Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 21 – Swordmaster Cain (4)

Chapter 21: Swordmaster Cain (4)

“Hey. Cain? Snap out of it.”

Ketal waved a hand in front of Cain’s eyes.

But Cain didn’t seem to be coming back to his senses.

He was staring blankly, lost in his own world.

There seems to be a single tear welling up, as if something very sad had happened.

‘This… can’t be happening….’

How much time and effort did it take for him to reach this state.

He gave up everything but the sword.

The love of his parents, the love of his fiancée.

He abandoned it all to dedicate his life to the sword.

It was truly his own realm, one that no one else could reach, achieved through dedicating his entire life.

But now, that skill…

Was shattered with a mere display of brute force, without any special skill.

‘I am…’

The pleas of his family to please give up the sword and be with them.

The lament and curses of his fiancée, saying he’s nothing without even a single sword skill.

All of it flashed through his mind like a lantern.

“Hmm.”

Ketal stroked his chin.

‘Weaker mentally than I thought.’

He thought that being a Swordmaster would mean having a strong mind, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

Of course, there was no guarantee that strength would necessarily correlate with mental fortitude.

Even the strongest in a fantasy world could have weak minds.

He made a mental note of that information.

He would write it down in his journal later.

Of course not.

A true strongman at the level of a Swordmaster would also have a strong and sturdy mind.

It was just that the existence of Ketal was so alien that it shattered that mental fortitude.

Not knowing this fact, Ketal was trying to make Cain snap out of it.

His mind was completely shattered.

It seemed difficult to snap out of it with just external stimuli.

This state was not uncommon with him.

The barbarians he had been with.

Their direction might have been different, but they often behaved like this.

They would throw their minds into combat, swinging their weapons wildly according to instinct.

They were very annoying creatures who wouldn’t come to their senses until they were completely subdued.

And there was a fast way to get them to come to their senses.

Ketal looked silently at Cain.

And he held one intention in his heart.

I will kill you.

That will was materialized and attacked Cain.

Kwaaaang!

An explosion occurred.

Cain drew his sword.

He surrounded his whole body with a defensive stance and planted his feet firmly.

In an instant, he moved dozens of steps away from Ketal.

Cold sweat was running down his face.

“Are you awake?”

“…What are you doing?”

“Your mind seemed to be half gone, so I woke you up. It seems direct methods work best after all.”

Ketal nodded as if satisfied.

Cain’s heart was beating fast.

Just now, he felt death.

Not metaphorically, but in the truest sense, death enveloped his throat.

His shattered mind rose again in the face of the terror of death.

It was an experience he didn’t want to go through again.

Ketal said calmly,

“Your swordsmanship is impressive.”

“What, what?”

“I just swung my axe quickly. That’s all I did. That’s the only thing. I can’t even touch the skill you showed.”

Ketal quickly swung his axe to create a phantom.

It was just incredibly fast, not a true simultaneous attack.

Above all, if the opponent blocks the first attack, no phantom is created.

But Cain’s swordsmanship… truly attacked simultaneously.

It was a skill that had to block attacks from all directions.

Ketal healed Cain’s mind like that.

Light gradually returned to Cain’s eyes.

‘Yes, that’s it!’

The value of his swordsmanship was by no means low.

Materializing the essence of illusion and reality was a skill possible only by his technique in this world.

Of course, even if that was the case, it was still half shattered….

Cain, who was becoming depressed again, desperately regained his composure.

‘No!’

It wasn’t a problem with his skill, it was that this barbarian was insane!

Who on earth could move so fast without even using aura, to the point where phantoms become solid entities!

It was hard to even consider him in the same category as a human anymore.

Ketal was just too abnormal.

Cain protected his mentality by making Ketal an exception.

“I’m sorry. I let my emotions get the better of me.”

“No. It’s quite interesting. I’m the one who should apologize for acting like a child.”

Ketal’s face lit up with interest again.

As he said himself, it was similar but if you looked closely, the results were completely different.

If he were to handle Aura, he too could use such a skill.

Truly attacking simultaneously.

Cain cleared his throat and straightened his head.

“Well, let’s continue the conversation. In any case, the important thing is to sense and be able to handle Aura.”

“Yeah. Mystery. That’s it.”

That’s the most important mystery in this world.

Ketal revealed it.

Cain begins to explain slowly.

“Mystery is the fundamental unit that makes up the world. Without realizing mystery, no magician, swordsman, or witch can reach a high level. Only those who believe in the gods can do it.”

“Is divine power separate?”

“Their miracles are directly given by God. It has nothing to do with personal abilities.”

“What about paladins?”

“Their power comes from their belief in themselves. It’s a difference in direction. Spirits are the same.”

Courtesy aside, ultimately what matters is mystery.

Handling it is the first step.

“I’ll start by explaining the basic concepts and levels, but if it gets boring, we can skip.”

“No. Please continue.”

Ketal shook his head.

There’s no way an explanation about the mystery he was longing for would be boring.

“Then let’s start with the explanation about mystery. Mystery, literally. It’s the mysterious power you possess. How you handle it determines everything.”

“Wow. Wow.”

Mystery is the basic unit of this world.

To obtain fantasy powers such as handling Aura, gaining mana, or dealing with spirits, it starts with understanding this mystery.

“Let me tell you about the stages. There are a total of five stages: sensing mystery, controlling it, manifesting it, mastering it, and visualizing it.”

Cain spoke.

“The most basic stage here is sensing mystery. It’s a stage where you know, realize, and feel mystery. It’s also a stage where you take the first step towards a high level without properly handling mystery.”

“Can anyone feel mystery?”

“Only those with talent can feel it. Those who can sense mystery are called third-rate.”

You have to reach the level of sensing mystery to be considered third-rate.

Ketal recalled the words the thief said in the first dungeon.

[There are various criteria, but generally, they are divided into five categories: third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, transcendent, and Hero.]

[What level are you guys?]

[We are just beggars who couldn’t even become third-rate. But being third-rate doesn’t mean they’re weak at all.]

They said they couldn’t even become third-rate.

It meant they couldn’t feel mystery.

“And then, controlling mystery. It’s a stage where you can control and utilize mystery. From this stage onwards, you can use various powers by utilizing mystery.”

Cain swung his arm.

The air burst roughly.

The arm that was swung was clearly faster than cognition.

“Basically, you can strengthen your body like this.”

“Wow.”

“From this point on, you can call yourself second-rate. Those who have reached this level can never be defeated…”

As Cain was saying that, he hesitated for a moment and Ketal looked at him.

Ketal stared at him blankly.

“… There are exceptions, but most can’t be beaten.”

Cain cautiously changed his words.

“Next is manifesting mystery. It’s simple stuff like this.”

Cain drew his sword.

A bluish light flickered.

Ketal let out a sigh of admiration.

“Ooooh!”

‘…Why does he look at it like it’s so amazing?’

It was simply manifestation.

It was a remarkable level, but it wasn’t so remarkable as to be admired like that.

Cain awkwardly continued.

“The first-rate level. Manifesting mystery. From here, you can manifest mystery in forms such as Aura or mana. It’s recognized as a knight or a mage. It’s the level where you can manipulate spirits.”

Aura can tear through steel like cheese.

Even a sturdy fortress can be easily severed.

Magic can create massive flames and scatter blades of ice.

From the level where you can manifest it, humans become essentially human weapons.

“And then, mastering mystery.”

Beyond controlling and manifesting mystery, it’s perfectly mastering it and manipulating it as one pleases.

“It’s the transcendent level, and it’s the level I’ve reached.”

“Is being a Swordmaster in the realm of the transcendent?”

“There are exceptions, but most of them are.”

If you become transcendent, you can gain the respect of everyone.

Truly surpassing the level of a human, your status becomes meaningless.

“Those who transcend human categories.”

That’s what the transcendent is.

Ketal’s eyes gleamed.

“So there are those even stronger than you.”

There was still one more step left.

Cain nodded.

“Visualizing mystery. Those who can influence the concept of the world beyond just mastering and controlling mystery. That’s the Hero class.”

“Are they stronger than you?”

“They are. Incomparably so.”

It was a prompt answer.

It wasn’t a shameful or disgraceful face.

It was just a face that calmly stated facts.

“I’m undoubtedly strong, but those at my level are countless. But Heroes are truly exceptional. They’re… monsters.”

There was both respect and fear in his expression.

“Wow.”

Ketal felt interested in these Heroes.

Just how strong are they?

And how amazing mystery can they handle?

‘I’d like to see them once.’

An intense curiosity arose that couldn’t be hidden.

‘…Is this barbarian going to attack a Hero?’

At that moment, a shiver ran down Cain’s spine, and he quickly changed the subject.

“For now, let’s make these distinctions, but keep in mind that they are convenient classifications. There are significant gaps between each stage, and they aren’t perfectly distinct. Just think of it as a conceptual framework.”

“Got it.”

But that’s a story for another time.

What’s important now is the mystery in front of him.

Cain opened his mouth.

“Let’s begin. The first stage. Sensing mystery.”

* * *

Finally, he could embody the true mystery and the power of fantasy.

Ketal was extremely excited.

He felt like he wanted to shout for joy.

But he was a sensible person, so he held back and pretended to roll his feet quietly.

Kooooom….

The training ground shook.

The vibration spread to the surroundings.

People mistook it for an earthquake and screamed, huddling down.

Cain was startled.

“What are you doing!”

“Oh, no. I was just happy. I couldn’t control my emotions for a moment. I’m sorry.”

“I-is that so.”

Just rolling his feet caused an earthquake-level disturbance.

Cain looked at Ketal with a disgusted expression.

“By the way, if you master mystery, are you confined to one path? Can’t a swordsman use magic?”

“It’s impossible if you’re using Aura and mana simultaneously.”

Cain denied Ketal’s words.

“Mystery is the fundamental unit of the world. How you handle it is your own ability. In other words, it’s also your limit. If you handle mystery as Aura, you’ll handle it as Aura to the end.”

“Is that the concept?”

Unfortunately, it seemed that the path was fixed.

But that didn’t diminish his interest.

So, which direction should he take?

Handling Aura?

Handling mana?

As a knight, it would be fun to strengthen his whole body and charge forward, but isn’t magic the romance of fantasy?

He also wanted to try using magic at least once.

He was very excited about either direction.

“Well then, sit comfortably.”

“Alright.”

Ketal smiled and sat down in a cross-legged position.

Seeing his posture, Cain cocked his head.

“What’s that posture?”

“Hmm? You don’t know?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen it. It’s fascinating. It looks uncomfortable, are you okay?”

They didn’t know what a cross-legged position was.

Come to think of it, the cross-legged position originated from Buddhism.

It was strange that they didn’t know.

“It’s a posture for concentration. It’s not uncomfortable, so don’t worry.”

“Well then… Close your eyes and concentrate.”

Ketal closed his eyes.

Sensing mana.

It’s finally beginning.

He could learn real mystery.

Suppressing his pounding heart, he began to concentrate.