47 Mana Calamity

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and Rudeus turned 10. In this period of time, his swordsmanship finally stagnated once more after reaching the realm of Sword Saint. It was not a result of laziness or because he spread his time too thin, spending time on things unrelated to swordsmanship. Rather, he had hit another bottleneck in his comprehension of Battle Aura.

It would take another moment of enlightenment, like he had when he broke through to Saint-rank, in order to achieve King-rank Battle Aura. It wasn't something that could be achieved with just hard work, otherwise there would be plenty of people who would be strong after working hard for a few decades. No, it took luck, effort, will and a shit ton of talent for anyone to rise above Advanced rank.

He stopped sparring with Ghislaine, as was her suggestion. It was no longer beneficial to his swordsmanship. Instead, it started hindering his growth. As his Master said before, spending all of his time fighting her only made him an expert in fighting Sword Kings.

Instead of training with Ghislaine, Rudeus occasionally challenged adventurers he met at the Adventurer's Guild.

At first, he was met with ridicule. Because who honestly took the challenge from a child seriously? Some veterans who recognized the way Rudeus carried himself identified the child as an expert. But they did not interject to correct the misconceptions of their fellow adventurers. It was after his second consecutive victory, did the mockery cease.

Utilizing just Advanced-rank Battle Aura, he challenged one adventurer after another. Some of them were practitioners of the three mainstream sword styles, while others were warriors who specialized in different weaponry such as spears, axes and hammers.

Through these duels, Rudeus accumulated experience.

His current challenge record was 12 – 0. Rudeus started spreading his name in Roa as the Monster of Boreas. He had been identified as someone working for the Boreas family because the coat he wore had the coat-of-arms of the Boreas family emblazoned on it.

Rumours started spreading, and people speculated if Rudeus was a secret Boreas child that was kept hidden and underwent hellish training to produce such a monstrous boy. The Boreas family in turn did not do much to stamp out these rumours. Rudeus was being raised to become a deterrent on the same level as Ghislaine.

However, the overall level of adventurers in Roa was just too low. S-rank adventurers were rarely seen on the Central Continent, since the threat level of monsters here were similarly low, unless one willingly ventured deep into the Red Dragon Mountains to hunt dragons.

If Rudeus could take the time off to do so, he would. Any man would dream about slaying a dragon at least once in their life, and Rudeus was no different. He wanted to test his sword against the fire-breathing lizards, and see how he would fare against these legendary creatures. But the Red Dragon Mountain range was quite far from Roa, and it would take weeks of travel to reach there from Fittoa.

Strong adventurers wouldn't waste their time on the Central Continent. Instead, they would usually be found on the Begaritt Continent that had a large number of labyrinths and dungeons they could conquer. Dungeons and labyrinths were popular attractions for adventurers because for some reason, they contained treasures that could be found.

An A-rank labyrinth contained enough treasure for an entire party of adventurers to earn enough to not have to work for 10 years.

However, with fortune came equal amounts of danger. If it was so easy to conquer a labyrinth, anyone would do it. Hence, only strong adventurers would try their luck in these labyrinths and dungeons, risking their lives for a large payday.

As for adventurers on the Central Continent? They mostly took odd jobs and the occasional monster extermination missions. This was because the standing armies of the various kingdoms sent regular punitive expeditions to cull the monster population or to take down bandit camps.

The Central Continent was well-known to be a land that was not lucrative for adventurers. As such, the highest ranked adventurer in Roa was only an A-rank, not counting Ghislaine.

Fighting these people, though it broadened Rudeus' horizons, was still only of limited benefit. He needed to pursue the pinnacle of swordsmanship if he wanted to improve. He started to experience the same stifling stuffiness in his heart that he had felt before leaving Buena Village. Rudeus was restless and fidgety, unhappy with the lack of progress.

This was why he made a decision. A few weeks after his tenth birthday, he was going to resign from his position at the Boreas family. This was not a decision that he made lightly. After having stayed in Roa for three years, Rudeus formed a strong emotional connection to the Boreas family.

He was planning to make a journey towards the Holy Land of Swords, hopefully with Ghislaine's recommendation, and apprentice with Gal Farion, the current Sword God, and ranked 6th amongst the Seven Great Powers. There was no one better suited for Rudeus to learn from.

He had many goals, and to fulfil any one of them would require strength. And to gain this strength, he needed to leave Roa. As grateful as he was to the Boreas family, his pursuit of personal strength trumped any gratitude or indebtedness he felt for them.

Which was also why he found it harder and harder to broach the subject, especially after he found out they were planning a surprise birthday party for him.

They weren't exactly subtle about it, but it wasn't as if it was easy to hide their preparations in the first place since he lived in the same mansion as everyone else.

The day of his tenth birthday soon arrived, and the servants were all rushing and busying themselves with the preparations of his secret birthday party. Seeing how hard they were working, Rudeus made an excuse to leave, so that they did not have to worry about him 'discovering' the secret.

He went out of Roa to engage in a hobby he had not touched for years – hunting.

The forests around Roa was sparse from deforestation, the lumber being cut down to be used for construction or fires. Wildlife was also similarly lacking, being scared off by civilization and lacking a natural, untouched habitat to thrive in. These were primarily the reasons why he had not gone hunting since he started living in Roa.

Buena Village was a lot more rustic than the big city, but one thing Roa lacked was the serene and natural beauty of the forests and wildlife around his hometown.

However, sparse vegetation and fauna did not mean there were none, so Rudeus still decided to go hunting. It was an entertaining to pass the time, at the very least.

And so Rudeus trekked through the woods, occasionally spotting a rabbit or two but decided not to take their lives. Wildlife was few and far between to begin with, he didn't want to be a contributing factor of the decimated population of wild rabbits in the Fittoa region.

What started out as a hunting trip became more like a hike as Rudeus roamed the forests and enjoyed the peace and quiet of nature… with the sole exception of the red orb that floated above Roa in the distance.

Rudeus gazed at the ominous red orb with narrowed eyes. It had first appeared 5 years ago, according to Sauros, out of thin air and with no apparent cause. Royal Court Mages were sent from the Asura Kingdom to investigate the strange phenomenon, but they reported that it seemed to be a harmless mana phenomenon that did not require intervention. So they left it alone.

Over the next few years, the orb started growing larger and larger. And the people living in Fittoa region soon got used to the sight and stopped worrying about it.

Rudeus felt an odd sense of trepidation looking at the orb. He was in a new world, and there would definitely be phenomena that he could not explain away using science or magic. But even then, he didn't understand why people weren't more concerned about the ominous red orb. What if it exploded one day?

He guessed that with magic being as commonplace and prevalent as it was, people were used to seeing things they did not fully understand but just wrote it off as another magic thing they didn't need to worry about.

"Mhm?"

Suddenly, he felt something strange. The skies were quickly darkening, but it didn't look like a natural weather event. It looked more like when dark clouds gathered when a magician casted the [Cumulonimbus] spell.

"Actually, there's mana in the air, just like when the [Cumulonimbus] spell is being casted." Rudeus muttered to himself, while looking at the dark clouds above him with slight worry. "Who is the idiot casting [Cumulonimbus] so close to Roa? They are going to flood the city!"

A few moments later, his suspicion intensified. "Wait, why is there so much mana in the sky? There's enough mana for ten, no, a hundred [Cumulonimbus] spells!"

Rudeus did not have a way to empirically measure mana, but he did have a high sensitivity for mana, which allowed him to feel the immense, absolutely colossal quantity of mana being accumulated in the sky above Roa.

Thoughts started racing across his mind. Could someone be casting a God-ranked spell? Here, in Roa? What kind of a devastation could a God-ranked spell wreck?

'This is bad. The Boreas family! I have to get back!' Rudeus concluded before he started sprinting in the direction of Roa. Mana circulated underneath his skin and empowered his every step, allowing a 10 year old child to run at a speed that could only be considered superhuman.

Before he could go any further, however, Rudeus spontaneously changed direction and leaped away. A spear of light landed where he had been just a microsecond ago. The boy unsheathed his sword at the same time and swung it to block a blade that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

It happened suddenly, and without warning. If not for his highly honed instincts, Rudeus' head would have been sent flying before he even knew what was happening.

Rudeus leaped backwards, giving him some space to assess the threat that had suddenly appeared.

There was a figure holding onto a double edged short sword. He wore an all-white uniform that resembled a school uniform, while a similarly white mask covered his face. Most importantly, however, Rudeus could feel a high threat level from the person.

'He's… strong!'

Rudeus' grip tightened on his sword and he gritted his teeth. "You, who the hell are you!"

The blonde man spoke calmly, and without hurry. "I am Almanfi the Radiant. By order of Lord Perugius, I have come to slay the source of this disturbance."

"Perugius…!?" Rudeus recognized this name. As a person who sought to reach the peak of strength, he had researched the identities of the Seven Great Powers that were known to be the strongest individuals in the world. Perugius did not belong to the Seven Great Powers of this generation, but he had once been part of those ranks many years ago!

Little was known about him, except that he was one of the heroes who fought against the Demon God.

"I have determined that you are the most likely cause of this disturbance. If I slay you, it will likely end." Almanfi spoke, and then disappeared from Rudeus' sight.

The boy widened his eyes, and released the mana he had accumulated under his feet. An [Earthen Dash] sent him flying in another direction as Almanfi reappeared to swing his sword through where he had been standing.

"Wait! I am not the cause of this incident!" Rudeus rapidly spoke, "I am North Saint Rudeus. I work for the Boreas family, the lords of this region!"

Although he was trying to explain himself, Rudeus started preparing the spells and storing them on his body. He didn't want to fight this man. He had a feeling he might lose. But his first priority was getting away, so even if could not defeat this Almanfi, he could still escape.

"It doesn't matter. I don't have the time to find out the truth, so you are the most likely suspect. Die."

Rudeus frowned. Fuck it. If this guy wanted a fight then so be it.

Almanfi disappeared once more, his movements were too fast for Rudeus to track with his eyes. It was if he was teleporting instead of moving normally.

[Phantom Blade] Rudeus released the spell he had been preparing and turned invisible while illusionary clones appeared throughout the field.

But as soon as the clones appeared, they were cut apart by Almanfi who swiftly dispatched them as a streak of light.

"Invisibility? Hmph, don't think you can hide from me." Almanfi spoke before a bright flash of light was emitted from his mask.

Rudeus, who had been sneaking around, felt his eyes burn from the brilliant luminescence. 'Fucking flashbang? In this world? What era is this!?'

"Found you."

With his eyes still burning, Rudeus was forced to evade as Almanfi swung his short sword, cutting through his Battle Aura. A long gash was cut open on his arm, which rapidly regenerated as Rudeus used incantation-less Healing magic to heal himself.

Somehow, his invisibility had been seen through by Almanfi with the bright flash of light.

Rudeus clicked his tongue, as he brandished his sword in retaliation.

Sword Saint technique: Longsword of Silk. Rudeus thrust his blade, that somehow looked almost like a piece of cloth dangling in the air despite being made of strong, rigid metal.

This was the technique that represented Unpredictability amongst the Saint-rank Sword God techniques.

Almanfi was fast, perhaps even faster than Ghislaine. He was so fast that Rudeus did not have the confidence to use a simple, straightforward attack. If raw speed and strength wouldn't work, then he would use obfuscation!

Rudeus' sword seemingly twisted around Almanfi's short sword that moved to block his own, the result of a rotating his arm and joints to create the effect of a viscous blade.

He also released an overpowered [Earthen Dash] spell stored on the sole of his feet and the added momentum from the spell coupled with his Saint-rank Battle Aura coursing through his veins, Rudeus stabbed forward with a speed that neared the threshold of King-rank.

The tip of his sword sank into Almanfi's chest, but not even a centimetre went through before the servant of Perugius once again disappeared.

Rudeus' eyes widened, 'How…!?'

Almanfi reappeared some distance away, moving his gloved hand to the small spot of red that had appeared on his chest. His finger tip dabbed at the blood that stained his clean, white uniform and looked at it amusedly.

"Impressive. You have wounded the proud servant of Lord Perugius. Be glad, for your death will have had some meaning, after all."

Rudeus's grimaced. That was likely his best shot at turning the tables on this battle. Since it failed, he would have no choice but to run now. But given Almanfi's speed, Rudeus was not very confident of successfully escaping either. Then, his last resort would have to be diplomacy.

"Almanfi the Radiant. I swear, I have nothing to do with this phenomenon. Every second you spend fighting me is another second you waste trying to find the true culprit."

The man gazed back, the eyes behind the slit of his mask was cold but calculative. Rudeus felt a little hope that his words had some effect.

Almanfi shook his head, "You can use magic without incantations. I can count on one hand how many people can do that in this world. This is a magic-related phenomenon. Hence, you are the most suspicious."

The fuck? What's wrong with using magic without incantations? Is it a crime to cast spells silently? Rudeus angrily cursed in his head.

"I can understand your suspicions, but-"

Right as Rudeus started speaking, the sky turned white and a pillar of white light shot into the earth from the now massive red orb in the distance.

Almanfi turned and upon seeing the light, spoke. "Seems like I failed. May Lord Perugius forgive me."

And with that, the servant of Perugius flashed away in a streak of gold light, leaving Rudeus to stare slack-jawed at the balloon of light that was rapidly expanding at an incredible speed like a tidal wave that swallowed everything in its path.

Only a second later, Rudeus was likewise consumed by the expanding globe of white light.

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[SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT]

Poll had ended, votes have been tallied. I won't say which option won, you can find out next chapter unless you want to go count the votes yourself. I will say that it was an extremely close vote - one option had 66 votes and the other 62 (combining paragraph comments and chapter comments).

As mentioned in a previous chapter, I will be taking a 1 week break after this to stockpile chapters. See ya in a week!