Author's note: One more to go!

Vilenne’s sword hummed, covered with a vibrant blue glow of mana.

Vilenne stretched to the sides and then reclined her body back, making her perky breasts stand out even more. “Ah, it’s been so long since I could thrash someone. Lucky!” she hummed.

Icicle stopped admiring the curves of the voluptuous woman and focused. Although Vilenne seemed easy-going, her aura right now was resembling that of a succubus.

Vilenne’s knuckles cracked as she made a “I’ll beat you up” gesture. She felt ready to give a good thrashing.

“I hope you’re ready, adventurer.” Vilenne smirked. She dashed off, opening with an easy to read overhead swing.

Icicle blocked with his sword. What appeared like a harmless slash followed by a streak of blue light turned out to be a sword strike with a weight of a mammoth behind it!

Icicle glanced Vilenne over. Her slim silhouette shouldn’t be able to produce such a ridiculous amount of strength. The only possible explanation was mana! She imbued her weapon densely and now tried to torture him!

Icicle’s feet sank into the soil under the force of the blow. He struggled to keep up. “She’s overpowering me with ease, shit!” Icicle cursed. To be beaten by a woman was bad, but it was even worse if she was your type.

Seeing Vilenne’s content smile, Icicle reluctantly jumped backwards, losing the power struggle.

His new teacher didn’t let him have a breather. She followed right after Icicle, striking from all directions, making his arms go numb from the impact of the blows.

Icicle felt that his eyesight couldn’t keep up with Vilenne’s sword anymore. He closed his eyes and relied on instinct instead. His [Sense presence] stretched to the maximum, giving him a vague image of Vilenne’s moves. He knew she was holding back and that ticked him off even more.

His arms ached more and more. Apart from that, Icicle felt something stirring inside his veins. “Could it be that Vilenne’s attacks stir the mana inside me? Does it work like the immune system, protecting the host?” Icicle wondered. He focused on the feeling and tried to get a grasp of it.

Concentrated on the feeling inside his body, Icicle’s movements relied only on instinct, deflecting Vilenne’s attacks and borrowing her momentum to back up constantly. As the alien mana entered his body, his skin tingled. Icicle had the exact same sensation when Blutic’s [Lightning bolt] hit him earlier.

“I don’t know if she’s trying to help me, beat me up or both!” Icicle thought.

Blackie sat obediently, wagging his tail while Cindy played with his fur. Cindy looked at the student-teacher duo with interest. “What a good pair.” she smirked.

Icicle’s body hurt all over. Whenever he seemed to be doing a tad bit better, Vilenne would increase the amount of force and number of attacks to make him struggle even more, constantly sneaking some kicks in. The only thing that kept Icicle going was being close to figuring out the mana system.

Icicle imagined mana running through his body like a current. In his mind, a human body projection appeared, highlighting all the veins in bright red. Icicle tried imagining one thread of mana, following it with his mind. He hoped to get an understanding of it.

Vilenne thrashed Icicle mercilessly, enjoying every second of it. She was holed up in the Mage Guild recently and couldn’t spar with anyone. Warrior Guild which she often visited to practice was now busy with new students. Most of the Mercenaries went on missions as well. This workout opportunity was actually godsend for her! Her grin was wider and wider.

Whoosh!

Vilenne’s sword slammed hard into Icicle’s, making him faceplant the ground. He laid there for a minute or two, coughing. When he finally stood up, although his legs wobbled, his expression was different. “I finally got it!” he thought.

“I couldn’t grasp how it worked since I thought that the developers used something new, but it was actually based on chinese dantian breathing methods!” Icicle concluded. The process was greatly simplified. Mana was stored below your navel and constantly flowed through your veins, along with blood. Icicle concluded that system assist drew out the right amount of mana for the player to make casting spells much easier. “I’ll play with this system later. This virtual world is full of mysteries!” he rejoiced.

“Oh? Could it be that you finally got it? You sure took your time.” Vilenne grinned. “Your adventurer friends grasped it instantaneously. Are you a black sheep amongst the flock?”

Icicle smiled sheepishly. He couldn’t say that he angered one of the “gods” and his “blessing” in the form of system assist was taken away.

“Since you wanted to play, let’s do just that.” he said, gripping the bronze hilt of his sword with both hands.

“Haha, you really like getting beaten! Could you be a masochist?” Vilenne smiled.

Icicle took initiative, striking Vilenne with his sword. His attacks were now heavier, reinforced by mana he had a little control of.

As Vilenne counterattacked, their swords made “clang clang” sounds ring out in the Mage Guild’s backyard. Icicle’s closed eyes allowed him to see hazy streaks of blue light in his mind. They diffused from Vilenne’s body, then channeled into her sword and finally outwards, reinforcing her blows.

“The fastest way to learn is to steal from those who are already experienced! Take what you can and give nothing back!” Icicle thought impishly.

The training bout continued. Vilenne mercilessly reunited Icicle with mother nature, making him eat dirt. “Which time is it, the seventh?” she mocked. “Do you fancy our fertile soil that much?”

Contrary to Vilenne’s belief, Icicle didn’t crumble under her mockery. On the opposite, his demeanor was extremely calm. He took a proper battle stance. “Playtime’s over.” he said indifferently.

“Wooo!” Blackie yelped, hiding behind Cindy. He felt something ominous coming off from Icicle and decided to hide. Even his ancestor’s howl didn’t scare him that much.

Cindy’s green eyes blazed. She had an inkling of what state Icicle was in. “Could it be…?” she muttered.

Icicle stood straight as a ramrod, his amber eyes closed. His entire posture emanated calmness that didn’t befit his age. Icicle’s figure blended with nature, as if he wasn’t even there. Vilenne gazed at him, her expression bizarre. “That can’t be that state, right?” she thought. “He’s too new to swordplay, how can it be..?”

Icicle’s eyes snapped open. He dashed towards Vilenne, brandishing his sword. The momentum he had couldn’t be compared to the way he was before. As if he was two different people. He didn’t defend miserably, but instead forced Vilenne into backing out! She had to hold off less and less of her strength against the young adventurer!

“Damnit, if I don’t overpower him, he’ll get the wrong idea!” Vilenne thought, using more of her mana reservoir to push Icicle back. However, Icicle didn’t even flinch. In the state he was in, he stopped caring about pride and male’s dignity. Entering power struggles with Vilenne was pointless. He agilely dodged Vilenne’s sword, attacking her side. [Liquid membrane] formed around Vilenne, blocking the blow. Icicle stabbed it consecutively, utilizing the full potential of his items, breaking the shield.

Vilenne gaped as her spell was quickly torn to shreds. An adventurer who just arrived in their world shouldn’t be able to inflict as much damage as Icicle did. Now she understood why Blutic lost so terribly.

“You little bastard, you actually took hold of such good items!” she praised.

Vilenne felt as if she was less of an instructor with every second passing. Although she held off her strength, she started using her swordplay properly. Her sword trajectory started moving bizarrely, like a slithering snake in the grass. To her surprise, Icicle’s body just swayed, sidestepping the sword blow.

Every sword clash made Vilenne realize that Icicle’s crude swordplay was actually a style of its own. It always targeted the vitals without any superfluous moves. There was no beauty nor gracefulness in it, just a pure desire to overpower your enemy.

“He didn’t practice it properly, that’s evident. Could it be he exercised those moves in his mind? Isn’t that what advanced people do, though?” Vilenne thought.

Since her disciple didn’t hold off anything, Vilenne decided to use her magic too. She cast [Water prison].

Icicle sidestepped to the side, feeling the waterfall-like drop of mana.

Ivir opened the door to the backyard, about to challenge Vilenne for yet another ridiculous bet. As the daughter of the Vilen Town’s lord, Marcus Vilen, she wanted to reclaim her lost dignity. However, as soon as she walked in, she stared at the scene wide eyed. The black haired youth from before dodged Vilenne’s blows without much effort, as if they were nothing more than gusts of wind. On the other side, Vilenne evaded every strike of his with even more grace.

There was one major difference between them. The youth’s amber eyes were lifeless, as if mindcontrolled, while Vilenne’s blue eyes blazed with excitement.

Ivir wobbled to Cindy’s side, watching as she ruffled black hound’s fur. “How long?” she asked.

“They’ve been at it for more than 30 minutes.” Cindy tapped her chin.

“You’re telling me that youth was in self-detachment state for half an hour?” Ivir couldn’t believe her eyes.

“More or less.” Cindy sighed. “It won’t take much longer though. Although Vilenne is better at restraining herself than you are, by the way things are progressing, she’s going to use her full power soon.”

Vilenne enjoyed herself more and more, forgetting the original purpose of this training course. She swung her sword wantonly, using whatever she learned throughout the years. It was a really long time since she enjoyed the swordplay this much.

Cindy looked at Icicle, knowing full well he was barely holding up. She shook her head as she perceived the end of the duel.

Just like Cindy foresaw, Vilenne forgot herself and used full force! Blue wave-like slash descended upon Icicle’s head with extreme speed. His danger sensors all tingled. “Ah, I haven’t felt that for a long time.” Icicle thought, releasing the pent up feelings.

Shoo!

In the face of extreme danger, Icicle’s aura flared! The air beneath his feet rippled, sending out shockwaves all around him. This wasn’t [Soundless Fear], but his own aura!

Vilenne saw Icicle’s sword approaching her throat at unimaginable speed. She quickly retracted her own blade and used her family’s secret technique to defend. Pure white frost shield appeared around her, defending her from any harm. Her pupils constricted, focusing on the incoming sword.

Plop!

Vilenne woke up from the trance. The sword blow just now disappeared like a ghost. She blinked twice, realizing that Icicle had already sheathed his sword, sitting on the ground 5m from away from her. “That’s enough for now, I’m tired.” he said childishly.

Vilenne stood in place, dumbfounded. How could she believe the sword illusion just now?

Clap! Clap! Clap!

“That was something.” Cindy walked over and patted Icicle’s shoulder. “No wonder you were able to master the self-detachment that even those who meditate for dozens of years have trouble grasping.” she said with a mysterious smile.

“When you’re forced into doing it, it’s somewhat easier.” Icicle smiled faintly. Cindy apparently had her own demons too.

Vilenne walked over, glancing at Icicle with complicated gaze. She still didn’t know what happened. Ivir stood on the side, furrowing her brows. Vilenne actually got such a monster as a pupil.

“I was actually here to say you impressed me with your calm back then, but to think you mastered self-detachment. Heh, although it’s reasonable since you have such a ruthless killing intent within you. Even your teacher was scared.” Cindy chuckled.

Vilenne blinked twice. Killing intent? This was killing intent?! Someone new to the world could actually make her believe she was in grave danger just from releasing his aura?

“You praise me too much.” Icicle smiled sheepishly. Cindy was too insightful.

“Hahaha, am I?” Cindy smiled thoughtfully.

“Was this really killing intent?” Vilenne interrupted.

“It was. If you’re thinking of developing one, don’t. Your pure, succubus-like aura is enough.” Icicle said calmly.

“B-But!-” Vilenne tried her best to gain some more information.

“That’s enough, Vilenne.” Cindy interceded. “Whether I’m praising you too much or not, you deserve a reward. Is there anything you would like to get?” Cindy asked Icicle gently. Blackie stood next to her, no longer scared. His fanatism rose to a greater height. To him right now, ancestor turned into a god-like figure.

“Teach me how to control my mana better.” Icicle said plainly.

“Alright.” Cindy agreed instantly.

“Guildmaster, this…” Ivir voiced her objection. Showing someone’s mana control was liek revealing his greatest secret. This process shouldn’t be shown to just anyone!

“It’s fine.” Cindy disregarded the warning. “Take a good look.” she outstreched her open palm.

A swirl of mana appeared in the middle of Cindy’s palm, visible to the naked eye. It slowly swirled, turning into a lump of earth. Then it started shaping, as a lump of earth conjured, extremely lifelike. Rough parts of the soil started losing their roughness, making the surface of the earth lump round and smooth.

Icicle tried mimicking the process on his own, but he didn’t know how the technique worked. Shaping mana was too difficult for him.

He asked Vilenne to show her way of [Mana manipulation]. Vilenne looked at Cindy and after gaining her permission, she opened her palm to form a swirl. It was a many times smaller swirl, resulting in a tiny water droplet being formed, somewhat translucent. Icicle couldn’t understand much, so he closed his eyes and tried to follow the mana currents within the droplet of water.

To Cindy, Vilenne and Ivir, Icicle just stood in front of them with his eyes closed. When he was done, he asked Ivir to show him her mana manipulation method. She reluctantly agreed under Cindy’s stern gaze. Sparks crackled and soon a tiny image of a lightning dancing amidst the clouds formed on Ivir’s hand. Icicle took it all in.

Cindy’s mana manipulation was by far the hardest to grasp. Icicle had trouble seeing through the technique. She was too powerful for him.

He tried mimicking Vilenne instead. Since she was practicing in water magic, her example should be the best to follow.

Shuuu!

Tiny strands of mana swirled around Icicle’s palm, creating a miniscule whirlpool. It was merely a tenth of Vilenne’s whirlpool. Icicle thought of what to make of the mana. As soon as he did, the mana strands dispersed.

“Don’t discourage yourself. Creating a droplet outright is a hard feat to achieve.” Cindy consoled. Vilenne next to her nodded, it has taken her over a month to reach that stage.

Icicle steeled himself once again, determined to form a water droplet. As the mana started forming, his forehead wrinkled. Deep in concentration, Icicle continued solving the puzzle, joining lone strands of mana with each other, making sure they stayed whole.

Five minutes passed. Icicle’s forehead was covered in sweat, his whole body trembling from time to time. He had to push himself now, otherwise all he accomplished so far would go down the drain.

Last of the mana tendrils connected, forming a little water droplet the size of a bread crumb. It was almost entirely opaque. The process of learning the [Mana manipulation] was incredibly hard.

“He’s good.” Ivir muttered.

Vilenne nodded like a chicken pecking rice. This process has taken her over a month to complete.

“You didn’t even use the self-detachment state. Good job.” Cindy smiled gently. She was about to ask Icicle if he wants to join the Mage Guild as a full-fledged member when Icicle closed his eyes again, opening his other palm.

“Is he going for dual-wielding?” Vilenne asked, pride twinkling in her eyes.

“Let’s wait and see if he succeeds.” Cindy recommended. Dual wielding wasn’t something unheard of. People who wielded mana with both hands were usually able to defend themselves from low priority targets while attacking. However, the difficulty was immense. Their other hand often had merely 30% of the original power. What’s more, magic conjured out of pure mana was weaker compared to revised and improved over the ages spells. Thus, people rarely used that style anymore.

Three minutes passed. Icicle’s whole body was now drenched. However, his concentration was at its peak. He always liked to challenge his limits. This was one of those situations. On his left hand another droplet of water appeared, as opaque as the first one.

Icicle opened his eyes and swung his hands together, as if clapping. Two water droplets collided, mixing with each other. Joy was written all over Icicle’s face.

Splash!

The fusion didn’t work.All of Icicle’s plans went down the drain. “Oh well, maybe next time.” he said, somewhat disappointed.

“How much power could you control with your other hand? Cindy asked straightforwardly. This could change everything for Icicle if it was over 50%.

“What do you mean?” Icicle didn’t understand. “I could feel both droplets all the same. Sadly, I wasn’t able to fuse the two.” he shook his head.

Ding!

>

Due to your recent actions, your [Mana manipulation] skill evolves into [Flawless mana control].

As the first person to reach this level, you’re rewarded with +10 Charisma.

“You’re actually a dual wielder through and through?” Cindy gaped. “How did you do it?”

“Can we talk after I get some rest? It has been a long day and I’m spent.” Icicle said, scratching his head. Latest events worn him out. He didn’t have much sleep nor anything to eat recently. He needed to recharge.

“That’s fine. Take your time” Cindy nodded.

“Well then, I’ll trouble you by the nighttime. I have a request to make as well. Let’s talk when I return.” Icicle said his goodbyes and left.

Before he pressed log out, he saw another pop up.

>

Your ticket has been reviewed.

Screenshot, recording and share functions are temporarily disabled.

“Women are fragile beings. So are human bones. Use your tongue wisely.”

Hardcore mode option has been removed, experience bar returns to normal.

System assist is now available.

Check your options to include them in your game experience.

“I should say “go fuck yourselves” but you actually helped me. Thanks Nix.” Icicle thought, logging out.

…

“Was this really killing intent?” Vilenne asked hesitantly.

“It was. What exactly did you see?” Cindy asked with curiosity.

“Well, I remember fighting and getting more and more excited. I swung my sword unrestrainedly and… This is when I saw that blood red sword approaching my throat at unimaginable speed. It felt so powerful I forwent using [Liquid membrane] and instead resolves to my family’s secret technique. Then I heard a loud “plop” sound and that illusion dissipated. I saw Icicle sitting on the ground right after.” Vilenne explained.

“Hoo. Impressive.” Cindy nodded. She had an idea of what kind of level Icicle’s aura was at. “Remember when I said we won’t need to bet during your students’ fight?”

“Yes, what was that about, Guildmaster?” Ivir immediately picked up the subject. She still didn’t know what ticked Cindy off.

“When Icicle was about to walk past me earlier, I felt as if my clothes were non-existent. His stare bore a hole in me, leaving me uncomfortable. I didn’t know it back then, but now it’s pretty clear. He sensed my well hidden killing intent. I don’t expect you to understand, but only those who possess an overwhelming killing intent themselves can sniff it on another’s body. Especially if it’s hidden.” Cindy explained.

“You’re saying you didn’t know what happened back there… Does it mean you couldn’t feel his killing intent?” Ivir questioned.

“Indeed, I couldn’t feel a thing. But you girls seem to be disillusioned about something. Killing intent intensity is only trainable up to level 2. When you travel through the wilderness killing monsters all it can do is make your aura more bloodthirsty. What experts call killing intent is completely different.” Cindy sighed.

“Killing intent is classified into levels as well. Those levels were formulated based upon the effect killing intent has on an average human. At the first level, you make them feel uncomfortable. They will doubt their courage, thinking that fighting you isn’t what they should be doing. Most people will choose to avoid you.” Cindy explained.

“At second level, you’ll strike fear in the hearts of many. Weaker beings will make way for you, not daring to attack you, unless you heavily offend them. Those two levels can be slowly achieved through killing monsters, but it will take you years.”

“The third level is where I’m at, capable of influencing your mental state, making you miss your attacks or use less power than necessary to cast spells. You might also see some afterimages of me if your concentration lapses.”

Vilenne and Ivir listened with rapt attention. Those were things experts didn’t wish to share. Meeting Icicle actually allowed them to learn.

“But Cindy, I saw the attack coming directly at my throat… you can’t possibly be saying…?” Vilenne muttered.

The atmosphere tensed, Cindy sighed shaking her head. This was a lot to take for one day. She heaved another long sigh and explained further.

“Indeed Vilenne, that youngster Icicle is above me. He’s at the fourth level of killing aura, where your influence on people is so huge you make them think they’re attacked with but a glance. When experts fight and one has such an overwhelming advantage over the other, the fight usually ends within seconds.” Cindy sighed. “There’s also a fifth level, but it’s only available to those deity-level monsters. Don’t bother with it.”

“What you should focus on is training your mind and soul. You are weak to killing intent because you’re scared of it. When that fear is gone, you’ll have much easier time handling it.” she added.

Vilenne and Ivir turned pensive, mulling over what they just heard. This was a whole new realm for them, who only trained yet haven’t ventured outside much.

“You said only first two levels can be trained, what causes you to achieve third and fourth?” Ivir asked. This knowledge could save their lives later on.

“Unimaginable tragedy. Something that makes you want to kill anyone who stands in your way to prevent it. A feeling that makes you despise everyone and everything. It’s mostly caused by losing your loved ones, people you can’t imagine your life without.” Cindy replied.

“This is also the reason why this brat Icicle achieved the self-detachment state so quickly. It was either that or being consumed by the intense killing intent within him. Remember it well, you two. When something tragic happens to you, you must dispel the killing intent as soon as possible. Whether it is by mourning or by harnessing it, do what you need to do. Otherwise it will consume you, leaving you as nothing more than a human shell.”

“Alright, this has been enough for one day. Don’t mention whatever happened here to anyone else.” Cindy ordered, going back to the building.

“Are you planning on recruiting Icicle?” Vilenne asked.

“He’s more or less already in.” Cindy grinned.

…