“Why didn’t you lie to him?” Solomon asked. He looked displeased.

I lowered my sword and sighed. “Solomon, I didn’t come here to answer your questions. I’m here to train. Remember?”

Solomon’s expression softened slightly, but the disapproval still lingered in his eyes. “I can’t believe you would do something so reckless…”

It felt like weeks had gone by since my talk with Cyrus, but in truth, only a few hours had passed. Time in the Blood Realm moved at a slower pace. One hour in the real world was equivalent to one month in this domain.

I was disappointed in myself. I'd spent an entire day trying to learn sword aura and failed miserably. That's why I was here. I was going to train relentlessly until I saw significant improvement. Until then, I had no intention of leaving the Blood realm.

Unfortunately, my plans were falling apart. And it was Solomon's fault.

Since my arrival, he’d made it his mission to interrupt my training. It was his way of punishing me for what I did. He wasn’t pleased that I had divulged my true intentions to Cyrus.

“What can I do to get you to shut up?!” I growled, throwing my hands in the air.

I had reached my limit. Solomon’s incessant nagging had become intolerable. He was disrupting my focus at every turn. Thanks to him, precious days of training had slipped through my fingers.

“If you can give me one good reason why you told the boy the truth, I’ll drop the matter.”

“Really..? You promise to stop disrupting me?”

Solomon crossed his arms and nodded. “You have my word.”

I met Solomon’s gaze evenly, taking a moment to collect my thoughts.

I cleared my throat. “The reason I was honest with Cyrus is because he’s just a child. He poses no threat. Even if he tries to expose me, no one will believe him.”

Solomon shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment. “That’s hardly a compelling reason. Give me another one, but this time, try to make it sound more convincing!”

I could sense from his gaze that he was determined to make me look foolish. Unfortunately, I had no intention of giving him that satisfaction.

“Cyrus made it clear he didn't trust me,” I spoke calmly. “I figured if I told him the truth, I'd earn his trust... Or at least some of it.”

“Why would you want something as useless as that? He’s just a child! You have nothing to gain from him…” Solomon’s frustration seemed to deepen as he placed a hand over his face in a gesture of exasperation.

“Now that’s where you’re wrong, Solomon.”

“Please do tell! I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.”

A grin tugged at the corners of my lips as I leaned forward slightly. “The reason I want Cyrus to trust me is because he can become a valuable asset in the future. He’s undoubtedly a prodigy. We both witnessed his capabilities during our sparring match. His mastery over mana far surpasses his years.”

“The boy might have some potential, but that doesn’t make him trustworthy. What’s to stop him from stabbing you in the back one day?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. Once he realizes how serious I am about my goals, I'm sure he’ll support me.”

Solomon’s expression shifted from anger to confusion. “Huh?! What makes you think that?”

“A few days ago, I read a report and found out Cyrus witnessed the death of his parents. If there’s anyone who loathes demons as much as I do, it’s him. I know he wants revenge. Whether I get involved or not, Cyrus is bound to go down that road. I want to use that to my advantage.”

Solomon furrowed his brows. “How can you be so sure he wants revenge?”

“Because he has the same look in his eyes I once had,” I replied. The flame I’d seen in his gaze was burned into my memory. Just like me, he also had a reason to grow strong.

“You better be right,” Solomon said, leaning back in his fancy chair.

It seemed my words had managed to satiate him for the time being. The anger in his eyes had dissipated.

Phew… It seems I can finally start training!

Lifting my sword, I stared at the blade intently, contemplating the next steps I needed to take to manifest Leonis’s sword aura.

Despite Solomon’s disruptions these last few days, I’d managed to learn one important thing. The reason I wasn't making progress was due to how I had been condensing mana around my blade.

Instead of trying to construct a mana field around my sword, I needed to allow it to flow more freely.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I stepped forward and placed my hands together. “Hey, can you please conjure a tree for me?”

Solomon let out an exasperated sigh but complied. After snapping his fingers, a tree materialized a few meters away from me.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

I activated my artificial magic core and felt the familiar surge of mana spreading throughout my body.

With intense focus, I channeled my mana around my hands, guiding it to coil around the sword. Mentally, I regulated the process, keeping the particles condensed just enough to prevent them from dispersing as they wrapped around the blade.

As the mana gradually enveloped the surface of my blade, I found myself realizing the concept of free-flowing mana was much more challenging than I’d anticipated. Years of experience with barrier magic had hard-wired my brain to solidify mana instinctively. Now that I was doing the opposite, it felt odd.

Closing my eyes, I felt my mana reacting to the rhythm of my thoughts. It was a peculiar sensation.

Once I deemed that enough mana was flowing around my blade, I adjusted my stance, aligning my body to face the tree.

“I know I’m heading in the right direction, but I feel like I’m missing something…. But what?” I whispered to myself.

I fell into silence for a moment, hoping that some revelation would emerge from the recesses of my mind. However, as the seconds slipped away, I realized I was simply wasting precious time. Trial-by-error seemed to be the only path forward.

Narrowing my gaze on the tree, I shut out the world around me, focusing solely on the task at hand.

As I waited for the opportune moment to strike, an undercurrent of anxiety gnawed at my chest. Despite knowing that I was making progress, it felt excruciatingly slow. Which made me feel disappointed. Learning how to manifest sword aura was proving to be the toughest challenge I had ever undertaken. Everything else paled in comparison.

Let’s get this over with…

My eyes widened as I thrust my blade forward as hard as I could.

A slight fluctuation in the air caught my attention, but when I looked up, disappointment flooded my senses.

The tree was still standing, untouched by my attack. Another failure.

Clenching my fists, I cursed under my breath, frustration bubbling within me. Even with my mana flowing freely, the particles still dissipated in the air the moment I released them. It made no sense. I was certain I had followed the correct procedure.

There’s something I’m missing. There has to be… I’m sure of it…

“If you want, I can tell you what you’re doing wrong,” Solomon said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“If you’re gonna say something to break my spirit, don’t even bother… I’m already pissed off.”

Rolling his eyes, Solomon rose from his chair, making his way toward me. “The reason you’re failing is because you haven’t truly understood what Leonis did.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even though I’m not a swordsman, even I was able to comprehend the technique behind Leonis’s attack.”

My widened in disbelief. “And you didn’t bother to tell me?!”

“You never asked…”

Taking a deep breath, I attempted to calm my nerves. This wasn’t the first time Solomon had pulled something like this. He always knew how to push my buttons.

“So, can you help me out?” I asked, suppressing the anger rising within me.

I was exhausted. I felt defeated. And I was frustrated. All I wanted was to make some progress, and if Solomon was the only means to achieve that, I’d let him think he won.

Solomon nodded. “Well, since you’re asking, I don’t see why not… The simplest way to put it is, you need to control the mana as if it were a whip.”

“A whip?”

“Yes, a whip.”

I shook my head. “I’m confused.”

Solomon strolled past me.

“You need to treat the mana around your blade like a whip. While the mana is free-flowing at first, once you swing your blade, you must condense it and whip it in the direction you want.”

Rubbing my chin thoughtfully, I mulled over Solomon’s words. “I'm confused... Are you saying I'm supposed to condense my mana just before swinging my sword?”

Solomon nodded. “Yes.”

“That’s bloody insane!” I exclaimed. “To execute something like that in a split second is inconceivable.”

What Solomon was suggesting was absurd. Not the action itself, but the timing. He expected me to not only condense the mana around my blade but also direct it in less than a second. It felt impossible. I’d never met anyone with that level of control over mana.

With a weary sigh, Solomon walked back to his chair, sinking into it with a tired grace. “If you can't condense mana in a split second, you won’t be able to mimic Leonis’s attack. That’s the only way you’ll be able to produce the destructive force you need...”

“It’s over… There’s no way I can do that.” I could feel my shoulders slumping forward in defeat.

“I agree,” Solomon said. “As you are right now, there’s no way you’ll be able to accomplish a feat of that magnitude.”

“If you’re trying to make me feel bad, don’t bother… You’ve already succeeded.”

“I wasn’t finished speaking,” Solomon chuckled. “What I was trying to get at is, if you stop overthinking, I’m confident you’ll be able to pull it off.”

“Wait, what?!”

“The reason you’re not able to replicate the stab is because you think too much. You rely too much on your brain. Instead of planning, you should execute the attack purely on instinct, as if you were flexing a muscle. If you’re able to do that, the timing won’t be an issue.”

“Instinct,” I murmured, the word lingering on my lips as I pondered Solomon’s advice.

Even though I understood what he meant, translating that into action seemed like an insurmountable task. It was something only a genius could do. No, not just a genius, a genius among geniuses.

I simply don’t have the talent….

Mana had always been my weak point. It didn’t come naturally to me. Although my understanding had greatly improved in this new life, I had a long way to go.

If I were to compare magic to a mathematics exam, I was the kid who had to kill himself studying to pass the test. Unlike a true genius who could solve a problem by just looking at it, I had to memorize hundreds of formulas and then take my time dissecting the problem before answering it.

To be honest, it was the same with fighting. Despite my reliance on combat prowess to compensate for my magical deficiencies, my fighting skills were average at best. I was the farthest thing from talented. My greatest advantage was my wealth of experience from my past life. I’d seen countless battlefields, fought in numerous skirmishes, and narrowly escaped death more times than I could count.

I shook my head as I turned to Solomon. “I don’t think I can simplify such a complex process into an instinct. I’m not talented enough…”

Solomon twirled a lock of hair between his fingers, a pensive expression crossing his face. “I never thought I’d hear those words from you.”

“Sorry to disappoint…”

“Am I to assume your plans for revenge will stop?”

I shrugged. “If I can’t figure this out, then what hope do I have of defeating my enemies?”

Solomon sighed. “Don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“The oath you made after Cassius betrayed you.”

The world around me blurred into shades of red as the memory of Cassius’s betrayal burned bright in my mind.

“Why… Why did you say that scumbag’s name?!” I asked, letting out a shaky breath.

Solomon’s smile twisted my insides. “To remind you of your oath... Your promise to kill him… What happened to that resolve? Where is the man who thirsted for vengeance? Do you not want revenge anymore?”

The pain. The betrayal. The blood. My death… I remembered everything.

“I…”

“You’re what?” Solomon pressed.

“I still want revenge,” I replied.

“Good! Now come forward and pay attention. I’m going to teach you how to solidify mana out of instinct.”

Gripping my sword tighter, I took a step forward, determination welling up within me. “Show me.”

For a moment, Solomon remained silent, his gaze fixed on me as if assessing my resolve. “It won’t be easy… I’m going to make it hard. Very hard!”

“I don’t care. I’m ready for anything.”

“That’s what I like to hear!”

I could feel Solomon savoring my despair, but I didn’t care. He wasn’t my enemy. Thanks to him, my mind was clear. I could think straight again. I knew what I needed to do.

Before I could express my gratitude, Solomon snapped his fingers.

Without warning, a jolt of electricity coursed through my body, sending me crashing to the ground.

“ARRGH!”

Before I could recover, I was shocked once again. Just like that, I was back on the ground. Except now, I was throwing up.

As the spasms subsided, I wiped my mouth clean, struggling to regain my composure. Glancing up, I saw Solomon grinning wickedly, his eyes alight with amusement.

“What the hell was that?!” I yelled.

Solomon tucked his hands behind his back, circling me like a predator assessing its prey. “From this moment forward, I’ll be snapping my fingers every ten seconds. I won’t stop until you can replicate Leonis's attack.”

The mere thought of enduring another shock of electricity sent a wave of fear coursing through me. My body wasn’t equipped to handle such assaults. It felt as though every nerve in my body had been set on fire. A few more of those shocks, and I was certain I’d lose consciousness.

I felt a shiver run down my spine at the intensity of Solomon’s gaze. He was dead serious, and I knew better than to underestimate him.

Snap out of it! Now isn’t the time to be scared… I should be focused!

Clutching my fists, I forced myself to stand, refusing to show any signs of weakness. If enduring this hellish trial was what it took to master sword aura, then I was ready to face the challenge head-on.