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Episode 11: “The Beginning of Training (3)”
It was a thought that anyone who’d ever had their mana measured had at least once entertained.
Johan Redner—the master among masters.
Just how powerful was he?
How much mana did he possess?
Everyone was curious, but who would dare to ask the Blazing Sword such a brazen question as,
“So, how much mana do you have?”
And yet, the one person who did dare to ask that bold question was now silently crunching numbers in his head.
‘Let’s see… if an official 1st rank is about 1,000, then a 9th rank should be around 10,000, right? But he’s a renowned master, so maybe… between 50,000 and 100,000?’
100 mana was said to give about twice the strength of an average adult.
So 50,000 mana was an astronomical number.
But Johan’s offhand reply blew Yuri’s guesses and calculations out of the water.
“My mana? Hmm… last time I checked, it had passed a million.”
SCREEECH—
Yuri, shocked beyond belief, slammed the cart to a stop and whipped his head around so fast it cracked.
“W–What? How much did you say?”
“What, your ears clogged?”
“A m–million?”
“That’s right.”
“Seriously?”
“Jeez, try believing me for once!”
“You’re not bullshitting?”
“…You little brat.”
Seeing Johan’s genuinely offended expression, Yuri realized he was telling the truth.
He let out a heartfelt groan.
“Good god… A million mana… is that even possible for a human?”
Johan puffed out his chest proudly.
“Of course, a typical master would have around 500,000.”
“That already sounds like a lot…”
“Hah! That’s only 500,000! I’m special—that’s why I’ve got a million!”
Looking at Johan’s smug expression, Yuri couldn’t help but inwardly acknowledge it.
‘Yeah… I guess that’s the kind of power you’d need to pull off something that insane.’
Johan’s unbelievable display of strength still lingered vividly in Yuri’s mind—
the way he had obliterated cliffs and mountains in an instant.
A million mana didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore.
And with that realization came a surge of burning curiosity.
Yuri couldn’t resist asking:
“Then… what about the Swordmaster? How much mana does he have? You’ve fought him twice, so you’d know, right?”
Johan’s face stiffened slightly at the question.
He studied Yuri in silence.
‘I wonder…’
If Yuri knew the Swordmaster’s true strength, would he still have the guts to challenge him?
Or would he lose heart and give up before even starting?
But then Johan couldn’t help but snort.
‘Who am I kidding? This brat?’
It had only been about a month since they met. There was still a lot Johan didn’t know about him.
But there was one thing he could say with certainty:
‘This kid… is just like me.’
Their personalities were both absolutely insufferable.
And neither of them applied that insufferable attitude selectively.
Johan smirked slightly and said,
“The Swordmaster’s mana has never been officially measured.”
“So that means there’s an unofficial record?”
“Of course. And one of the few people who knows that unofficial figure… is yours truly!”
“Whoa! So how much is it?”
“Hehehe, you wanna know? Then say, ‘Honorable Master Johan, please show mercy to this humble fool!’”
“Honorable Master Johan, please show mercy to this humble fool! Please!!”
“…Do you have no pride at all?”
“C’mon, why cling to pride over something like this?”
“You little…!”
Johan scowled at Yuri’s shamelessness.
‘Okay, maybe he’s a little different from me.’
If it were him, he would never debase himself like that.
So he revised his view of Yuri’s personality:
If Johan was “a stubborn bastard,” Yuri was “a bastard with no shame.”
“So? How much is it! Why’re you dragging it out?”
Johan sighed and finally said,
“The Swordmaster’s mana is estimated to be over 5 million.”
“…Sorry, what was that?”
Yuri picked his ear, wondering if he had misheard.
“How much did you say?”
“Five. Million.”
Yuri’s lips parted slightly.
‘F–Five million?!’
It was such an absurd, overwhelming number that it didn’t feel real.
And Johan wasn’t done.
“That’s at least 5 million. The measuring device at the time capped out at 5 million, and it overheated and exploded while measuring him. So that’s the minimum.”
“Holy shit…”
Yuri muttered, stunned.
“Is that… even human?”
Johan immediately jumped on that.
“Human? Does that sound human to you? If an ordinary person uses 100 mana to lift a single boulder, the Swordmaster could split a mountain with the same amount!”
“…”
“Can someone like that really be called human? Do you honestly think so?”
Yuri flinched at Johan’s voice.
His eyes widened.
‘Is he… trembling?’
Johan’s voice carried a faint tremor.
But it wasn’t fear.
‘This guy… is excited?’
Beneath the quiver, Johan’s voice was brimming with exhilaration—barely restrained joy.
He loved the fact that the Swordmaster was that strong.
It was a kind of manic glee.
The intensity of it overwhelmed Yuri into silence.
Johan misread his silence and grinned.
“What’s wrong? Scared because the Swordmaster’s too strong?”
Yuri snapped out of it and shook his head.
“Not scared—just… awed, I guess? I’m wondering if I can ever catch up to that level. How long it’ll take me to get there.”
Johan let out a short laugh.
‘He’s actually thinking about catching up?’
Most people wouldn’t even dare to imagine it.
But Yuri wasn’t “most people.”
Johan chuckled.
“You’ll probably never catch up in your lifetime. There’s a gap between a kid who’s just started and an ancient monster who’s lived for nearly a century that you simply can’t close.”
“You mean time?”
“Exactly. A century of self-honed talent from the greatest genius in history—it’s an impregnable fortress. No weakling can even dream of scaling it.”
“But you’re the one who said mana isn’t the only measure of strength.”
“Of course. Plenty of 1,000-mana warriors have had their heads lopped off by those with just 500 mana.”
“If strength was only about mana, we wouldn’t even bother developing a sword-art meant to defeat the Swordmaster.”
“Fair point.”
“Then it’s fine.”
“What’s fine?”
“It means beating the Swordmaster isn’t impossible.”
Johan was momentarily speechless at Yuri’s calm tone.
Yuri grinned.
“The Swordmaster said it himself, right? That he’d give everything to the one who kills him?”
Everyone living in the present knew the declaration of the Swordmaster.
For decades, countless challengers had tried to slay him, spilling oceans of blood to seize his absolute throne.
None had succeeded.
But 50 years after that proclamation, in the northern continent—
a mere fledgling who had just taken his first step boldly declared:
“Nice and simple. So if I just take down the strongest guy, the whole world’s mine, right?”
Johan stared at Yuri in silence for a long time.
Then he burst into a small laugh and muttered,
“Pfft… you’re insane.”
He tapped the cart with his prosthetic leg.
“Quit spouting crap, brat! Save that nonsense for when you can pull this cart for seven days and nights without collapsing!”
“…Don’t tell me this busted old thing is what you call ‘Boongboong’?”
“Hey now, old tools have spirits. It’s only proper to give something with a soul a name!”
“…”
Yuri made a new vow.
Before they reached the Cradle, he’d definitely smash this damned “Boongboong” to pieces.
Meanwhile, Johan rapped the cart again with his leg.
TAP TAP—
“Alright, I’ll be generous. If you get us to Chrome in two days, we’ll move on to the next stage!”
“Next stage?”
“Mana initiation!”
“Really?! You mean it?!”
“What, you think I’m lying all the time?!”
“Well, yeah, you usually are!”
“Not this time!”
The trip to Chrome Harbor usually took four days from their current location.
Cutting that to two would be no small feat.
But after three weeks of grueling cart-pulling, Yuri leapt at Johan’s offer.
“Alright! Hang on tight!”
Gritting his teeth, Yuri poured power into his legs, and the cart shot forward.
“HRAAAAHHH!!”
And thus began his desperate sprint.
As his fierce battle cry echoed, Johan watched Yuri’s round little head from behind and chuckled.
‘He’s insane.’
A brat who hadn’t even awakened mana yet was talking about defeating the Swordmaster.
It was insane nonsense.
But since it was Yuri saying it…
‘It might not be complete nonsense.’
Johan’s smile deepened.
All the strongest individuals in the world were represented by one superhuman and twenty-two masters.
The sole superhuman was, of course, the Swordmaster—Luke Ryder.
Beneath him were 22 masters, 12 of whom were graduates of the Cradle.
People called them The Twelve Swords—the Swordmaster’s blades.
Though they were his disciples, not all of them served under him. Most went their own ways.
But one was different.
Gordon Crowden, the First Sword.
Also known as the Commander of the Black Sword Battalion.
He was the de facto second-in-command of the Cradle, overseeing all internal affairs on the Swordmaster’s behalf.
Just minutes ago, Gordon had received an urgent telegram.
Reading the message, his brow twitched slightly—a rare display of emotion for him.
“The Black Dragon Plaque has been used?”
This meant one of its owners had issued a formal recommendation.
But what caught his attention wasn’t the use itself.
“Johan Redner is the one who returned it? And a new plaque was issued to someone recommended by him?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmm…”
Gordon let out a low hum.
‘For Johan to use the Black Dragon Plaque on someone…’
If it had been anyone else, or if the candidate had failed, he would have dismissed the matter easily.
‘But this is Johan we’re talking about. Someone the Swordmaster himself keeps an eye on.’
This wasn’t something to overlook.
Gordon’s gaze fell to the last line of the telegram.
And then—
“…What?”
For the first time in ages, Gordon let out a stunned shout.
“Huh?!”
“Commander, what’s wrong?”
Ignoring his aide’s concern, Gordon reread the final line over and over.
[The 10th Black Dragon Plaque bearer, Yuri Holland, was observed using a technique suspected to be Incarnation.]
‘Incarnation…?’
If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, that word was definitely written there.
And Gordon understood exactly what that meant.
‘I must inform the Swordmaster.’
But first, he needed to verify the report.
He gave his orders crisply.
“Locate Johan Redner. And summon the squad leader who submitted this report.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And this boy…”
Gordon glanced at the name on the telegram once more.
“Gather everything you can about Yuri Holland. In detail.”
“Understood!”
His aide saluted and left the office.
Gordon leaned back, murmuring the name.
‘Yuri Holland…’
The boy recommended by Johan, now a Black Dragon Plaque holder, and possibly a user of Incarnation.
If all this was true…
‘The Swordmaster will take interest.’
And when the absolute ruler took interest, things at the Cradle were bound to get lively.
