phew…huff…!
Ethan's breathing was uneven as he continued swinging his sword in the wide training courtyard of his master's mansion.
Sweat ran down his temples, soaking into his clothes, yet his grip never loosened.
The wooden sword cut through the air again and again, each swing precise, controlled, carrying intent far beyond what an unawakened boy of his age should possess.
Two weeks had passed since the incident in the outer circles of the capital. Since that tale of that single sword strike and a mysterious swordsman had carved itself into his mind.
He could still see it clearly when he closed his eyes. The ground torn apart. Buildings sliced cleanly. The lingering pressure in the air that refused to fade even after days.
He could sense that the strike was refinement taken to an extreme. That realization of someone his age being ahead of him even after him being the disciple of one of the strongest beings of the continent disturbed him more than the moral implications of the destruction caused by the attack.
Ethan had kept himself informed ever since. Every update about the event was inquired by him through various means.
And then, as if it were nothing more than casual conversation, Klaus had mentioned it one evening.
The one suspected behind the strike was the shopkeeper of Infinity Choco House. A boy his age. Someone who had likely awakened very recently.
That was when Ethan's interest had turned into fixation.
In his entire life, there had only been one person he truly wanted to surpass. His master. Sword Saint Klaus. The man who had saved him, trained him, and shown him what true strength looked like.
Now, another name had entered that small circle.
William kaiser [William is the full name of Will and kaiser is the last name of the old couple that had adopted him, for the public that was the name he used]
Ethan swung again, faster this time, the air cracking faintly under the force. His eyes burned with anticipation rather than exhaustion.
"Soon," he muttered under his breath.
His awakening was close. He could feel it in his bones. Once he awakened, he would no longer be bound by lack of mana.
Then he would challenge the owner of Infinity Choco House.
Not out of malice. Not out of arrogance.
But because something inside him demanded it.
Suddenly his next swing reached its end before the wooden sword slid from Ethan's hands and clattered against the stone floor.
His eyes widened as his fingers trembled uncontrollably. A sharp, foreign sensation surged through his arms, then his chest.
"What… what is happening to me…?" he whispered, staring at his hands as if they no longer belonged to him.
Pain exploded through his abdomen.
Ethan bent forward violently and vomited a mouthful of blood onto the courtyard stones. The crimson splash stood out starkly against the pale ground.
"Take the awakening assist potion."
Klaus's calm voice echoed directly in his mind. It was not the first time his master used thought transmission so he did not feel surprised.
Ethan did not hesitate. His shaking hands reached into his spatial ring, pulling out a crystal vial. He uncorked it with his teeth and swallowed the contents in one desperate gulp.
The potion's effect was immediate, but underwhelming.
Warmth spread through his body, dulling the edges of the pain, stabilizing his breathing, but it did not stop what was coming. It was as if the potion was trying to hold back a tidal wave with bare hands.
His awakening was beyond it.
Ethan gasped sharply and collapsed to the ground. His body convulsed as violent tremors ran through him, muscles tightening and tearing under unseen pressure.
Blood seeped from his nose, ears, and eyes, staining the stone beneath him.
Inside the mansion, in a private study filled with ancient texts and sealed documents, Klaus froze mid-motion.
He felt it.
The strange aura and the unusual mana distortion.
He rose from his seat instantly, his expression tightening as he vanished from the room.
Brian followed him without question.
They appeared beside Ethan in an instant. Klaus knelt beside his disciple, his senses probing deeply, carefully.
"It's beyond S-rank," Klaus muttered grimly.
Brian straightened beside him, eyes sharp. "Congratulations, my lord. You have taken in a powerful disciple."
But Klaus did not smile.
"If only I had an SSS-rank awakening assist potion," he said quietly, frustration seeping into his voice.
He remembered his own awakening all too well. The tearing pain. The feeling of being broken apart and reforged. His master, the Storm Dragon, had stood over him and refused to let him use a potion.
Such crutches are for the weak hearted, don't be a pussy, the dragon had said.
If only that old monster were human, Klaus thought bitterly.
Then he would know what it meant to endure awakening in a body never meant to contain mana.
Humans were fragile in that sense. Their bodies were not naturally compatible with mana like those of dragons, elves, vampires, or dwarves. They needed tools. Potions. Techniques. External support.
It was why humans had been scorned for centuries.
Before the demons arrived, humans were looked down upon as lesser beings, Weak ants, slaves for the superior.
Their only strengths were their numbers and their frightening ability to reproduce quickly.
That had changed when demons came.
Presence of humanity became necessary for survival of other races due to their large numbers, high rate of reproduction and adaptability to every type of magic.
But necessity did not erase contempt, there was still traces of racism against humans.
Klaus's thoughts snapped back as Ethan's aura surged violently.
Radiant light erupted from Ethan's body, so intense that even Klaus felt his skin prickle. Without hesitation, both he and Brian released their own auras, layering them over Ethan's to suppress and conceal it.
A blinding flash burst outward, lighting up the courtyard for a split second before vanishing completely.
When it faded, Ethan lay unconscious, his breathing shallow but steady.
Klaus exhaled slowly.
"Take him inside. Guard him," he ordered Brian. "I have somewhere to be."
Before Brian could respond, Klaus was already gone.
At the same time, in the outer rim of the imperial capital, space rippled faintly inside a secluded inn room.
Will appeared from his fourteen years of training..
He staggered slightly as the accumulated notifications of the past two weeks of outside's time flooded his mind all at once. His brows furrowed as he absorbed them rapidly, one after another.
[ding!! Ethan practiced the second form – Thunderclap Sever of Tempest Sword Technique continuously for two weeks.]
[100x training experience has been awarded to host.]
.... other notification's from Maximus's sword training.
A familiar warmth spread through Will's body as insights poured into him, refining his understanding of sword techniques. His mind automatically adjusted, smoothing flaws, reinforcing comprehension and supplementing his own sword training.
Then the latest notification arrived.
[ding!! Bond Ethan has awakened Legendary Talent: Heaven's Favored.]
[Calculating 100X superior reward…]
Will's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So it finally happened," he murmured.
he knew how terrifying the talent was.
And then came the next line.
[ding!! Bond Ethan has awakened Omni Affinity.]
[Calculating 100X superior reward…]
Will went silent.
"Hahaha!!!"
[Hahaha!!! Utsukushii (美しい)]