Rare treasures like ancient relics were not easily obtained.
They were precious items, and this one was already half-destroyed from a previous attack.
It was obvious to anyone that another strike would surely shatter it completely.
"Stop him! Protect the relic!"
"I’ll hide in the shadows tonight!"
Yi Han chanted another spell.
As his figure disappeared into the darkness, the attackers gritted their teeth in frustration.
This priest was no ordinary nuisance.
Earlier, he had blocked their attempt to take down the mage, and now he was proving to be a thorn in their side once again.
"He knows how to fight. He must be a battle priest assigned as the mage’s guard! I’ll handle him myself!"
The leader of the attackers, misunderstanding the situation, rushed toward the relic.
He couldn’t afford to let things go awry by leaving it unattended.
"Move!"
Yi Han, while running, threw an iron ball he had received from Professor Voladi and began chanting a spell.
For novice mages, casting spells in such a tense situation was usually a taboo.
Even skilled mages could fail under pressure and excitement, let alone beginners.
A failed spell could result in a backlash of magical energy or self-injury.
But Professor Voladi hadn’t bothered to warn Yi Han about this.
"A battle mage must face such challenges. No need for warnings. They must overcome it themselves."
As a result, Yi Han, unaware of the dangerous gamble he was taking, continued chanting.
Surprisingly, the gamble paid off.
As Professor Voladi had assessed, Yi Han’s abilities shone brightest in moments of crisis.
Pat!
The iron ball, enchanted with a low-level control spell, floated into the air.
Normally, such a spell would make the ball move weakly and slowly, but Yi Han’s immense magical energy infused the ball with power far beyond the spell’s usual limits.
"Go!"
With Yi Han’s will, the iron ball shot forward like an arrow.
In the darkness, and with Yi Han invisible, reacting to the sudden attack was no easy task.
Thud!
One of the pursuing attackers was sent tumbling backward.
"Be careful! He’s using hidden weapons!"
"He’s skilled in combat! Stay alert!"
The attackers drew their swords and went on high alert.
Yi Han, while retrieving the iron ball, felt a tingling sensation in his brain.
His body was running, but his mind was focused on controlling the ball.
"Focus... I must focus!"
Professor Voladi might have been a madman, but his words held truth.
Real combat truly sharpened one’s skills.
Yi Han was experiencing this firsthand.
Controlling the ball in a life-or-death situation was far more effective than spinning it in a classroom.
With each moment of sending, catching, spinning, and resending the ball, Yi Han felt his control improving.
"!"
Yi Han suddenly noticed a metallic taste in his mouth.
Licking his lips, he realized blood was dripping from his nose.
His magical energy was fine, but his mind was being overworked.
Crack!
A flash of sword light split the iron ball in two.
The enemy leader had struck at the perfect moment.
"Focus on his footsteps! You can find him by his footsteps!"
"Damn it. I was so close."
Yi Han glanced at the ancient relic, just a few meters away.
If he could just reach it and destroy it, but the remaining three attackers were blocking his path.
"I smell blood. Follow the scent!"
Yi Han realized that delaying any longer would put him at a disadvantage.
Despite his training, his lack of real combat experience made him no match for his opponents.
He had to strike first while he still had the upper hand.
A sword swung, and blood splattered.
One of the attackers, caught off guard by the sudden attack, collapsed.
"Over there!"
Whoosh!
The attackers scattered something from their sleeves—a glittering powder.
Yi Han didn’t know what it was, but he guessed it would disrupt his invisibility.
Without hesitation, he rolled away.
"Damn it!"
Even after scattering the glowing powder, the attackers couldn’t find Yi Han.
He was proving to be more troublesome than they had anticipated.
"Stay calm. As long as we don’t let our guard down, we won’t be caught off guard."
The leader spoke with a wary voice.
Even with invisibility magic, movement would inevitably make noise.
If they focused, they could detect him.
"Where did he go?"
But there was no sound.
The scent of blood they had detected earlier was also gone.
Thud!
"?!"
"This bastard...!"
Another attacker fell as Yi Han struck from the shadows.
The leader finally realized how Yi Han had masked his scent—he had pretended to move away but had instead hidden near the blood spilled by the attackers.
The leader couldn’t help but admire Yi Han’s cunning.
This guy had a real talent for combat.
No amount of training could teach such quick thinking.
"Move!"
"Huh?"
At the sound of a spell being chanted, the attackers ducked their heads.
The leader shouted sharply, "Idiots! It’s a fake spell!"
But it was too late.
The last of his subordinates fell.
Instead of anger, the leader smiled strangely and drew his sword.
"It’s been a while since I’ve faced an opponent like you. I am Garakse."
Yi Han didn’t respond.
Garakse nodded as if he had expected as much.
If Yi Han had been the type to let his guard down and answer, he wouldn’t have been able to take on so many opponents in the first place.
"You think I can’t see you because of that cheap magic."
Clang!
"But you’ve already started to become visible."
Garakse’s words weren’t empty boasts.
Yi Han was surprised by the precision of Garakse’s sword strikes.
"You can hide your scent, but you can’t hold your breath forever."
"...!"
He was tracking my breathing?
Yi Han was stunned.
He had heard that skilled swordsmen could surpass human limits, but this was beyond imagination.
Garakse’s sword began to fill the air, each strike flowing seamlessly into the next, gradually restricting Yi Han’s movements.
His swordsmanship was akin to the "Scattered Sword" style—not the "Illusion Sword," but the "Scattered Sword," where each strike dispersed and filled the space, limiting the opponent’s options.
Yi Han countered with his own sword techniques, but Garakse’s skill was a step above.
With each clash, Yi Han felt himself being pushed further into a corner.
If not for his invisibility, he would have been overwhelmed instantly.
The impact from each clash was immense.
Yi Han recalled what he had heard about skilled swordsmen—they didn’t just rely on physical strength but could channel their magical energy into their swords, unleashing power beyond mere physical force.
Garakse was clearly doing the same, as each strike sent shockwaves through Yi Han’s body.
"I’ll force my magical energy into the sword too!"
Yi Han resolved to do the same.
Since awakening to magic, he had become much more adept at manipulating his magical energy.
He began to channel his energy into his sword, just as he would when casting a spell.
Bang!
"!?"
Garakse was startled by the sudden change in Yi Han’s attacks.
"What’s with this guy?"
Yi Han’s swordsmanship was impressive.
For Garakse, who had faced and defeated many swordsmen across the empire, to acknowledge this meant Yi Han was truly skilled.
Moreover, Yi Han’s mindset was commendable.
Many who prided themselves on their swordsmanship would recklessly charge at a stronger opponent and quickly fall, but Yi Han was different.
He recognized Garakse’s strength and switched to a defensive stance, something not everyone could do in a life-or-death duel.
But Yi Han was still outmatched.
Even with his decent swordsmanship, he couldn’t compete with Garakse’s ability to freely channel magical energy into his sword.
Yi Han’s style relied on heavy, powerful strikes, which should have overpowered Garakse’s lighter, scattered style.
But without the strength advantage, Yi Han had no chance.
...
Yet, suddenly, power began to surge into Yi Han’s sword.
Power that overwhelmed Garakse!
What’s going on?
"Was he hiding his strength? What’s his game? Why hold back?"
Garakse, who had been calm, now felt a pang of panic.
A swordsman who could channel magical energy into their sword had no reason to pretend to be weak.
The opponent he thought he had cornered now felt distant.
"Is this right?"
Yi Han, pouring his magical energy into the sword like a madman, also had doubts.
This was the opposite of everything he had learned about swordsmanship.
Swordsmanship wasn’t just about swinging; it required anticipating the opponent’s moves.
But now, Yi Han was abandoning all form, focusing solely on attack.
"Is this really the right way?!"
And Yi Han’s doubts were justified.
This wasn’t normal swordsmanship.
Channeling magical energy into a sword wasn’t about mindlessly pouring it in; it was about circulating the energy through the body and the sword.
The strain and fatigue from such a process were immense, but Yi Han was just expelling his energy without cycling it.
It was a self-destructive technique that could cause him to cough up blood and collapse.
If Yi Han hadn’t been invisible, Garakse would have immediately noticed how extreme his stance was.
But the invisibility magic was messing with Garakse’s mind.
He couldn’t figure out what was happening!
If he had stayed calm, he might have had a chance, but Garakse was now frantically defending against Yi Han’s relentless attacks.
Crackle-
"?"
Yi Han, who had been overwhelming his opponent, suddenly heard an ominous sound from his sword.
At first, he thought he was imagining it, but it was real.
"... This is bad!"
The sword, unable to withstand the magical energy, was beginning to break.
"What kind of cheap sword is this?!"
The swords the attackers were using were actually high-quality blades renowned across the empire, but Yi Han didn’t know that.
He mindlessly complained without considering the amount of magical energy he was pouring into the sword.
"I’ll finish this before it breaks!"
If he reduced the energy now, he might lose the upper hand.
It was better to go all out.
Yi Han resolved to end it in one strike, pouring his magical energy into the sword like a madman.
In response, Garakse gritted his teeth and drew another sword—a blade made of black-purple stone, known for its ability to absorb magical energy.
Drawing this sword against a fellow swordsman was humiliating, but he couldn’t afford to lose.
"I’ll crush you!"
At that moment, a crack echoed, and Yi Han’s invisible sword became visible.
Rough magical flames took the shape of a sword, and a bizarre attack, neither aura nor magic, flew through the air.
Boom!!!!
Even the black-purple stone sword, capable of absorbing magical energy, was useless.
The attack struck Garakse like a tidal wave.