Volume 8 Chapter 182 - Inheriting Shadow Blade (5)
The Fifth Fighting Legend was Boras. He was about half the size of Garmund and a little more chattery.
At first glance, he had an expression of great astonishment. Garmund had probably relayed some information beforehand. Jin would never know that Garmund blabbered about Jin’s feat until his mouth became dry.
‘Hm, these beastmen are just very big dogs.’
The Ill.u.s.trious Legend Tribe in Lafrarosa felt like the opposite of their notoriety throughout history. Compared to a serious and battle-ready facade, they all just had adorably stupid personalities.
s.n.a.t.c.h!
‘Huh?’
As soon as Jin arrived, Boras grabbed his chin.
‘I couldn’t react…? s.h.i.t, why’s he so fast?’
Although it was because he carelessly had his guard lowered, it was still very shocking. As Jin failed to contain his surprise, Garmund giggled, having already expected Jin to fail to react. Boras then examined Jin’s mouth.
Jin didn’t try to escape his grasp. He already knew how strong these beastmen were from the time Beliz grabbed him.
“Hey, Second Apprentice. Why’re you missing a molar?”
“It broke.”
“Hoh? How so?”
“If you would please let me go…”
Boras instantly let go, and Jin slowly explained why his molar broke.
That he had gritted his teeth too hard when he tried to approach Temar.
“Daaamn! That’s sick. Your teeth are stronger than most monsters’. You bit down on your own teeth enough to break them? You’re definitely some specimen…”
“...‘Specimen’?”
Jin glared at him, and Garmund nonchalantly whistled while looking in another direction. Boras chuckled and continued.
“No, no. You mustn’t do that. Hehe. Anyway, teeth are important. Hm… I guess you need a new one.”
Before Jin could even answer…
Crack!
Boras inserted his own hand into his mouth and plucked a tooth out. A large, sharp, round tooth.
‘What the fu…?’
Blood flooded his mouth. However, Boras was too busy showing off the tooth to care.
“Hey, look! These are the teeth that we boast about. Rocks, steel, even diamond—we can chew it all. Oh, of course, you need complementary bite force to support it.”
“I understand that Ill.u.s.trious Legend tribesmen have strong teeth. I watched Garmund eat sword sc.r.a.ps like chips. Anyway, why did you…?”
“Hahaha! Now, I will carve this in the shape of your teeth and ram it into your gum! Have some fun with Garmund. I’ll be right back.”
Boras gave a thumbs up and disappeared. He vanished so quickly that Jin didn’t even see an afterimage.
‘How should I interpret this?’
Surprisingly, Garmund didn’t think this situation was weird at all.
“Is putting that tooth in my gum even possible?”
“Nothing is impossible.”
“So you’ve done this before.”
“No? First time. Alright, alright. ‘Nuff talk. Let’s train. Shadow Blade 1st Technique, Soul Slash. I’ll show you.’
Shing!
Garmund drew a new sword and took his stance. Jin followed, not wanting to talk about teeth any more.
“Soul Slash is the beginning and end of the art of Shadow Blade.”
He had heard the same thing when learning spiritual energy release from Murakan. The beginning and end. Well, all fighting techniques were like that.
The basic swing in swordsmanship, the basic stab in spear-wielding, the basic punch in martial arts. Mastering the most advanced skills in any discipline was the basics with more steps.
“Don’t be surprised, Apprentice.”
Whoooooooosh!
Black smoke surrounded Garmund’s sword. Concentrated spiritual energy.
Garmund swung the sword here and there while constantly glancing at Jin.
‘I’m not a contractor, but I’m using spiritual energy. Why aren’t you surprised?’
Jin basically read his mind.
“I a.s.sumed Solderet distributed his abilities. If you couldn’t wield spiritual energy, then how would you be able to use Shadow Blade in the first place?”
“Ah, well, I guess so…”
Jin still felt a little weird. He never thought of someone other than him using spiritual energy.
“Just show me.”
Garmund licked his lips.
“Well, alright.”
The beastman’s eyes narrowed, and Jin could feel the concentration and power from a distance. Instinctively, he took about twenty strides backwards.
The sword constantly burned with black fire.
Its blade fell like lightning.
The black emission swallowed the empty s.p.a.ce.
Not even the ‘swoosh’ of the sword could be heard. Neither did the screech of metal blade to stone floor echo. For those that couldn’t wield spiritual energy had a fate of darkness sealed for them.
Crack!
After the move ended, the first sound was heard. A shockwave exploded from Garmund, and stone debris flew everywhere.
A blade mark that spanned about fifty steps long.
Garmund could only shake his head after completing the demonstration with unsatisfactory results.
“How was that?”
“Very quick, big, quiet, and strong.”
Jin answered calmly. However, deep inside, he thought of Luna’s Mind’s Blade: Blood Moon.
‘It looks like a mini-Blood Moon. However, it looks like it has a lesser physical toll. If I can use this successively…’
Those who were 7-star and below wouldn’t stand a chance.
“What I showed you was only fifty percent of its full power. Which is why Temar’s mark is twice as big.”
“But didn’t you say Soul Slash was the beginning and end of Shadow Blade?”
“I did.”
“Does that mean that, if I complete Soul Slash, the power is limited to a blade mark that’s only a hundred steps long?”
Garmund chuckled.
“That’s only if you complete Soul Slash. However, once you begin to master Shadow Blade, Soul Slash wouldn’t become much of a technique but an ability.”
“An ability?”
“Why do you think the first technique is Soul Slash? You can take the life of anyone who has less will than you. Even if their absolute power is greater than yours, they can’t evade the death of their soul.”
Jin couldn’t understand a single word Garmund was spouting. It wasn’t Jin’s problem at the moment, since it wasn’t an area that Temar or half the Fighting Legends couldn’t achieve.
“You have to learn how to combine your sword and spiritual energy. And you do that by—”
“There was one question I couldn’t answer when you asked.”
Other than his comments on the swing, Jin forgot to say one more thing.
“I’ve seen it. If it weren’t for Shadow Vacuum, I can mimic your action.”
“Hmm… Elaborate.”
Garmund no longer got surprised by Jin. He felt that there was nothing wrong with this kid doing amazing things.
Jin summarized his experiences; cutting through Myuron’s h.e.l.l’s gate and Goltep’s hammer. The beastman applauded.
“Yes! It’s exactly that feeling. Spot on. This vermin already felt Shadow Blade’s first technique while battling. Channeling your will by chanting…”
Garmund clapped his hands again.
“Alright, I understand now. I’ll show you again.”
There was no specific reason for the second demonstration.
In fact, Garmund learned more from his conversation with Jin. This time, he chanted some words as he focused.
‘I will cut through that. I can cut through.’
He repeatedly chanted those words, just as Jin did.
The black sword’s crescent swallowed the surroundings as it traveled, and Garmund successfully left a larger mark.
“Whoa! This is it!”
“Wait, aren’t you supposed to teach me? Isn’t this the opposite?”
Jin burst into laughter, and Garmund made an awkward smile.
“I’m actually more familiar with Glory Blade than Shadow Blade… The latter is much more… inefficient for me.”
He looked satisfied with his own excuse. He used his vocabulary very well.
“Are you speaking out of your a.s.s? Aren’t you the teacher?”
“We’re both learning. So shut up and overcome Shadow Vacuum. If you just do that, you’ll quickly complete the first technique. Then the Fourth Fighting Legend will be here soon.”
“I feel like I’m being scammed.”
“It’s just a feeling.”
“Then show me Glory Blade.”
Jin got more interested in Glory Blade than Shadow Blade.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not a Brethren.”
“I’ll tell the others that you learned about Shadow Blade from me.”
“You dare threaten me…? The Eighth Legend, Garmund?!”
Garmund screamed and stomped once on the floor.
Crack-crack-crack.
A crevice ripped across the floor instantaneously as the air got dense.
‘The pressure is definitely thicker than when he used Shadow Blade.’
However, it was all a bluff. It was akin to children throwing a tantrum when they got busted.
Jin glared back, and Garmund shrugged, as if he lost.
“Fine. Just once.”
“Good.”
Jin didn’t want to leave with only Shadow Blade under his belt.
—After your training with the Fourth Legend, you will train with normal warriors every day. Before that, make sure to take a good look at Glory Blade from Garmund.
—Couldn’t you just show me, Tantel?
—If a Fighting Legend shows you and G.o.ddess Vhan finds out, the cleanup is much easier.
Remembering his conversation the previous night, Jin really wanted to sink his eyes into it. He didn’t think the opportune moment would come so quickly, though.
“Now, I will show you the most basic move—”
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
From the other side of the training ground, someone was sprinting from far away, leaving a ma.s.sive dust cloud behind them. It was Boras, returning after working on the tooth.
“Unfortunately, I can’t show you, haha.”
“I will take a look.”
“You and I will no longer have time alone together. It’s not that I don’t want to show you, but it can’t be helped.”
“How childish.”
Boras basically teleported in front of Jin and showed him the small tooth. It was way smaller than when it was removed from his mouth; the perfect size for Jin’s mouth.
And with lightspeed hands, Boras instantly grabbed Jin by the chin again. Jin hung his tongue out.
‘I should learn agility from this one. Anyway, can I really just take someone else’s tooth like this?’
It felt a little wrong. But without a moment to reject, Boras was already pushing the tooth into his gum.
“Hehe, you’ll love it, Apprentice.”
Fwoop.
As soon as the molar hit his gum, roots grew from the tooth and planted itself into Jin’s mouth. About to grimace at the pain, Jin realized that the foreign object used mana.
‘This feels like using a rune page…!’
Magic was being used from the tooth. And surprisingly, the magic seemed to ‘transfer memories’.
The techniques of Glory Blade traveled from the molar and into Jin’s brain.
Translator – jhei
Proofreader – yukitokata