The Classification of Blade Technique Realms

Matthews also understood that the bullets he crafted were made of ordinary iron mixed with a bit of copper. They likely didn't even possess the hardness of the common iron from his previous world.

This type of ironware simply couldn't withstand much impact force; the only reason it managed to pierce the first boulder was due to its velocity.

Afterward, Matthews continued to test his Electromagnetic Cannon several more times, discovering that its effective range was currently only about three hundred and fifty meters. Beyond this distance, the power of the Electromagnetic Cannon dropped significantly.

He now had two lines of thought: one was to increase the hardness of the bullets, and the other was to strengthen his control over the lightning element, attaching more lightning to the bullets to boost their attack power.

The next morning, Mia asked Matthews, "Brother, are you going to try that magic attack of yours that flashes with electricity again today?"

Matthews shook his head and replied, "No, its power is only around the level of a fifth-rank attack right now. It won't improve much in the short term, so I'll continue practicing my blade techniques today."

"Oh, aren't we going to have a barbecue today? Let's use your magic to hunt for food later."

"Uh, sister, don't you think that's a bit of an overkill?"

"Not at all, your magic is super cool."

Watching Mia, who seemed to be evolving into a bit of a delinquent, Matthews always felt like something was wrong. Yet, he couldn't pinpoint the reason; at home, he usually taught her to be elegant. Since it clearly wasn't his fault, it must have been those roommates of hers at the Imperial Capital academy who led her astray.

"Sis, are there any weirdos among your roommates?"

Mia said with confusion, "No!"

"I see. Well, focus on practicing your magic from now on. Don't mess around with them, you hear?"

Mia, thinking her brother was worried she wouldn't study magic properly at the academy, promised, "Don't worry, Brother. I'm a genius in my class."

"Yes, our Mia is the best. You'll definitely become an elegant mage in the future."

Matthews absolutely refused to believe that his sister's current behavior was a result of his own usual chuunibyou antics subtly influencing his cute, gentle sister. Seeing her agree so easily, he didn't mind showering her with praise.

At noon, Matthews and his sister were eating barbecue. The magic beast cub from yesterday arrived again, and Matthews cut a piece of raw meat and tossed it to it.

Just like always, it sniffed the meat for a while before diving into the river and disappearing with it.

"Brother, why do you keep throwing meat at it?"

Matthews explained, "I'm just bored, so I toss it a few pieces to play with."

Afterward, Matthews began to earnestly practice his blade techniques. He still remembered that the initial realm of the blade was simply "using the blade," where one could perform basic slashes and strikes.

The second realm was "controlling the blade," where the wielder could easily command the weapon. Using the blade became an extension of the person; where the blade struck, the body followed.

The third realm was "unity of man and blade." Those who reached this level felt the blade in their hand like an extension of their own arm. Wielding it was as natural as raising a limb. Once this level was reached, one could surpass most blade users. They no longer relied on fixed techniques; every slash and thrust was a technique in itself, embodying the concepts of making the heavy feel light and the light feel heavy.

The fourth realm was "blade intent." Those at this level could imbue the blade with their own will. The attacks carried a certain inexplicable intent; a flash of the blade could easily slice through stone, or perhaps fail to cut a single sheet of paper. By relying on this realized intent, one could begin to grasp the momentum of heaven and earth.

The fifth realm was integrating the laws one had comprehended into the blade's attacks. Those who reached this level were generally geniuses who had already grasped the laws.

Currently, Matthews was still in the first realm. In his previous life, he hadn't practiced many blade techniques while training in martial arts. Right now, he was just letting his body grow familiar with the blades in his hands and exploring the control of force during his swings.

As time passed, a week went by quickly. The winged, snake-like magic beast cub was now able to approach within a meter of the siblings.

By this time, Matthews had even made a stone bowl for it, sharing some of their food. The little guy was quite fond of drinking fish soup.

Today, Matthews roasted another animal and gave the little creature a leg. After finishing it, the creature lay down beside Matthews, opening its mouth to signal for more.

Matthews tossed it another leg, and Mia said with some dissatisfaction, "Brother!"

Girls generally didn't like snake-like creatures, so Matthews comforted her, "It's fine, it's actually quite cute."

"I don't see what's cute about it at all."

After eating, the little creature didn't leave as it usually did. Instead, it lay down at Matthews's feet. Matthews certainly remembered how the protagonist Linley in the original story had coaxed the God-Slaying Rat Bebe in a similar fashion.

Unfortunately, Matthews didn't think he would have the same treatment as the protagonist. He petted the little creature, and seeing it didn't object, he continued.

In the days that followed, the riverside, which had only been home to the siblings, now included the magic beast cub. It would even bring fish every time they ate.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and Matthews had adapted to the attack and defense style of using dual blades. Seeing that his sister's school term was about to begin, Matthews decided it was time to take her back.

"Let's go."

"Okay."

Matthews and his sister packed their things and set off toward the Imperial Capital. Matthews had already decided that after dropping his sister off at the magic academy, he would head to the Magic Beast Mountain Range for training. He now possessed the strength of a sixth-rank warrior, had his battle-qi-powered Electromagnetic Cannon, and had learned to use dual blades. It was time to go to the Magic Beast Mountain Range for a trial!

Seeing that the siblings weren't starting a fire to cook as they usually did, the little creature dropped the fish it was holding in its mouth and watched them leave with confusion.

After following for a moment, it finally understood. They were leaving. It pondered for a moment before catching up to Matthews and biting his calf.

"Brother, watch out!"

Seeing the little creature they had raised for over half a month attack her brother, Mia immediately warned him.

"It's okay, look."

Mia followed her brother's gaze and saw a magic formation forming in front of the winged, snake-like magic beast. Two magic formations flew toward her brother and the cub.

Matthews realized at this moment that this was a contract magic formation initiated by a magic beast, and he couldn't help but be curious about what rank this cub actually was, which he had previously assumed to be only a third-rank beast.