As soon as class ended, I headed straight for the physical training room.
Normally, I wouldn’t have even looked in this direction.
But right now?
My whole body felt like a heated furnace—restless, charged, overflowing with a strange excitent I couldn’t suppress.
Becoming a sword user... it had completely changed sothing inside .
The mont I pushed open the training room door—
"What brings you here, Louis?"
A booming voice greeted .
Professor Dominic stood in the middle of the room, casually lifting a dumbbell so massive it looked like it belonged in a giant’s armory.
Yet he raised it one-handed, with perfect posture, like it weighed nothing more than a pair of chopsticks.
...Is he even human?
Even from where I stood, the weight plates were enormous.
The floor beneath his feet was slightly dented.
He wasn’t just strong—he was monstrous.
I couldn’t stop myself from clicking my tongue softly.
Yeah.
He was powerful.
Unbelievably so.
"I ca to train, sir!" I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the adrenaline buzzing through .
The one who reacted to my sudden declaration wasn’t Dominic.
It was the man standing beside him.
A towering figure—easily two ters tall—with thick, green skin and muscles carved like stone.
An orc.
He tilted his head, then grinned widely at , exposing sharp, intimidating teeth.
Even standing still, he radiated a pressure that made the air feel heavier.
"What’s got into you so suddenly, boy?" he asked, voice rumbling like distant thunder.
"I just... felt like working hard today," I answered.
He raised a brow. "What kind of nonsense is that?"
No, seriously!
I did co here to train.
I wasn’t slacking or running away this ti.
I had changed—at least a little.
The new, disciplined Louis.
The hardworking Louis.
Or as close as I could manage.
"I an it," I insisted. "I’m here to train properly."
The orc stared at for a mont, then slowly nodded as if he finally understood sothing.
"I see..."
His eyes narrowed. "Dominic. I sense aura from this student."
Dominic turned sharply toward .
"What? Louis, you weren’t a sword user before. What’s this about aura?"
"I awakened today, sir," I said.
"...You awakened today?" Dominic repeated, eyes wide.
The orc crossed his arms, studying with interest—like he was examining a newly discovered weapon.
Of course he noticed imdiately.
Aura had a distinct presence.
Even faint, it was like a warm pressure swirling through my body—one that other swordsn could feel.
Louis Vonte, once called a genius swordsman.
A talent wasted, buried under laziness and excuses.
But a genius nonetheless.
And now that my dantian had broken through...
Every ti I swung my sword, the aura circulating inside would grow sharper, denser—purer.
The orc gave a satisfied nod.
"Hmph. Not bad," he rumbled. "Your aura is still unstable, but it’s real. And awakening it on the sa day you decided to train... seems like you’ve had a change of heart."
"Sothing like that," I replied quietly.
As the concentration of aura in my body continued to rise, I could feel a faint pressure building in my core.
Sooner or later, I would experience the next stage—
the expansion of my dantian.
Once that happened, I would begin stepping beyond ordinary human limits.
Louis Vermore, a guy who had talent in swordsmanship but no magical potential...
Now finally able to wield aura?
It ant sothing simple.
Sothing undeniable.
The talent I had buried all this ti, the potential that had been rotting away inside , was finally beginning to surface.
It was... exhilarating.
I was still lost in that realization when a deep, rumbling voice suddenly broke through my thoughts.
"Let ask you sothing."
I snapped my attention back to the Orc instructor—broad shoulders, tusks slightly chipped, eyes sharper than most humans I’d t.
"Which do you think is stronger?" he asked abruptly. "Magic? Or the sword?"
My mind paused.
A strange question, for sure.
Magic was powerful—devastating, even.
But if we were talking about potential...
About reaching the absolute peak...
Then there was only one answer.
The sword.
Because the mont soone beca a Sword Master—
that incomprehensible existence who could split mountains and distort space—
even Grand Archmages were hopelessly outmatched.
I didn’t hesitate.
"The sword, of course, sir."
For a mont, the Orc stared at .
Then—
"HAHAHAHA!"
With a booming laugh, he slamd his massive hand against my back hard enough to jolt the air out of my lungs.
"I like you!" he roared. "What’s your na?"
"Louis Vermore, sir."
"Well, Louis—" He thumped his chest proudly. "—I’m Lycan."
Lycan.
The Orc warrior known for surviving ten frontlines by brute strength alone.
A monster rumored to have fought even dragons as an equal.
And he was smiling at like he’d just found a new favorite toy.
"Tell ," Lycan said, leaning forward slightly. "Do you want to beco stronger?"
The question hit sothing deep inside .
Did I want to beco strong?
Not just average.
Not just "better."
But truly, undeniably strong?
The answer rose up before I could stop it.
"Yes! I want to beco stronger!"
Lycan’s grin widened—dangerous and wild.
"Good!" he bellowed. "Then follow !"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Before I could even blink, Lycan turned around and stomped off with the confidence of soone who expected to keep up—or get crushed underfoot.
A chill of anticipation ran down my spine.
Following him now...
ant stepping onto a new path entirely.
A path that would either break —
Or forge into sothing far stronger.
"...What are you two doing?"
Dominic’s bewildered voice echoed behind us, but Lycan didn’t even look back.
Like a newly enlisted recruit being dragged by his superior, I just followed him into the training room located beside the physical training grounds.
Dominic eventually trailed after us, still wearing that what did I just witness expression.
"I’ll observe you. Swing your sword once."
"Yes, sir."
I took my position and swung my sword the sa way I always did.
"Hm... no, no. At tis like this, raise this arm more."
Lycan imdiately stepped closer, adjusting my stance with precise, practiced movents.
Instant feedback—clean, direct, easy to apply.
Ah.
This feels... good.
It was strange.
Receiving Lycan’s personal corrections, feeling my movents becoming smoother and sharper in real ti—it sent a small thrill through .
Almost addictive.
To think I used to hate training.
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