A Disaster-Level Assassin Has Been Freed

Chapter 133: Aura Cultivation Method (2)

Why did swordsmen learn Aura Cultivation Methods?

Because they aided in advancing one’s level.

‘More precisely, they help with Accumulation.’

The usual methods—ordinary physical training or insights gained from the heightened focus of real combat—were too grueling, time-consuming, and dangerous, so people sought easier, more efficient ways.

I had heard that since the art of the ‘Aura Cultivation Method’ emerged, the number of Graduates, previously a rare few, had increased significantly.

Yet, this book denied the purpose of Aura Cultivation Methods from the very start.

‘If an ordinary swordsman read this, they might call it nonsense and slam the book shut.’

What was the dream of most swordsmen?

To become a Graduate.

But to be told not to even think about learning this Aura Cultivation Method before reaching Graduate level—wouldn’t they argue it was completely backward?

Of course, I wasn’t like that.

Since I, along with the top 30 of Godok, had all reached Graduate without the aid of a cultivation method, I didn’t feel discomfort at the author’s words.

‘There must be a reason for saying that.’

Sure enough, an explanation followed.

I nodded and carefully read on.

[As everyone knows, the Aura Cultivation Method has become an essential skill for swordsmen to accumulate Aura. I, too, initially thought there was no reason to reject it. Building energy through physical training alone is inefficient and requires considerable time depending on one’s talent. Of course, the results of an Aura Cultivation Method vary greatly depending on one’s sensitivity to energy, but I believe it’s sufficient to advance an ordinary Sword User to Expert, and an Expert to Graduate.]

[The problem is that relying solely on an Aura Cultivation Method from the start to advance one’s level causes significant issues later.]

‘Significant issues?’

My interest was piqued.

Swallowing hard, I began reading faster.

[It seems few consider this important, but beyond Accumulation, the Aura Cultivation Method has another equally critical use: the focus and movement of Aura.]

[Ordinarily, concentrating Aura by moving it to specific body parts is an extremely difficult skill. Since ancient times, the 6 Aura Concepts have designated ‘Concentration’ as the stage just before ‘Manifestation.’ Some enthusiasts even say that concentrating Aura is as challenging as moving the muscles in your arm to your leg or the muscles in your abdomen to your chest.]

[However, the Aura Cultivation Method drastically lowers this immense difficulty through the concept of ‘Aura Circulation.’]

‘Aura Circulation?’

My curiosity grew.

My knowledge of Aura Cultivation Methods was no different from that of the average person, viewing them merely as tools to quickly accumulate Aura.

So, the unexpected concepts of Aura movement, concentration, and ‘circulation’ left me slightly bewildered.

[What is the principle of Aura Cultivation? It involves absorbing the energy of the world through breathing and binding it so it doesn’t escape with exhalation, allowing it to accumulate within the body.]

[So, how do you hold onto that energy? This is where the concepts of Aura Hall and Aura Road come in.]

[By forcibly breaking through the body’s blockages that hinder Aura movement and creating a smooth, well-paved road, energy can flow freely. The flowing Aura accepts the energy brought in through breathing, absorbing it like a river swelling with rainwater, and traps it in the Aura Hall.]

[The problem arises here.]

‘I’m glad I listened to Professor Gabone Emans.’

I nodded.

If I had read this outside, I probably wouldn’t have made it to Marzen yet.

I’d likely have read the book cover to cover, and not stopped there—I’d have tried practicing the Aura Cultivation Method immediately. That wouldn’t have been wise. As I’d been told, practicing an Aura Cultivation Method could lead to disaster if attacked mid-session.

But that was irrelevant now.

Casting aside stray thoughts, I quickly read through Delkaro’s Aura Cultivation Method, and soon, I had read three-quarters of the book.

I realized that the author’s opening statement wasn’t wrong.

‘The author wanted to warn that choosing a method too efficient and convenient could lead to a lack of fundamentals.’

There was no issue with the method of absorbing energy through the Aura Hall and Aura Road.

However, relying on the Aura Road for Aura movement and concentration had significant flaws: it could turn you into a half-baked swordsman, only able to move energy along well-paved ‘roads’ and unable to direct it elsewhere.

Of course, a well-paved road itself wasn’t bad. Compared to trudging through rough, dense mountains without a path, riding a horse on a proper road was far faster.

If the destination for your energy was on the road, or if the path to the place you wanted to concentrate Aura was clear, the Aura Cultivation Method would be immensely helpful.

But what if building a road to the place where Aura needed to be concentrated was impossible?

What then?

If you were already accustomed to the road, would you give up on sending energy there?

Or would you belatedly try to send it slowly through unfamiliar, non-road paths?

I nodded, realizing the author was cautioning against becoming so accustomed to the Aura Road that one couldn’t concentrate Aura in areas without it.

[Of course, most would counter my words, saying that the Aura Road created through the Aura Cultivation Method covers most of the body. If you pave a path through the body’s center and to extremities like hands and feet, there’d be no issue wielding swordsmanship.]

[That’s wrong.]

[It might hold true if you’re content with Graduate, but to reach the Sword Master level, that slight difference will grow into a vast gap. You must be able to send Aura well to areas without an Aura Road, concentrate it in parts the road doesn’t reach, to coordinate with more muscles, perform freer movements, and embrace greater possibilities.]

[Thus, I say again.]

[If you’re below Graduate and trying to learn this cultivation method, stop immediately. Especially if your ultimate goal is Master.]

“……This Aura Cultivation Method is perfect for me.”

I muttered to myself.

I didn’t know about others, but I agreed 100% with the author.

Of course, the benefits of learning an Aura Cultivation Method far outweighed the drawbacks, but I had no intention of tolerating even the slightest flaw.

So, even if I had seen this book before becoming a Graduate, I would have obediently closed it as the author advised and focused on physical training until I reached that level.

‘But I don’t need to do that now.’

I nodded again.

Having far surpassed the Graduate level, there was no reason to close the book. On the contrary, I wanted to master the Aura Cultivation Method as soon as possible to accumulate more energy and create more efficient paths within my body.

Of course, diving fully into the world of the Aura Cultivation Method would come after finishing the book.

I began to take interest in the remaining one-quarter of the content I hadn’t read.

‘The first three-quarters seem to cover everything already, so why is there more?’

I grew curious.

The book’s structure so far was as follows:

Introduction (Thoughts on the Aura Cultivation Method)

Breathing Techniques

Aura Road (Twenty Major Pathways, Blockages at Each Junction)

Aura Hall

Aura Movement, Concentration, and Recovery Through Circulation

Miscellaneous

The remaining one-quarter.

From this table of contents, it seemed there was nothing left to cover, so why was there an additional one-quarter of content?

‘I can’t hold back.’

There was no need to, either.

I had already perfectly memorized the earlier content with superhuman focus.

Licking my lips, I quickly turned to the next page.

And there, another note from the author.

[To learn the content that follows, you must meet one of two conditions.]

[First, you must have reached the peak Graduate level, on the verge of becoming a Master.]

[Second, you must believe you possess talent among the top five on the continent.]

[If you attempt the following without meeting these conditions, you risk severe injury, becoming crippled, or even death. Consider carefully.]

“……”

It wasn’t easy.

Truly, this book was not an easy one.

What did it mean by the peak Graduate level?

I didn’t know exactly.

But I could guess. I had met a Sword Master and fought those nearly at that level.

‘Probably those just shy of Master, lacking that final step. Among those around me… perhaps the Mercenary King Austin is at that level?’

I nodded instinctively.

I had once mistakenly thought we were on par, but now I knew. If he unleashed his full strength, I was still far behind.

‘I don’t meet the first condition.’

It was regrettable.

But it was the cold reality. I was still just a fledgling with a long way to go. Others might be shocked to hear me say that, but that’s how I saw myself.

What about the second condition, then?

Did I possess talent among the top five on the continent?

“……Well, I’ll find out by trying.”

I muttered nonchalantly.

Some might call me reckless.

They might sincerely advise that training should be steady and patient, like stacking stones, even if it feels urgent or anxious.

But I didn’t think that way.

The place where I grew from age 5 to 20 wasn’t kind enough to allow slow growth.

In that environment, those who couldn’t grow strong quickly were all weeded out and left the world.

‘It’s the same this time.’

I nodded.

The road ahead was long.

Heitz, the Red Magician, the Village’s General Manager, and whatever forces lay behind them.

To defeat them all and protect myself and my connections in Marzen, I needed to grow stronger far faster than I was now.

With that thought, I opened the back pages of the book and saw an unexpected sentence.

[Create the Aura Hall not in the lower abdomen but in the heart.]