L.E. Miranda
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SSR - Chapter 22: Tightening the Noose (2)
🕑 Added 2025-01-02 15:15:01 +0000 UTCRylan sat on his bed, shirtless and alone. His deep breathing carried a certain rhythm. All of his attention was focused on the whirlpool of mana revolving around his Mana Core. Mana flowed into it from the atmosphere, at a much faster pace than before. However, there was no need to feel proud of his progress. Based on Roland’s standards, he was still a long way from becoming adequate.
As the mana unceasingly flowed into him and joined the whirlpool, he felt himself getting stronger, bit by bit. From the maelstrom, it circulated throughout his whole body, bathing his muscles, bones, and blood vessels. He let out another deep breath. Only a small part of his focus was on his surroundings.
Some time passed.
The moment he detected Sarah’s presence, he opened his eyes and stopped gathering mana. He let it circulate freely, feeling the strength and power it granted him. Rylan grinned. Sarah knocked on the door.
“I’m here, my lord.”
“Come in,” he replied.
The door opened and the maid strode into the bedroom. She bowed.
“Good morning, young master.”
He nodded.
“Good morning, Sarah. Have a seat.”
As usual, she sat on the stool next to the chair. The two of them talked until breakfast arrived, ate in silence, and headed toward the soldiers’ training grounds. They arrived after greeting the several groups that guarded Rylan’s bedroom’s wings. All guards, without exception, had smiled and returned his greeting. He nodded with a grin. It seemed like his actions were having an effect.
The first person they met when they arrived at the training grounds was Scott. The man smiled and bowed.
“Good morning, master.”
Jack approached them as well. The other soldiers waved at him while smiling. He honestly found it preferable to being treated like he was a god like the soldiers usually did. With a bow, Sarah went to sit in the same spot as always.
“Alright, let’s get started,” Rylan said.
The soldiers nodded. After everyone had put on their armor, they started the same routine of running before training. As he ran, Rylan paced his breathing perfectly, trying to see how much he had improved. After a couple of laps around the estate, he started to feel the strain he had become so familiar with. However, a single System notification fueled his determination.
[Endurance has increased by 1.]
He smiled. No amount of training was wasted.
They ran a few more laps before returning to the training grounds. The soldiers started their weapons training under Rylan’s watchful guidance, before he picked up a sword himself and walked forward a bit to give himself space.
I need to adapt the sword styles in my memories to this body.
He had made good progress with the Second Imperial Swordsmanship, but the Stormcaller Sword Style still felt a bit out of reach. His body struggled to keep up with his skills and memories. Rylan let out a small sigh as he stared at his reflection on the blade. Still, he was confident that the Stormcaller Sword Style would show up in his Status Window as a Skill soon. Of course, using it properly was another matter altogether.
Throwing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he started moving. Everything else disappeared. At that moment, all that existed were himself and his sword. Moves and techniques were connected seamlessly as he pictured an invisible enemy, as usual. Over and over, he kept trying to execute the Stormcaller Sword Style’s movements, mixing them with the Second Imperial Swordsmanship’s, which was much easier to use. The seconds ticked by as his body made sure to remind him of just how painfully far away he was from Roland’s level.
However, Rylan didn’t let his body’s exhaustion and weakness slow him down even in the slightest. His mind worked on overdrive, piecing together all of Roland’s knowledge to figure out a way to use his current self’s abilities in the most effective way. The time he could spend moving and training was limited by his body and the demanding nature of his techniques; it meant that he needed to truly think about how to use the seconds of training he had.
Like this? No, this isn’t it. I need to be faster. Like this, then…? No, that isn’t it, either.
As the seconds ticked by, his whole body screamed at him to let it rest. He persevered. Everything hurt and ached. His limbs felt as if they weighed hundreds of kilograms. In the end, he stopped just before he went too far. Rylan let his awareness extend itself to the world around him once more. He turned around.
All of the soldiers were watching him unblinkingly, while Sarah stared at him from her position. He smiled, shaking his head.
“Back to your training, all of you.”
The soldiers blinked, looked at one another, and smiled. As they returned to their own training, Rylan looked at the sky.
Today was a good day of training, as usual.
***
Time passed by slowly.
Every day, Rylan woke up before five in the morning, ate with Sarah, and then trained with the soldiers. He guided their swordsmanship and exercises. Over time, the most talented soldiers started to have a grasp of the Second Imperial Swordsmanship. Simultaneously, he made his body get used to various beginner styles that he had created as Roland. Out of them, he focused the most on the Stormcaller Sword Style. It was still the most effective Style for his current self.
In the training ground, Rylan whirled. His sword divided the air around him as he cut and stabbed without a single wasted movement. His attacks flowed seamlessly into the next in a perfect dance as he moved around. Sometimes, his slashes were heavy and powerful, and other times they were as fast and accurate as a lightning bolt. These fast attacks became more prevalent.
In such a fashion, two minutes passed by.
Rylan stopped moving. His muscles screamed at him, but they were uninjured. His body shook with exhaustion. Nevertheless, he stood tall. As the other soldiers stared at him with wide eyes, he opened his Status Window.
Status Window
Name: Rylan Flameheart
Level: 13
Race: Human (F)
Class: Mage
Profession: none.
Trait: Weak-willed
Stats
Strength: 16
Agility: 15
Endurance: 18
Body: 17
Intelligence: 27
Wisdom: 23
Free Points: 20
Active Skills
Magic Missile (F), Stormcaller Sword Style (S), Mountainpeak Swordsmanship (A), Second Imperial Swordsmanship (B), Falling Snow Steps (A).
Passive Skills
Mana Core (First Circle)
Hybrid Skills
Sword Mastery (Master)
Titles
Novice Mage; Wastrel; Good-for-Nothing; Reincarnator, Swordmaster.
As he had planned, he was continuously increasing his physical stats through training and saving up his Free Points. The ideal scenario would be to reach his very ceiling without needing to use his Free Points since stats were easier to increase through hard work when they were lower, but he knew it wasn’t feasible. It would take him years of constant training to get to that point, and he only had one more week before needing to handle Evenon. Apart from meditating to gather mana and training his body, he had also studied in the library and talked to Gerard. His goal was to understand Mages more and prepare himself to fight against one. Using Roland’s training method was the fastest way to regain his strength, but he would also need to learn magic eventually.
I’m glad my family is resourceful.
It would have been much harder to train and eat well if he were a commoner struggling to make ends meet. The Flameheart family wasn’t particularly rich or influential in the grand scheme of the political stage, but they were still nobles. Gerard still didn’t trust Rylan enough to give him any more money, but he still supported him by allowing him complete access to the facilities themselves. Most importantly, he had time.
He looked at his Intelligence and Wisdom stats, which had been raised by his leveling, since his Class was still Mage. If the System was truly the same as his past life, he would have the opportunity to change it at Level 25. He turned to his Skills.
It seems the System won’t recognize all of the Styles in my memories unless I make an effort to adapt them and use them in this life.
Based on his memories, his Status Window should have been filled with hundreds of different swordsmanship styles and Skills, but that wasn’t the case. Still, he was confident that he could quickly adapt the weaker styles and make them his own.
He turned to his new Title.
Swordmaster.
It was a Title that he hadn’t expected to acquire so soon, but it also made sense, given his memories. Roland had only obtained it after many years of training, fighting, and striving to get it. Its effects were simple but powerful; it allowed one to have a higher understanding of swordsmanship and to learn about it faster. It was sorely needed if one wanted to master several sword styles and continue to grow.
Lastly, he looked at his Trait, furrowing his brow. Why was it still the same? He was sure that he had done enough to change it by now. It undermined his progress, making him desire to give up at every moment. It was only through the change that Roland’s memories had brought that he had persevered.
Is the System telling me that I haven’t changed enough?
It was a bothersome situation. He frowned. What else did he need to do? He was already training and striving to be different. Roland’s Trait had changed from Prodigy to Complete Prodigy after a lifetime of learning and training. After devoting his whole being to becoming more powerful than he was yesterday, Roland’s Trait had followed suit. It had been the result of insurmountable effort and determination. Most importantly, it happened over time.
I guess I need more time.
He would prove to the System that he no longer deserved this Trait. With burning eyes, Rylan turned to the soldiers; they were all staring at him without blinking, as they did every time he trained. This time, he didn’t need to say anything. They returned to their own training with determined expressions. He smiled. Near him, Jack had also stopped to watch him. Rylan spoke loudly.
“You’re all improving. I’m proud of you.”
Some soldiers puffed up their chests, while others smiled. There was no trace of sarcasm or distaste in their actions or expressions. Rylan knew that he had proven himself to them, despite his past. His actions and skill had spoken for him. He looked down at his open hand.
The shaking is almost gone.
As he strengthened his body and became more capable of sustaining the mana circulation, the withdrawal effects became easier to manage. Every day, he met up with Aelfric to talk about them. As he thought of his brother, his expression darkened. As expected, Aelfric was struggling. They had done too much Dust and Glamour together; it was incredibly difficult to escape this lifestyle. Rylan had succeeded because his past life had fundamentally changed him, but Aelfric wasn’t in the same circumstances. There was no magic spell that could help him overcome this instantly.
At this time, Aelfric was still sleeping. Rylan made a mental note to head to his brother’s bedroom after the training was over. After some thinking, he spoke.
“Five Points into Strength, five Points into Body, and ten into Agility. I’m sure.”
The System didn’t ask for confirmation. Barely an instant later, his body heated up. He turned his attention inwardly, but he hadn’t yet developed Roland’s sixth sense. It was too hard to grasp the changes, but he could distinctly feel his muscles acting up. All over his body, they moved and rippled. There was no pain, even though they were growing stronger by the second. Soon, the process was over. Rylan clenched his fist, gauging his power. The sword felt much lighter than before.
His exhaustion had disappeared. He needed to know his exact limits, as his stats had increased significantly. He tightened his grip around the sword’s handle. He started to move. Just as he had moments before, he wielded his blade with impeccable skill. Some of the soldiers stopped to stare at him as they had, while others tried to copy his movements. Soon, he reached his very limit. It was his current ceiling.
Three minutes.
He nodded to himself. The improvement was palpable. Within him, his mana circulated, reaching every corner of his body. It mended the minuscule tears in his muscles, making them stronger. Next, he should continue to improve his Body stat in order to be able to use the mana empowerment for longer. Strength, Agility, and Body were connected; it was why he had increased them together, focusing on Agility. In a battle, speed was king. Even if one lacked the power to pierce through the enemy’s defenses, as long as they were faster, one would be able to escape.
I can only use a single Sword Art.
If he tried to do any more without rest, he would collapse. Only one technique was his current limit. Yet, it was much better compared to when he couldn’t use any. He was much better prepared to face Evenon.
He continued swinging his sword at a slower pace, pushing his body. The soldiers in the training ground trained with renewed enthusiasm. A few even let out shouts. Rylan smiled. After some time, he stopped, letting his mana flow throughout his body and help him recover. He focused on correcting Jack and the other soldiers.
“Scott, your base is unsteady. Daniel, your thrusts need to be faster.”
Time passed by quickly. Once the sun reached its peak, Rylan walked up to Sarah, sweating so much that it looked as if he had thrown himself in a lake, but with a smile on his face. She handed him a canister full of water. He drank with relish as she stared at him. He stopped and spoke.
“I’m going to Aelfric.”
She nodded.
“Please let me accompany you, young master.”
“Alright.”
Gerard was still coming to terms with Rylan’s story, so Sarah’s orders were still the same. She followed him wherever he went. Truthfully, he had gotten used to it. He knew she wouldn’t force her way into the bedroom to listen to their talk. Her attitude had also softened up considerably. She still didn’t like him, but she didn’t seem to despise him anymore. He didn’t know if it was related to whatever Gerard had told her.
Together, they made their way to Aelfric’s door. In front of it, Robert stood stiffly. The moment he laid eyes on Rylan, he flinched before hurriedly bowing. His voice shook.
“M-My lord, what a pleasant surprise. Master Aelfric is inside.”
Rylan simply nodded as the man stepped out of his way. There was no need to remind him of what Rylan had told him; it was clear that the threat was still on his mind. Maybe the man would have dismissed a threat from his past self, but not now. Rylan knew that most of the workers in the estate, including the personal attendants, were aware of his training. Even if they couldn’t fully grasp the changes, it had become obvious that Rylan was different.
He entered the bedroom.
Comments
EsZeus
Ahhh I thought the trait was at the titles down below. I completely overlooked the trait in the middle hahaha
