Strongest Swordman’s Re:START

CHAPTER 28 – FINAL LESSON PART 1

“Merc, congratulations on reaching adulthood1.”

“Thank you, Master!”

It was currently the day after the Accolade. Merc had risen early to visit her Master.

She hadn’t come to inform her about her Accolade; rather, it was one of her training days, which she had every other day.

Merc had discovered, however, that despite residing in a separate location from the village, Rosemary had already received the news of her becoming an adult.

“Since you’re an adult that means that you are now allowed to leave the village. From what I remember, you wanted to leave the village and become an adventurer, correct?”

“That’s right. I want to join a party as a Healer.”

“Haha! Have you ever seen a party with a Healer capable of taking down a Ghezo Velche on their own?”

Rosemary2, who rarely laughed, couldn’t contain herself on this occasion and burst out laughing. Even Iriem, with whom Merc had partied up before, couldn’t have taken down a Ghezo Velche by herself.

She was unmatched when it came down to killing Velche though…

“However, if that’s what you’ve chosen, you’re free to go ahead and do it. Given that I was the one who taught you Healing, I can’t complain… I’d like to say I’ve taught you everything, but there’s one more thing I need to show you.”

“What is it?”

“First answer this. Is it true that the Ghezo Velche wounded you?”

“Oh? Given that I didn’t inform many people, I’m surprised you’ve heard, Master. That’s correct. I had Mana Hardening wrapped around my body, but it had also used Mana Hardening on its claws.”

“I see.”

Merc remembered telling a villager about her struggle with the Ghezo Velche during the feast, but she never expected that the information would reach her Master. After hearing Merc’s reply, Rosemary thought for a bit and then went to a room in the back.

After a while she came out holding a drawn sword.

Merc was able to tell that the sword was nothing extraordinary with her trained eyes. It didn’t have any engravings or unique features, unlike Jonahim’s sword and Elea’s spear. It was most likely your run of the mill sword.

“Merc, Mana Hardening!”

Rosemary yelled and swung the sword down at Merc almost instantly.

Merc quickly hardened her mana and repelled the sword, despite her Master’s actions being somewhat startling.

She had only been able to do it because her entire body had been coated with Mana from the start. It was something that she had gotten used to doing as part of her Mana Manipulation training.

Her head would have been split in half right now if she had started manipulating her Mana straight after Rosemary’s prompt. Luckily, Merc had been able to avoid it.

“I see. Your hardening speed is top class. You were also able to instantly adjust your Mana output based on the power of my swing. I guess your Mana Hardening gets a pass… Merc. Keep your Mana Hardening as it is and don’t move.”

Rosemary said, then walked up to the deflected sword and took it up again, swinging it horizontally this time.

“Urgh…”

Merc’s cheek bleed as soon as the sword passed over it. Merc’s Mana Hardening was broken through.

And the reason for that was quite simple. Rosemary had wrapped the blade in mana, which she had then hardened, just like the Ghezo Velche. That was how she had managed to graze Merc’s cheek.

“Hmph. Try raising the hardness to the limit.”

“Okay.”

Rosemary swung her sword once more, but this time she was stopped. Merc’s Mana had more toughness than Rosemary’s hardened sword.

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“Can you keep that hardness when covering your whole body?”

“Yes.”

Merc sent the Mana throughout her body after being asked, guaranteeing that no one could cut her no matter where they tried. It used a lot of Mana, but Merc’s Mana pool allowed her to keep it going for a while.

Furthermore, she wasn’t expending the Mana; rather, she was simply coating herself in it. If needed she could return it inside her body.

“Hmph. You’re just a bit off.”

“Huh?”

“Merc. Try looking at the Mana covering the sword I’m holding.”

Merc turned around to face the sword at Rosemary’s request. She could clearly see Rosemary’s Mana around it.

Mana, itself, was colorless. It would appear translucent white if one were to describe it. That, however, was only visible to those who were skilled in magic and not something that the average person could see.

Rosemary’s sword was likewise covered with a translucent white Mana. Even if Rosemary hardened it, it would keep its shape and color, making it difficult to detect if it had been hardened at all.

However, if one notices a Mana wrapped weapon in such a setting, they can be assured that the Mana has been hardened.

“Look closely now.”

Rosemary said. The sword’s color altered slightly immediately after that. To be more accurate, it was the color of the Mana that changed, not the sword.

“Huh?”

In an instant, the seemingly translucent white Mana transformed into a lovely translucent red. The sword itself was visible, but it appeared hazy because it was covered in red rather than white.

What in the world is this?!

“Are you ready? Don’t move, okay?”

Merc didn’t move a muscle, as she had been told.

Rosemary swung her sword horizontally again, but this time the tip of the sword did not graze Merc’s cheek. It only cut through the Mana that surrounded her like a knife cutting through butter.

No way!

Merc’s hardened-to-the-point Mana had been sliced through like paper, with no resistance. Merc couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.

“Phew… I haven’t used a sword in quite a while. I’m glad I didn’t cut you.”

“Master, what was that?”

“This is known as Mana Tempering. It’s a more advanced form of Mana Hardening.”

“An advanced form of Mana Hardening…”

Merc could now see why her Mana Hardening had been so easily broken through, despite the fact that it had been hardened to the limit.

If she looked at it another way, that meant that if she could cover her entire body with Mana Tempering, even if her opponents employed Mana Hardening, it wouldn’t make a difference.

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“Mana Tempering necessitates even finer Mana Manipulation control than Mana Hardening. Only a handful of Magicians can use it. To be honest, not many people are aware of its existence3.”

“Master! Please teach me!”

“Fine then. Today’s lesson will focus on that. If you learn it today, I won’t have anything else to teach you and you’ll be free to go.”

“Okay!”

Merc responded enthusiastically after hearing her Master say that. However, Rosemary’s mouth curled into a smile shortly after.

“However, keep in mind that you will be expelled if you do not learn it before the end of today. In any case, today is your final lesson.”

Robinxen: SHE DID WHAT ALREADY?! Robinxen: Oh apparently Rosemary’s name stuck, because the translator is doing it without me changing it in editing now. Robinxen: They really are just casually dropping a power up that even the great hero party didn’t know about?