[Claude POV]
Combining the light spell with my sword mastery enabled me to attack Ghislaine with increased speed, the momentum of my strike amplifying the potential damage.
Or so I thought...
She blocked the attack effortlessly, using the force to propel herself backward and neutralize the momentum of my sword. My attack—which had seemed so promising in my mind—barely registered as a threat to her.
So this was the true power of Sword King Ghislaine Dedoldia.
A rank directly under Emperor, one of the highest achievable power that a person could reach in this world. Based on the knowledge stored within my converged memories, even the Sword God title holders were essentially the strongest Sword Emperors of each style.
They were the only ones who held their respective titles, and if someone stronger defeated them in a challenge, they would be demoted back to Sword Emperor. But did that mean the Sword God title holder was truly the strongest?
No, there were definitely others with no interest in formal titles who possessed even greater strength. Which meant those holding the rank of Emperor represented the pinnacle of power—or so I believed.
As someone just below Emperor rank, Ghislaine was stronger than ninety percent of humans in this world. If she could be even slightly affected by my new technique, it would definitely prove effective against warriors below King rank.
Time to try another approach...
"Amazing!" I called out, readjusting my stance. "Try my other magic now. Time Square!"
In that moment, I realized something fundamental—I no longer needed to fear the Human God, that void existence that had once caused me such anxiety. Now that the need to hide from extraterrestrial beings had vanished, why was I still holding myself back? What purpose did concealing my capabilities serve?
I wasn't someone who cared about beings that only tried to save their own existence. The time for overthinking had passed.
Unleash it!
Unleash everything and grow stronger!
I cast aside any lingering fear of mysterious entities and focused solely on what truly mattered—surviving that damned dungeon that lay in my future!
...
[Narrator POV]
It happened like a shaken soda can suddenly uncapped—a violent burst of compressed carbon dioxide erupting outward.
Claude's mana suddenly expanded, bursting outward and flooding the surrounding area with tangible magical energy. It was unlike anything Rudeus had ever witnessed. Even Ghislaine, with all her experience, had never encountered such a phenomenon.
Mana Burst.
A rare occurrence in which bottled-up magical energy violently expands beyond its vessel.
Not since the Laplace War five hundred years ago had such an event been documented. When a mana burst occurred, the wielder's potential reached an entirely new threshold.
Which meant...
Rank up.
"Just an advanced rank and this is what happens?" Ghislaine murmured, her usual stoic expression giving way to fascination. "What an amusing kid..."
"Ru... Rudeus, is this something that usually happens to a mage?" Eris asked, her voice trembling slightly as she instinctively stepped closer to her tutor.
"I... don't know," Rudeus answered, his face a mask of bewilderment.
He could perceive the materialized mana with his uniquely sensitive magical sight, and the pressure it exuded was beyond anything in his experience. Even Roxy's mana had never materialized in such a way, and she had already been a Saint-ranked magician when she taught him.
Despite his own prodigious magical talent, Rudeus couldn't generate the same overwhelming presence with his mana.
"Materialized mana... this is also possible, huh," Rudeus mumbled, processing this new information that challenged his understanding of magical theory.
The dramatic scene opened a new horizon in Rudeus's thinking. Meanwhile, Claude—who had stopped overthinking and surrendered to the moment—gave a wide smile.
As if responding to his joy, the ambient mana in the surroundings began to dance in harmony with the energy flowing from his body.
"HAHAHA! This is fun!" Claude burst out laughing, the sound almost unnaturally exuberant.
As his laughter echoed through the training ground, time seemed to slow to a crawl for a fraction of a second.
Fire, water, earth, and wind magic materialized around the Sword King, forming perfect elemental spheres that orbited her like miniature planets.
"What is this?" Ghislaine's surprise at the sudden manifestation was evident, but her experienced eye quickly assessed the attack.
"Weak..." With a single, fluid slash of her sword, she dispersed the surrounding spells into harmless magical residue.
As the adrenaline surge that had sustained Claude faded, his consciousness wavered. The exertion of the mana burst, combined with the magical display, had depleted his reserves. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground in a heap.
Approaching his unconscious form, Ghislaine sighed and nonchalantly grabbed his collar, dragging him away with surprising gentleness despite her rough manner.
She never understand what kind of spell this 'time square' was, but the fact that he can unleash all the spell at once, albeit being weak is something that she will know when the spell is maturing enough.
...
"This child's body is a wreck," the doctor pronounced after examination. "Is he your disciple, Sword King?"
"Is?" Ghislaine questioned, noting the doctor's choice of words.
"Yes, I can see clear evidence of the damage throughout his physical structure," the doctor clarified, his experienced hands moving methodically over Claude's unconscious form. "Several wound marks have been forcibly healed by healing magic—amateur work, too green to be effective, leaving more scarring than necessary. Not to mention his muscles show signs of chronic overexertion..."
"I see. I assumed the twitching muscles resulted from Claude's sudden mana burst," Ghislaine remarked thoughtfully.
"Mana burst?" The doctor's eyebrows rose. "That's an unusual term... I believe I've encountered it in my late teacher's texts."
"Oh? You have knowledge of this phenomenon?" Ghislaine's interest was piqued.
"Well," the doctor began, shifting into a scholarly tone, "it was termed 'Mana Burst' precisely because it describes what happens—magical energy within the body literally bursting beyond its natural constraints. Historical records indicate it occurred occasionally during the conflict five hundred years ago, among the heroes who fought in that war. At that time, Laplace, the Magic Demon King, possessed the most formidable mana reserves in the world. No one could rival him in that regard—but he was born with that extraordinary capacity."
"I see..." Ghislaine nodded slowly.
"Which raises the question," the doctor continued, "what about those born with more modest mana pools? How might they increase their capacity to the point where they can utilize spells beyond their natural ability?"
At that moment, Rudeus interjected, "Huh? Can't we simply enhance the mana pool through consistent training from an early age?"
The Boreas family's esteemed physician turned his attention to the young magic prodigy, studying him with renewed interest.
"That's theoretically possible but practically improbable," the doctor countered. "No human can begin formal magical education from birth. It's never been successfully documented. Perhaps training could begin around age three, but can you imagine teaching complex magical grimoires to toddlers? Even adults struggle with those texts."
"That's... a fair point," Rudeus conceded.
"There are also unproven theories from university scholars suggesting that a 'Laplace factor' might exist within certain individuals, predetermining their maximum magical capacity. But that remains speculative." The doctor redirected the conversation. "Now, returning to our original topic."
"I cannot provide an answer to your earlier question, Doctor," Ghislaine admitted. "Throughout my extensive career as an adventurer, I've encountered countless mages, yet none have experienced or even mentioned this mana burst phenomenon."
"Understandable," the doctor nodded, "since there's been no documented case in the last five centuries. No one has trained their magical potential to such extremes since that era."
"So a mana burst occurs when one reaches their limit and somehow transcends it?" Rudeus asked, his analytical mind working quickly.
"Precisely," the doctor affirmed.
"I see," Rudeus murmured thoughtfully.
"Does this mean such an event could recur?" Ghislaine inquired.
"Theoretically, yes," the doctor answered. "However, according to the texts I've studied, it rarely happens more than once or twice in an individual's lifetime. After the initial mana burst, the person typically possesses the potential to reach Emperor rank. No historical figure has ever achieved God rank through this method."
"It can happen twice?" Rudeus's eyes widened with interest.
"Yes. Historical accounts suggest the first occurrence typically elevates a person to an Intermediate rank mana pool, while the second propels them to Saint rank."
"So it's essentially a mechanism for unlocking dormant potential," Rudeus surmised.
"Correct, young instructor," the doctor affirmed.
"However," his voice grew grave, "there are also documented cases where subsequent mana bursts resulted in the individual's... explosive demise."
"Wait, what?!" Rudeus exclaimed.
"Those who attempted to forcibly induce additional mana bursts often perished when their bodies couldn't contain the unleashed power," the doctor explained grimly.
"Such catastrophic failures occurred with alarming frequency, eventually leading to the prohibition of deliberately induced mana bursts. Over time, knowledge of the phenomenon faded into obscurity."
After hearing the doctor's explanation, Rudeus could only nod thoughtfully, while Eris and Ghislaine—clearly lost amid the technical discussion—simply mimicked his gesture to feign understanding.
"Well, leaving that aside," the doctor continued, returning his attention to Claude, "is this truly an eleven-year-old's body? These scars clearly came from encounters with monsters... What kind of life has this young man been living?"
"You can ask him yourself when he regains consciousness," Ghislaine stated bluntly. "It's not as if I know him intimately. This is only my third time meeting him."
"He's your childhood friend, isn't he, Rudeus?" the doctor turned to the young mage.
"My father never trained him to handle monsters," Rudeus responded defensively. "In fact, he strictly forbade us from approaching the forest... Claude must have been venturing out on his own."
"I understand," the doctor nodded. "You may all leave now."
The trio exited the ward, leaving the doctor to tend to Claude alone.
As the physician carefully examined the wounds marking Claude's body, he began to form a picture of the young man's typical activities—the patterns of muscle fatigue, the nature of the scars, all telling the story of a life lived with unusual intensity for one so young.
What could drive this child to pursue strength so desperately? the doctor wondered silently.
...
[Claude POV]
I am terrified. Who is this old man?
When I opened my eyes, I found an elderly physician practically hovering over me, his hands examining various parts of my body with clinical detachment.
His piercing gaze seemed to dissect me, and he periodically jotted observations in a well-worn notebook.
It took considerable effort to finally extricate myself from the old man's attentions and learn what had happened to me after I lost consciousness.
My body had been completely drained. The exhaustion from the mana burst had been so profound that my system essentially shut down to adapt to the sudden changes.
The dramatic increase in my mana pool had forced my body to automatically deactivate all functions except those necessary for survival, allowing my system to accommodate the transformation.
Hmm...
This is strange. My body seems to resist major internal changes.
That's something new to me—a piece of knowledge absent from my converged memories.
Perhaps it's because I haven't completed my physical development yet. Growth is still an ongoing process for this body.
Despite the doctor's expectations of a lengthy recovery, my adaptation completed faster than anticipated.
I was already able to cast Advanced-grade Healing magic to accelerate my recuperation, which prompted the doctor to admonish me sternly, insisting I allow my body to heal naturally.
But the time to return to Buena village is approaching, and I simply can't afford the luxury of prolonged convalescence, Doctor.
Having accomplished what I came for, I'm ready to return home and prepare for the teleportation incident I know lies ahead.
I spent just one night in the Boreas household. The following day, I bid farewell to a pouting Eris, who desperately wanted to spar with me despite my condition.
I expressed my gratitude to the household's master and to Ghislaine for their hospitality.
"See you again, Rudy," I said as we parted. "I look forward to seeing your progress. Become strong enough to be a worthy match the next time we meet."
"Sure, I'll be stronger than you!" he responded with characteristic determination.
Before departing, I presented gifts—enchanted rings I had prepared beforehand. One for Rudeus, several for the household owner and Ghislaine (with Eris included under the household owner's distribution), and one for the doctor who had treated me.
With that final gesture completed, I began my journey homeward with Mike, my mind already racing ahead to the challenges that awaited me.
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