episode_0040

Facing a suitable clearing, Karen held the handle of her sword with a determined expression and bent down.

“I, Karen, will challenge Delheim de Zanderom.”

“I, Delheim de Zanderom, will accept Karen’s challenge.”

After a brief ceremony, we immediately drew our swords. Her sword is a long, thin rapier. It is characterized by a fast thrust that is so fast that it is not enough to say that it is fast. That was her main fighting method, and having watched its power up close several times, I slowly concentrated my consciousness without letting down my guard.

“…I’m coming!”

With a simple step, the sword came crashing down.

“Pfft!?”

No, by the time I thought it was coming, the sword that had stabbed my side had already been recovered.

It was a shame because my body instinctively twisted, otherwise my intestines would have been pierced.

“Master!?”

“Master!”

“It’s okay. Don’t make a fuss. Because it’s shallow…huu…!”

Without delay, I immediately focused my attention. As the consciousness converged to one point is compressed small and begins to accelerate endlessly, the muscles of the entire body strengthened by mana relax beyond their limits to keep up with the speed.

“Continue…let’s go…!”

The sword flew in with slow words.

Even with accelerated body vision, her sword had sufficiently threatening speed.

“But I can afford it at this level!”

At the same time as he turned his body to evade, he contracted his entire body muscles and rushed forward as fiercely as a spring. With one step, my sword is well within range.

“Hu…laugh…!”

At that moment, her right half, which had already retrieved the sword, bounced violently.

“!?”

Faster thrusts. Even if you can see it with your eyes, your body cannot respond. If she hadn’t twisted her body a long time ago when she saw her right half of her body bouncing, she wouldn’t have been able to avoid it. However, I lost my balance as I had to stop taking the steps I was taking and quickly dodge.

Karen’s stabbing didn’t miss me.

“Shoo…ooh…ooh…ooh…ut…!”

With a deep and long exhalation, a shower-like sting hits me. Her right half of her body was constantly firing like a machine gun, but her body’s center of gravity did not shake.

Incredible elasticity and sense of balance!

“It’s a great tech tree, but…! When it comes to speed, I can’t lose!”

I concentrated to my limit and pushed my consciousness towards a smaller point.

The next moment, the world slowed down, as if it had stopped.

But even so, Karen’s thrusts were pouring down at the speed of a shower.

“Phew…!”

As the intentionally runaway heart throbbed loudly, the heated blood, full of mana, ran frantically through the blood vessels of the body to supply energy, and the muscles of the body repeatedly contracted and relaxed, spewing out heat like a steam engine.

A series of dizzyingly fast attacks and defenses.

The sound of swords clashing with each other is continuous, making it sound as if one musical scale continues.

“…!”

Karan slowly looked surprised, but then bit his lip and stabbed his sword even faster.

Rather than simply stabbing, the shower of swords bends strangely and turns into a whirlpool, as if it contains a mysterious technique.

“Ugh…!”

It felt like I was going to collapse at any moment due to the enormous strain on my body, but I gritted my teeth and moved my arms and legs.

One step.

If you can take that one step, you can counterattack.

“Khaaat!”

My consciousness, which was frantically trying to move forward while blocking the whirlpool of the sword, suddenly became faster, and I was able to look at the current situation objectively, as if my soul had escaped from my body.

“…!?”

What is this?

It was a very strange feeling. My body was clearly trying desperately to block the sword and move forward, but my consciousness was divided into calculations to block the stab and a third-person perspective.

Even though I tried to gather my consciousness to one point, it was no use, so I had no choice but to stare blankly at the battle between myself and Karen, and reflexively admired the sight of Karen’s right half firing a stab. How can human muscles be so elastic? It is efficient and stable, as if the body was modified for stabbing.

In short, it is the product of selection, concentration, and optimization.

“…Ah.”

At that moment, a small realization came to me, and the realizations I had gained during that time began to randomly mix together.

An enlightenment related to light and the speed of thought that I gained while watching Xenia’s lightning magic in the ancient imperial palace.

A realization related to computational ability gained while dealing with a powerful warlock.

And the realization of choice, focus, and optimization that I have now gained.

As those three realizations mix and come together, a single inspiration flashes.

“…Ahh!”

I could see the way forward. The path I must take.

An island that goes beyond the speed limit. Getting as close to the speed of light as possible. I instinctively feel that it is the most optimal choice and efficient path ahead of me.

but. That alone is not enough.

“Ahh…!”

All kinds of inspiration comes flooding in, as if lightning strikes in my head.

Is fast enough? Of course it will be strong. Being fast, so fast that no one can touch it, is naturally accompanied by corresponding heaviness and power. A simple example is a bullet. When a piece of metal, which is at most a finger’s length or weighs only a few grams, is thrown out faster than sound and hits it, it creates an impact that would make even an adult man fall backwards.

However, that alone is not enough.

I can look beyond that. No, to be precise, you can envision it. You can imagine. Videos and words from all kinds of media that I have seen on Earth are wandering around in my mind.

Does thinking lag behind the speed of light? If you just look at the physical principles, it is true. Electrical signals that command actions from the brain are obviously close to the speed of light, but there is a delay in the process of our body transmitting and receiving those signals. As long as the body exists, its limits are clear.

So what if we could act and move only with thoughts before thinking, before seeing or hearing?

In other words, throwing away thoughts. If you shake off the consciousness of wanting to move and focus on only one intention and forge it, all the clutter in your mind and body will completely disappear and you will become infinitely lighter.

Fortunately, in this world, there exists a medium that can make such absurd acts possible.

“…!!”

The next moment, a long, sharp metallic sound rang out and the sound of metal stopped.

“Heo-eok, heo-eok…!”

When I came to my senses, I had already deflected Karen’s sword and held it to her neck.

The piece of enlightenment alone overwhelmed an excellent expert swordsman at the intermediate level.

“…I lost. From now on, I…”

She continued talking, but there was no time for that now.

I closed my eyes and quietly fell into thought.

“Phew…Seup…Phew…”

As I calmly circulated my mana and contemplated the inside, I remembered what I needed.

A thought, a channel for that thought to spread, and a body to embody it.

Can all of that really be replaced with mana and mana circuits?

“Ahh…!”

In an instant, the shattered vessel of the soul is put back together again, creating a new form and at the same time becoming larger and deeper. As the shape of the soul in the changed vessel changed, the body also began to follow it.

“Wow…!?”

The pores of the body open and a thick liquid with a terrible odor flows out like a waterfall.

Bones, flesh and ligaments twisted and convulsed, becoming more tightly attached and stronger.

Some of the brain cells and nerves die, and new organs made of mana take their place.

“Woo…Woooo…!”

When I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, a sensation that was completely different from before was coursing through my body.

Light and solid. Thoughts and actions are clearly connected.

Body change. It is part of the Hwangolbaktae transformation commonly referred to in martial arts circles. A true transformation occurs when you ascend to sword master.

“This can’t be right…!”

“Congratulations, Master! He was a sword expert at that age! It’s an unprecedented feat!”

Karen is shocked and Harriet celebrates. I smiled slightly, stood up, and raised my sword.

“It’s still low on mana, so it’s hard to call it a premium. Because I can’t extract that much aura.”

“…I’ve never heard of such concerns about being full in my life. oh my god. I don’t even think it would be possible to move on to the next level before the mana hole is full…”

“Quiet. Harriet. Karen. Pick up your sword right now.”

“Yes?”

“What…”

“Raise your sword right now.”

The lingering effects of enlightenment were still lingering in my body, and the reconstituted soul vessel was not stable, so my words and thoughts would be conveyed to them more clearly and clearly now.

“…!!”

“…Yes!”

The two women, who sensed something was coming, hurriedly stood in front of me with their swords in hand.

“Attack. With all my might.”

“……”

“……”

The two women exchanged glances and attacked simultaneously, like comrades who had been working together for a long time. When Herriot defends from the front and shakes me, Karen takes advantage of the gap and stabs me. It was an ideal passing that was simple but difficult to deal with.

“……”

As before, there was no need to converge one’s consciousness to a single point. Just by activating one’s will, the world around one changed as if it had already stopped. The body also became integrated with that will and was able to move quickly even in a slow world. Mana circulation and supply and discharge have also been optimized to an incomparable degree compared to before, making it as comfortable as breathing.

Karen’s fearsome thrust, and Herriot’s subtle steps and defense.

I had a hunch. If I were the person I am now, I could tell them what they are lacking and share useful insights with them.

After lightly blocking and dodging the attack, I regained my will and returned the surroundings to their original speed.

This alone is enough for the experiment. Now is the time to share the territory.

“Heriot. Your defense and footwork are certainly threatening tools, but if you want to go beyond that, you need to be clear on your path and realize your body’s limitations. Karen, same goes for you.”

“Gi, the road? Gasp, gasp!”

“Whoop…!”

Just by receiving attacks for a short period of time, their stamina was quickly depleted.

This is because you put a load on your body by twisting or countering in a way that requires some strength.

It is very comfortable to move your body just by thinking about it without much thought.

“Why can’t the body keep up with the speed of thought? Why can’t I move as I want?”

“Yes? Yes?”

“…?”

The girls looked confused at the sudden question, but this was the best solution. Since it is very difficult to convey even a portion of the enlightenment I have gained, I have no choice but to lead the way by asking various questions and make myself realize it.

“Move your body and contemplate your own body. Deeply and delicately.”

“……”

“……”

They both looked confused, but took a deep breath to do as I said.

“Our brain emits weak electrical signals. It travels through the nerves and moves muscles made up of bundles of fibers. What is noteworthy here is that the electrical signal is literally comparable to the speed of light.”

“…..!!”

“…!?”

Their brows furrowed at the unfamiliar knowledge, but the lingering feeling of enlightenment that my five senses desperately cling to and the vessel of their unstable soul guide their thoughts and senses.

It seemed like they felt what I was saying as their eyes soon became blurry and their movements became sluggish.

“However, the speed of the electrical signal is delayed during the transmission process. The speed of thought is also slowed down like that. It would be safe to say that it is the limit of the body. So if you give up your body, you might be able to move at the speed of light. But since the only way to abandon the body is to die, we must find other means. What is the role of mana? How does our will act on mana? Can the body be replaced with mana? How do thoughts and will affect our bodies, and what is their relationship with the soul?”

A feast of questions like a waterfall. The two women were now swimming slowly, almost at a standstill. I deliberately adjusted the tempo and kept my voice at a certain pitch and rhythm.

“What efforts have we made, what concerns have we had, and how have we moved our bodies to achieve the ideal we each want? Which parts of the body are and are not involved in the process? Is there really no way to immediately embody thoughts before thinking? Is there no way for the mind and the body to become one? Does this mean that the only means of moving the body are electrical signals generated in the brain? Is it the spirit that breaks the vessel of the soul and raises its status? Is it flesh?”

As I pour out questions that point to the core as many as I can think of, Harriet’s eyes widen and her mouth opens wide. A little later, Karen also found herself in the same state and completely stopped moving.

“Ahh…! Haaa…!”

“Uhhhh…!”

A voice of joy that sounds a little strange.

With their eyes tightly closed and trembling, a black, sticky liquid began to flow out of their pores. Soon, their muscles and bones begin to twist and change into shapes suited to their individual paths.

“Phew…”

No, I had no idea it would turn out this well, but they both rose to the top level. It’s fortunate, but…

“Oh my, tsk tsk…”

The moment I felt relieved, the lingering feeling of enlightenment disappeared without a trace. The vessel of the soul also stabilized and became so solid that it could no longer convey thoughts.

“…Master. thank you Thanks to you, I got over the wall.”

“I would also like to thank you very much. My lord.”

Harriet and Karen kneel down on one knee with their red faces filled with joy and joy.

I smiled and waved my hand.

“That’s it. Because I just did the obvious thing. Rather than that, let’s wash it first. It stinks.”

“Yes, yes…”

“Umm…”

Only then did they smell the scent coming from their own bodies, smiled awkwardly, and blushed in a different way than before.