From that day on, Ian visited the training ground whenever he had time to practice the Schrantz swordsmanship.
Though it was merely repeating the movements he had learned, Ian was determined to master them diligently.
For Ian, who had been bored out of his mind with no one to interact with, learning a secret technique was like a lifeline in a drought.
And now, he had just begun to reap the fruits of his labor.
[Skill ‘Schrantz Swordsmanship’ has been acquired. The effect of Chapter 1 has been unlocked.]
[Skill ‘Instant Acceleration’ has been acquired.]
<Schrantz Swordsmanship>
―A swordsmanship and secret technique passed down through generations in the Schrantz family.
―Chapter 1: Attack Power +2%
―???
<Instant Acceleration>
―A skill that allows for a momentary burst of speed, enabling powerful strikes and increased attack speed.
―For 5 seconds: Attack Speed +100%, Movement Speed +100%, Attack Power +10.
―After use: 10-second cooldown. During cooldown: Attack Speed -100%, Movement Speed -100%, Attack Power -20.
By mastering the movements of Chapter 1, Ian had acquired the skill.
Oswell, who had been watching from the side, smiled with satisfaction.
“Congratulations. You’ve mastered Chapter 1. I didn’t expect you to learn it so quickly.”
Oswell genuinely congratulated him.
“I have plenty of time on my hands, so it seems I picked it up quickly.”
“Even so, it’s only possible because you didn’t give up and diligently practiced.”
At his praise, Ian scratched his cheek and awkwardly averted his gaze while checking his skills.
‘Since the effect of Chapter 2 is unknown, it seems like I need to progress step by step to unlock it.’
However, one thing caught his attention.
‘A mere 2% attack boost and one skill?’
For something named as a secret technique, its performance was underwhelming.
Even the newly acquired skill came with a debuff after use.
‘Of course, if I can defeat the enemy within 5 seconds, it won’t be a problem.’
But if the fight dragged on, he’d have to deal with the aftermath.
Moreover, the skill was too easy to learn, considering he had only been mimicking the movements for a few days.
‘I guess the performance reflects how easy it is to learn.’
Ian decided not to think too much about it.
After all, what kind of amazing secret technique could exist in such a remote territory?
Perhaps that was why.
His motivation to learn the next technique had diminished somewhat.
‘Well, it’s still better than having no additional abilities.’
Even if his enthusiasm had dampened, learning it wouldn’t hurt, so he decided to continue.
Any improvement in his abilities was still a gain.
“I can teach you up to Chapter 2, but beyond that, I cannot.”
“That sounds like there’s more to it. But why can’t you teach me beyond Chapter 2? Is it reserved only for the heir?”
“No. The Schrantz Swordsmanship is a secret technique exclusive to the Schrantz family. I was only able to learn it as the swordsmanship instructor for the young masters and by the lord’s grace. Once you master Chapter 2, the lord himself will take over your training from Chapter 3 onward.”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like discrimination.
‘I almost felt disappointed.’
Since it didn’t appear to be a matter of heirship, Ian decided to focus on learning diligently and fixed his gaze on Oswald.
Seeing Ian’s eagerness to learn, Oswald drew his sword and took a stance.
“If Chapter 1 focuses solely on physical strength and swordsmanship, Chapter 2 introduces techniques for manipulating aura.”
“Manipulating aura? I already know how to use aura.”
Ian already had aura-related skills in his repertoire.
“It seems my explanation was insufficient. What I mean is… let me show you directly.”
Apparently, Oswell believed showing was more effective than explaining.
He stopped about five meters away from a training dummy in the center of the training ground.
“Let me ask you, young master. If that dummy were an enemy and we were facing each other at this distance, what would you do?”
“I’d charge in and cut it down, of course.”
Ian answered as if it were obvious, and Oswald nodded.
“Yes, that’s the usual approach. But if you master Chapter 2, you won’t need to do that. You can take it down from here.”
When Ian didn’t seem to understand, Oswell coated his wooden sword with aura and swung it.
Then.
Kwaaaang!
“……”
Ian fell silent as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes.
Despite being at a distance where the attack should have been impossible to reach, Oswell’s strike had hit the dummy.
‘He projected his aura?’
The aura, released in a fan-shaped arc, swept through the dummy within its range.
But that wasn’t all.
The dummy was shattered and torn apart.
If it had been a person, the outcome would have been far worse.
It was easy to imagine the gruesome sight of a person lying on the ground in an unimaginably horrific state.
“This is what I mean. You can release your aura to perform a wide-range attack. However, it requires a significant amount of mana, and your aura will dissipate afterward.”
Despite its drawbacks, it was clearly a technique with advantages that outweighed its flaws.
Ian’s initial impression of the technique being unworthy of being called a secret art had completely changed.
In his eyes, it was more than deserving of the title.
And more importantly.
‘A new skill!’
A brand-new technique.
The excitement of witnessing a skill unknown to players and realizing he could learn it himself filled him with exhilaration.
Being able to use such a flashy and powerful technique made him feel like a gamer again.
Ian wasn’t the type to simply watch such a romantic skill and move on.
“Let’s start right away!”
Seeing Ian’s enthusiasm, Oswald’s face broke into a smile.
“Seeing your eagerness makes me want to meet your expectations, but let’s start tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“The workday is almost over. I need to clock out, don’t I?”
“Ah……”
Looking up at the sky, Ian realized the sun was already setting.
‘Clock-out time is sacred.’
Though disappointed, he decided to call it a day.
“Still, if you have any questions before we begin training, feel free to ask.”
Ian thought for a moment before speaking.
“How many chapters are there in the Schrantz Swordsmanship?”
Given how impressive even Chapter 2 was, Ian was curious about how much more there was to learn.
“There are a total of six chapters, as far as I know.”
That meant there were four more techniques to learn.
However.
“But the lord himself has said he doesn’t know beyond Chapter 4.”
“Why is that?”
“The secret techniques containing those higher chapters were lost.”
“Lost?”
“Due to the numerous territorial wars in Schrantz’s past, they were either lost or burned. There could be many reasons.”
“Ah……”
Ian sighed, genuinely disappointed.
‘But even being able to learn this much is something.’
Though it was a pity that some techniques were lost, he decided to be content with what remained.
Since he had plenty of time on his hands, training all day had become his daily routine.
What would have been exhausting for an ordinary person, Ian endured with patience.
Part of this was due to his enthusiasm for learning a skill that no other player had ever mastered before.
But more importantly, his physical stamina was exceptional.
‘This body is a beast. Even after moving around for so long, it doesn’t feel that tired.’
Ian’s body boasted incredible stamina, allowing him to withstand the grueling training sessions.
Even a short rest was enough to restore his energy, enabling him to resume training immediately.
It was this stamina that had allowed him to hold his ground during the monster invasion.
“I wonder how long it’ll take to master Chapter 2.”
Ian sighed.
His enthusiasm was high, but he couldn’t quite grasp the reality of the situation.
“Well, unlike Chapter 1, which took a day or two, this might take over a year.”
The difficulty had suddenly spiked compared to Chapter 1, but so what?
‘I’ll get there eventually.’
He remained optimistic, believing that with consistent effort, he would eventually master it.
As he pondered this, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
Having not touched alcohol since becoming Ian, he had decided to visit a tavern, craving a drink after so long.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Already? That was quick.”
“Yes, it’s quite close.”
The carriage ride had taken barely five minutes.
‘I took the carriage because I didn’t know the way, but maybe it was unnecessary.’
If he had known it was this close, he would have simply asked a servant and walked.
He had needlessly troubled the horse and the coachman.
However, the coachman didn’t seem to mind.
After all, Ian often took carriages even for short distances out of sheer laziness.
It was a familiar routine, so the coachman simply accepted it.
In any case, having arrived at his destination, Ian stepped out of the carriage.
For a small territory, the tavern was surprisingly large.
‘It looks expensive at first glance.’
Despite the territory’s financial struggles, such a place existed.
“Is this place expensive?”
“Yes, it’s quite pricey. The cheapest bottle of alcohol here costs several months of our wages.”
The coachman gave him a look as if the question was obvious.
He had heard that Ian had changed recently, but it seemed that even his sense of economy had improved.
‘Huh, figures.’
Ian, who had only planned to enjoy a simple beer, was slightly taken aback.
‘Well, maybe I’ll try it once.’
Having only ever drank soju and beer, he had never experienced high-end alcohol.
With a sense of anticipation, Ian turned to the coachman.
“You can head back now. I’ll walk back.”
“Are you sure? The brothel is quite far, so walking might be difficult…”
“……”
Ian realized that the coachman assumed he was here for more than just drinking.
“I’m not going there. I’ll just have a few drinks and head back.”
“Is that so?”
The coachman looked genuinely surprised.
“Understood. Still, just in case, I’ll send a couple of soldiers to keep an eye out.”
The coachman likely didn’t have the authority to do so.
It was clear that soldiers were on standby, anticipating Ian might cause trouble.
“Alright, do that.”
In any case, Ian only planned to have a few drinks and return.
If he ended up drinking too much, having someone to take him back wouldn’t be a bad idea.
With that, Ian sent the coachman off and entered the tavern.
Indeed.
The interior was as luxurious as a palace, befitting a place that served high-end alcohol.
It was hard to believe such a place existed in a poor territory.
“Welcome… Oh my, young master! What brings you here today?”
Ian was taken aback.
He hadn’t expected anyone to greet him so enthusiastically.
The woman, clearly the madam of the establishment, was middle-aged.
Even though his “tyrant” title had been removed, he hadn’t expected such a warm welcome.
‘Given how much money he spent here on alcohol and women, it’s no wonder.’
Despite his past as a troublemaker, he had been a big spender here.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have greeted him so warmly.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how much he had contributed to their sales.
“I thought you’d completely forgotten about me.”
Truth be told, if he hadn’t been craving alcohol, he wouldn’t have come here.
Ian replied vaguely.
“I’ve been busy.”
“Yes, I heard you’ve been doing great things.”
“Shall I bring you your usual drink?”
“Sure.”
He was curious about what kind of expensive alcohol he had been drinking all this time.
