Battle Aura Training

Zoldat looked utterly bewildered. What did "qualified" mean? Had all that just now been a test?

Sword God Style swordsmen were all straightforward by nature, and Cain was no exception. He simply told Zoldat everything.

"If you have some other powerful desire, I can teach you swordsmanship. But you cannot inherit my Sword God Style, because my Sword God Style is not suited for those trapped by desire."

Cain smiled faintly, then patted the even more confused Zoldat on the shoulder and looked at him seriously.

"Of course, I'll write to my master, the Sword God Gall. After teaching you for a while, I'll recommend you to him, because my master Gall values the rationality of swordsmanship."

"My swordsmanship, on the other hand, is completely unreasonable. It only pursues faster and fiercer attacks, completely abandoning defense in favor of extreme offense."

"Extreme offense?!" Zoldat's eyes widened. The Sword God Style was already the school that demanded the greatest speed and offensive power, yet this was his first time hearing of such an extreme Sword God Style.

"Mm. More precisely, it pursues the power and speed to cut through everything, uniting the sword with one's heart."

As Cain spoke, he slowly raised the novice wooden sword and aimed it at a huge boulder over two meters tall beside him. Then he turned back with a faint smile.

"Zoldat, do you believe in the power of the heart?"

"The heart... I don't understand at all."

Cain gently shook his head and explained, "It may sound a little complicated, but it's actually very easy to understand. In short, the heart is the sum of all emotions. Only by believing in your own heart can you bring out the greatest power of my Sword God Style."

"Uh, I understand even less now..."

Cain watched Zoldat scratch his cheek with a bewildered expression, and his smile gradually turned serious.

"Courage, miracles, hope—even fear and despair can produce the power of the heart. Always believe in your own abilities. Even if you fail, even if you know you will die, as long as you are still alive, stand back up and keep swinging your sword. That is the core of this school, and that is the power of the heart."

With a serious expression, Cain looked at the enormous boulder ahead. As he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, he swung at the speed of light. His sword flashed like a meteor. The Blade of Light vanished in an instant, too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Zoldat could only see that Cain's wooden sword, which had been raised a moment ago, had already cut into the ground in the next instant. Snow scattered through the air, and a deep fissure opened in the earth. Then, with a rumble, the boulder from before split cleanly in two like tofu.

Cain slowly exhaled again, tucked the wooden sword at his waist, and continued with a faint smile as he looked at Zoldat's stunned expression.

"Even in desperate straits, you must find the courage to fight. Even if you have to risk your life, you must carve out a path to survival. Believe in miracles, believe in hope, and then give it everything you have."

"Swing your sword through despair while maintaining the conviction that you will win. That is my Sword God Style. After that, all you need to do is constantly temper your Battle Aura until it becomes the sharpest blade."

Those lines were pretty cringe...

And I understand the theory, but how exactly am I supposed to temper Battle Aura? You still haven't said.

Cain looked at Zoldat's somewhat helpless expression, scratched his cheek, and smiled faintly. Perhaps he had gone a little overboard.

Then Zoldat seriously patted Cain on the shoulder.

"Cain, I understand all that. Can you teach me how to temper Battle Aura now?!"

"O-Okay."

That's why I said I'm not suited to being a teacher...

Cain scratched his cheek and gave an awkward little smile. Thankfully, no one else had heard that cringe-worthy speech of his. If word got out and people started calling him some cringe Sword God or something, that would be awful.

"Ahem. Anyway, there are several methods for training Battle Aura. I know three of them."

Cain raised one finger, his expression serious.

"The first is to keep swinging your sword. Swing it again and again, neglecting food and sleep as you swing your sword. Give everything you have to your sword until you reach the realm of becoming one with it!

"Then, gradually sense the invisible Battle Aura in the surrounding environment, turn it into your own Battle Aura bit by bit, and wrap it around your entire body. Once you can do that, you will not be far from becoming a King-class Sword God Style swordsman."

Zoldat's mouth twitched violently.

"Cain, you know I'm the captain of the Thunder Adventurer Squad. I don't seem to have that much spare time to train Battle Aura by swinging a sword alone..."

"Mm, of course I considered that."

Cain nodded slightly, slowly raised a second finger, and looked at Zoldat seriously.

"Then fight me. Feel the flow of Battle Aura within me, and the rest will depend on your talent. But as a Sword Saint, Zoldat, you definitely possess talent for swordsmanship. As long as you can cultivate Battle Aura like mine, you should be able to comprehend the Blade of Light as well."

Cain continued as he looked at Zoldat.

"Once you reach that level, your Blade of Light will be faster than that of an ordinary King-class Sword God Style swordsman. Naturally, its range will also be greater."

"That could work... But, Cain, when we fight later, be careful. Don't accidentally cut me down with one strike..."

"It's fine. I know intermediate healing magic. Even if all four of your limbs suffer comminuted fractures, I can restore you to normal with an intermediate healing spell!"

Cain said this to Zoldat with a completely serious expression.

"Don't say something so terrifying!"

Zoldat's mouth twitched violently. He could not help feeling curious again, and he looked at Cain as he spoke casually.

"You've explained the first two methods. What about the third?"

At those words, Cain fell silent. The smile on his face gradually became serious, as if something unpleasant in his memories had been stirred.

He slowly raised a third finger.

"The third is a test of willpower. It also requires a great deal of luck, courage, and strength. Of course, if you succeed, your understanding of the sword will advance by leaps and bounds. The Sword King realm will only be your starting point. It's just..."

Zoldat's mouth twitched slightly. He had the feeling that Cain's cringe-worthy speech was about to lead to something he could never accomplish.

But as if Cain had seen through Zoldat's thoughts, he spoke with a stern gaze.

"That's right, Zoldat. You must do something you cannot do. At the very least, you must enter the depths of an S-rank dungeon alone and fight your way out alive before you can count it as a preliminary success. The challenges afterward will grow increasingly dangerous. This kind of training is practically suicide.

"But only in that kind of extremely dangerous environment can you forge truly unyielding willpower and swordsmanship."

What kind of cringe-worthy speech was that...

Zoldat looked completely speechless as he stared at Cain, who stood there with his arms folded and a solemn expression. Could Cain be suffering from chuunibyou? How was this any different from throwing away one's life? Who would train like that?!

Cain looked at the dissatisfied expression on Zoldat's face and coughed twice.

"Anyway, I do not recommend this suicidal method of training. If you want to become a Sword King, use the second method and fight me to comprehend Battle Aura. As long as you can cultivate even one-third of my Battle Aura, your strength will still improve greatly."

Cain fell silent for a moment, his expression turning serious.

"However, training Battle Aura this way has a drawback. I must warn you about it."

"What drawback?"

"Battle Aura like a blade will greatly reduce your defensive ability. In exchange, if you coat a weapon with this Battle Aura and use it properly, even a wooden sword can cut through solid rock."

To be honest, Zoldat was tempted. As the Second Sword God of the Sword God Style, Cain had no reason to deceive him.

"Alright! I choose the second method!"