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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Magic was a discipline of enlightenment.
Simply studying diligently wouldn’t guarantee advancement to higher tiers. Those lacking talent might never break through the barrier to becoming a true mage, even after a lifetime of study.
My master, like me, had been born with memories of his previous life. In this world, he became a self-styled sage, blending martial arts and magic.
The fusion of martial arts (武) and scholarship (學) gave birth to a new discipline (武學).
Unlike the charlatans who filled grimoires with vague pronouncements, preached the importance of spiritual cultivation, and swindled their disciples out of their money, my master’s teachings were etched into my very being.
Or rather, beaten into me.
Whenever I failed to replicate his techniques, he would strike me with his ever-present feather duster.
Perhaps it was thanks to his harsh training that I achieved mastery at such a young age.
Looking back, it was all a nostalgic memory, yet the experience was so traumatic that it still haunted my nightmares.
If I were asked to do it again, I would choose death.
…But why this sudden trip down memory lane?
They say your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die.
That’s exactly how I felt.
Like walking a tightrope across thin ice, a single misstep away from death.
That’s what it meant for a mage to face a hundred Sword Experts in close combat.
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Crack!
The fight began the moment I broke Fellmond’s sword.
“Die!”
One of the soldiers surrounding me swung his longsword at my neck.
I dodged easily with a slight tilt of my head, then, placing one hand on the ground, I launched a somersault kick at Fellmond, who was still stunned by his broken sword.
“Ugh!”
Fellmond narrowly avoided the attack and reached for my leg. I quickly enveloped my limbs in wind.
Wind Blade Body was a spell that turned my entire body into a blade.
The blue whirlwind of unified offense and defense shredded everything it touched. Anyone who wasn’t a mana user would suffer severe injuries from even the slightest graze of the whirlwind.
Fellmond recoiled in alarm, and I, having regained my balance, beckoned the soldiers forward tauntingly.
Fellmond, gritting his teeth, threw the broken sword to the ground and drew a new one.
“Don’t give him time to cast spells!”
““Yes, sir!””
The soldiers charged at me.
I slammed my wind-clad fists together and punched the nearest soldier in the face.
Crack!
The sickening sound of breaking bones and tearing flesh.
I then struck another soldier, who had attempted a sneak attack from behind, in the throat with a spinning back elbow and, using wind pressure, leaped into the air.
The archers in the back lines fired their arrows, but I moved freely in the air, dodging them effortlessly.
I twisted my body mid-air and stomped down on the head of a soldier below.
“Gah!”
The soldier’s skull caved in, and I landed gracefully, spreading my arms wide.
Wind Finger Bullets
Bullets of wind shot from my fingertips, piercing the bodies of the charging soldiers.
I hadn’t aimed carefully, so most of them only suffered minor injuries, their armor pierced. But those who were unlucky enough to be hit in vital areas died instantly.
I blocked the spears being thrust at both my sides by catching them under my arms, then snapped them in half with a burst of strength. Immediately after, I enveloped my fists in swirling wind.
Harmonious Wind, Warm Sun
The soldiers in the front lines retreated, and shield bearers stepped forward.
They were likely assuming that their mana-reinforced shields could block my magic.
They were wrong.
Using a shield as a stepping stone, I leaped over the defensive line and extended my hands.
One Mighty Gale
Massive wind blades sliced through the air.
While relatively weak for a fifth-tier spell, its cutting power was unmatched.
A soldier, caught in the spell’s path, was bisected, his shield cleaved in two, his innards spilling onto the snow.
Huff… huff… huff… huff…
I felt my body tiring with each spell cast.
Even with proper breathing techniques, my physical limits were being tested.
My lungs burned for air, and my leg muscles screamed in protest.
But I couldn’t stop. I quickly assessed the remaining number of soldiers.
Sixty? Seventy?
I had killed quite a few in a short amount of time, considering they were all mana users, with a few Sword Experts among them.
“He’s tiring! Press the attack!”
Fellmond, who had been hanging back, shouted confidently, sensing my weakening momentum.
He was right. I wasn’t as resilient as I used to be.
Unlike casting spells from a stationary position, actively moving and fighting consumed a lot of energy.
My master would have scolded me for my weakened state, but there was nothing I could do.
It had been three years since I last trained my physical endurance.
I took a deep breath and suddenly lunged forward.
Snow exploded from beneath my feet, momentarily blinding the soldiers.
I seized the opportunity.
Wind Penta Spell—
“Scattering Hailstorm.”
BOOM!
I slammed my wind-clad fist into the ground, and a blast of snow and wind engulfed the area.
The sudden blizzard momentarily blinded the Margrave and his men. They frantically searched for me.
Taking advantage of the confusion, I leaped into the air.
I assessed my remaining mana.
Having used Quadra Spells three times and Penta Spells twice, I had enough mana left for two Hexa Spells.
I looked up at the clear sky, offering a rare, unobstructed view of the Vulcan Mountains.
Should I do it?
The success rate was about 70%.
Failure meant certain death, but success would turn the tables.
It was an all-or-nothing gamble.
I didn’t hesitate.
I began casting the spell before the Margrave’s men noticed me in the sky.
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Manipulating nature was no easy feat for a single human.
But I knew a way to artificially induce it.
The key was to create the conditions for a massive thunderstorm using elemental magic.
Sufficiently advanced magic was indistinguishable from science.
After about three minutes of channeling all my remaining mana,
The soldiers on the ground, their vision clearing, were still searching for me. They didn’t seem to consider the possibility that I might be above them.
Dark clouds began gathering in the sky.
While the weather in the Vulcan Mountains was unpredictable, such a rapid change was unusual.
Sensing something amiss, one of the soldiers looked up and spotted me.
He pointed at me in surprise, and the Margrave and his men finally looked up.
“But it’s too late.”
Having completed my preparations, I pulled out a mana stone, like a backup battery.
Crack!
The transparent crystal turned opaque as its mana was drained.
I shivered, feeling the surge of mana within me, and spread my arms wide.
“Howl, O wind.”
My mana furnace spun violently, overheating, and a fierce wind swept across the snowy plains.
“Roar, O lightning.”
Thunderclouds gathered, roaring like a beast.
Bolts of lightning, crackling with energy, struck the ground.
Two Hexa Spells combined into one.
The clear sky was instantly covered in dark clouds, rain, and wind.
I looked down at the scene below and muttered,
A fusion of Hexa Spell Majestic Presence and Hexa Spell Thunderbolt.
Secret Technique—
“’Stylish Storm”
And at that moment, a truly stylish gale engulfed the humans below.
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