episode_0055

Something that emitted blinking lights, not a lightbulb. Only such things entered my vision. My whole body had no strength. All I could do was blink.

I had thought my body was fine when Regulus helped me into the building, but perhaps it was because I had been so on edge. The moment I entered the building, my body collapsed, and Regulus, calling me a weakling, dragged me here.

A place where only those beyond the norm had their rankings measured separately. In the infirmary of such a building, a small blind person was being examined.

“Ah, there’s nothing wrong. Your mana is stable too…” “Is there nowhere that needs treatment?” A voice reminiscent of a lion. Regulus, the former Sword Saint, stood beside me. Perhaps he felt sorry for having unleashed his sword aura on me. Given that he brought me all the way to the infirmary.

“Yes, Sword Saint-nim. There’s no mana exhaustion…she’s perfectly normal. However, her body is in a state of exhaustion.” A woman was flipping through papers. Thick glasses and intricately braided brown hair. Judging by the pure white gown draped over her shoulders and the specific nature of the location, only one figure appeared in my mind. A legendary figure who once belonged to the royal family, hailed as the Empire’s best healer, capable of reviving even the dead. Diana was scribbling something on paper in front of me, moving her pen with magic.

“Can’t you fix her right now? I want to put this one to work as soon as possible.” Could it be that he felt no remorse at all for having unleashed his sword aura on me? At his words, Diana, without an ounce of hesitation or a change of expression indicating pity, wrapped her hand in mana and placed it on my head. My mind vehemently resisted that magic, but it wasn’t an attack spell, was it? My body absorbed the magic far too smoothly. As the magic entered my body, my arms and legs finally began to function properly.

Until now, minor injuries had been treated by the Saint-nim who was always by my side, but my admiration for her magic, capable of healing a state of exhaustion with a single gesture, was short-lived.

“Now, come follow me.” At his words, which struck like a bolt from the blue, my slightly lifted spirits were filled with gloom. I should have just rested in the dorm when Aris suggested we go back. With each step filled with such regrets, I walked somewhere with Regulus.

But that was only for a moment. I sensed something strange and questioned him. “But why aren’t there any students visible here?” My voice was mixed with curiosity and bewilderment. To my question, he kindly replied.

“This class, child, doesn’t need lessons from ordinary instructors. Why would those who are already vastly stronger than them need such things? The school merely supports them so they can maximize their efficiency and improve their skills during a set period.”

Boom, a massive burst of mana passed by. Perhaps one of those extraordinary students was testing their power somewhere. My body flinched and reacted to the mana, but Regulus, as if it were an everyday occurrence, continued speaking without a care.

“They don’t even have to be here. They have passes that grant them VIP treatment in all territories within the Empire, and there are even private training grounds created according to their requests. You could say they hold a higher status than the principal here.”

What kind of privileges were these, where ordinary students were ignored? However, this thought vanished like melting snow as I recalled the few extraordinary individuals from this class who had appeared in the game.

When I grew tired of the endless trudging footsteps, he stopped in front of an entrance.

“There’s no better place than this to hone your senses. Even I use it when my body feels stiff.” A small door, exactly Regulus’s height. Perhaps it was because it dealt with extraordinary individuals. Even the patterns on the door were unusual.

But wasn’t something strange? “But… there’s no doorknob…?” The doorknob that should have been on every door was absent.

“Haha, geniuses dislike being disturbed. That’s why a separate device was created. Fortunately, the place you’re about to enter is a public area.” But if it was a public area, shouldn’t there be a doorknob so anyone could enter? As if answering my question, his hand was already wrapped in sword aura, pressing firmly against the door with his palm.

Drop by drop. His sword aura flowed like a river, tracing the labyrinth engraved on the door. When the sword aura had filled the entire labyrinth drawn on the door, the door opened with a click.

“Even if it’s a public area, powerful barriers are placed on this building and all its locks. You can’t enter unless your sword aura or mana is registered.” Beyond the open door, there was a staircase that seemed to have no end. Was it a staircase leading underground? The former Sword Saint descended the stairs without hesitation, but perhaps because it was a place I hadn’t seen in the game, I could barely take a single step, having to drag my body.

“…….” It was said that all the students here had personal training rooms. Judging by the exterior I had seen outside, there seemed to be no space for such places, and I wondered how it was possible. However, the sight before my eyes resolved my curiosity.

Underground. It was clearly underground. It was a sealed space, without a single window, where sunlight couldn’t enter. But my senses felt a greater sense of liberation than when I was outside.

A vast plaza that could be considered a horizon. Numerous corridors stretched out across the plaza. Mana stones, emitting the strong light I had seen in the infirmary, illuminated various parts of the underground. Giant golems lined up, waiting for their users. And in the distance, I could feel mana and sword aura of [Queen]-level strength. Things I couldn’t explain were as numerous as grains of sand on a beach.

Had I been too absorbed, gazing at the sight? Regulus, who had walked ahead, patted my back and said, “Child, you shouldn’t be surprised by just this.” Adding these words.

Thump, thump. Was it misfortune? Or perhaps good fortune? He seemed to have no intention of making me face those grotesque golems, as he began to move further away from the plaza.

Wasn’t there a secluded corner even in the corridors? Regulus led me to such a place. After following him for a while, we reached a spot where even the mana stones barely cast any light.

“It’s amazing that someone still uses such old-fashioned methods.” The labyrinth drawn on the door where he stopped had no dust, unlike the labyrinth on the door next to it. Creak, as he unleashed his sword aura, the door opened just as before.

“Now, let’s go in. Oh, you just need to go down the stairs.” When the door opened, two staircases were visible. One going up, one going down. At his words, I was simply dragged along, unable to even place a foot on the ascending stairs.

“…………” Upon reaching the bottom, I was simply speechless. I felt nothing. It was just a void.

“This is a space that blocks mana. It’s originally a room used by Swordsmen, but there’s nothing better than this for honing one’s senses.” He nodded.

“Perceiving forms by deploying mana and recognizing their return was a method used since ancient times. And Swordsmen underwent this kind of training to avoid becoming reliant on that method. Training to avoid traps in darkness, that is.”

Soon, his giant hand pushed me into that empty space. Perhaps it was due to the fear of a space where nothing could be felt. My body instinctively tried to get out of the space, but a barrier, made of who knew what, prevented my body from escaping outside.

“Endure there for 20 minutes. Some traps will fly out, and model demonic beasts might attack you. It’s not set up to kill people, so don’t worry about losing your life.” Since I couldn’t even deploy mana inside, I couldn’t even see what Regulus, who was speaking, was saying.

Thump, thump. Had my mind adapted to the gradually receding footsteps? My reason forcefully dragged my body towards what seemed to be the center of the room. No matter how prepared I was, if a trap sprang out right behind me, I might die without even being able to react.

“Haa…” I took a deep breath and looked around. I had hoped for at least some signal, but my five senses conveyed only emptiness.

A silence of unknown duration. I wished that 20 minutes would pass just like this, and I stayed on edge.

Whoosh. ‘Left…? No, wait…it’s too fast…?’ [Heart… It was before I could even move my Heart Sword. An arrow, shot from the wall, was aiming for my head before I could even move my sword.

Perhaps it was because I had just experienced Regulus’s attack. My body narrowly dodged the arrow before it could pierce my head. But perhaps I hadn’t dodged it completely. Hot blood dripped, drip drip, down my cheek.

‘You said I wouldn’t die…!’ But what good was resentment now? I took a deep breath, and there was nothing else to do but prepare for the next attack.

[Heart Sword] Setting up as many swords as possible.