Training

After an hour of search, I saw a fairly hollow spot that was covered by the toppled trees. It seems like a good hideout for now, so I went inside and covered the entrance.

I sat on the ground as I held the two Troll King magic cores in my hands. I then absorbed the mana as I felt my body getting stronger as I increased in levels.

Level 27...

Level 28...

Level 29...

And finally, I reached Level 30.

I took two hours to absorb the magic cores, but it was worth it. After all, the gap between Level 29 and Level 30 was blocked by a wall, and it was the same from Level 59 and 60, and Level 89 and 90. Although it was weak, it couldn't be easily broken through without strong momentum. That was why I overwhelmed it with sheer quantity from the cores of the Troll Kings.

And as I was done, I stood and went outside. I then searched for a fairly clear spot. It didn't take a while as I soon found one, and headed over to do business. It was time for real practice.

Until now, I didn't have much time to practice anything other than the Void Sensitivity, which I was using as a sleeping aid, and the Void Wind Guidance, which I would occasionally use to familiarize myself with its feeling.

And for now, I wanted to learn Void Steps as I at least have the Spellblades I have from the Divine Sword.

I then recalled the manual as I though of a way to execute it.

The laws of the world are bound into a vessel called space. And outside this 'space' lies the void. Using the circulation method that was created by observing the void, it was possible to weaken the shackles of space and take short leap from it. It wasn't actually that hard, you just circulate mana according to what the manual instructed, and then dash. And that was it.

And so I tried doing it. I circulated my mana as instructed and I felt my body become, vague? It was a strange feeling, but I felt like I was detached from the world. And when the circulation completed its full circulation, I dashed forward as a feeling of viscous wind felt like resisting me, but I still moved towards my destination.

The next instant, I noticed I was standing on another place as the place I had been still had a few leaves falling to the ground.

'I see. So this is near field teleportation.' I thought.

It was easier than I thought, but it required focus and a bit of time. It was not practical for evasion yet, which means I need a lot of practice.

Anyway, as for the next one, the one I at least wanted to try, Severing Blade.

The practice method for the severing blade was a lot different for the most techniques I've seen. It just involved practice swings while circulating a circulation method.

And so, I circulated it according to the manual, and then materialized Arkenvalle and positioned it in front of me. I then raised it, and brought it down for a swing, and the moment I did, I was shocked.

When I brought down the blade, I felt an incredible resistance that, rather than block me, it instead made me unable to use my muscles if I don't perform it right.

It was extremely creepy feeling, but the training itself could improve my swordsmanship further. And so, in my excitement, I just swung the sword all day.

Night soon fell, and a day passed without me noticing

...

"Severing Blade."

SLASH!

I slashed at the Murder Troll and it was cleanly severed in two pieces.

I then took the magic core from the Murder Troll's chest, and dematerialized Arkenvalle afterwards.

Within these past three days, it was only the eighth Murder Troll I've encountered.

'Murder Trolls are getting scarcer as time passes. It shouldn't be this fast.'

Things were not going as I expected. It was faster. Way faster than what was happening in my previous run, and the faster it got, the more urgent my desire to get stronger became.

I heaved a sigh as I needed to rethink my plans. My intuition tells me the Black Dogs will be appearing soon. And my speed won't be enough to keep up if I encounter two of them.

Meanwhile, about my secret techniques—Skills as they are called—had levelled up.

Skills had total mastery levels of 10 in each initial forms. Once a person completely masters the Skill and reach the highest Level, they may sublime the Skill further by their comprehension and create it into their unique variant.

In three days, I managed to achieve initial mastery in Void Wind Guidance, reaching Level one. Which means I could now at least use it in practical combat.

Void Step also reached Level one, which I could use much easier now, but the distance I could travel was only about 2 meters or so.

Wind Sensitivity managed to reach Level 2, which increased the time I could use it before passing out.

And finally, and mysteriously, I managed to reach Level 4 in the Severing Blade. During practice, I found out that the Severing Blade actually wasn't a Spellblade, but it was more of a Sword Technique in itself. It trains the user and engraves the feeling of how to slash with extreme speed while using mana to augment a sword's sharpness. It was a truly deadly sword technique, if I be honest.

In summary, my training during the past three days was a good thing, but I still needed to find a place where I could gather more cores. It was almost time for 'that'. The time the black dogs appear, there will be a massacre. And I need strength as it would be a massive opportunity for me if I do things right.

And in order to do that, I need to change my hunting grounds. In other words, it was time to leave.