Chapter 5-Sword Art [1] (Chapter + bonus)

"Before that let me tell you a story"

"..."

William started me blankly, he wanted to say something but didn't say it

"Once upon a time, there were 2 Brothers, we will call them A and B, even though there were not born from the same mother, there were like real brothers but as the days passed, a line is drawn between them. In a world where strength reign above all, one try to become more powerful to defend his loved one and the other tries to defeat his brother, until one day when B become more powerful than his brother A but that was not enough, he still lose"

As I looked at William, who is shaking, I continue my story

"A who eventually stand at the top, even though he was not really powerful, he was really intelligent when it comes to martial art and magic, he was loved by many people for his kindness, he was the pride of his family, and B who become the shadow of A, even though he becomes more powerful than his brother he still unable to defeat him, he was compared to A, become a laughing stock. B blamed A for taking his frame, status, wealth, and love, he eventually regards his brother as his enemy and one day he finds his chance to take his revenge"

William who was standing next to me looked normal, but that was not true because the air has become colder, the temperature in the room was dropping, and what I see in his eyes is a coldness that leave even the strongest people shaking

"Before you could do something stupid let me tell something, this conspiracy is bigger than you think, your brother is just a pawn, he is just a Canon folder in this conspiracy, think why someone of your caliber and even your little disciple cannot find out the truth and as for the proof, this idiot take your wife ring as a trophy"

"Tell me everything, I want to know all names who have even a little involvement in the death of my wife and my child!!"

William started me with a scary face and started to scream, as I shook my head

"Calm down, if you want to find out all them, you need to go little by little, so first we need to take down your brother, we will continue this conversation when you check, if what I say is true!" I said in a cold voice, as I stand up and started walking toward the door

"Ohh, and last advice if you want your revenge, it's better if you exert your influence back in the society and the most important of all, your strength, you need to improve it!"

"..."

.....

In recent years, after the second cataclysm, with the new energy called mana and new minerals like mana crystal, humanity has taken a new step, different type of technologies has been created if not the treat that presents the demons and other races, it will be called the golden age. And among those technologies, there are the air trains, what made air trains so special was the fact that they levitated in the air, and produced almost no sound throughout the whole journey making them a convenient means of transportation

Thanks to its smooth aerodynamic design, air trains produced low drag, which in turn allowed them to conserve energy and reach speeds of up to 600km/h

As I looked at the interior of the train, I couldn't help but be impressed

Maybe it was because I got special treatment thanks to the special authorization approved by one of the heads of the union for me being available to wear a mask, so they probably think I am a big shot, I'm not the one to bend over it, there is even a private desk and a snack bar for me to freely use

Lazily stretching my back, I comfortably sat down in my designated seat and looked outside the window

Perhaps it was because it was still summer but, even though it was almost 9.p.m the sunlight still brightly lit the surroundings

The station which was moderately packed was a scene that you would've only been able to see if you were inside of a movie

Rows of platforms stood next to each other, and every couple of minutes you could see air trains departing, and new ones taking over the empty spaces left by them. The air trains, which were levitating from the ground were connected to long metal wires that stretched to the horizon and with their constantly producing magnetic field, allowed air trains to swiftly move unobstructed

- We will be departing soon, please be seated

-Clank!

A beautiful voice entered my ears, and the doors automatically shut. Suddenly underneath me, I felt a strange pushing sensation, similar to when a plane was taking off, and gradually the air train floated in the air

A couple of seconds after levitating in the air, the train gradually picked up its speed and left the station

- Next stop, Station 24, Corsica city

Staring at the constantly changing scenery before me, I sank into deep thought

Right now I was on my way towards the Corsica ridge to collect a sword art, why?, because if I want to strengthen myself, even to just to remotely come close to the protagonist's level, then I must get my hands on a sword art

A sword art, or more specifically a martial manual, were manuals that were developed since the beginning of the second cataclysm and consisted of martial techniques that had existed since ancient times. With the addition of mana, ancient martial techniques which were long forgotten were restructured and remodeled to take into account the mana that lingered in the atmosphere, and shockingly enough the techniques that were once deemed as useless transformed into some of the most powerful moves that could be performed by a human

Since the discovery of the adaptability that martial techniques had regarding the control and use of mana, martial manuals suddenly became extremely coveted and as a result, they slowly started disappearing from the public view due to government and powerful individuals intervention

The government primarily did it to prevent the manuals from landing in the wrong hands, but with regards to the powerful individuals, it was more of a power move to monopolize the manuals to themselves

Martial manuals were separated into five grades, 1 star, 2 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars, and finally 5 stars, with 1 star being the lowest grade and 5 stars being the highest grade possible, and until now there have been no grade manuals above 5 stars

Each grade was determined by how powerful the art became upon mastery, and the difference between each grade was fairly substantial, just like the difference between a person's rank

When choosing a manual, the most important thing was not the grade but whether the manual was compatible with you

If you had a talent for swordsmanship but practiced a spear-related manual, chances were that regardless of how high the grade of the manual was, you would never be able to fully unleash the full potential of the manual

I don't choose swordsman talent just because I liked it, but also because the protagonist also has a talent for swordsmanship. Which in hindsight was advantageous for me as I know every cheat skill he gets for his swordsmanship profession

In particular, the novel mentions 3 certain sword art that stands at the top

The [Yūrei style] swords art, the [Leviatan style], and the [Karv style], which were all 5-star manuals

The [Yūrei style], its meaning 'The ghost style' the one that interests me the most, was a sword's art that required an inhuman level of speed when drawing a sword

In the novel, it was a sword art that Grandmaster Saisoku Suzuki created. He was a Japanese sword practitioner who later became famous for his unrivaled strength. He was also one of the first humans to awaken mana during the second phase of the cataclysm

As Grandmaster Suzuki was already a respected swordsman even before the second cataclysm, when mana made its way into the world, once he awakened, his human restraint was severed, resulting in the creation of the [Yūrei style]. An incredibly powerful sword art where the user would draw the sword from the scabbard so quick that by the time the opponent feels danger he/she was already dead. It was a one-draw one kill type of style

The second style was the [Leviatan style]. A British, Grandmaster Jack Clifford, who also awakened at the same time as Grandmaster Suzuki created his unique sword art, he is the most mysterious between the Grandmasters

Unlike the [Yūrei style], the [Leviatan style] operated differently. That was...it was a much more beautiful sword art. In the novel I remembered the description, it say that it was a sword's art that would mesmerize anyone who caught sight of the art. Though it was an extremely beautiful sword art, you should by no means underestimate it, as it was just as deadly as it was beautiful

Probably the most balanced swords art out of the three, but in terms of offense it was not as good as both the [Yūrei style] and the [Karv style] who specialized in offense

Lastly, the [Karv style] was created by a Russian Grandmaster called Victor Ivanov. The most infamous swords art of the two. To call it a sword art was, by all means, a compliment. No fancy swing, no fancy move, It relied just purely on raw physical strength that overwhelmed every opponent that came across it. It was a series of random swings with no foundation behind them, but at the same time because of the user's enormous strength, it allowed them to easily overwhelm the opponent

Why was it infamous? simple, because anyone who practiced the swords art would find themselves suffering unbearable pain. For one to train the [Karv style], the requirement was to reforge the human body by restructuring the flesh and bones within the human body to better suit the art style. It was a gruesome and painful procedure that could mentally break down anyone who tried practicing it

Although there was a high chance of a mental breakdown, if you managed to practice the [Karv style] successfully, you were guaranteed inhuman strength that would make anyone fear you even the orc

Going back as to why I was interested in those art and not just one, why should I just take one, when I can have them all, what I want to do is to fusion them, even though I didn't know if it is possible

'Hey system, is it possible to fusion two martial manuals'

[Request....accepted...running.....simulation.....simulation....finshed]

[To answer Host question, it is possible to fusion different martial manuals but that will cost a lot of SP and those manuals must be compatible between them]

Out of the 3 arts, I could only take 2 arts, first my favorite art out of the three was the [Yūrei style]. I mean why wouldn't it be? Imagine facing hundreds of opponents, when suddenly all their heads fall off with you looking like you hadn't done anything. Wasn't that totally badass?

Secondly, the [Karv style], and I couldn't possibly take the [Leviatan style] as it belonged to the protagonist

'System, it is possible to take a martial art that somebody already has'

[Request....accepted...running.....simulation.....simulation....finshed]

[Host, there is an item that can help you, would you like to see : Y/N]

As I selected Yes, a new screen pop-out

==========

[{B} Imitation Manual] : 600 SP

A manual that helps you remake a martial art, just by looking at it

==========

As I looked at the price, my head began to hurt, but it give me some hope

Fortunately in the novel, the author describes all locations of the 3 art legacies, with one of them already has been taken by the protagonist

As for now, I decided to learn the [Karv style] right after I collect the [Yūrei style]. Ironically, the location of where the [Karv style] sword art was located was not that far off from the Corsica ridge where located the [Yūrei style], and so by the end of the week, I should be able to have both the [Yūrei style] and the [Karv style]

- Station 24 Corsica city

Waking me up from my deep thoughts, was a beautiful voice coming from the train speaker

Taking a glimpse outside the window, I could see huge mountains in the distance

As the tectonic plates shifted, it caused continents to clash against each other resulting in huge mountains and ridges suddenly appear across the world

The current Clayton ridge was the result and aftermath of two continents hitting each other, causing the ground to be elevated and creating a chain of mountains

.....

Standing below the huge majestic mountains and admiring the sight, I couldn't help but sigh

"This really isn't a novel anymore....."

Breathing the fresh air, and smelling the sharp, sweet, and refreshing smell coming from the pine trees before me, I could almost be certain that everything before me was real

With renewed vigor, I start my climb up the mountain

"Huff...Huff..."

Even though the terrain was rougher than I expected, I have no problem climbing it, my strength was already at the peak of humanity, making this easy for me

Three hours had already passed since my journey up the mountains, and although my breathing was a bit rough, I wasn't that tired. Well...considering the fact that I had ready condensed mana inside of my body, It really shouldn't come as a surprise that I managed to last this long

Keep in mind that if a normal human with no mana concentration in their body were to climb this mountain, they would by no means reach the same point as me. Then again, I really shouldn't compare myself with normal humans, since anyone in the Academy could do the same but with little more time and they will be tired

Right now I was making my way towards the third highest peak, where a small cave containing the legacy of [Yūrei style] resided

Knowing that looking for the cave was almost like looking for a needle in a haystack, I've already mentally prepared myself for a long arduous search. Hopefully, I won't waste too much time, else I might be spending days here, which I simply couldn't afford to do

Just as I had arrived below the third highest peak I squinted my eyes. I could already see the sun trying to hide itself behind the mountains reducing my visibility considerably

Clenching my fist I decided to do one last struggle and climb my way towards the third peak

This was a really reckless decision on my part as I would be directly climbing the mountain, unlike before where I just hiked

Moreover, because the sun was setting and my range of visibility was decreasing by the minute it made it even harder for me to climb up the mountain as a slight slip could cost me my life

Climbing the mountain at this time was totally reckless

Feeling the cold rock in between my hand, I increased the grip of my hands and carefully moved up the mountain. If I don't manage to find the cave soon, I would probably be forced to camp somewhere on top of the mountain, which wasn't exactly ideal

Halfway up the mountain, and 2 hours into my climb, I could already feel my hands becoming numb from the constant climbing. The sun, which had set long ago only left endless darkness making it impossible for me to see more than a couple of meters ahead of me

As the nights progressed the cold kicked in, further adding to the difficulty of the climb. It was already hard to climb before, but now things got even harder. Not to mention that my whole body started aching like crazy

Gritting my teeth I endured the stinging pain coming from my arms and continued my way up

Inserting my feet into a narrow gap, I pause and looked up

Although it was dark I could still see a couple of meters ahead of me. Squinting my eyes, I saw a small protruding rock coming from the top left of my view. Remembering a similar description from the novel, my eyes lit up and I forced my body to climb up near the rock

Placing my hand on top of the rock and applying some pressure, I was able to confirm that this was the right place as a small gap appeared behind the rock

Applying a little bit more pressure, I move the rock further to the side allowing me to see what's right behind the rock

"Bingo!"

Smiling widely, I used all my strength and pushed the rock outwards causing it to fall down, opening a small gap for which a single person could enter

-Bang!

After 10 seconds of free fall, a large sound could be heard from below the mountain sending shivers down my spine

"Had that been me, I would've likely turned into an omelet if anything else..."

Turning my attention back to the cave, I slowly pushed my body inside the small gap. As I entered the small hole, I crawled my way forward for a couple of meters until a wide opening appeared before me

Increasing my pace, I enter the cave

As soon as I entered the cave I felt all the energy drain out of my body, causing me to weakly slump on the ground. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally. From the moment I entered the Corsica ridge to the moment I reached the cave, all I did was non-stop physical work

I hiked non-stop for 3-4 hours and then climbed three quarters up the third peak. If it wasn't for the fact that I had already awakened by the time I reincarnated into the novel, I would've already been exhausted halfway through the hike

Let me be clear. I was also extremely lucky throughout the journey. That was, I did not encounter a single animal or monster. Since most animals who were exposed to mana turned berserk who now become monsters, I expected some kind of encounter against one of such monsters in the mountain, but fortunately for me, I had come prepared as I brought a low-grade beast repellant that warded away any beast below G-rank

Thus thanks to the repellant I encountered zero beasts which in turn helped me preserve some of my energy, allowing me to find this place faster

Leaning against the wall of the cave, I slowly regained some of my energy. Glancing around, all I could see was a huge cave that I couldn't see the end of

Smiling to myself I got up and moved towards the depth of the cave

"It's about time to become more powerful...."