Orb of Talent. The taste was beyond simply being sweet. A thrilling sensation coursed through his entire body. The taste of talent was truly sweet.
“This… this can’t be. A taste like this actually exists…”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[What is he even saying? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“It’s sweet. Incredibly sweet… Ah, but the taste isn’t the important part.”
His mind snapped back to focus. It was the talent of [Circulation]. Only then did Henry check for any changes in his body.
“My god.”
One astonishment after another.
A path has formed.
Since it was called circulation, he had a vague guess. But for it to actually be real! A delicate pathway had spread throughout Henry’s entire body. From his heart, reaching up to his head, down his arms, through his torso and legs, all the way to his toes!
“P-please, give me a moment!”
He steadied his trembling hands, forcibly gathering his focus. He tried directing the mana in his heart along the pathways.
Like this, in this way.
Mana reached the tip of his fingers. A faint glow flickered before vanishing, only to return along the pathway. The mana circulated through his entire body. When it reached his index finger again, Henry tried stopping the flow.
And—
“Ah.”
The glow at his fingertip did not disappear.
This was the absolute foundation of mana control. To infuse mana into a sword meant, ultimately, stopping its flow at the blade. He raised his index finger before his eyes. A faint, feeble glow—something any trainee here could easily produce. But for Henry, it meant something completely different.
So this is how it works.
He bit his lower lip. Now was not the time to celebrate his accomplishment. After all, this wasn’t something he had achieved on his own.
“A skill! I can actually use a real skill now!”
[Suddenly talking about skills??]
[What’s with the sudden shift?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Did he just eat a skill orb or something?]
“It seems so. And it’s all thanks to you mages. A mana pathway has formed within my body. This glow is the proof.”
[Oh wow, that actually looks legit.]
[Congratulations, Sir Knight!!!ㅋㅋㅋ]
“The moment I can fully imbue this power into my sword, it will be called an Aura Blade. And at this very moment, I have finally taken my first step toward that goal.”
At last, he stood on the same starting line as the other trainees. That alone filled Henry with overwhelming joy. Now, he could block their swords with his shield, parry their strikes with his blade, and even if a blow landed, his armor wouldn’t suffer so much as a scratch.
And if I work hard enough, I can catch up to them. The foundation is set. The situation has changed.
The path forward may have shifted, but if he pushed himself a little more, catching up to those already ahead wasn’t just a dream. And that first step—
“I will now demonstrate my skill. We must head to the training grounds. It would be best if no one else is there, but even if there are, it doesn’t matter! Let’s go!”
His first priority was meeting the expectations of these mages.
When Henry was still young, despite having little to spare, Viscount Hamilton took him to a certain place without fail, once a month.
It wasn’t anywhere grand. Just the largest inn in the nearest town.
“People only know what they have experienced, Henry. And through those experiences, they grow wise. But not everything has to be learned firsthand.”
It was something the Viscount would say from time to time. Going to an inn for that reason seemed odd, but at some point, Henry understood.
It was a big city and the biggest inn. A place where all kinds of people gathered. It was always lively. The alcohol, the food, and the relaxed atmosphere helped ease tension.
Sitting beside the Viscount as he sipped his beer, Henry eavesdropped on countless stories. He observed people’s appearances, behaviours, and speech. The tales they shared—some boastful, some gloomy—became part of his memory.
Indirect experience also built wisdom.
In truth, there were countless things in the world one could never experience firsthand.
And sometimes—
“Dream big, Henry. Some may scoff and call it nonsense, but for someone out there, those stories are real.”
Even the usually reserved Viscount would light up on certain occasions—whenever a skilled storyteller spun a tale.
“The hero declared! O wicked Dragon Kargonir, at this very moment, in this very place, your reign of terror ends!”
As the storyteller cried out like a hero himself, the Viscount’s fists clenched. And when the tale reached its thrilling climax, he would grin as if shivering from excitement.
“Those who have lost their dreams will not laugh here, Henry. Rather than enjoying the tale, they’ll be too busy scoffing at its impossibility.”
The Viscount spoke of storytellers as people who gifted dreams.
At the time, Henry neither fully agreed nor disagreed.
So that’s how Father sees it, he had thought.
But at this very moment, Henry finally understood him.
Flash!
Every time his sword sliced through the air, light followed its arc.
Brighter than yesterday.
Naturally so.
Because he was no longer merely releasing mana into the air—he was now imbuing it into his blade.
Henry knew.
Such a small amount of mana was virtually useless in real combat.
It was, frankly, nothing more than a flashy display.
Which meant that right now—
“Hah!”
—he was putting on a show for the mages beyond the screen.
[His swordsmanship is seriously insaneㅋㅋ]
[What did he say this skill was again??]
[Something like an enchantment! It increases damage based on mana amount and also boosts attack speed!]
[Oh wow, thanks for the explanation;;]
Henry glanced at the chat.
The reactions were good.
Swish!
With a final burst of mana, he delivered the finishing blow.
“Phew. What you just witnessed was the finishing strike. It can only be used after first creating an opening in the opponent’s defense. However, if it lands, the destructive power is undeniable.”
[What’s the skill’s name?]
“The name of this skill is…”
There was no such thing as a “skill name.” What he had just performed was nothing more than basic swordsmanship. However—
“U-uh, it’s called Moonlight Slash. The final strike resembles a crescent moon, hence the name…”
His face turned bright red. Moonlight Slash! If anyone else heard it, they would probably laugh their heads off. But—
It worked.
[Wow! Moonlight!]
[Can you level up skills too?]
[Apart from the slow startup, it seems pretty solid. Looks like a finisher-type skill.]
[Do you have any other skills?]
“O-Of course. The next skill I’ll show you is…”
A name. He needed another name. But Henry had no talent for naming things.
“I’ll show you.”
Better to act first and think later. Shaking off his embarrassment, Henry raised his sword with a serious expression.
The “skills” were flashy. Henry understood the meaning behind every sword movement better than anyone else in the academy. He knew exactly where to focus his strength, and now he also grasped the ideal way to present a show.
“Storming Thunder!”
A series of rapid thrusts pierced the air. The mana traces left behind were clear and sharp, creating the illusion that dozens of strikes were landing simultaneously.
[Okay, this actually looks kinda cool??]
[It’s pretty flashy, not gonna lie.]
The perfect balance of flair and precision. The mages were clearly pleased. This was the right approach—
They didn’t just want to see Henry’s slow and steady growth. What truly excited them were the interesting, dynamic moments centered around him.
As long as it’s interesting—that’s all that matters, whether it’s training or the results of it.
That was the beginning and the end of what made a good broadcast. It wasn’t just about being funny—if that were the case, he would be nothing more than a clown. Whether it was impressive, moving, humorous, or thrilling—it simply had to be engaging.
And right now, what Henry was showing the mages was something far different from their everyday lives.
“Moonlight Cleave!”
Slash!
Henry swung his sword in a wide horizontal arc. At first glance, it seemed similar to Moonlight Slash, but the light it emitted was sharper and more refined.
[Moonlight Cleave, lol.]
[Is that like a counter to Moonlight Slash?]
[Another move out of nowhere, haha.]
Phew.
Henry lowered his sword. The skill he had just called Moonlight Cleave was, in fact, one of the most advanced techniques he had learned.
“Thank you. Ah, when you mentioned a counter earlier—did you mean a way to break through it?”
[Yeah, that’s what I meant!]
“No, Moonlight Cleave is superior to Moonlight Slash. If anything, Moonlight Slash is only useful in very specific situations.”
Not a single lie was spoken.
Advanced swordsmanship naturally surpassed basic techniques, and the latter was only used when first learning to handle a sword.
[So, like, they’re part of the same skill branch?]
[Why is the skill system so complicated, lol? Did you memorize all of this?]
“I’m no genius. Anyone would know this after training here for three years.”
Henry meant it sincerely.
Three years. It might not seem like much to some, but spending that time endlessly repeating the same drills felt like an eternity. To avoid losing his mind, he had to go over what he had learned again and again.
[His commitment to the bit is insane, lol.]
[By the way, you said donations make you stronger, right?]
“To be precise, I can purchase items with the donations. Using those items helps me grow, and each subscription also increases my mana sensitivity.”
[LOL.]
[I want to call him a ‘natural-born villain,’ but he’s too sincere about it, lol.]
[His earnestness is killing me.]
Henry blinked, confused. What were ‘natural-born villain’ and ‘sincerity overload’ supposed to mean? He understood the words but couldn’t grasp the context.
Just then, another question popped up.
[How much donation money do you have left?]
“Exactly 3,000 won.”
[Wow, that was fast. Can anyone confirm?]
[I’ve been watching since yesterday—sounds about right.]
[His commitment is so extreme it doesn’t even feel like an act anymore, lol.]
[So, what can you buy with 3,000 won?]
“3,000 won… I’ll check now.”
Henry opened the donation shop, scrolling through the list to find the cheapest items available.
“Most of the items are things like herb roots. There are a few low-quality ores and some dried provisions that are easy to eat during combat.”
[Lol, so basically junk items?]
[Classic trash-tier loot, haha.]
[Wow, the shop is kinda stingy, isn’t it?]
[Wait, how much did the skill orb cost again?]
“It was 99,000 won.”
[That’s ridiculous, lol.]
[Wait, isn’t swordsmanship supposed to be basic?]
[Honestly, mana seems like the real game-changer.]
“That’s correct. Unless there’s an overwhelming difference in swordsmanship skill, the outcome of a battle depends entirely on the quality and quantity of mana. The same slash will hit much harder if it’s infused with more mana.”
That reality was the reason Henry remained stuck where he was.
His swordsmanship was solid—but that was all he had.
[And you said subscriptions raise your mana sensitivity, right?]
“Yes. Each time a mage subscribes, my mana sensitivity increases. Right now, my sensitivity is 26.”
[Wait, you have 26 subscribers too.]
[Lol, so it’s literally one point per subscription.]
[Sir Knight, I’ll teach you a magic spell.]
Henry flinched.
A spell? Were they seriously offering to teach him magic?
[Repeat after me: ‘Please like and subscribe.’]
Henry furrowed his brow.
That… doesn’t sound like magic.
It didn’t resemble any incantation he had ever heard. It was simply a plea for subscriptions.
“That’s…”
It’s not a spell.
He wanted to say it—but stopped himself.
When did they laugh the most?
Right now, Henry had 26 subscribers. His mana sensitivity was also at 26. And thanks to the donated funds, he had already unlocked a mana pathway—an achievement that had eluded him for years.
Given the situation, what he needed to do was obvious.
It’s better to play along.
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