NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: (1)
“Haha, kid! Yeah, go ahead and ask,” replied Uncle Jeff eagerly.
“Well… it’s a bit of an odd question, but can you learn different Aura Manuals after already learning one?” Kaiyan’s heart pounded as he asked his question.
Considering Uncle Jeff’s experience as soldier, he was likely to possess detailed knowledge about Aura Manuals. Kaiyan felt fortunate to have someone in the same barracks whom he could ask such questions.
“Hmm? Of course, that’s possible,” nodded Uncle Jeff, as if wondering why Kaiyan asked something so obvious.
“Great. That’s a relief,” Kaiyan said, his voice filled with relief. This issue was crucial to him.
If it were impossible, it would mean that he would have to learn intermediate-level or higher Aura Manuals from scratch, even if it took a long time. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he spoke up again.
“Auras absorb mana into their bodies and accumulate it. So, if the Aura Manual changes, what happens to the existing Aura?”
“Well… it doesn’t matter. It’s just a difference in how Aura is accumulated. Aura doesn’t change according to the Aura Manual. Oh! I’ve heard that there are Aura Manuals like that in the Mareon Empire… but you don’t need to worry about it.”
“…I see. Thanks for resolving my curiosity!” Kaiyan unintentionally expressed his gratitude in a loud voice, overflowing with gratitude.
The statement that the existing Aura would continue to exist even if he learned a different Aura Manual reassured him. That meant there was no need for him to struggle and learn intermediate-level Aura Manuals that required a lot of G from the beginning.
“Haha! Why did you suddenly ask about Aura Manuals?”
“Just because I’m learning swordsmanship, I became interested. Haha… well, I’ll go continue my training.”
Hearing Uncle Jeff’s words, Kaiyan couldn’t contain his joy and burst into laughter, hastily leaving the barracks.
“Hehe…” As soon as he stepped outside, the laughter he had been holding in burst out. Worried that someone might hear it, he covered his mouth with both hands and laughed for a while.
“I can learn Aura too!” The fact that he could learn Aura made him ecstatic. If he had to accumulate Aura again when the Aura Manual changed, he would have given up learning today’s Aura Manual for the sake of the future. But now that he knew he didn’t have to do that, there was no reason to hesitate anymore.
“Shop window! Lowest grade.” He immediately opened the shop window and carefully examined the lowest-grade Aura Manuals one by one. Just as the Halen Aura Manual and the Gabien Aura Manual were different, even among the lowest-grade Aura Manuals, there must be one that suited him better.
“Not this one… Ah, this one…” After searching through the list of Aura Manuals for a while, he found the one that was most suitable for his current situation.
[Maeslin Aura Manual: Lowest grade Aura Manual, a failed Aura Manual created by Maeslin, obtains a small amount of Aura by killing living beings, Aura expert limit] [180G]
“This one…!” He didn’t know who Maeslin was or why this was a failed Aura Manual, but what mattered was the fact that he was in a war zone. Killing living beings to obtain Aura? Monsters were undoubtedly living beings, and he was a soldier who killed those creatures. If he could obtain Aura just by killing monsters, there was no better Aura Manual for him.
“Maeslin Aura Manual… Purchase.” He made his first purchase using the shop. As he eagerly anticipated how the Aura Manual would be transmitted, information about the purchased Maeslin Aura Manual flowed into his mind. His head was filled with a considerable amount of information, making it throb.
“So that’s how it works.” After some time passed, basic information about the Maeslin Aura Manual, such as how to accumulate Aura and how to convert mana from living beings into Aura, was fully imprinted in his mind. It felt strange, like using swordsmanship based on instinct.
“I’ve finally learned Aura.” His heart pounded as if it were about to burst. An immense sense of accomplishment washed over him. He wanted to try using the Aura Aura Manual right away, but according to the information in his mind, it would be difficult to use it there.
“Aura… I can learn it too!” The feeling of joy overwhelmed him. If he had to accumulate Aura again due to a change in Aura Manual, he would have given up learning today’s Aura Manual for the sake of the future. But now that he knew he didn’t have to do that, there was no reason to hesitate anymore.
“Let’s calm down.” To pacify his excited heart, he drew his sword and swung it wildly. Whoosh!
“Now, if only I have swordsmanship skills…” Becoming a knight seemed like a somewhat impossible goal, but now, he believed he could achieve it. Sweesh-
“I can do it.” The biggest problem, Aura, had been resolved, and now all that was left was to grow through monster hunting.
“The shop window must have items that can make me stronger.” To him, the shop window was like a treasure trove. If they sold Aura Manuals that were considered difficult to obtain, the other items must be amazing as well. He wanted to gather G right away and purchase player items as well as various other items. The problem was that he was running out of G.
“I have plenty of time. And as long as I have the player system, there’s no need for me to become a noble’s underling.” Why did people want to become a noble’s underling? Perhaps, for the majority of people, it was because of money and power. But…
“I don’t need those things. I just need to kill monsters.” He no longer had a reason to bow down to nobles and fawn over them. He had lost any desire to do so.
“Before this war ends, I will become stronger than a knight. No one will be able to mess with me carelessly!” His ultimate goal remained unchanged. He would grow to the point where he was untouchable and kill all the monsters with his own hands. To achieve that, he couldn’t afford to leisurely grow in this war zone. Crack. Gripping his sword tightly, he made a firm decision.
“I’ll use everything I can.”
**** ****
Player Awakening, 7th day.
Whoosh! The war bugle echoed throughout the Great Plains, signaling the start of the battle. Boom! Boom!
“Kuwaaaak!” As always, countless monsters rushed toward the Allied Forces. And witnessing those monsters, the soldiers of the newly reinforced 600-man unit, instead of the original surviving 200 soldiers, began to express their unease.
“Phew… let’s not be shaken.”
“Of all things, it had to be a special unit…”
“We must have bad luck…” The experienced soldiers started to worry, joining the unease of the new recruits.
“Ah… this is going to be a big problem.”
“Seems like we shouldn’t have replenished the personnel.”
“It’s going to increase the casualties.” The potential casualties were significant. The newcomers’ anxiety added to the worry of the experienced soldiers.
“It’s starting to look bad…”
“We’ll only trust Captain Kaiyan. Please lead us like you did yesterday.”
“That’s right! We’ll follow you, Kaiyan!” The soldiers responded to reassure themselves, believing that Kaiyan was a reliable comrade who would increase their chances of survival. Taking deep breaths to calm their nerves, they loosened the tension in their bodies.
At that moment, the ground trembled severely, and the monsters’ roars echoed. Boom! Boom!
“Wow, we have to face these damn monsters! Let’s shout together!”
“Charge!!! Attack!”
“Waaah!” “Keep shooting arrows!” The Allied Forces rushed forward, shouting as if they would not surrender to the monsters. In war, momentum is half the battle. If you lose momentum and go on the defensive, the soldiers won’t be able to demonstrate their true abilities. On the other hand, if you have the upper hand in momentum, the courageous soldiers will exceed their capabilities.
“Uncle Jeff! See you later!”