-242- [ Mind's Eye ]

"thudthudthud"

In the pitch-black forest, the rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed clearly, as Rozen slowly moves towards the Little Nepenthes.

"Hiss!"

Seeing the player approaching with closed eyes, the Little Nepenthes seemed to be angered by the perceived disdain. It emitted a hiss and charged forward.

"Rozen!"

Kirito shouted urgently.

"Gu!"

Rainbow Flower Butterfly also fluttered around anxiously.

However, these sounds had already been shut out from Rozen's consciousness.

Because,

"I can't just only go; I must go deep."

For this reason, Rozen detached his consciousness completely from the real world and even the game world, allowing it to peer into a deeper realm.

Even without opening his eyes, even without seeing with his own eyes, Rozen could still observe.

No, it should be said that every Magus could use this technique to observe the world around them.

Of course, Rozen didn't have magical power right now, so he couldn't use magic.

However, among the eight tiers of a Magus, only this particular technique didn't require magical power. Even ordinary people who weren't Magus could potentially master this skill.

However, among ordinary people, those who could master this technique were usually referred to as sages, monks, or god of martial arts.

They penetrated the world.

They saw through life.

So, they were like swordmasters in kendo, who, even if not Magus, unconsciously mastered this technique.

Naturally, without reaching a high level, this technique couldn't be mastered.

If the other abilities of the eight tiers of a Magus relied on the user's aptitude as a Magus, then only this technique required more than just aptitude. It required transcendence and transformation of oneself.

Precisely because of this, it had taken Rozen a whole ten years and he still hadn't learned this technique.

After all, Rozen's talent in magic was top-notch, but in other fields, he wasn't as good.

Many Magus also couldn't reach this realm and thus couldn't master this technique.

It was the final stage of a Magus, the last technique among the eight tiers.

Even among the Automaton world, there were only fewer than a hundred individuals who could successfully master it.

Now, Rozen wanted to refine this technique in this world.

"Since just having the aptitude as a Magus isn't enough, I'll use the sensations of an imaginary body to refine it in this world devoid of magic."

Although he was unwilling, Rozen had to admit that to master this technique, experts in martial arts like swordmasters were more likely to achieve it.

"Not relying on magic, but only on oneself."

That was the key to mastering this technique.

"Come!"

Rozen declared this in his inner world.

"Hiss!"

In this instant, the Little Nepenthes rushed towards Rozen, and facing Rozen with closed eyes, it raised the vines on its body high. The tips of the vines transformed into sharp thorns and stabbed down viciously.

"Wu!"

Just as Rainbow Flower Butterfly couldn't bear to watch any longer and covered its eyes, Kirito, too, couldn't delay any further. He lowered his body and prepared to rush over.

However, neither Kirito nor Rainbow Flower Butterfly knew

"I see it!"

In that moment, Rozen felt the world shift.

It's not the external world, nor the internal world, not even this virtual world composed of virtual data. It's a place deeper, smaller, and more subtle.

In this world, Rozen sensed a wave that was invisible to the naked eye.

As a result, Rozen followed this wave and suddenly moved his body.

"Swoosh!"

A sharp sound of breaking wind resounded.

It was the sound of sharp thorns stabbing into the air, not hitting their target.

In a state with closed eyes, Rozen seemed to see this attack and swiftly sidestepped, avoiding the strike.

The thorns of the Little Nepenthes followed Rozen's sidestep, landing just centimeters away from his body.

"What!?"

Kirito, who was about to charge forward, widened his eyes.

"Wu!?"

Not only Kirito, even Rainbow Flower Butterfly secretly lowered its small hands and watched the scene, letting out incredulous cries.

In an instant, Rozen seemed like an entirely different person. He became extremely calm, and his movements were devoid of any excess. With minimal effort and the least consumption, he evaded the attack of the Little Nepenthes in the most efficient manner.

Then,

"Clang!"

As if he had known it would turn out like this from the beginning, Rozen had prepared the stance for a sword technique. In less than a second after the Little Nepenthes's attack began, the effect of the sword skill shone on his weapon.

As a gaming enthusiast, Kirito naturally knew what kind of sword technique that stance would trigger.

Horizontal.

Similar to Slant, it was a basic single-strike technique in the early stages of one-handed sword skill.

Slant was an oblique slashing technique.

Horizontal was a horizontal slashing technique.

So, like Slant, this move was one of the initial sword techniques for one-handed sword users.

Rozen used this sword technique, allowing the effect to shine like moonlight. The bronze one-handed sword appeared like a crescent moon, and in a sudden flash that left a long trail, it cut across the Small Carnivorous Plant's body.

"Squish!"

The sound of tearing fabric rang out.

"Hiss!"

The Small Carnivorous Plant let out a cry.

Its HP went from a full green state, directly bypassed the yellow zone, entered the red zone, and plummeted to zero.

"Bang!"

The entire frozen blue body of the Small Carnivorous Plant exploded, scattering numerous fragments.

Seeing this scene with their own eyes, Kirito's mouth fell open.

"Critical hit."

That was commonly known as a critical strike.

It had a higher chance of triggering when hitting a monster's weak point. It would unleash astonishing damage, at least twice the usual amount, and sometimes even multiple times more.

Rozen had just triggered this damage. With just one sword technique, he had dealt with a monster that was a higher level than himself.

Not only that,

"The power of the sword technique has also increased."

Because Rozen's movements were completely flawless, so smooth that even the system would pale in comparison. It was as if he knew exactly how to maximize the power of the sword technique, and his body moved naturally without a hint of strain.

Coupled with his nearly perfect dodge earlier, his perception of the attack even with closed eyes, and his display of extreme calmness and concentration,

"This..."

Kirito was dumbfounded.

This kind of Rozen was something Kirito had never seen before.

Even during the beta testing period, Kirito had never witnessed Rozen's performance like this.

But that was quite normal.

Rozen had never displayed this move in front of Kirito.

"Magus's final tier skill, Mind's Eye."

Rozen slowly opened his eyes, murmuring to himself.

"If it's this move, I can use it in this world too."