Chapter 17: Moon Shadow Style (Part 3)

Despite my advice to the children to eat quickly, the duke was not in the training ground.

Lena called me aside and led me to the basement of the mansion.

It was the first time I had been to the basement.

It was about the size of a tennis court, not that large. Well, maybe it was quite spacious for a basement.

That wasn't important. Lena told me to wait for the duke and then left.

I took the opportunity to look around the basement.

It was made of black and blue-tinged wood and stone, and it was not simple but quite aesthetic.

I was genuinely impressed. The things here were not just ordinary stones and wood.

'This must be the mana stone and mana wood.'

On a day when I was in top condition, I had recognized mana through Selly.

Because I had experienced it once, I could feel it now, though not as clearly as before.

However, I didn't act rashly.

I didn't know much about mana, and I didn't want to cause problems by touching it unnecessarily.

When using mysteries, I had used the weak mana in my body, so there was no issue.

Anyway, I thought this place was probably the duke's personal training room.

Mana stones and mana wood were extremely expensive items found in places with abnormally high mana density.

I had encountered them while playing Falhol.

I didn't know they looked like this, but I had also built a training ground with mana stones and mana wood.

Then, the duke entered the room.

"Good morning."

"Did you sleep well last night?"

The duke asked, examining my face, seemingly curious about the effects of the soup I had eaten.

I smiled awkwardly.

"About the same as usual."

"That's a shame. Let's see how it progresses."

"Yes."

The duke walked forward.

"Time is money, so let's start right away."

It was a natural statement since the duke mainly operated externally. He might leave in the afternoon.

I opened my eyes wide and focused as much as I could.

"This is a mana training ground made of mana stones and mana wood. You will come here often from the age of 15. Today, we are here to feel mana."

"Is there a specific reason for 15 years old?"

"You're not ready yet. The mana emitted by mana stones and mana wood is not natural. It's mana that has already been imbued with the properties of stone and wood."

I didn't understand. Tilting my head slightly, the duke kindly continued his explanation.

The main point was that if you were exposed to mana stones and mana wood too early, it could affect the nature of the mana you possess.

You need to first accumulate and stabilize natural mana in your body to make absorption easier and to make the mana from mana stones and mana wood your own.

It was the first time I had heard this.

When playing the game, it was just a matter of winning or losing. I hadn't trained anyone myself.

There was a teaching system, but it was automated.

'Anyway, we're here to feel mana?'

I had already recognized mana before. Thanks to that, I could clearly feel the mana in this basement.

Considering that I had recognized it on a day when I was in top condition...

It didn't seem like feeling mana was an easy task.

As I looked around, the duke asked.

"Do you feel anything?"

"Yes."

"Can you describe it accurately?"

Hmm, how should I put it?

It felt like recognizing oxygen in the air, but I couldn't say that with my Earth knowledge.

"Actually, I felt mana last time. It felt like a foreign energy faintly floating in the air..."

The duke showed a bit of surprise.

"Were you in good condition that day?"

"Yes."

"When exactly did you recognize the mana?"

"When Selly infused mana into my body. It's not as clear now, but I can feel the mana."

The duke's eyes sparkled.

* * *

Actually, feeling something strange in a basement made of mana stones and mana wood was normal.

A space rich in mana can make even those without talent feel constricted.

But recognizing mana accurately was a different matter.

Everyone has a small amount of mana in their body, but most can't feel it.

Even if they do, many can't use it.

Moreover, it usually takes a few days for someone with talent to 'accurately' recognize mana during the introductory process.

Even for someone with extremely outstanding talent, it would take at least an hour in a mana stone basement.

'This is more satisfying than I thought.'

The duke recalled Selly's report.

She said his magical talent was inferior to Orhen, but his recognition speed was faster.

"You're feeling it properly. Have you ever used the mana you felt?"

"No. I was afraid something might go wrong, so I waited."

"Good. But why didn't you mention it when you felt the mana?"

"Hmm, was that wrong?"

Kalin looked at the duke for cues.

"No, I'm praising you. Recognizing mana isn't an easy task."

"Um, I didn't realize it was a big deal at the time. Denif and Orhen used mana, so I thought it was normal."

The duke nodded. It was a reasonable reason.

"Maybe it's because you used mysteries."

Using mysteries involves a slight use of mana. You don't directly handle mana, but it helps.

The duke thought this experience might have helped Kalin.

It wasn't certain. Mysteries were an unknown field.

It could also be that the child's talent was in mana manipulation rather than magic.

Sometimes that happens.

There are often knights who are better at handling mana than mages.

"Then there's no need to waste time. Sit cross-legged in the center and close your eyes."

"Yes."

Kalin felt the duke's hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know who the founder was, but the Moon Shadow Style is a martial art inspired by the moon and shadows."

The duke spoke in a more solemn tone than usual.

"When using the Moon Shadow Style, you must be cold and secretive, with calmness as your foundation. Remember that."

Kalin listened attentively instead of answering.

"From now on, we will lay the foundation for the Moon Shadow Style."

"Yes."

"Focus on the flow of mana. Don't miss a single detail. You must follow it exactly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the duke's mana entered Kalin's body.

Kalin felt it was dark and cold, focusing all his attention on the flow of mana.

The mana that entered through his shoulder reached his solar plexus and began to spread throughout his body.

It was the process of improving the mana circuit for the Moon Shadow Style. The duke was impressed by how he led the mana.

'Not bad.'

Despite being an orphan, Kalin's circuit was clean and wide, without impurities.

It was hard to believe he had never properly used mana before.

'Did his parents really come from the nobility?'

The duke had suspected this a bit since the child possessed a mystery. However, the kingdom's intelligence couldn't uncover anything, so he had let it go.

There were precedents of commoners using mysteries, after all.

But with the added factor of the solid circuit, his thoughts changed a bit.

It was impossible to achieve this without inheriting it.

Of course, it could be a commoner who was lucky enough to have talent.

Denif was an example of that.

But with the combination of a mystery and an outstanding circuit, suspicion naturally deepened.

The probability of it being a noble child was higher than a natural talent.

The duke thought he should investigate further.

Considering the child's age, he would look into all the nobles who were exterminated or went missing during that period.

'First, I should focus on families related to wind or where a rare genius was born.'

The duke's thoughts deepened.

If he found out who the child's parents were and they were still alive,

His efforts might be in vain. Orphans usually have an attachment to their biological parents.

He would try to persuade them first, and if that didn't work...

'I'll have to kill them.'

The duke decided. He couldn't let a priceless gem be taken away.

He intended to raise Kalin as his strongest tool.

'Hmm?'

The duke's thoughts were interrupted.

The mana he had spread to lay the foundation was rapidly absorbed into Kalin's body.

It was natural for the mana to be absorbed to lay the foundation for the Moon Shadow Style.

However, the amount was far beyond the duke's expectations.

Even as he increased the amount of mana he transmitted, the absorption didn't stop.

After about three minutes, the duke thought he should stop the mana transmission.

If too much mana entered the young body, it could cause serious problems.

It was a common accident for noble children to become disabled due to an accident during mana transmission.

However,

The duke couldn't do that. He had recognized a crescent moon in Kalin's dantian.

A very small crescent moon, but its light and solidity were closer to a full moon.

It was due to the continuous absorption of the duke's mana without overloading Kalin's body.

'...'

The duke momentarily lost his words, recalling the day he first entered the Moon Shadow Style.

The crescent moon in his dantian was the same, but it couldn't compare to the child's.

A genius... no, more than that.

The duke realized Marhan wasn't exaggerating when he called the child the best on the continent.

The child's ability was at half its potential.

To achieve this much, the duke found it hard to believe even with his own eyes.

'Really a gift from heaven to Haisen?'

The duke chuckled.

The joke he made when he first met the child might have been true.

The duke stopped the mana transmission. The foundation was laid perfectly.

Instead, he guided the child's mana to move along the circuit.

"Remember this flow while breathing. It will be difficult at first, but you must maintain it even while moving and fighting."

After guiding the mana three times, the duke gathered his mana and asked.

"Can you move it on your own? If not, I'll withdraw the mana."

Unable to answer, Kalin moved his own mana along the path the duke had shown.

It was an incredibly clean and perfect control.

"Good. Just like that."

It wasn't just following the path the duke had shown.

The speed of the mana movement and the smoothness along the circuit were perfect.

The duke recalled his past again. He couldn't do this at first.

No, even his master probably couldn't.

'It wasn't because he was familiar with mana due to the mystery.'

While he didn't know about magic, in terms of mana manipulation, the child was the best he had seen.

By then, Kalin had almost completed one full cycle of mana.

"Now, gather it and stand up."

Kalin perfectly gathered the mana.

This marked his achievement of the first level of the Moon Shadow Style. The duke estimated the time.

'About 40 minutes?'

It was unbelievable.

He had planned to spend the whole morning.

'This is with only half of his original talent.'

Actually, his talent for mana was due to the demon's blood, but the duke, unaware of this, could only marvel.

Kalin, whose face was slightly flushed from the excitement of handling mana for the first time, said calmly.

"Is that it?"

"Yes. This is the first level of the Moon Shadow Style. Can you do it while moving?"

"Yes. I have reduced the amount of mana, but I am still circulating it along the circuit."

The duke, hiding his surprise, nodded.

"It took me a year and a half to reach the second level, but I don't think it will take you that long."

"You flatter me."

The duke chuckled at Kalin's visible modesty.

"Flattery? If you have a good day, you might reach the second level immediately."

Kalin just bowed his head slightly.

"The inner moon grows fuller as you advance. Martial arts start from the second level. Keep practicing."

"Yes."

"You have talent beyond expectations. I'm pleased."

"Thank you."

Though he spoke calmly, Kalin was equally surprised.

Even as a layman, he knew this wasn't a normal progression. Handling mana felt too comfortable from the start.

The duke's surprise confirmed this. It was the first time Kalin had seen the duke surprised.

Kalin kept observing the duke.

'When the inner moon formed, I felt a sudden surge of blood.'

Instinctively, he realized it was due to the demon's blood.

And because of that, handling mana was unusually easy.

He had known this from playing the game, but the penalty trait wasn't entirely negative.

However, Kalin was worried if the duke had noticed.

From the duke's reaction, it seemed he hadn't.

Phew.

Kalin sighed in relief.