It’s already been a week since my sister started patrolling the Spiritual Land.
“Rayrn! Come with me!”
“Aah……”
“Hurry! I need you to be there to help!”
The results she achieved on the first day fueled her enthusiasm. The next day, even without anyone telling her to, she gathered the soldiers and moved out.
Perhaps the news of her success from the day before spread, because the newly assigned soldiers were filled with motivation.
‘Truly, the effect of the reward money.’
It wasn’t just my sister who benefited from the results of the patrols. Knights and soldiers who participated also received rewards.
Normally, other commanders might have kept some for themselves, but not my sister.
She was thoroughly fair. She even shared her own reward with the knights and soldiers. Naturally, their enthusiasm ignited.
Except for me.
All week, she insisted that I accompany her everywhere.
“Sis. I need to train, too. My master gave me assignments, you know.”
“If you say you couldn’t do it because of the patrol, maybe he’ll let it slide?”
“Do you really think my master is like that?”
“Mm…….”
“And you need to try commanding on your own now. This is a real-life experience. Real, right?”
“You should be here too…… Eh. Alright. I’ll give it a try on my own.”
She sounded a little disappointed. But my sister was never shameless. She wasn’t thick-skinned enough to hold me back once I brought up my assignments.
Thanks to that, I was able to break free from the patrols and have some time to myself.
‘Actually, I’ve already finished my assignment…… heh. Let’s get to my own work first.’
‘Expanding my circle is no big deal.’
At my current rate of accumulating mana, it should be no problem. With a thicker mana circle than most mages, I could soon fill my circle to capacity.
They say you need enlightenment to advance to the fourth circle and become a Four-Class Mage.
‘That’s a problem for later.’
For now, it’s right to focus on what I can do.
To do that, I set up a corner of the training room for myself.
A small room. All the furniture, including the bookshelf originally meant for training, had been removed, leaving the place empty. Only a few tools I needed were there.
“Perfect for me. First…… Lock!”
Uuuung— click, click.
The doors and even the windows of the training hall were sealed shut.
“Security set. Heh!”
Satisfied, I gleefully took out what I needed from my Dimensional Pouch, like a mischievous child at play.
Magic circles, Formation Crystal Powder for drawing formations. A few small gems perfect for storing mana.
And most importantly, a Mana Crystal!
“Good quality.”
A Mana Crystal with the property of accumulating mana on its own. As soon as it emerged from the Dimensional Pouch, it began to absorb the surrounding mana.
“Impressive. So this is what counts as mid-grade.”
The mana I felt from the Mana Crystal was substantial. It held as much mana as the Daihwandan of the Shaolin Temple, which I’d seen in Jegal Hyeon’s memories.
The Daihwandan was a secret medicine created by Shaolin Temple.
Just absorbing the Daihwandan into your body could increase your internal energy by an entire class.
The Jegal Clan had paid a steep price for that Daihwandan, just to cure Jegal Hyeon’s Jeongmak.
Jegal Hyeon had contributed greatly to the Jegal Clan, even with his Jeongmak affliction that left him unable to learn martial arts. Thanks to that, they managed to acquire it.
‘Still, it didn’t work.’
The treatment failed.
The overwhelming internal energy was too much for his body to handle, and it only hastened his death.
If the treatment had succeeded, Jegal Hyeon wouldn’t have suffered from Jeongmak.
Thump—
Suddenly, my heart pounded.
‘I get it. That won’t happen this time.’
Even though these are memories, they are deeply connected to many things. Just sharing memories doesn’t make you the same person.
At the very least, I can understand.
That’s probably why my heart is pounding.
It’s a warning not to repeat the same mistake as in my previous life.
If I fail to properly use the Mana Crystal in my hand, If I can’t make the vast energy my own, as I did in my past life, then the same mistake will simply repeat.
Clench.
With a resolve as firm as my grip, I squeezed the Mana Crystal in my hand.
“That won’t happen. At worst, it’ll just be a little less effective since it’s not refined.”
Ssssss—
Still gripping the Mana Crystal, I sat down cross-legged.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
The energy inside the Mana Crystal is akin to natural energy. Just accepting this energy, equivalent to an entire class, will let me make another leap forward.
I understand the worries from Jegal Hyeon’s memories. But according to those same memories,
‘Theoretically, it’s perfect.’
With my internal energy technique, I can make full use of the mana within the Mana Crystal.
A Mana Crystal that draws in energy from its surroundings.
I’m going to make use of this Mana Crystal. I’ll use my technique to absorb the energy it gathers.
By absorbing it, I’ll make it my own internal energy and bring my martial arts—barely ten years old—to new heights.
It’s not as efficient as a secret medicine like Shaolin Temple’s Daihwandan, but this is close to natural energy. Plus, it continually recharges itself by drawing in energy from the surroundings.
‘I can do this as many times as I want.’
‘If I can’t do it all at once, I’ll just fill it up with numbers. That’s all.’
That’s my theory for utilizing the Mana Crystal.
“Huuuup…….”
I focused. Instead of natural energy, I sensed the mana within the Mana Crystal. In an instant, I drew out control over it. As if handling my own energy.
It worked.
The Mana Crystal’s energy began to follow my lead. The mage’s talent. The power of Intention to Harm was enough to draw out the mana.
Uuuuung—
The circles near my heart resonated and vibrated.
‘Good.’
From that moment, energy from the Mana Crystal began to seep out. That energy started to sink into my dantian.
While Rayrn was absorbed in his training,
The Count of Ophern, hurrying to support the North, continued to pick up speed.
There was no fancy carriage to uphold the dignity of the Count’s House.
He rode his beloved steed, just like the other knights.
“Increase the speed!”
“Yes, sir!”
Dududud. Duk.
It had already been a week since they set out like this. There were enough soldiers in the North, so only the knights had moved out.
“Switch horses!”
They changed horses at the stables placed throughout the territory. They reduced sleep and kept moving.
‘It’s urgent.’
The urgent message sent by his son was that urgent.
He hadn’t told the family back at the manor, but this monster outbreak was unusual.
It was more troubling that Lowland monsters like the Ratmen were stirring. It would have been better if the Ogre, the king of monsters, had moved instead.
There would be casualties, but the elites could handle it. Large monsters like Ogres were few in number.
But monsters like the Ratmen, weak as they were, became a headache because of their breeding rate.
Even low-grade monsters are stronger than ordinary people without training.
A knight trained in aura could handle two hundred Ratmen at once, but an ordinary person would struggle against even one.
The difference in instinct, agility, and killing intent is too great.
And now, these monsters were running wild.
After the Ratmen, even the Lizardmen who lived in the Northern Swamp had started to move.
Lizardmen.
Monsters known as lizard-humans.
They lived in tribes along the swamps and lakes.
They wielded spears—no one knew where they got them, but they used them skillfully. Their lunging spears, followed by the long, whipping tails, were a death sentence for inexperienced mercenaries.
Though also considered low-grade monsters like the Ratmen, the Lizardmen were much stronger. Normally, hunting parties of Lizardmen hunted Ratmen as prey.
If not for the Ratmen’s superior breeding rate, they’d have long since been wiped out by the Lizardmen.
They fight whenever they meet, but that’s all. It never leads to extermination.
They seem to avoid each other to a degree.
Those two races should not be moving in this direction.
‘This kind of movement makes no sense. How should I respond…… hmmm……..’
While pondering how to suppress the threat, “Father! Over here!”
“Whoa. Whoa.”
Neigh—
At the previously agreed meeting point, the eldest son, Eldin, was waiting.
It had been a while since he last saw his eldest. Eldin looked every bit the seasoned field commander.
He hadn’t even had time to clean off the blood; his armor was stained dark red, and his eyes gleamed beneath it. The calluses on his hands were thick, showing how many times they’d burst and healed again. Like a true warrior.
Knights and soldiers had gathered around the eldest. If he hadn’t shown true leadership, such order would’ve been impossible.
‘Well done.’
He had won their trust from the heart. He wanted to praise him, but there was no time for that now.
“What’s the situation?”
“From here, about a day’s march away, the Ratmen are swarming.”
“Even after eliminating tens of thousands?”
“Somehow, their breeding has doubled. No, spring is supposed to be a slow season for breeding……. So it’s at least twice as much, maybe more.”
“That’s serious. Their breeding……”
Neither monsters nor animals breed where it’s hard to survive.
Same with the Ratmen. Normally, they only start breeding in summer and invade in winter.
Then they’re subjugated in winter, and their numbers drop.
This has happened every year—a grueling war of attrition going back before the Count of Ophern was born.
But for their numbers to surpass even the usual winter invasion already was a clear sign that something was off.
“Still can’t figure out the cause?”
“……I’m sorry.”
“No, the important thing is to stop them first. And the Lizardmen?”
“Yesterday, the Ratmen and Lizardmen had a big clash. Thanks to that, we bought ourselves a day.”
“That’s fortunate.”
“But the Ratmen came out on top. The surviving Lizardmen have scattered elsewhere.”
“Both, huh…….”
Ratmen and Lizardmen. And humans.
All three are enemies to each other. The problem is, as the human Count, he had to stop both monsters.
Lizardmen being defeated by Ratmen. That’s the opposite of the natural food chain. The survivors would be even more ferocious now.
“Dragging this out won’t help. If they’ve split into two groups, so should we.”
“I agree.”
“Which side do you want to handle?”
Currently, the Ratmen horde was more formidable than the Lizardmen. Normally, with Eldin’s competitiveness, his preference would be obvious. But—
“I want to take on the Ratmen, but…… I don’t have the confidence. I’ll take the Lizardmen instead.”
“Good decision. A commander must assess his own abilities accurately.”
His son, who’d led the field in his stead, had grown more than expected. He could accurately judge his current strength.
Knowing your own power accurately. A fine trait for a commander.
“If you’re able to finish quickly, come to support right away. Are you alright, Father?”
“……I’m fine. A little fatigue can be washed away with aura.”
Uuuuung—
To ease his son’s worries, the Count of Ophern drew on his aura. The aura flowed throughout his body, washing away the exhaustion built up from a week of forced marching.
It cost some aura, but it was a small price to pay to ease his eldest’s concern.
“In that case, I’ll move out first.”
“Go ahead. Take the Erdin knights with you.”
“Yes, sir!”
No more anxiety remained.
“I trust you.”
“……Yes, Father!”
Father and son. Once they’d divided their zones, that was enough. Even just exchanging a look of trust put his mind at ease.
“Let’s go. First and Second Squads, follow me!”
Shiiiing—
The Count drew his sword. His aura-charged shout rang out, so bold it boosted morale by itself.
“Advance!”
“Advance, men!”
“Yes, sir!”
Boom. Boom.
The march to the battlefield began again. The only difference was that they were now split into two groups instead of one.