Return Of The Strongest Player

Lucas had unlocked Sword Aura.

It was a shocking moment, as Sword Aura took years upon years to achieve. Then again, the man with wheat-colored eyes had undergone rigorous training since he was young, resulting in such a surprising incident.

A shrill scream escaped Aditya's lips, and blood burst from his chest in massive quantities. His face paled due to lack of blood circulation, and the flames around his body dissipated in an instant.

Many players rushed to his rescue. Even during such a shocking moment, the spectating players wished nothing more than to expand their influence by helping Aditya, the son of a Divine Ranker.

They were aware of the possible benefits they might receive.

Lucas's body released silver light for a few more seconds before it began fading away into nothingness. His eyes lost their shine, and his mana was dispersed into nature. His body lost all majesty.

Lucas fell to the floor, huffing and puffing as if it were difficult to breathe. His lungs were compressed, while his heart beat at a rapid pace. As the silver aura dissipated, the pressure on the spectators lifted.

This was a clear victory for Lucas.

Not only had Aditya been rendered unable to fight, but his opponent had also achieved something greater. Sword Aura was not something a beginner could achieve, and was mastered through years of hard work.

It was the manifestation of one's will, combined with one's mana. Mana was soluble within one's will, and when the former completely mixed with the latter, it formed a manifestation known as Sword Aura.

Each person possessed a different color, which depended on their personality traits and type of will, along with the strength of their mana.

Arthur let out a sigh, realizing how far behind he was to true geniuses. He was simply a man armed with knowledge and skill that had deteriorated in potency ever since he merged it with another skill.

His advantage was great, but heaven-defying talent could not be defeated by knowledge.

'Sword Aura before even attempting the first floor…' Arthur muttered internally, commenting on how crazy the situation was. Arthur hadn't even managed to achieve Sword Aura in his former life, focusing solely on magic.

He excelled at magic.

However, balance was key. Tilting towards one aspect of power was the mistake he would rectify in this life.

'My magic is plenty advanced, and only needs a higher quantity of mana,' thought Arthur. Magic required a large mana reserve, which he did not possess yet. His mana was the perfect amount for a sword-wielder.

Achieving a larger mana reserve was one of his reasons for being involved with Ferhill. Colluding with Ferhill solely for the purpose of earning tokens was too much risk for a comparatively lower reward.

Lucas glanced at the screaming Aditya, cracking a smile at the latter's pain. Then, with a scoff, he calmly exited the training ground. Although he seemed calm, it wasn't difficult to sense his overflowing excitement.

'Such naivety.'

Arthur stood up, unsheathing Skofnung. He delayed it due to the entertaining show, but his objective was to train. He planned on obtaining something similar to Sword Aura, but a degraded version.

Lucas's battle was simply inspiration for Arthur's training.

Since Arthur hadn't perfected the realm of swordsmanship, his inspiration and creativity in the aspect was lacking. Observing other swordsmen was necessary. And, since Lucas somehow managed to unlock Sword Aura, it provided Arthur with an epiphany.

He simply needed to harness it.

Approaching a straw puppet, Arthur drew a deep breath, pausing for two seconds before releasing it. Then, a crimson aura emanated from his body, creeping from his feet all the way to his head.

Suddenly, the gazes of the players turned to face the crimson-eyed man.

Even Lucas halted his footsteps, turning around as he adopted an expression of amusement. The aura was definitely powerful, much more than regular players. Although it still lacked potency, it could almost rival Aditya.

Lucas's gaze fixated on the crimson-eyed man. His irises narrowed, and he crossed his arms to spectate the phenomenon that seemed to be occurring. Several dots flickered beside Arthur's body.

His body drowned in such dots, until they compressed into a single orb, which then consumed Arthur's body.

The orb was malleable, as it gradually adjusted to the shape of the crimson-eyed man's body, providing his clothes and skin an orange tint. Suddenly, black flames emerged from the ground. The black flames assumed the shape of tubes, after which they revolved around the crimson-eyed man, treating him as their Sun.

Arthur was in a state of ecstasy.

[Your epiphany is being realized.]

[Your mind is accelerating.]

[User's inspiration has been consumed.]

[User's inspiration is being transformed into momentum.]

[Momentum is strengthening the user's will.]

[User's mana is mixing with the user's will, creating an unknown energy.]

'Yes. Continue.'

[User's body is overheating. User's body cannot contain the momentum, resulting in excretion.]

[Momentum is being excreted.]

[67% of the momentum has been excreted. 33% of the momentum has been realized, contributing towards the process of the mixture.]

[Mana is merging with the user's will.]

Arthur's eyelids grew heavy. He bit his lip, digging into his soft flesh to cause pain. Pain was the remedy to sleepiness. Blood dripped from the crimson-eyed man's lips, and his body shook violently.

[The mixture is being processed.]

[User's body is having difficulty absorbing the mixture.]

'I can't achieve Sword Aura this time,' Arthur gritted his teeth. Then, he bashed his head on the ground, desperate to prevent himself from fainting. Fainting would render the epiphany and the process worthless.

'I can't faint.'

'I can't faint.'

'I can't faint.'

Soon, such thoughts degraded into mumblings.

'Faint.'

'Faint… can't.'

'I faint.'

Then, Arthur's mouth clamped shut. Shivers shot down his spine, after which his entire body was filled with a sense of invigoration. Only, the sense of invigorating was too powerful for his constitution to contain.

If Arthur was not concerned about fainting, this would have been the perfect opportunity to strengthen his constitution.

Alas, there was a time for everything.