85 Swordsmanship

Life began with magical energy.

This was the common sense of this world.

However, the amount of magical energy one possessed varied—some had more and some had less. The amount remained constant throughout one's lifetime and wouldn't increase, no matter what one did.

Therefore, even though everyone in this world had magical energy, very few could become magicians.

In this world, approximately 90% of people had so little magical energy that they couldn't even release the simplest form of magic.

Among the remaining 10%, roughly 90% of them would exhaust all their magical energy even if they were to release a single magic.

As a result, there were very few magicians because people with enough magical energy were scarce. This was a matter of fate, and despite any unwillingness, reality remained unchangeable.

So, were those without the ability to use magic destined to live ordinary lives?

Certainly not.

In this world, there was a system designed for those who could not become magicians—swordsmanship.

The swordsmanship in this world was not just a technique or skill; it was a method of honing one body.

By practicing swordsmanship, people could stimulate the magical energy inside their bodies that could not be used for magic. They channeled all their magical energy into refining their bodies, honing their physical prowess, and thus gaining superhuman power.

Those born with abundant magical energy could become magicians.

Those born with insufficient magical energy could become swordsmen.

These were two different paths that led to extraordinary powers. The former required innate talent, while the latter emphasized effort and circumstances.

This world was a world of swords and magic, with no third power system.

Riezel found the swordsmanship in this world interesting.

After all, he himself was a swordsman.

'Let's take a look at this world's swordsmanship.' Riezel set down the magic book in his hands.

While these magic books might be worth thousands of gold, to be honest, they held little significance for him. His 'Gate' was damaged, rendering him unable to independently practice this world's magic. Moreover, he was not inclined to study it.

If he truly needed any magic, he could simply memorize it with 'Almighty', using the stored memory to unleash the magic through it.

As a result, there was no need for him to rigorously study magic. Knowing the specific effect of the magic was enough; afterward, he could have someone demonstrate the said magic in front of him.

When using magic memorized with 'Almighty', Riezel would spend his 'Mind', not the magical energy from the damaged 'Gate'. This meant that even if his 'Gate' was compromised, it wouldn't restrict him at all.

As a result, his interest in the magic books in this library was minimal. Instead, he found himself more intrigued by the swordsmanship.

Without delay, he approached another shelf that held books on swordsmanship and picked one up.

The collection wasn't extensive.

Compared to the magic books, the number of swordsmanship books in this library was overwhelmingly low, around ten to twenty.

Riezel picked up one of them and started reading.

Indeed, the book documented a particular swordsmanship, along with explanations.

—Swordsmanship encompasses all techniques that utilize the magical energy within one's body to temper and enhance physical strength.

—Practicing swordsmanship can rapidly enhance one's body, enabling even those with limited magical energy to elevate themselves and become extraordinary beings.

—Swordsmanship is mainly divided into three classes.

—1. Elementary Swordsmanship.

—2. Advanced Swordsmanship.

—3. Special Swordsmanship.

—Practicing different types of swordsmanship leads to different growth and outcomes.

Riezel quickly scanned through the summary and discovered that the swordsmanship system had its own difficulties.

As mentioned in the book, swordsmanship classes existed, with the growth being slower for elementary swordsmanship and faster for advanced swordsmanship.

This was primarily due to the varying levels of magical energy stimulation by the swordsmanship, which affected the efficiency of tempering the body using magical energy.

Elementary swordsmanship had a lower stimulation of magical energy, resulting in slower growth, while advanced swordsmanship had a higher stimulation, leading to faster growth.

Especially when practicing special swordsmanship, according to the book, the practitioner's growth speed would be unimaginably fast. Excessive stimulation of magical energy could even cause the practitioner to manifest supernatural phenomena when using sword techniques, giving it traits and effects similar to magic.

For example, someone who practiced special swordsmanship might infuse wind into their slashes, creating blasts of storm. Another might unleash flames into their slashes, resembling the effects of flame magic, resulting in explosive improvements in powers.

The book mentioned one such special swordsmanship.

—The swordsmanship passed down by the royal family of Jinas is a type that can cultivate spiritual power. Once mastered, even without using a sword to attack, one can evoke spiritual power to intimidate enemies, even stunning them."

—Ordinary people facing members of the royal family often feel the invisible pressure of spiritual power before even making physical contact. Even if they don't lose consciousness immediately, their strength is greatly diminished, and only one out of ten survives.

—Such special swordsmanship exists in various countries, with only minor differences in quantity.

—Regardless of the type, as long as one practices special swordsmanship, they have the potential to become the strongest swordsman and attain the title of 'Sword Saint' in due time.

—Sword Saint is the highest honor for a swordsman, a title achievable only by those with the ability to vie for the strongest position.

—If a Strategic-Class Magician is considered the strongest force in wars, then a Sword Saint is the strongest force in one-on-one combat.

—In other words, those who gain the title of Sword Saint are nearly invincible in duels.

—Once, in pursuit of the title of Sword Saint, countless swordsmen confronted each other, engaging in intense fights, leading to many historically significant bloody events.

—Just as Strategic-Class Magicians are considered the strongest magicians in the world, Sword Saints are also perceived as the strongest swordsmen.

—With a multitude of swordsmen in this world vying for the title, the competition for the strongest is fierce and intense. A small mistake could even result in a disaster.

—Of course, only swordsmen who have practiced special swordsmanship have the qualifications to compete for the title of Sword Saint. Ordinary swordsmen are not eligible.

—Due to the unique nature of special swordsmanship, most of these great swordsmanship have been collected by the royal families of major countries or are held by powerful noble families. They rarely end up in the hands of outsiders.

'Is there special swordsmanship here?'

Riezel became more interested as he put down the swordsmanship book in his hands.

The swordsmanship described in this book was advanced swordsmanship, quite valuable for ordinary people, and much better than elementary swordsmanship at least. However, compared to special swordsmanship, it was not considered much.

Riezel had a faint suspicion.

'Yuri asked me to come to this library, maybe so I could look up swordsmanship here.'

His 'Gate' was already damaged and couldn't be used for magic anymore, confirming the fact that he couldn't be a magician again.

Although Yuri mentioned that there were treasures in this world that could repair a damaged 'Gate' and that there was hope of using magic again if found, she hadn't found these treasures yet. This implied that such items were extremely rare and not easily found or obtained.

Without finding such treasures, did that mean Riezel would be a useless person for the rest of his life?

Yuri wouldn't want to see that happen.

Hence, she suggested to him to come here and focus on practicing swordsmanship.

Practicing swordsmanship could independently trigger magical energy. Even if his 'Gate' was damaged, it wouldn't pose any hindrance.

Throughout history, many magicians whose 'Gate' was damaged eventually succeeded in transitioning to swordsmen. Extraordinary individuals who changed their path and became Sword Saints often had similar experiences.

Yuri, recognizing this potential, extended the opportunity to Riezel.

Unbeknownst to her, he also harbored the desire to practice swordsmanship from the beginning.

'Even though my Gate is damaged and I don't rely on it much for magic practice at the moment, this body naturally has plenty of magical energy. It'd be a shame not to make use of it.'

With Riezel's innate abundance of magical energy, his growth speed after practicing swordsmanship would also be remarkable.

Swordsmanship was initially designed for those with low magical energy, but people with abundant magical energy could still excel in it. While others struggled daily to practice swordsmanship, using their meager magical energy to refine their body, those who possessed abundant magical energy could achieve far more.

Yuri likely thought it would be a waste not to make use of Riezel's innately abundant magical energy and thus entertained the idea of assisting him in practicing swordsmanship.

If that was the case, perhaps there was a powerful swordsmanship she specifically left for him in this library.

Riezel quickly scanned the bookshelf for swordsmanship books and eventually found the one in a hidden corner.

—Holy Dragon Sword Style.

This was a long-standing special swordsmanship.

Riezel's eyes brightened as he opened the book.

Upon opening it, he saw an image of a swordsman confronting a great dragon, preparing for dragon slaying.

Below the image, there was a caption.

—Holy Dragon Sword Style, a special swordsmanship created by 'Dragon Sword Saint' Efastin Tussanlo, has been passed down for four hundred years.

—When 'Dragon Sword Saint' mastered the Holy Dragon Sword Style, his body was honed to rival that of a great dragon. He even possessed magic resistance equivalent to a dragon. Even direct hits from tactical-class magic left no scars on his body.

—This swordsmanship has an extremely high difficulty and requires huge innate magical energy. Without sufficient magical energy, one cannot successfully practice it throughout their life.

—For newcomers wishing to practice this swordsmanship, it is crucial not to blindly train.