Innate Divine Art
Frederick's mind was exploding with shock.
No way…
This boy…he's not a genius, he's an absolute monster.
Innate divine art??? The legendary innate divine art??? No way this is happening…
No, this can't be true…
He took a while to collect his thoughts.
Some time ago, Andrew seemed to view his sword move in slow motion, and I noticed his unusual focus. I should have gotten the hint sooner…
After a few minutes, Frederick had temporarily calmed down.
"Andrew. Tell me what you experienced when you struck the last blow against me."
Andrew was frightened by his teacher's sudden sternness, and told him everything, from his desire to get a strike on his teacher to the sudden state of enlightenment where everything slowed down.
After a moment of silence, Fredrick finally spoke. "I'm quite sure of it now…Andrew, have you heard of the innate divine art?"
The boy shook his head.
"An innate divine art is a special power that some people have. For some, it is inborn - like great strength or stamina, while for others, it suddenly develops anytime during their youth. But one thing remains constant - you can't train to get it, and those that have it simply have it. That's why it's called 'innate'. As for the 'divine'...any power given by the innate divine art is ridiculously strong. You can fight many levels of power above your current state with the innate divine art. In your case, your normal combat level is slightly below Sword Novice, the lowest tier - so you're still considered a normal person. But your divine art allowed you to stun me, a peak Sword Apprentice, for a long period of time. It would have killed anyone below Sword Apprentice. That's simply how ridiculously strong an innate divine art is. But even among innate divine arts, your eye-related divine art should be ranked quite highly."
A huge smile broke out on Andrew's face. He automatically knew it was something great. "How rare is innate divine art?"
Fredrick responded, "I've only heard of one other person who has innate divine art…and that's the second prince of Pagia. The second prince! He's a mythic figure who got into the Royal Academy of Magic on his first attempt, the genius wizard who's already at Intermediate Mage at 25, the one who rejected an offer to work for an Tier 1 Kingdom, instead remaining loyal to Pagia. His innate divine art blesses him with the mana's favours, and when he fights, he has an near infinite supply of mana. They say he's already set up to be the next king, and all the other princes have given up on the succession battle. Of course, I'm quite sure there are more innate divine art possessors, but most of them should be in the Tier 1 Kingdoms, Empires and ancient clans - but either way, these powers are too grand and mighty for us to worry about."
Andrew was thoroughly shocked. He had heard many rumours about the second prince of Pagia and his limitless talent - to be compared with such a figure was his pride.
"But the direct power of an innate divine art is not why it is so coveted…the main reason is the indirect consequences of it. Anyone with a divine art is guaranteed to grow in talent. Even for those without talent, as they grow along with the divine art, their talent is bound to grow as well, to the point where they can rival geniuses. And for those originally with great talent, like you, Andrew…I can't wait to see how powerful you'll get in the future."
The boy beamed with pride. Inside his mind, he was screaming in joy, knowing that he was going to have the power to rescue his brother and unravel the mystery behind his family. But his celebration was soon cut short by Fredrick.
Fredrick's look turned serious. "I don't know much about innate divine arts. I've told you all I know by now. But no matter what, you must promise me to not reveal this to anyone else, unless you can confirm that it is safe. The second prince has a mighty background and powerful backing, while you do not. This is a matter of mortal danger if those with bad intentions get their hands on it. So, kiddo, you will have to defeat your enemies without using your divine art from now on, so no one will see it. Meaning, you still have to work hard, alright!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Even though it's early, you can go back and take a rest now. I've had enough shocks for the day."
"Alright, I'll go back to the house."
"One last thing, Andrew."
"Huh?" Andrew turned back.
"Are any members of your family swordsmen? While it is entirely possible for innate divine art to manifest in random people, an ancestry of people with innate divine art makes the probability much higher."
Andrew thought for a while. He did not know much about his ancestry, except for the occasional aunt and uncle who came to visit once in a while.
"I'm not very sure, but I don't think so."
"Alright then, you can leave now."
------
While Fredrick was stern to Andrew, he knew it was to prevent him from being arrogant. Even without using the innate divine art, Fredrick could predict Andrew's combat power shooting ridiculously high, due to the increase in talent the divine art brought him. During his peak period…he will truly be a monster, Frederick thought.