Chapter 85: Swordsmanship

Chapter 85: Swordsmanship Life began with magical energy. This was the common sense of this world. However, the amount of magical energy one possessed varied—some had more and some had less. The amount remained constant throughout one's lifetime and wouldn't increase, no matter what one did. Therefore, even though everyone in this world had magical energy, very few could become magicians. In this world, approximately 90% of people had so little magical energy that they couldn't even release the simplest form of magic. Among the remaining 10%, roughly 90% of them would exhaust all their magical energy even if they were to release a single magic. As a result, there were very few magicians because people with enough magical energy were scarce. This was a matter of fate, and despite any unwillingness, reality remained unchangeable. So, were those without the ability to use magic destined to live ordinary lives? Certainly not. In this world, there was a system designed for those who could not become magicians—swordsmanship. The swordsmanship in this world was not just a technique or skill; it was a method of honing one body. By practicing swordsmanship, people could stimulate the magical energy inside their bodies that could not be used for magic. They channeled all their magical energy into refining their bodies, honing their physical prowess, and thus gaining superhuman power. Those born with abundant magical energy could become magicians. Those born with insufficient magical energy could become swordsmen. These were two different paths that led to extraordinary powers. The former required innate talent, while the latter emphasized effort and circumstances. This world was a world of swords and magic, with no third power system. Riezel found the swordsmanship in this world interesting. After all, he himself was a swordsman. 'Let's take a look at this world's swordsmanship.' Riezel set down the magic book in his hands. While these magic books might be worth thousands of gold, to be honest, they held little significance for him. His 'Gate' was damaged, rendering him unable to independently practice this world's magic. Moreover, he was not inclined to study it. If he truly needed any magic, he could simply memorize it with 'Almighty', using the stored memory to unleash the magic through it. As a result, there was no need for him to rigorously study magic. Knowing the specific effect of the magic was enough; afterward, he could have someone demonstrate the said magic in front of him. When using magic memorized with 'Almighty', Riezel would spend his 'Mind', not the magical energy from the damaged 'Gate'. This meant that even if his 'Gate' was compromised, it wouldn't restrict him at all. As a result, his interest in the magic books in this library was minimal. Instead, he found himself more intrigued by the swordsmanship. Without delay, he approached another shelf that held books on swordsmanship and picked one up. The collection wasn't extensive. Compared to the magic books, the number of swordsmanship books in this library was overwhelmingly low, around ten to twenty. Riezel picked up one of them and started reading. Riezel became more interested as he put down the swordsmanship book in his hands. The swordsmanship described in this book was advanced swordsmanship, quite valuable for ordinary people, and much better than elementary swordsmanship at least. However, compared to special swordsmanship, it was not considered much. Riezel had a faint suspicion. 'Yuri asked me to come to this library, maybe so I could look up swordsmanship here.' His 'Gate' was already damaged and couldn't be used for magic anymore, confirming the fact that he couldn't be a magician again. Although Yuri mentioned that there were treasures in this world that could repair a damaged 'Gate' and that there was hope of using magic again if found, she hadn't found these treasures yet. This implied that such items were extremely rare and not easily found or obtained. Without finding such treasures, did that mean Riezel would be a useless person for the rest of his life? Yuri wouldn't want to see that happen. Hence, she suggested to him to come here and focus on practicing swordsmanship. Practicing swordsmanship could independently trigger magical energy. Even if his 'Gate' was damaged, it wouldn't pose any hindrance. Throughout history, many magicians whose 'Gate' was damaged eventually succeeded in transitioning to swordsmen. Extraordinary individuals who changed their path and became Sword Saints often had similar experiences. Yuri, recognizing this potential, extended the opportunity to Riezel. Unbeknownst to her, he also harbored the desire to practice swordsmanship from the beginning. 'Even though my Gate is damaged and I don't rely on it much for magic practice at the moment, this body naturally has plenty of magical energy. It'd be a shame not to make use of it.' With Riezel's innate abundance of magical energy, his growth speed after practicing swordsmanship would also be remarkable. Swordsmanship was initially designed for those with low magical energy, but people with abundant magical energy could still excel in it. While others struggled daily to practice swordsmanship, using their meager magical energy to refine their body, those who possessed abundant magical energy could achieve far more. Yuri likely thought it would be a waste not to make use of Riezel's innately abundant magical energy and thus entertained the idea of assisting him in practicing swordsmanship. If that was the case, perhaps there was a powerful swordsmanship she specifically left for him in this library. Riezel quickly scanned the bookshelf for swordsmanship books and eventually found the one in a hidden corner. —Holy Dragon Sword Style. This was a long-standing special swordsmanship. Riezel's eyes brightened as he opened the book. Upon opening it, he saw an image of a swordsman confronting a great dragon, preparing for dragon slaying. Below the image, there was a caption. —Holy Dragon Sword Style, a special swordsmanship created by 'Dragon Sword Saint' Efastin Tussanlo, has been passed down for four hundred years. —When 'Dragon Sword Saint' mastered the Holy Dragon Sword Style, his body was honed to rival that of a great dragon. He even possessed magic resistance equivalent to a dragon. Even direct hits from tactical-class magic left no scars on his body. —This swordsmanship has an extremely high difficulty and requires huge innate magical energy. Without sufficient magical energy, one cannot successfully practice it throughout their life. —For newcomers wishing to practice this swordsmanship, it is crucial not to blindly train.