Chapter: 137
During the strategy progression,
In the midst of dozens of repetitions, Envers had seen one of Luna’s many tactics. Standing still before the giant club swinging in from the Ogre, Luna placed her hand on the oversized weapon, rotating her body smoothly in every part.
“Uuuhhh—!!”
“Phew.”
Her palm, wrist, elbow, shoulder, waist and hips, knees, and legs all moved fluidly.
Thwump.
A faint ripple spread across the ground where Luna stood.
The Ogre’s monstrous strength, capable of turning a man into a puddle of blood, was reduced considerably through her gliding motion, until it was left with only enough force to crush small pebbles.
As if the power behind the Ogre’s attack flowed into the ground after being struck by lightning against a lightning rod, Luna dissipated most of the force of the Ogre’s attack, spreading it across the earth.
An elegant move that seemed to transcend the laws of physics.
Envers remembered hearing stories about such techniques from a beggar. There were those who drew the Taiji with the tips of their blades, claiming that they could deflect even a mountain collapsing above them.
It was a sublime martial art. For a moment, Envers thought that Luna might actually be a master of concealed martial arts, carefully hiding her strength beneath a facade of awkwardness.
However, he knew that wasn’t true. In terms of combat ability, Luna was just an ordinary student at the Academy.
Naturally, he found himself curious.
“How can you do that?”
“Repetition.”
“I’m aware that you’ve repeated Ogre hunts countless times. But the fact that you can achieve this with technique rather than strength strikes me as remarkable….”
“V.”
This girl, throwing up a double peace sign, probably could have deflected the Ogre’s attacks even without magic. Perhaps even in a more extreme situation… Maybe if she was severely weakened or at ten years younger, she could still evade a club striking down with enough force to crush the ground.
It would certainly take a lot more repetitions than she had done so far. Yet, there was no doubt.
That was martial arts.
The art of compensating for inadequate strength with skill.
One day, Envers had discussed martial arts with Luna. He had merely thought of martial arts as strength. Given his crippled magic function, he needed a way to grow stronger without using magic to return to his family and achieve revenge.
Even with hard work that felt like grinding bones day after day, skill only rose sluggishly. The ones born with shining talent could stride forward, effortlessly reaching the realm of legends.
He felt like he would be left behind forever. Even after ten or twenty years, he feared he might never achieve anything. Once that time had passed, revenge wouldn’t hold any meaning anymore.
So, he would have hoped for anything, not necessarily martial arts.
An artifact, money, a grimoire, a potion, even a demonic sword or drugs. Anything that could give him a shot at opportunity would have been grasped in his hands.
He yearned for martial prowess but didn’t know the meaning of “art,” nor was his intent clear, and he lacked the righteousness that came with it.
While there was surely an allure to this arcane study itself, he found it hard to realize it under the constraints of being shackled to the Redburn family.
To the half-baked martial artist, Luna said this:
“Martial arts are about the process.”
“About the process, you say?”
Luna nodded; it was the result of her deep pondering.
Martial arts were a journey for those aiming for a particular purpose, a destination they wished to reach.
Instead of words, Luna tried to convey her thoughts through actions. Gripping a club in hand, she swung it through the empty air. It was a simple strike, something anyone could do, a downward blow from above.
She probably intended to hit a dog. Starting like this.
But it felt awkward. The dog was too low; she needed to adjust her stance.
The movement changed. Luna spread her legs wide, lowering the distance to the ground, altering the way she swung. The trajectory became closer to the ground. She was fighting a hypothetical dog.
Yet, dogs are quick to evade. If she couldn’t avoid them, she would need to do this.
In a situation where the dog charges at her, it’s likely the dog would grab at the first visible thing, so pretending to let the club lower like this…
Luna continued to build upon her movements, considering various conditions, selecting the most efficient actions. They piled up. They evolved.
The resulting movements—were notably similar to the Beggar’s Dog-Beat Stick Technique.
“… … …”
The moves fashioned to strike a dog had evolved into a proper martial art when woven together through repetition and creation.
She demonstrated to him the history of martial arts coming into being.
“Clear time is like carving.”
Setting a goal and stacking intentions to achieve that goal is what would be referred to as martial arts; if they found ‘the way to shoot towards the sun’ through their efforts, then the skills acquired while living at the Academy would also be a form of martial arts. Therefore…
“What’s important is the goal.”
“… … …”
You must be clear about where you intend to reach. Luna concluded her words.
Envers’ mind became chaotic. He believed he had a clear goal: revenge. He wanted the ones who looked down on him to recognize him again, and he wished to bring his mother back.
Was that not… enough?
Though no one pointed it out, he defended himself with that excuse.
The discourse left behind a hypothesis about the ultimate understanding of martial arts amidst a bit of confusion.
If martial arts are a process to achieve a goal, then a Martial God must be a being that inevitably achieves that goal.
Imagine a man with nearly infinite time. He has the ability to stretch one second into a hundred million years, allowing him to create custom martial arts on the spot as often as he likes.
That being could discover a way to topple a dragon even with the strength of a child. If the probability isn’t 0%, he’ll succeed after an infinite number of attempts.
If that’s the case, then—
Those confronting him might feel as if none of their techniques could possibly work against him.
===============================================================
A chilling blade glint brushed across the rain-soaked field.
The man wielding the katana looked gaunt. Faded of strength, his bones protruded painfully, and his sunken eyes looked like he might collapse at any moment.
Yet, within those eyes burned an unrefined glint of malice.
He was calm. No movements. He stood still, waiting. Wild beasts prepared for the hunt often look just like this. And when the prey moves—
More swiftly than anyone else.
“What the hell am I supposed to do—kuhk!”
Thwang.
Envers met the katana coming at his face, concluding his fifth attempt. Not only did he fail to keep the sword from being drawn, but he couldn’t even win the match.
The gap in specs was beginning to show.
※ SYSTEM_INFO ———–
[Jay of Swordsmanship]
Health: Abundant
Mana: Not Used
Strength: 4 / 10 (Upper mid-tier among students)
Agility: 6 / 10 (Top tier among students)
Intelligence: 3 / 10 (Mid-tier among students)
Traits: Hungry Demonic Sword
=> Increases attack power. Attack power decreases as kill count increases.
※ —————————
Ejected from the Tower of Trials, Envers lay flat on the ground. Luna and Selvier, who had bought waffles from a famous dessert shop in the Academy, looked down at Envers as they indulged in their sugar rush.
“It feels like I’m gonna go insane.”
After facing a challenge with no progress or clear answers, it’s exactly the kind of expression you’d make.
Selvier nodded her fork emphatically.
“Told you we should have called someone? I heard Niohrey might do something with Bennett.”
“But how would that show my abilities to the Master? You all might be just average, but Bennett will… surely he’ll clear it all by himself!”
Then that capable magician might say to Envers, “You’re no longer needed; go get some wood, Envers,” and pick Bennett as his disciple.
If someone who walks around with two beautiful girlfriends monopolizes good fortune, Envers would be left sucking his thumb in the mid-tier of the Academy. He would be forced to think about how he couldn’t let Master NTR him…
With cream smeared around her lips, Luna simply remarked, “Dumbass.”
Dumbass indeed.
“To begin with, that so-called Master… isn’t he a part of this Tower? Ultimately, he’s just an illusion created by Professor. Like those tentacles.”
“That’s not true! The Master is definitely… different!”
“They say that sometimes people get so psyched about illusion magic that they confuse it with reality.”
“If you see him in person, you’ll feel it! He can properly… talk and he knows so much. And most importantly, martial arts! That’s a domain that wizards can never touch…!!”
As Envers shielded himself, Selvier struck from another angle.
“Fine, you might manage the 5th Floor, but you know there’s no chance we can get through the 6th Floor without help, right?”
“Ugh…”
“You have to call someone.”
“But up to the 5th Floor…!”
Ugh.
While Selvier wiped Luna’s mouth with a handkerchief, she asked, having faith in Luna’s insights as the Tower’s expert adversary.
“Do you think we can get past the 5th Floor?”
“Possible.”
“What about the 6th Floor?”
“Ughh.”
So there was indeed a chance for a clear. Selvier thought for a moment. Jay’s swordsmanship was quick, powerful, and lethal if hit, and he would also sheathe the sword afterward. Mixing in basic body techniques only made it clearer.
It was both obvious and monotonous, but it’d be fatal if the head rolls. On top of that, we have to clear it without letting him draw his sword…
“See? We should really call someone.”
“But I still believe we can get past the 5th Floor…!!”
“Hmm.”
So, about preventing him from drawing his sword.
The simplest way would be to attach the sword to its sheath so it couldn’t be drawn at all. In that case, she would have to call Baeksul, the rival of her destiny.
With her ice power, she could bind Jay’s blade.
But then, Baeksul would probably look down at Selvier with an expression that says, “Is this all you can do?”
That’d sting badly. Selvier withdrew her proposition to call for help. Facing that wouldn’t be worth the hassle; maybe it was better for the three of them to break through together.
If she were to call Bennett, Envers was going to throw a fit.
Think, think. To hold his sword in place without using magic, they would need to pin the hilt down, faster than Jay could draw.
Speed. If speed was lacking, they should fill that gap. And within Selvier’s knowledge of fire magic, she thought of a way to boost that speed.
“Ah. Envers, let’s attach boosters to your elbows.”
“Ooh.”
“… … …??”
It was the idea of firing a person’s elbow like a rocket.
◆ Elbow Booster, Third Attempt
After a previous failure that saw the elbow explode due to unstable incantation and another incident where the angle went awry and unintentionally elbowed herself, the third attempt was underway.
Selvier explained the changes made to the incantation.
“I think manipulating the timing might be risky… so I’ve planted the trigger in you. When you extend your arm, the flames will ignite to thrust you forward. Just be careful about the angle this time.”
“… Am I not getting an apology?”
“Magic research inherently comes with a bit of sacrifice.”
“That last line sounded like a typical mad wizard in a fairy tale.”
If it hadn’t been for the Tower of Trials, Envers might have become a rib-less swordman with one arm.
With a cautious expression, Envers approached Jay carefully. As soon as Jay entered his attack range, he would launch his swordsmanship. Timing was everything.
Jay growled while delivering his signature line.
“Leave this place, prey.”
“… … …”
He had heard this line countless times. Just as Jenny of the Chain Sickle had before him, they repeated the same line before every battle. After a while, you couldn’t possibly see them as human.
“I am leaving now.”
“Initiate booster!”
Fwooshhhh—!!
A powerful flame erupted from Envers’ elbow. With immense force, his right arm shot forward like an arrow (and that’s not a metaphor)—
Thwack. Clank.
Before Jay could draw his sword, he successfully gripped the hilt and pushed it back in. Envers cheered, forgetting the dull ache in his elbow joint.
“… I did it!”
“… That’s just a cheap trick.”
Smack!
“Ugh…!!”
Jay delivered a swift uppercut to Envers’ chin, turning his body to deliver a shoulder slam before finishing him off with his swordsmanship.
Thwack. Envers was sent flying out of the Tower of Trials, split in half.
===============================================================
Envers left a satisfied post-use review.
“The booster seems good. But the aftermath is the issue.”
“It means you have to hold him down without drawing his sword… but you don’t possess enough firepower to finish Jay in one blow. Despite his appearance, he’s quite durable.”
“Then we need to hold him continuously, and we have to take him down within that. But the boosters are one-time use, so there are limits…”
“See? I told you we should call someone.”
Envers shot back.
“Then I’d rather call Baeksul. She’s more suited to achieving our goals, don’t you think?”
Envers and Selvier fell to a ceasefire in silence. And they sighed in unison. They thought they saw hope, but there were still hills to climb.
At that moment, Luna emerged from the Tower of Trials after analyzing Jay’s pattern. Something about her face sparkled; was she boasting, perhaps?
With eager anticipation, Envers asked.
“Did you discover something?”
“The pattern is hopeless. But I learned something.”
Luna directed Envers to raise his guard. Envers raised both arms hesitantly, and Luna prepared to throw a fist.
And then—
Bam—!!
A punch from Luna, at least twice as fast as usual, flew toward Envers’ arm. With a pop, both of them writhed from the shocking pain.
“Ugh!”
“… …!!”
They were both stunned by the unexpected power, clutching the spots they hit and groaning. Selvier, watching them, covered her mouth in shock.
“Oh my, did you just… propel your arm with mana?”
“B, V.”
Inside the Tower of Trials, even if one dies or gets injured, it’s merely an illusion. Using that, Luna had come up with a new method of mana application during her time in the tower.
A technique that forcibly boosts propulsion by detonating mana at the joints. Inspired by Selvier’s elbow-propulsion.
If controlled poorly, it could explode within, or if they couldn’t withstand the speed and power, muscles could tear, as shown just now with her fist breaking, but—
That’s something that could be practiced more inside the tower!
If she could incorporate this technique throughout her body, there was a chance she might sustain a speed that could keep up with Jay’s movements, even if her joints might ache a bit.
“… … Shall we head to the Temple first? You two look quite pained.”
“T, that sounds good. I think my arm is broken. Just maybe, Luna… are you mad at me for saying not to call for help?”
“Control miss.”
Why had this brilliant technique not made it into history? Why could others not conceive of such an idea, and why had only the Academy’s genius girl been able to create it so casually?
It wasn’t that they couldn’t— they simply wouldn’t.
This was a dangerous technique that triggered explosions within the body. Naturally, it held risks. Even if one had thirty lives and around ten priests nearby, the aftermath could be enough to leave lasting effects. That’s why it was never considered.
Nevertheless, due to the uniqueness of the Tower of Trials, alongside Luna’s talents—
“What the hell do these idiots think a human body is…?! Hey, hey! Celestial Demon! Hurry up and make that something humans can use! It’ll kill someone!”
Thanks to the mad magician who was horrified by her mana manipulation and subtly shared ideas to enhance stability with Luna, this technique could be born.
Luna called it Baku-Sake (Explosion Propulsion).
