Sword Saint's Reincarnation

Book 3 Chapter 16: Arid Wasteland (1)

Damian looked through the window of his study.

The sunrays were warm and bright, and the sight of Caer Rhelon was as amazing as ever. The Royal Magic Academy sprawled around the Mage Tower, covered by green fields and tall buildings. Many students walked about, while others sat in the middle of the greenery to talk and laugh among themselves. Dressed in their uniforms, the teenagers seemed happy and carefree. Beyond the Academy grounds, the capital city’s countless buildings could be seen, standing tall. Restaurants filled with people, carriages on the streets. Damian’s gaze moved back to the students.

This is what I want to protect.

He wasn’t alone anymore. Now, someone even stronger than him was also willing to shield the kingdom. As his thoughts moved to the young man, Damian resisted the urge to sigh. He couldn’t help but worry.

“I mean it, Damian,” Henry’s voice came from behind him. “Things have been too quiet.”

Damian turned around to stare at the nation’s king. Henry stood in the middle of the study, his face creased in a frown, dressed in a fully white robe with golden linings. His staff and artifact floated beside him, rippling with mana.

Damian nodded slowly.

“I agree,” he replied. “But even so, there’s nothing else we can do.”

Henry sighed and turned around to walk up to the nearest plush chair and sit down.

“I’ve already reached out to Catherina, but you know how long it takes for our messages to go back and forth.”

Damian nodded again.

“I know. That’s why I’m saying we’ve already done what we could. Given the importance of the subject, Mar will reply as soon as they can.”

Henry shifted in his chair.

“…I wonder what the Empire’s planning. There’s no way they’ll let this go. They lost three Sixth Circle Mages, but they haven’t even made another move yet.”

Damian nodded and sat down in his chair behind the mahogany desk, frowning. His heart was filled with worry. Truthfully, both he and Henry shared the same doubts. Why hadn’t the Empire done anything after Rylan’s victory? There hadn’t been envoys or soldiers, attempts to recruit Rylan or finish him off. Instead, Ceotha was only met with an eerie silence.

“I don’t know. But they won’t remain idle for long. I’m sure of it. The sooner we can tighten our bond to Mar, the safer this kingdom will be. Of course, that’s only one possibility.”

Henry sighed deeply.

“And the other?”

“The Empire will see our alliance as an even greater threat and become more aggressive. The addition of a genius like Rylan to Mar’s forces might be the straw that breaks the direwolf’s back.”

Henry slowly tilted his body to look at the ceiling. For the first time in a while, Damian could truly see the man’s years showing. In that sense, they weren’t so different.

“…How’s that Mana Cultivation thing? Is it as powerful as Rylan’s made it out to be? Or is he simply skilled with it?”

Memories of Rylan’s teachings and Mana Cultivation’s principles flashed through Damian’s mind.

“It’s revolutionary,” he replied firmly. “It supplements the greatest weakness of Mages, our bodies. An ordinary Mage capable of using Mana Cultivation can become a much more formidable fighter, even if their proficiency never gets near Rylan’s.”

Henry gave him a tired grin.

“I guess that’s our only consolation. You guys just need to become great at it as fast as possible. How did Rylan react to your offer for him to become a professor?”

Damian grinned back, sharing the man’s exhaustion.

“He agreed, but we’ll obviously need to wait until he’s back.”

Henry looked through the window behind Damian with a pensive expression.

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“…Arid Wasteland, huh. It’s unbelievable that a nineteen-year-old can hunt alone in there. Those Sandworms are no joke, even for a large team of trained soldiers at the Fifth Circle. The Dungeon could give your Academy’s faculty a run for their money, and he’s likely crushing it on his own.”

Damian chuckled.

“Of course. The kid’s stronger than I am, and great at fighting on top of that. He’ll have no trouble. I’m just expectant of how powerful he’ll be once he comes back.”

Henry furrowed his brow.

“Isn’t it weird? How good he is at fighting, I mean. No matter how much of a genius he is, he’s only nineteen. On top of that, his experience is limited, given his past as a drug addict. It’s as if he suddenly became someone else overnight.”

Damian shook his head.

“Henry. You’ve already met a generational genius. Doesn’t he remind you of Catherina?”

Henry slowly nodded.

“I guess so. It just amazes me that someone else like her has been born in the same time period,” he looked back at Damian with a heavy gaze. “No, Rylan might be even greater. His rate of progress is abnormal.”

Damian nodded back, pride blooming within his heart. He smiled.

“Of course he is. He’s my student.”

Henry scoffed and stood up.

“I’ll tell you once Mar’s reply reaches me. I’m sure Catherina won’t stay idle, not when someone even more talented than her is now at odds with the Empire. It pains me to admit it, but we just need to wait, as you said. I’ll go meditate to calm down. It was good talking to you, Damian.”

Damian stood up.

“Always a pleasure, Your Majesty. I’ll tell you when Rylan comes back, as he’ll probably head straight here.”

They shared a handshake. Henry then turned around and left the study, making Damian sit back down on his chair, with the sun on his back. He looked at the pile of papers on his desk, but his mind couldn’t focus.

Rylan, what are you doing now?

The boy who could wield both mana and Aura. Just how much was he going to grow in a Dungeon where he could Level up freely? It was entirely possible that Rylan was even more powerful than Damian thought. The boy’s Aspect had allowed him to transcend even an imperial Sixth Circle Mage’s ability to even react, and he’d gone ahead to defeat two more at the same time. It was a feat that went beyond ‘incredible’ or ‘amazing,’ bordering on impossible.

I still have no idea how he’s become so powerful at such a young age.

Even though he had been the one to tell Henry that Rylan was even more talented than Catherina, he still had trouble believing it himself. Even after seeing Rylan fight and hearing about Mana Cultivation and Aura, it was still shocking.

Admiration unintentionally filled him, making him smile.

Didn’t think I’d admire one of my students for being even more powerful than me, but here we are.

“At least he wants to share his knowledge with everyone,” Damian muttered to himself.

He couldn’t help but feel some anticipation for how great Rylan would be once he returned. The Academy students would have the opportunity to learn from the strongest professor in its history.

Damian smiled.

***

Rylan stepped on the air to fly upward, avoiding the Giant Sandworm’s rushing maw. Without missing a beat, he turned upside down and jumped back down, swinging Silver Twilight.

Sharpgale Sword Style, Final Movement: Piercing Hurricane.

Both his Aura and mana moved at the same time, taking control of the atmosphere and manifesting in the shape of a cutting maelstrom. The hurricane took shape around the sword’s edge, then rapidly grew larger. Once the blade touched the Giant Sandworm’s carapace, the hurricane flowed to it, then enveloped the entire creature in a few seconds. The monster screeched as its carapace was shredded to reveal the brown flesh underneath. Green blood leaked out of the destroyed flesh, disappearing amidst the hurricane, blown away by the fierce winds.

Rylan sheathed his sword. A moment later, the destroyed carcass of the beast fell to the golden sands that had been marred by the Sandworm’s blood. Pieces of its carcass dropped all around the body’s main section, but he didn’t even glance at them, floating down to the middle of the oasis. His feet touched the center of the lake.

[You have discovered an Oasis.]

[You have acquired XP. Your tolerance to the Dungeon’s heat has increased.]

Rylan smiled at the System notifications floating in front of him. The world around him seemed to become just a bit cooler. He cracked his neck.

Alright, I think that’s enough. That’s already the eleventh Oasis.

It had been a week since he’d entered the Arid Wastelands. During that time, he’d focused on fighting the Giant Sandworms and finding the occasional Oasis. He looked at the dismembered carcass.

There really are many of those things. At least they give good XP.

He hadn’t bothered to count how many Sandworms he had already killed, but they were definitely in the dozens, at least. Given that each of them was enough to pose a challenge to a group of Fifth Circle Mages and that they sometimes appeared in packs, the Dungeon’s difficulty was evident.

Still, that wasn’t so bad.

His current self could defeat them with no problem. Rylan looked down at his free hand and clenched it into a fist a few times. At the very least, the continuous fighting had helped him become familiar with Aura again. His memories of Roland’s early days, when he’d only just awakened Aura, had been rekindled. Thankfully, Rylan had regained his proficiency quickly.

He turned to look to the west, his Aura-empowered eyesight allowing him to see much farther than before he awakened it. There, deep in the heart of the desert, was a pyramid surrounded by a sandstorm.

Let’s hunt for a bit longer. Then, I’ll go hunt the Boss and get out of here.

Rylan unsheathed his sword and slashed toward the ground. The atmosphere was split apart as a sharp wave of Aura rushed toward the sand, crashing into it and creating a gaping hole with a loud sound. The sandy dunes shook. The shaking only grew stronger.

“At least they’re easy to draw in,” Rylan said to himself with a grin.

He readied himself for the incoming enemies.