A woman was walking across the floor of an exclusive direct-lineage training ground.
Her neatly tied-up hair, fair skin, high-bridged nose, and long eyelashes exuded an ageless beauty.
However, the emotionless eyes beneath those eyelashes gave off a chilling impression.
Her name was Baek Hwayeon.
Once praised as a warrior with the moniker "Ice Sword" (氷劍), she was now a respected matriarch of the Seungmu family.
"My lady, you have arrived."
The nanny of the eighth child approached her carefully, bowing her head.
"Step aside. I wish to speak with my daughter."
At Baek Hwayeon's gesture, her attendants and the nanny retreated to the entrance of the training ground.
Baek Hwayeon strode toward the center of the training ground.
"Huff, huff."
There, drenched in sweat and swinging a sword, was her youngest daughter.
As Baek Hwayeon observed her for a while, the girl suddenly tensed, seemingly just now noticing her presence.
"Mo-Mother?"
"What are you doing?"
"I greet my mother."
"I asked what you were doing."
"I… I was training."
"Where is your swordsmanship instructor?"
"The lesson ended, and I wanted to review on my own…"
Baek Hwayeon gazed at her daughter in silence.
She was not one to avoid training, but neither had she ever been particularly diligent.
Yet, today, she was still out here swinging her sword even as dusk settled.
It was hard to see it as anything other than an attempt to avoid scolding by pretending to be hard at work.
Rather than admirable, the sight struck Baek Hwayeon as pathetic.
"I heard what happened. You were overpowered instead?"
"…!"
Hwa's eyes trembled.
"I told you, did I not? If you cannot handle it, break it."
Her tone was neither angry nor irritated.
It was flat—devoid of emotion.
She stared at her daughter with cold, piercing eyes.
Watching the girl tense up in silence, Baek Hwayeon's gaze grew even icier.
She knew her daughter had a soft heart.
In other places, that might have been a virtue, but not in the Seungmu family.
A house built on iron and blood. And her youngest daughter was a direct heir of that family. A half-hearted resolve was worse than none at all.
'Had she at least argued back or shown defiance, it would have been better.'
Seeing her clenching her fists tightly with her head bowed, Baek Hwayeon nearly sighed.
"I am disappointed. If you are only training to avoid punishment, stop. I no longer even intend to scold you."
At those words, Hwa, who had kept her head lowered, murmured in a strained voice.
"…I will handle it myself."
Baek Hwayeon halted.
"What did you say?"
Hwa's body was still tense, but her eyes shone with a newfound light.
"I understand what you think of me training like this, but I am doing this because I want to."
Baek Hwayeon's brows gradually furrowed.
"I… I will defeat that bastard properly. But not because he is an illegitimate child, and not because you ordered me to. I want to do it for myself. So, I will handle it my way."
Baek Hwayeon stared intently at Hwa.
There was a sense of determination.
She was still far from sufficient, but at least it was better than the pathetic, wavering gaze she had worn before.
"If you wish to prove that you are not lesser than a mere illegitimate child, you will have to train hard. That is only natural. And yet, you have failed to do even that."
Baek Hwayeon's sharp words made Hwa flinch.
But she did not stop speaking.
"That doesn't matter. I don't care about what the family thinks anymore. I will become stronger—not for them, not for you, but for myself."
Baek Hwayeon's expression grew even colder.
"So, you were provoked by some rootless wretch?"
"T-That's not…"
Hwa wanted to refute it proudly, but when she saw her mother's expression, she could not bring herself to speak the truth.
"You are the direct heir of the Seungmu family. You and that boy were born worlds apart. While you were born with countless advantages, he is merely an illegitimate child lucky enough to have a few scraps of talent. Defeating him should be a given. And yet, here you are, being 'provoked' by him?"
Baek Hwayeon's expression, which had been frigid before, now showed a hint of fury.
Looking down at Hwa, she pulled a small glass vial from her sleeve.
"Take this."
"Huh? What is this?"
A foreboding feeling crept over Hwa.
She carefully took the glass vial, her hands trembling as she looked up at Baek Hwayeon.
Then, in a calm voice, Baek Hwayeon revealed the identity of the liquid inside.
"It is called Mi-Mong (迷夢)."
Baek Hwayeon gazed at the transparent, colorless liquid swaying inside the vial as she continued speaking.
"It is a deadly poison."
For a moment, Hwa thought she had misheard.
"It is one of the rare treasures of the Sky Fortress, with strict conditions for use. It only works on children under the age of fifteen and evaporates within five minutes of exposure to air."
"M-Mother…"
Hwa's hand trembled as she held the glass bottle.
No matter how her daughter reacted, Baek Hwayeon did not hesitate to continue speaking.
"And any child who comes into contact with Mimong will suffer permanent damage to their mana circuits. It seeps into the body, slowly causing disabilities over a long period, leaving no trace behind."
"Mother. W-why are you giving this to me?"
Ignoring Hwa's state of confusion, Baek Hwayeon left her with one final remark.
"If you can't surpass it, crush it. That is the way of the Sungmu family."
With those words, Baek Hwayeon turned away.
Hwa, with a blank expression, stared endlessly at her mother's retreating figure.
***
The stages of mana arts are as follows:
The first stage involves absorbing mana into the body and using it to enhance physical abilities, known as the "Realm of Strengthening."
The second stage allows the user to alter the nature of mana and utilize it in various ways, referred to as the "Realm of Qi Manipulation."
The third stage enables the manifestation of supernatural abilities through mana—running on water, reinforcing weapons, or becoming invisible.
This was known as the "Realm of Qi Force."
It was commonly accepted that those with talent entered the second stage around the age of fifteen, while those without talent would reach it before adulthood.
"…That's what I've heard, at least."
"Our family is full of weird people who advance much earlier. I reached the second stage at twelve, so it's no big deal. Let's just do it!"
Hearing my aunt casually dismiss societal norms, I let out a dry chuckle.
"Auntie, you seem to have forgotten, but I'm still only ten."
"You think I don't know that? You're just weird."
Somehow, I had suddenly become the strange one.
"No, what I mean is, I'm only ten. I barely reached the first stage, and now you're telling me to move on to the next already?"
"You're a genius. Of course, you can do it."
Genius? It was only because of my regression that I matured faster and learned mana more quickly than others.
"Besides, the second stage of the mana arts I created isn't the same as the world's second stage."
"Ah, I suspected as much. Then the first stage is…?"
"It's actually somewhere between the second and third stages, I'd say."
"…."
"It's like learning fluid dynamics right after calculus. Not a big difference."
I had no idea what she was talking about.
At this point, I was beyond confused—I was starting to get worried.
While the third stage wasn't an impossible feat, it still required years of effort.
This wasn't just skipping a step; this was skipping an entire level.
"The first stage you achieved—do you really think it's the same as the standard first stage?"
"I know it's different."
The new mana arts I was learning with my aunt, which still didn't even have a proper name, started with controlling mana itself.
Naturally, calling it equivalent to the standard first stage would be misleading.
"What do you think you're best at?"
My aunt suddenly asked out of nowhere.
The thing I was best at?
It was probably the sword.
In my past life, I had handled various weapons, but the sword was the most portable and the one I had used the longest.
I confidently answered, "The sword."
"That's not what I think. You don't seem to have much talent for swordsmanship."
For a moment, I felt a surge of irritation.
"Auntie, you've never even seen me train in swordsmanship, have you?"
"I've watched you a few times, actually. When I was bored, I secretly observed your personal training…"
My aunt and I had more of a collaborative relationship than a master-disciple one.
Her goal was to perfect the mana arts she had developed, using me as her test subject.
That's why she never interfered with anything outside of mana arts.
"What I mean is, I'm not saying you're bad. You're really skilled. But compared to your other talents, your swordsmanship isn't your strongest suit."
"Then why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
"Because your greatest talent is in mana arts."
"…Excuse me?"
"Your talent in mana arts is immense. So much so that it overshadows everything else."
Her eyes seemed to sparkle.
"I've never seen anyone like you. I even had others try the magic technique I created, but no one could do it."
My aunt ruffled my hair as she spoke.
I felt bewildered.
Whether it was due to the influence of my past life or the fact that I had never been taught by anyone else, I had never thought that I was particularly skilled at handling magic.
"The magic technique I created can fundamentally do more than others of the same level, and those who master it can exhibit more abilities than those who have learned conventional techniques. That's because we can use the mana pathways to accomplish much more. That's why I deliberately divided it into the 'Seong (成)' stages."
I understood my aunt's words.
In conventional magic techniques, the first stage generally only allows for mana accumulation and physical enhancement.
However, I was already capable of mana control, which belonged to the second stage.
Just as my aunt had said, my mastery of magic wasn't just at the first stage—it was at the first "Seong."
"We are learning an unprecedented new technique. Think beyond the common standards and rankings. Now, I'll teach you the real techniques, so focus!"
"Yes, understood."
I nodded.
That was enough complaining.
I focused, determined not to miss a single word of what my aunt was about to teach me.
"From the second Seong onward, you must learn proper techniques like amplification magic and concealment magic. Let's start with the one we reconstructed."
"You mean amplification magic?"
A fragment of magic that my aunt had been unable to reproduce.
It was a technique she had deciphered from the magic I had read in Mujin.
"I already know how to do that."
"You can't just stop at that. Don't just handle it internally—release it outside. You need to emit your mana."
"But mana emission is supposed to be a third-stage skill. Is that possible?"
"It's only considered a third-stage skill because controlling mana outside the body is difficult. But since we use mana pathways, our control is far more precise. Try it. That's the true level of the second Seong."
"Understood."
I nodded briefly, then closed my eyes and focused inward.
I vibrated the mana stored in my mana core.
The mana pathways maintained the vibrations, slowly rotating them within my body.
'Arm, shoulder, heart, and danjeon…'
The efficiency of mana pathways varies depending on the body part.
As my mana brushed against the pathways, the vibrations grew stronger.
At the same time, a mist-like aura of mana began to seep out of my body.
"It probably won't work well at first. It took me a whole month to stop it from dissipating."
Cold sweat trickled down my back. I concentrated harder.
Then, the mana that had been leaking out aimlessly suddenly gathered in my palm with a defined direction.
And in that moment—
Boom!
A loud explosion, like the sound of a leather drum bursting, erupted as the forming mana detonated.
The blast of air displaced by the force caused both my aunt's and my training robes to flutter.
"Holy shit."
For the first time, my aunt cursed in front of me.
'That was easier than I expected.'
Since I had never consciously tried to release mana externally, this was essentially my first attempt.
It still felt a bit tricky without proper technique, but once I got the hang of it, it seemed like it would be simple.
"How the hell did you manage that on your first try?!"
"Is there a problem?"
I flinched.
Mishandling magic could easily result in internal injuries.
"No, there's no problem. The issue is that you did it too well!"
My aunt threw up her arms and cheered.
"From now on, you need to perform magic while moving. Magic used in a stationary position is ultimately lifeless. Are you ready?"
I had been waiting for this. Training with my aunt was usually too static, which often left me feeling restless.
"Alright, let's begin!"
My aunt clapped her hands and knocked on a massive wooden barrel beside her.
"By the way, what's that?"
"Hm? Steel balls."
I had a bad feeling about this.
"Why did you bring those?"
"Oh? To throw them at you, of course! You'll need to maneuver while controlling your mana! We're starting right now!"
I didn't even get time to prepare.
Before I could even stand up, my aunt began hurling steel balls at me at terrifying speed.
* * *
Time flew by like an arrow.
Between training with my aunt, group lessons, and personal practice, my days were so packed that I hardly noticed the passage of time.
Still, since I was at an age where I was growing rapidly, I made sure to get proper rest and sleep.
I even increased my food intake on purpose.
With about two months left until the Naming Ceremony, the standard curriculum of the group lessons came to an end.
From that day forward, the instructors who had been teaching us stopped attending.
And then, the deputy instructor, who had only been giving minor instructions before, now stood before us.
He was the leader of the Blood Tiger Unit, one of the twin pillars of the Four Divine Generals, the elite warrior corps of the Soongmu Clan.
"I will now instruct you in the Soongmu Clan's secret techniques."
With a stern expression, the deputy instructor addressed both me and Hwa.