faced the 4-star aura that completely enveloped his blade.

***

A few days later.

Adriel's barracks.

Roden, who had visited here with Havier, received praise from Adriel.

“After applying the new training method, our battalion's combat power is increasing significantly. It's all thanks to you.”

It wasn't that the entire battalion was seeing as dramatic an effect as the 3rd Infantry Platoon.

The reason the 3rd Infantry Platoon was able to achieve such a dramatic effect in the first place was because Roden performed a sword dance to increase the mana density of the entire training ground.

However, the other platoons, which trained separately from the 3rd Infantry Platoon in the training hall, could not see the effect of this sword dance.

For that reason, they had to increase their aura absorption rate purely through stretching, massage, cold water compresses, and nine hours of deep sleep.

And this alone produced quite satisfactory results.

It was only natural, as the soldiers' aura absorption rate, which was only 0.1% on average, had increased to 0.3%.

What's more, it seemed there were quite a few cases like Nedhab, where their innate talent wasn't bad, but their lifestyle was poor, preventing their talent from fully blossoming.

The proof was that one out of every 100 soldiers unexpectedly began to show promise.

Above all, the knights of 1-star or higher had felt the effects of Roden's new training method the most.

It wasn't difficult to tell just by looking at the fact that, unlike the soldiers, Chevalier was convinced of the new training method's effects in just three days.

It was certain that going from 1% to 3% would be more noticeable than going from 0.1% to 0.3%.

For the same reason, Adriel was feeling the effects of this training method the most in the battalion.

This was also the reason why he had called Roden today to praise him.

However,

“Thank you for your praise, Battalion Commander.”

Roden's reaction as he bowed his head and expressed his gratitude was unusual.

The reason was none other than this.

A 5-star knight who could see the flow of mana, unlike ordinary knights.

He was worried that Adriel, who had already reached this level, would recognize that he had become a 4-star knight.

‘He can't find out. If he finds out that I became a 4-star knight in 80 days, he'll ask me how.’

Of course, he could just make up an excuse about it being a family secret and not teach him.

But in the process, Adriel might feel disappointed.

And this was not a good outcome for Roden, who needed the battalion's protection.

For that reason, Roden hoped that Adriel would not notice his growth at all.

Should he call it fortunate?

Adriel seemed completely unaware of Roden's growth.

‘Is it because the density of my aura increased as it became purer, but the amount of it didn't increase significantly, so he didn't notice?’

It was just as Roden thought.

Adriel didn't think for a moment that Roden had become a 4-star knight.

This was because the absolute amount of aura had not changed significantly.

What's more, even if Adriel knew Roden had become a 4-star knight, he had no intention of asking how.

To Adriel, Roden was someone who had already given him a great gift that he could never have imagined receiving.

It was only natural, as sharing the new training method was bringing enormous benefits not only to the unit he commanded but also to himself.

There were all sorts of people in the world.

There were people like Adriel who were purely happy and grateful when something good was shared, and,

there were also people like Yusupa who, even when something good was shared, would ask if there was anything else and try to take everything in the end.

In that respect, Adriel could fortunately be said to be a person who knew shame.

Just as expected.

Adriel opened his mouth as he looked at Roden bowing his head.

“It's a shame. I received a really good gift from you, but I have no way to repay you.

Normally, I would have immediately reported this news to the higher-ups and taken measures to ensure you received the maximum reward.”

“I am satisfied with just your protection.”

“No. No matter how much I think about it, that's not enough. What should I do? Should I give you all the steel brooches I'm allowed to award to the battalion members?”

At Adriel's words, Havier, who was listening from the side, was taken aback.

“Battalion Commander. Isn't that a bit excessive? If you give all the steel brooches to the 3rd Infantry Platoon Leader, you'll be hard-pressed for a way to give an appropriate reward when someone performs a great feat later on.”

“But you're thinking the same thing as me, aren't you? That it wouldn't be a waste to give all the steel brooches I can award to the 3rd Infantry Platoon Leader.”

“Well, that's true, but it would be better to find another way to reward him….”

“Always the stickler. I understand. Don't worry. I have another reward in mind.”

After Adriel finished speaking, he walked off somewhere.

Then he brought out a long box from somewhere.

Handing the box to Roden, Adriel opened his mouth.

“Open it.”

Roden tilted his head and opened the box, and he was surprised to see what was inside.

Surprisingly, what was in the box was a sword.

A sword whose appearance was unusual at a glance.

“It's a Mithril Alloy Sword made by the master craftsman Elantos. It's an early work, but it's quite useful, so I was carrying it around as a temporary replacement in case something happened to my cherished sword.”

“……”

“I was disappointed to see you still carrying a steel sword after becoming a 3-star knight, so I'm thinking of giving you this sword. What do you think? Do you like it?”

It was a gift he liked very much.

Just as Adriel said, Roden also wanted a new sword.

What's more, a Mithril Alloy Sword couldn't compare to a pure mithril or adamantium sword, but it could greatly increase the efficiency of aura compared to a steel sword.

For that reason, words of gratitude flowed from Roden's mouth on their own.

“To give me such a fine sword. Thank you very much.”

“No. It's just a shame that I can only give you a Mithril Alloy Sword, not even a pure mithril sword.”

Adriel seemed truly disappointed that he couldn't give him a mithril sword.

What's more, Havier also nodded as if he was thinking the same thing.

Looking at them, he felt sorry for a moment for worrying that they would recognize him as a 4-star knight and ask him how.

At the same time, Roden was able to realize that the world wasn't just full of people like Yusupa.

‘I did well to share the new training method.’

And so, Roden became a 4-star knight and even obtained a Mithril Alloy Sword.

This happened when he had finished enchanting 14 of the 32 shields.