Chapter 8

Rumble!!

As a faint vibration spread throughout his body, he immediately began circulating the mana he had gathered through the Sojuchun technique, spreading it throughout his body and starting to rotate it.

The most difficult parts were the Sae-hyeol points and the Dae-nae-hyeol.

The head area is incredibly dangerous, whether you touch the mana or the meridians.

In martial arts, it’s said that you could instantly turn into a madman.

In that sense, the knowledge of Hippocrate’s divine power was a tremendous help.

The knowledge of the meridians that he had drilled into his head while being scolded by her was proving to be a great help.

Although very weak, the meridians, which had been firmly blocked, began to vibrate and shake slowly as he started to move them very slowly.

Cold sweat trickled down.

It was like threading a needle through hundreds of tiny holes, a task so delicate that most of his concentration had to be poured into it.

Although he had taken precautions, it was best not to fail unless absolutely necessary.

Snap!

The sound of something breaking.

The firmly blocked meridian began to develop a hole and the mana started to seep through slowly.

The speed was slow.

If he pushed too aggressively, it would cause bleeding in the brain, so he proceeded very slowly.

‘Just one breakthrough. Just one.’

Since establishing the first circle line was the most difficult, it required the most concentration.

Cold sweat trickled down, and his body felt drained, but he never let his concentration waver.

Instead, with a sharp mind, he carefully monitored the situation inside his body and precisely controlled the mana.

Snap! Snap!

As he began to pierce the firmly closed meridians, like the Ren, Du, and Yang meridians, the mana felt like it wanted to speed up on its own.

He didn’t force it but rather let it flow, firmly fixing its direction to prevent it from straying into side paths, pushing it slowly like battering a gate.

Snap!

“Ugh!”

An unimaginable pain surged through him.

It felt as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer, making his mind go numb.

Unlike in the corridor, his physical body was extremely weak, so the difficulty was clearly higher.

Of course, if he had been scared and tried to avoid it, he wouldn’t have come back to life.

‘There is no failure.’

He repeated this to himself dozens, even hundreds of times, like a mantra, as he created a hole. The mana, like water gushing through a hole in a dam, began to push into the Dae-nae-hyeol with tremendous pressure.

And then.

Boom!!

With the sound of something bursting, his mind suddenly became clear, and a refreshing cold and warm sensation began to circulate in his head.

“Phew...”

A sigh of relief escaped him involuntarily.

If someone were to ask why he was so relieved despite successfully establishing a clear first circle, not a makeshift one, the only answer he could give would be to try it themselves.

Honestly, this bizarre method of establishing a circle, where grabbing the first circle line is more difficult than establishing the 8th or 9th circle, is hard to explain.

Back then, four women had helped him directly to see the masterpiece of the experiment, making it easier, but this time he had done this crazy process alone.

With mana and divine power existing but his body reverting to its initial state, his physical balance was maintained in a completely deformed way.

After confirming that the mana had started to rotate throughout his body, he slowly opened his eyes to see the outside view, which had already darkened.

He was sure he had sat down around lunchtime, but it was already dusk.

Outside, Amy stood restlessly, her face full of worry.

She had apparently been keeping watch by his side the whole time.

Having stood there for almost 7-8 hours, her legs must have been sore, but her determination was considerable.

Feeling a bit guilty, he subtly wiggled his fingers.

The circles moving along the meridians helped the different forces rotate without colliding.

Now that he had created a path with mana, all he had to do was make the divine power and spirit mana circulate.

This bizarre method of establishing a circle, which allows coexistence and has many advantages, was particularly good for this.

Rumble...

The Word of Power.

Isn’t this the kind of incantation that only appears in novels?

If he were to chant it directly, the efficiency would double, which is another advantage.

It meant that he could manifest simple abilities just by wiggling his fingers, as if to help manifest his will.

Indeed, the Master Wizard class.

As the Restore magic manifested, wrapping him in a warm feeling, Amy’s eyes filled with curiosity.

Are you already surprised? You’ll be surprised a lot more from now on.

Feeling a bit sadistic, he even had the mischievous thought of giving her a big shock.

* * *

Five months had passed.

During this time, all I did was secretly circulate my mana to avoid others’ eyes.

Of course, it wasn’t as difficult as at first, and the fact that the mana and divine power, which had been solidified, gradually began to move, leading to an astonishing increase in growth speed, was also clear.

4th Circle.

Considering that average human mages can’t surpass the 3rd Circle, this was truly an incredible recovery speed.

Whenever food was lacking, I would secretly go out and catch wild animals.

Thanks to the proper management of the allocation I received during those five months, financial freedom began to slowly emerge.

Of course, I couldn’t indulge in luxury like other royals.

“Your Highness, the meal is ready.”

“Come in.”

While sewing a small piece of cloth, I gave the signal to enter, and the old door opened as Amy slowly came in.

“Someone brought wild game and vegetables again today.”

“Is that so?”

It started exactly three months ago.

Someone began leaving meat and vegetables in the courtyard of this quiet palace where I was.

At first, I thought Queen Liness might have left them to assassinate me, but upon checking, the meat and vegetables were fine, and I used them appropriately.

I felt that someone was helping me, but I hadn’t confirmed it directly, so I didn’t know exactly who it was.

‘Clearly, someone visited the day before.’

There was only one presence.

With the mana spread throughout this inner palace, I could easily detect if someone was there.

Unintentionally, I could even invade Amy’s privacy in the inner palace, but out of conscience, I withdrew the mana from her surroundings.

“This time, there shouldn’t be any worries about food supplies.”

“Thank you.”

“Um... Your Highness.”

“Hmm?”

“Shouldn’t we consider repairing and maintaining the palace... and the weeds in the garden?”

“Leave it be.”

“But the appearance of the palace...”

“It’s better to leave it if you want to take care of my life.”

At that, she bowed her head deeply, her face showing a choked-up expression.

She’s a kind girl with a strong sense of responsibility, and she seemed to have understood the meaning of my words and become dejected.

“I understand.”

“Thank you for your hard work. You can go now.”

“Yes.”

Watching her bow and retreat, I closed my eyes again and slowly began to move.

Externally, I was in a state where I couldn’t make such intense movements, but I had been intensifying my training during these gaps to avoid surveillance.

The iron sword in my hand was one of the few remaining in this palace.

Though it was so dull and old that it made me want to swear, I had no choice but to use it.

No matter how excellent your sword skills are, if you neglect practice, your skills will inevitably decline.

Even simple practice is essential.

Rumble!!

In response to my movements, the surrounding mana changed and moved on its own.

The movements and sword techniques I was currently displaying were not those of Hares, the Sword Saint who first taught me the sword.

The name is Ma-ryeong-geom.

It has some meaning, but I didn’t really care enough to investigate its origin.

Of course, it’s a formidable sword technique that can be compared to Hares’ sword technique, which I first learned.

It’s said to be a demon’s sword that flows like water.

It’s a sword technique that even Hares, the Sword Saint known for his pickiness, acknowledged and accepted.

While Hares’ sword technique is tyrannical and destructive, this sword is tenacious and gentle.

He was once a ghost-like man who toppled a corrupt righteous faction and became the unparalleled leader of the martial world.

As another human who delved into the sword to its limits in the Hall of Heroes, Hareclass made me learn from him after Hares.

Of course, at first, he said he had no intention of taking on a troublesome disciple and didn’t know why he should teach, but the lazy Hares changed his attitude instantly after receiving a unique bottle of blue wine.

The way he bowed and treated the blue wine like a deity was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh.

He was a famous drunkard in the Hall of Heroes, after all.

Even the saint Daphne, who loved alcohol, said he was a no-go.

Usually, once you master one sword technique, it’s incredibly difficult to learn others.

The moment another technique enters a highly specialized one, it becomes a foreign object.

That’s why the composite sword technique I currently use was created.

The tenacity and gentleness of the Heavenly Demon Sword created by Cheonma Dokgojun.

And the tyrannical nature of the sword technique created by the Sword Saint Hares.

The sword technique created by two crazy geniuses who met is, frankly, a highly accomplished one, even now.

In addition to the physical burden, I also received help from other heroes.

To be precise, I can be seen as the ultimate weapon created by the heroes on purpose.

They recognized my strength, and even they said I was at an astonishing level.

I recalled an invisible enemy and moved my body continuously as if fighting a transparent person.

My almost fully recovered body didn’t complain about even moderate movements.

“Haa... Haa. Still, 30 steps is the limit.”

Out of 88 steps, 30 is the limit, but it’s still astonishing to have recovered this much in just five months.

Even the royal guard captain, who is called a master, would be outmatched by me in terms of sword skills alone.

“Hoo... Hoo...”

Leading my tired body, I lay down and saw the ceiling of the hall, which was old but clean.

It was clearly holding up despite looking like it could collapse at any moment, thanks to minimal maintenance.

“Hmm? Who’s here?”

“Your Highness, the disciples have come.”

“Aah... Finally. I’ll be there soon.”

They’ve come, the cleaning crew.

Saying this, I used the Clean magic on my sweat-soaked body, and a fresh sensation arose.

With a refreshed face, as if he had just finished training, he slowly walked towards the room, holding a cane.

To others, I’m still a person who can’t walk easily.