Chapter 41

The rare treasure, like an ancient artifact, was a valuable item that could not be easily obtained.

Moreover, it was already half-destroyed due to a previous attack.

It was obvious to anyone that it would break for sure if attacked again.

"Stop that guy! Protect the artifact!"

"I'm invisible at night!"

Lee Han recited another spell.

Seeing Lee Han disappear into the darkness with the spell, the attackers gnashed their teeth.

Not only had he thwarted their attempt to knock down the mage earlier, but this priest was also incredibly annoying.

"He knows how to fight. He’s definitely a combat priest assigned to protect the mage! I’ll deal with him myself!"

The leader of the attackers, who had a strange misunderstanding, ran towards the artifact.

He thought that leaving it unchecked might lead to trouble.

"Move!"

While running, Lee Han threw the iron ball he had received from Professor Vlad.

Then he recited a spell.

Originally, using magic in such a dire situation was taboo for beginners who had just learned magic.

Even accomplished mages could fail under pressure and excitement if they hadn’t received proper training, let alone beginners.

A failed magic attempt was the best-case scenario; it could also cause mana to backfire or injure the user.

However, Professor Vlad didn’t bother to warn Lee Han about this.

-Is it necessary to warn someone about something every combat mage must face? They should overcome it on their own.

...As a result, Lee Han recited the spell without realizing he was taking a dangerous gamble.

Surprisingly, the gamble succeeded.

As Professor Vlad had evaluated, Lee Han was someone who shone brighter when faced with danger.

Pfft!

The iron ball, enchanted with a low-level control spell, floated up.

Normally, it should have moved weakly and slowly, but the iron ball, infused with Lee Han’s immense mana, moved with a force that surpassed the low-level control spell.

'Go!'

With Lee Han’s mental command, the iron ball shot forward at lightning speed.

It was not easy to react to an iron ball that suddenly flew out while he was invisible and in the dark.

With a 'thud,' one of the pursuing attackers was knocked back.

"Be careful!! He’s using hidden weapons!"

"He’s skilled in combat! Be careful!"

The attackers drew their swords and went on high alert.

While running, Lee Han felt his brain burning as if it were on fire.

His body was moving, and his mind was controlling the iron ball separately.

'Focus... I need to focus!'

Although Professor Vlad was crazy, his words were indeed valid.

Combat makes a person grow.

...Lee Han was experiencing this with his body.

He felt that controlling the iron ball in a life-or-death situation improved his skills more than continuously rotating it in a classroom.

With each throw, grab, rotation, and re-throw, he could feel his control improving!

'!'

Lee Han was surprised when he suddenly tasted blood. He licked his lips and found that blood was flowing from his nose.

His mana was fine.

He had overexerted his mind.

Snick!

A sword flashed, and the iron ball split and fell.

The leader of the attackers had perfectly timed his swing.

"Focus on the footprints! You can find him by following the footprints!"

'Damn. I’m almost there.'

Lee Han regretfully looked at the ancient artifact, which was only a few meters away.

He could have charged and destroyed it, but the remaining three attackers were firmly blocking his path.

"I smell blood. Follow the blood scent!"

Lee Han realized that the longer he delayed, the more disadvantageous it would become.

No matter how much he had practiced sword skills, his combat experience was far inferior to the attackers.

He needed to attack first while he still had the advantage.

Swords swung, and blood splattered. One of the attackers, who didn’t expect a preemptive attack, fell.

"There he is!"

Swish!

The attackers pulled something out of their sleeves and scattered it. It was a glittering powder. Although he didn’t know what it was, he could guess that it would interfere with his invisibility upon contact.

Without hesitation, Lee Han rolled.

"Damn it!"

The attackers cursed when their opponent didn’t appear despite the glowing powder. He was truly a troublesome opponent.

"Stay calm. As long as you don’t let your guard down, you won’t be hit."

The leader spoke with a wary tone.

Even with the invisibility spell, movement would inevitably make noise.

If they focused on their hearing, they could detect him.

'Where did he go?'

But there was no sound at all.

The smell of the attacker’s blood, which he had detected earlier, was also gone.

Thud!

"?!"

"That bastard...!"

Another attacker, who had walked close to the fallen one, was ambushed and fell.

Only then did the leader realize how Lee Han had concealed the blood scent.

He had pretended to leave the area and hidden next to the blood left by the fallen attacker.

The leader genuinely admired him.

Apart from his magic, he was truly skilled in combat. A stupid person wouldn’t have thought of such a strategy even after a hundred years of training.

"Move!"

"Whoa!"

Hearing the sound of a spell being recited in the air, the attacker hurriedly ducked. The leader sharply called out,

"Stupid! It’s a fake spell!"

But it was too late. The last remaining subordinate fell.

Instead of getting angry, the leader smiled strangely and raised his sword.

"It’s been a while since I’ve faced an opponent like you. My name is Garakse."

Lee Han didn’t respond. The leader nodded as if he had expected this.

If he were the type to let his guard down and answer such a question, he wouldn’t have been able to face multiple opponents like this.

"You think I can’t see you, relying on that lousy magic."

Clang!

"But you’re already starting to show yourself."

The leader’s words were not just bravado. Lee Han was surprised by the accuracy of Garakse’s sword swings.

"You can hide your scent, but you can’t hold your breath."

"..."

Can he determine my position by hearing my breathing?

Lee Han was flabbergasted.

He had heard that skilled swordsmen could surpass human limits, but this was beyond imagination.

No matter how skilled they were, it shouldn’t be possible...

Garakse’s sword began to weave through the air, gradually increasing the pressure.

His sword technique was close to Hwan-sword (渙劍).

Not the Hwan (幻) that means illusion, but the Hwan (渙) that means dispersion!

With each swing, the next attack followed, gradually filling the air and restricting Lee Han’s movements.

Lee Han countered with the Bihyam sword technique, but the opponent’s skill was superior.

With each clash, Lee Han felt himself becoming more and more disadvantaged. Without the invisibility spell, he would have been overwhelmed instantly.

Most of all, the shock from each clash with the opponent’s sword was significant.

'Is this the skill of a swordsman that Alarlong talked about?'

He had heard that a skilled swordsman could not only swing their sword with physical strength but also channel their body’s mana into the sword.

This allowed them to wield a force that transcended physical strength.

With each clash, the shock from Garakse’s sword, which was infused with mana, traveled up Lee Han’s arm.

'I’ll force my mana into the sword!'

Determined, Lee Han channeled his mana.

Since he had opened his eyes to magic, he had become much more adept at infusing and moving mana.

He channeled his mana into the sword as if casting a spell.

Clang!

"!?"

Garakse was surprised by the sudden change in his opponent’s attack.

'What is this guy?'

Lee Han’s sword technique was quite good.

Given that Garakse had faced and defeated many swordsmen in the empire, his assessment was accurate.

Moreover, his mindset was also commendable.

Many who prided themselves on their sword skills would rush into battle without assessing their opponent, leading to their quick demise. Lee Han, however, did not.

He immediately recognized Garakse’s strength and focused on defense, abandoning his desire to win.

This was not something anyone could do.

In a life-or-death sword duel, who could abandon the desire to defeat their opponent and just endure?

They might end up doing nothing and fall.

But the opponent chose this path, and Garakse highly valued this decision.

However, Lee Han lacked the power.

Even with a good sword technique, he couldn’t match a swordsman like Garakse, who could freely channel mana into his sword.

Moreover, Lee Han’s sword technique was a heavy, medium-sword style.

Normally, a medium-sword like Lee Han’s should have been able to overpower a Hwan-sword like Garakse’s, but if he couldn’t even match in strength, there was no chance of winning.

...But suddenly, his sword began to gain power.

A power that even surpassed Garakse!

What is this?

'Was he hiding his strength? What is this? What’s his intention? Why the strength?'

Garakse, who had been calm, was now flustered.

There was no reason for a swordsman who could channel mana into his sword to pretend to be weak.

The opponent, whom he thought he had almost defeated, suddenly felt distant.

'Is this right?'

Even as Lee Han poured mana into his sword like a madman, he had doubts.

This was a completely different style of attack from what he had learned so far.

Sword techniques were not just about swinging; they required immediate preparation for the next move. The opponent wouldn’t just stand there and take it.

But now, Lee Han had abandoned all other postures and focused solely on attacking.

He couldn’t perform any complex movements while concentrating on pouring mana into his sword.

'Is this really right?!'

His doubts were actually correct.

This was not a normal sword technique.

Channeling mana into a sword meant sending mana to the sword and circulating it throughout the body.

Sending mana from the body to the sword and back to the body.

Continuously circulating mana would cause significant fatigue and exhaustion, but just pouring it out without circulating?

It was a suicidal sword technique that could make one collapse from exhaustion.

If Lee Han had not been invisible, Garakse would have immediately noticed how extreme his stance was.

Then Garakse might have realized that Lee Han was doing something strange.

But Lee Han was invisible, and the unseen opponent was shaking Garakse’s mind.

It was impossible to figure out!

If he had stayed calm, he might have had a chance, but Garakse was overwhelmed by the continuous attacks.

Snick!

"?"

As he was overwhelming his opponent, Lee Han felt a ominous sound coming from his sword.

He thought he had misheard, but he had heard it correctly.

'...This is bad!'

His sword, unable to withstand the mana, was starting to break.

'What kind of cheap sword is this?'

The swords used by the attackers were considered top-notch in the empire, but Lee Han didn’t know this.

He just complained without considering the amount of mana he had poured into it.

'I’ll finish this before it breaks!'

If he reduced his mana now, he might be overwhelmed by the opponent again.

It was better to finish it with a determined attack.

Lee Han began to pour mana into his sword like a madman, determined to end it in one go.

In response, Garakse gritted his teeth and drew another sword.

A sword made of black purple stone, which had the property of absorbing mana.

Drawing this sword against a swordsman was humiliating, but he couldn’t afford to lose.

'I’ll suppress him!'

At that moment, there was a 'crack' sound.

The invisible sword, which had been unseen until now, revealed itself. The mana flames were violently scattering, forming the shape of a sword.

A strange form of attack, neither an aura nor a spell, flew through the air.

Boom!!!!

Even the black purple stone sword, which absorbed mana, was useless.

The opponent’s attack hit Garakse like a wave.