Chapter 17
‘So this is the spiritual medicine… the Elixir.’
The Elixir provided by the Academy was a red potion contained in a transparent glass bottle.
Even Elixirs have grades, and red is the lowest.
‘They say that if I take this, I can gain mana.’
Sitting alone in my single dorm room, I carefully examined the Elixir bottle.
Even though I was the one who had set it up in the story, it still amazed me that just a single sip of this potion could grant more mana than years of training.
‘It’s exactly because it’s so incredible that the Imperial family’s authority remains strong.’
Only the Imperial family of the Empire can produce Elixirs.
In the name of nurturing talent, the Imperial family supplies Elixirs to the Academy, and swordsmanship clans send their heirs to the Academy to be bestowed with them.
If a family chose not to send an heir to the Academy, that family’s mana acquisition would fall behind, and they would be weeded out.
‘Well then… time to drink it.’
I opened the lid engraved with the Imperial crest and downed the red potion in one go.
It had no taste at all.
If I hadn’t known what it was, I might have suspected it was fake.
“……”
I sat cross-legged and closed my eyes.
Then, I began to use the skill I had copied from Serine when I first came to this world… the Eastern Mana Cultivation Method.
‘Serine is skilled at handling mana. In the story, she had mastered the cultivation method even before enrolling.’
Serine’s Eastern Mana Cultivation Method is ranked B.
Even at that level, it’s more than enough to control the mana in a red-grade Elixir.
The novel’s protagonist, Arkandel, didn’t know any cultivation method, so he couldn’t properly settle the mana.
“……”
The Elixir flowed from my throat into my stomach, and from there, mana was absorbed.
Unlike water or nutrients, mana is absorbed instantly once it enters the body.
However, if left alone, it also tends to leak right back out.
That’s why it must be controlled through cultivation.
‘Absorb the mana from the stomach… circulate it through the bloodstream.’
Mana began to flow along my blood vessels.
If left unattended, it would escape out of the body, but by doing this, it circulated inside like blood.
Then… bit by bit, I began to settle the circulating mana in my heart.
‘This is how… you create a Mana Heart.’
A Mana Heart—an intangible heart that stores mana.
With a Mana Heart, one can truly begin to utilize mana.
Once it grows past a certain point, one can reach the rank of Graduate.
“……”
Keeping my eyes closed, I continued controlling the mana.
As it flowed along my veins, the mana gradually synchronized with my body.
It gathered in my heart, forming a small lump.
As that lump became clearer… the Mana Heart was finally complete.
“Phew…”
I opened my eyes and let out a sigh of relief.
It had gone better than I expected.
‘I think I did even better than Serine did in the novel.’
In the novel, Serine had settled 80% of the mana from a red Elixir.
But I had settled over 90%.
Same B-rank Eastern Mana Cultivation Method as hers—yet I’d gotten a better result.
‘Maybe because I’m the author?’
I knew all the insights I had written into the story.
Maybe they influenced me subconsciously.
‘Over 90% of the red Elixir’s mana… compared to Arkandel, who couldn’t even settle 30%, this is an excellent start.’
Honestly, my abilities still didn’t match Arkandel’s.
He had superior physical abilities and combat instincts.
But in terms of mana, I had now clearly surpassed him.
‘This is where the real beginning starts.’
Until now, I’d relied on novel knowledge and artifact abilities to fight.
But that alone won’t be enough from here on.
I need to improve my own basic abilities as well.
‘I have to get ahead of Arkandel, the protagonist.’
To make Ernas Landstein not a “fake genius” but a real one…
I intended to train with everything I had.
“……”
I stood up and left the room.
The hallway was quiet—other students were probably still inside, taking their Elixirs and forming their Mana Hearts.
‘They’ll take longer than I did.’
Not wanting to disturb them, I quietly slipped out of the dormitory.
Outside, under the dim night, I took a deep breath.
‘Now then…’
I activated my Mana Heart.
Mana flowed out and spread through my bloodstream.
Concentrating it into my lower body, I used the Lichtenauer Lightfoot Technique.
“…!”
Whoosh!
I involuntarily swallowed my breath.
I’d reached a speed that surprised even me.
This was the result of enhancing my leg muscles by focusing mana there.
‘So this is the feeling!’
My heart raced.
And my legs didn’t feel strained at all.
At this rate, I could use the Lichtenauer Lightfoot Technique for extended periods without muscle fatigue.
‘My biggest weakness has been stamina. I can overcome that with mana.’
Ernas’s stamina is naturally low.
But if I reduce the body’s strain with mana, that weakness can be covered.
‘Hmm, I’d like to test my swordsmanship too.’
Then I regretted it immediately.
I hadn’t brought a practice wooden sword.
Just as I was considering going back inside to get one, I sensed someone nearby.
“Ernas.”
“Serine…”
She must have also finished forming her Mana Heart.
Maybe, like me, she came outside to try using mana.
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“A favor?”
Without warning, Serine tossed something to me.
A practice wooden sword.
“I want to get used to using mana as soon as possible.”
“You want to spar?”
“Without keeping score.”
She was holding another wooden sword in her own hand.
It seemed she’d noticed me using mana outside the dorm and had come out carrying two swords.
“Well?”
She asked in a slightly uneasy tone—like she was worried I might refuse.
“I’m fine with it.”
“Hmph… I thought so.”
She turned her head with a prim expression.
In the novel, she often made that face when she was trying to hide her true feelings.
“Then let’s do it, Serine.”
“Yes, I’ll be in your care as well.”
We gripped our wooden swords and took our stances.
Until the other students emerged after completing their Mana Hearts, this would be our time alone.
Swordsmanship class.
Instructor Yols Kalesius surveyed the classroom.
“You all look different today.”
Glancing over the Black Class 6 students, Yols spoke.
“Looks like everyone has successfully formed their Mana Heart.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Now that you’ve become swordsmen who can handle mana, you must feel more confident.”
His voice was stern.
“But don’t get conceited. None of you have yet reached the rank of Graduate.”
“Yes, sir…!”
All we’d done was gain the ability to strengthen our bodies with mana.
To become a Graduate, you must be able to infuse mana into your sword.
“Since we’re on the subject, I’ll skip today’s planned lesson and talk about the Graduate stage instead.”
“……!”
Yols drew a human body on the chalkboard.
“You’ve created a Mana Heart in your chest. The mana from it can spread through your bloodstream to your whole body.”
“……”
“By focusing mana into one part, you can enhance that part’s function—not only increasing strength but also sharpening the senses.”
For example, concentrating mana into the eyes could enhance vision.
Not just improving eyesight, but also motion perception, and even letting you see in low light.
“But all of this happens within the body. That’s why anyone with a Mana Heart can do it—it’s not too hard.”
Yols drew a sword into the figure’s hand.
“Infusing mana into a sword outside your body is much harder—mana tends to scatter away.”
When forming a Mana Heart, you must keep mana from leaking out of the body.
Once it leaves, it disperses and vanishes.
But to put mana into a sword, you must send it outside your body.
“That’s why you must control mana perfectly. You need to send it out, gather it onto the blade, and then pull it back into your body.”
He drew arrows on the board to show the mana flow.
“This is the Graduate stage.”
“Ah…”
“But let me be clear—your current mana reserves aren’t enough to reach it. Without enough mana, you can’t cover the whole blade, so it’s better not to try yet.”
Just as I’d written in the novel, at our current mana capacity, reaching Graduate was impossible.
“If you clumsily try to coat the blade and your mana flow is cut off due to insufficient mana, it will scatter into the surroundings. You’ll lose it.”
“……”
“Don’t think that just because you’ve settled it in your Mana Heart, mana will always be yours. You can lose it in an instant if you’re careless—always stay alert.”
Yols kept writing notes on the board and explaining further.
But my mind was on something else.
‘If you don’t have enough mana to coat the whole blade, the flow gets interrupted. But…’
There is a way to cover the entire blade even with low mana.
‘If you use a short blade, it’s possible with less mana.’
It was obvious in a way.
Yet people didn’t start with short blades for a reason.
‘Swordsmen here aren’t used to short swords. Trying to channel mana into a weapon you’re not familiar with is easy to mess up.’
The standard is a certain length of one-handed sword.
The Academy also trains students with such swords in mind.
If you tried with an unfamiliar shortsword or dagger, you’d likely make mistakes—losing precious mana in the process.
So no one even practiced it.
‘But…’
I recalled one of the novel’s characters.
One of the key figures who used a “short sword” as his main weapon.
‘If I could acquire his swordsmanship…’
I might be able to challenge the Graduate stage ahead of everyone else.
A little ways from Black Class 6’s island.
At a white-roofed building, a neatly dressed male student was swinging his sword.
It wasn’t a practice wooden sword, but a real one—and unlike standard one-handed swords, its blade was short.
“Splendid work, Master Lester.”
When the young man’s training paused, a female student waiting nearby brought him a towel.
“Your mana control seems perfect.”
“Yes, it seems to have settled nicely in my body.”
White Class 5 had defeated Blue Class 2 in the recent tournament and earned Elixirs.
As a result, all their students had successfully formed Mana Hearts.
“Shouldn’t you attempt the Graduate stage now?”
“Too soon. My mana reserves are still insufficient.”
“Even though you absorbed over 70% of the red Elixir’s mana?”
“It’s still lacking. I’ll need to take another red Elixir.”
The young man looked down at his sword—
A short real blade, specially brought in using the swordsmanship clan’s influence.
“But I’ll get my chance soon. The first exam will be held before long.”
“Yes, and passing it will earn you another Elixir.”
“Once I get that, I—Lester Lancaster—will reach the Graduate stage faster than anyone.”
Lester Lancaster—heir to the Lancaster family, one of the six great swordsmanship clans.
A master of the Lancaster Shortsword Style passed down in his family, and a man known as a “prodigy” even before enrolling.
He was the representative of White Class 5.
“But before that… I’ll use the exam to crush Ernas Landstein.”
The rising star of Black Class 6.
With a cruel smile, the prodigy of White Class 5 declared his intent to trample him.
