The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth C.47: The Magic Competition (1)

A genius sorcerer appeared in the magic city of Azor. The amount of magical power he possessed had already reached that of an intermediate sorcerer, growing at an unprecedented rate even more than any existing Grand Sorcerer. There were rumors that his talent might even surpass Kaye Aesir, known as the strongest sorcerer, possibly rivaling even the original Seven Elders who spread magic at the dawn of time.

...Of course, such didn’t really happen. In a secluded corner of the underworld, an event capable of turning the city upside down had taken place, and Bargo Sira, the first witness, was itching to talk about it.

I must bring him to my side. It’s astonishing that such an extraordinary individual hasn’t aligned himself with any guild.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

What magic books do we have in the store? No, I should make him join the guild instead. I need to persuade him before he gets any older and he sets his mind.

Caught in this dreamlike scenario, he even dreamed the notion of being able to tame a beast.

"Are you asking me to join your guild?"

"Yes. How about participating in the upcoming competition? We will provide you with all the support we can."

"Hmm...."

"We have a 5th class magic book obtained from the previous magic competition. If you join our guild... we would be willing to offer it to you for free."

"What is the name of your guild?"

Bargo answered as if he had been waiting for this question. "We are known as the Ulkas."

"That's an interesting offer. Indeed, acquiring a 5th class magic book in Azor is not an easy task. However, I'll need to think about it a bit before joining a guild. I'll look into it more and decide."

"Of course. But I guarantee you won't find another guild like ours in the magic city, considering both our accomplished sorcerers and our reputation. You won’t be disappointed," Bargo asserted confidently.

However, Karyl merely smirked in response.

Such confidence from a small guild I can hardly remember. Must be because of the Wooden Cloud. Well... At least I gained something. I could confirm he's connected to Baker.

"What kind of magic books can I find here?"

"Please, feel free to choose," Bargo replied, confidently drawing back the curtain of the bookshelf.

Looking over the densely packed collection of magic books, Karyl lightly skimmed through them. "These are 4th class magic books."

"We also have magic books of a lower class. If you need anything specific, please let me know. We have a wide range of books covering every element."

"Hmm." Karyl calmly took out Wind Magic: Blades of Wind from the shelf.

Although it was a 3rd class magic, its lethality was exceptionally high, which made the magic association not handle it.

"It seems you do indeed have a wide selection. This one, in particular, is quite rare to come across."

"We actually have more than what is on display here. I am confident that you will be satisfied."

"If the quality is really this good, joining your guild may not be such a bad idea after all." Karyl said, smacking his lips slightly.

As expected. Bargo Sira thought it was just as he had predicted. He bet no one could resist the allure of the array of magic books laid out before them.

"Then, could I make one more request?"

"What is it?"

Karyl tapped the magic book he was holding lightly and smiled ambiguously.

***

Karyl handed over a stack of books to Mikhail, who was waiting for him in the square, almost as if he were flinging them at him.

"Huh?" Mikhail was taken aback, not because he didn't understand what was handed to him, but rather because of the unexpectedness of the gift.

"These are magic tomes. Your element is wind, right?" Karyl asked, noticing Mikhail's puzzled expression.

"Yes, that's right, but... did I mention that to you?" Mikhail asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Karyl just chuckled at the question. "When is the competition?" he inquired.

"It's in a week, from what I’ve heard," Mikhail replied.

"And who's hosting it?" Karyl continued.

"The Immortal Council."

Karyl gave a nod, seemingly satisfied with the information. "Since this is your first application, you'll be starting at the Beginner level, hmm... Learning up to 3rd class magic should be enough for that."

The competitions were divided into three levels: Beginner, Expert, and Master. Beginners were typically newcomers, mostly apprentices who had joined a magic guild less than two years ago, with their magic mostly limited to 4th class or lower.

"You have a week to master them," Karyl instructed.

"A week?" Mikhail couldn't hide his astonishment as he held up the thick magic tomes that Karyl had given him.

Competitions at the Expert level were for those officially recognized as 4th class or higher. There was even a Master level competition, where the grand prize was a tome containing three original spells created by the Council of Seven Elders.

Unfortunately, no champion, regardless of affiliation with the Dawn or Immortal Council, had been able to master those spells. As a result, the Master competition had become somewhat legendary, with very few participants in recent years, and thus the Beginner competition remained the most popular.

"Please, don't talk nonsense," Mikhail retorted, dismissing the absurdity of the request.

Despite being a swordsman, he had agreed to participate in the magic competition at his employer's request.

Now he wants me to learn magic?

Even though he had never formally learned magic, Mikhail knew that mastering even the most basic spell could take months.

"Aidan will help you. He might not be a sorcerer, but his control is quite good. Right?" Karyl mentioned casually.

"Ah... Yes?" Aidan responded in surprise.

Considering the timing and Aidan's magic level, he was likely around 3rd class. Unfortunately, even when Aidan later founded the intelligence agency ‘Astra’ on Olivurn's command, his magic never progressed beyond 3rd class.

If he had been able to combine his swordsmanship with 4th class magic, he might have become the first assassin to achieve the rank of Sword Master.

"How can I..." Aidan was at a loss for words.

"You don't need to teach him everything, just the basics. He'll figure out the rest on his own." Karyl spoke as if he knew Mikhail better than Mikhail himself, causing his expression to harden.

With Aidan's background in assassination, he probably knows a lot more practical skills than most sorcerers.

"How can I..." This time, the speaker was someone.

"First, let's assess your current magic level. How many meridians have you opened?"

"Currently, I've opened three. I can sustain 1st class support spells, but using 2nd class spells drains my mana too quickly." Mikhail answered cautiously.

"What do you think?" Karyl turned to Aidan, who then shifted his gaze back to Karyl.

"With one mana meridian open at birth, you can sense magic. When two open up, you're at 1st class. Three, and you've reached 2nd class, right?"

"That's correct."

"But reaching a class doesn't mean you've mastered it. It's just a starting point for what you can use."

"..."

"You've opened three meridians. While it's impossible to forcibly open more, mastering 3rd class magic should be feasible, don’t you think?"

"That's... difficult," Aidan Hamill hesitated.

It was an unconventional suggestion. Under normal circumstances, he would have confidently disagreed, but Karyl's intense gaze made him miss his chance to object.

Why is he asking me? Surely he doesn't know...

There was indeed an unorthodox method known as Magic Transformation, a secret technique from Aidan's homeland, the Burning Darkness. It was taught alongside body transformation techniques by his mentor, Zouk de Holde. Opening mana meridians was no easy task, so they learned to twist and condense their own elemental magic to temporarily boost their class.

This technique, made for an assassin like Aidan, was too risky, and he had never used it in actual combat.

The reason you, who only reached 3rd class, were able to hold your own against Sword Masters was not only due to you being an assassin adept at exploiting openings but also because you could momentarily wield a 4th class Mana Blade.

Having witnessed Aidan survive countless battles, Kary nonchalantly mentioned, "I heard that, unlike the Empire, in the Eastern countries people learn to transform their magic."

"Ah... yes. There is indeed such a secret."

"Can you do it?"

Aidan couldn't find a way out. Damn, he knows something. Well, fine. Just because someone knows how to perform Magic Transformation doesn't mean they can master it easily...

With a slow nod, Aidan decided to play along. He'll give up after floundering around with just the basics.

Besides, there's only a week left. Children from the Burning Darkness are selected at a young age and undergo rigorous training. Mastering the secret technique required years of dedicated practice, making it seem impossible to learn it so quickly.

"I am indeed familiar with such a technique," Aidan admitted with a smirk.

"Good. It was wise to bring you along. Now, teach Mikhail."

"Understood."

Whether Karyl sensed Aidan's reluctance or not, he seemed pleased with the arrangement.

***

"What do you think?"

Aidan Hamil’s mouth hung open in disbelief as he witnessed the scene unfolding before him. Mikhail, the one who had just performed the feat, looked equally astonished.

"H-How... how is this possible..." The cross-section of the severed tree was as clean as if it had been sliced with a knife. The spell he had cast was a third-class wind-type spell, Blades of Wind.

"...It works?" Mikhail muttered, staring at his own palm in disbelief, as if he found the situation absurd.

Honestly, I'm amazed. I knew of his talent from my previous life, but I couldn't gauge just how extensive it was since he hadn't actually learned magic...

Mikhail was a true genius, and that was the only way to explain it. In Karyl’s previous life, such a talented individual had died without ever realizing his full potential.

If he's this capable... He could definitely be a part of the unit Karyl was planning for the future. And there’s bound to be others like Mikhail that I don't know about.

To avoid repeating the mistakes of his previous life, Karyl had to forge a new path in the present, and talent scouting was one way to do it. That was why Karyl had chosen Mikhail.

"It must be because he has an excellent teacher, isn’t that right, Aidan?"

"Ha... Haha... Yes." Aidan responded, his expression caught between laughter and tears.

This is utter madness. How is this even possible? Not in a week, but to achieve 3rd class transformation in just three days.

Aidan wanted to shout in bafflement, but he restrained himself having read Karyl's mood.

"But... Mr. Karyl, you said you're also participating in the competition... Does that mean you are competing as a beginner like me?"

"No." Karyl chuckled, pulling out a red envelope from his pocket.

At the sight of the envelope that was stamped with a deep blue seal, both of them widened their eyes in surprise.

Expert.

It was an official recommendation for the competition from the Ulkas Guild.