After finishing my conversation with my uncle, I headed straight to the training grounds.
"It's been a while since I've been here."
The martial training grounds.
I had trained here every day since I was very young, yet after just a year away, it felt strangely unfamiliar.
I began loosening up my body.
Even though I had spent the entire past year training, I had no intention of taking it easy.
Besides, even if I wanted to, there was someone who wouldn't allow me to.
"Hey, kid!"
A woman burst into the training grounds.
It was my aunt.
"If you're back, you should've come to see me first! Where are your manners?! Kids these days, I swear!"
"Aunt, it's been a while. But it's work hours, isn't it? I can't have people saying I made you slack off."
"Ugh! You cheeky brat! I already heard from your uncle that you're back!"
"That was a work-related visit."
"Hmph! Excuses! Fine, I'll let it slide since I'm happy to see you!"
With a sly grin, my aunt took a single step forward—suddenly right in front of me.
"Wow, look at you! You've grown so much!"
Since I was now taller than her, she had to stand on tiptoe just to ruffle my hair.
"Have you been well?"
"Of course! More importantly, have you gotten stronger? How was it? Did you train hard?"
"Yes, I trained diligently. The aura skills I had learned beforehand are now fully ingrained in me."
"Really?! Alright, sit down for a moment. Let me check your mana levels."
My aunt gasped in amazement, practically drooling with anticipation.
She placed her hand on my back as I sat down, examining my mana circuit for a while before breaking into a huge smile.
"Your mana has nearly doubled! Did you take some kind of miraculous elixir? And your mana circuit is so much stronger! How did you do this?"
"I pushed myself to the brink of mana exhaustion repeatedly, then recovered. Naturally, it strengthened over time."
My aunt's eyes widened in horror.
"Are you insane?!"
This method was akin to repeatedly breaking bones just to make them stronger.
Except bones don't actually get tougher from being broken and healed.
Likewise, exhausting and recovering mana over and over wasn't exactly a proven way to strengthen one's mana circuit.
"You only managed that because you were in Mount Tianwei! That's crazy! Don't ever do that again! Sure, it might work like training muscles, but it puts an enormous strain on your mana core!"
"I know. That's why I controlled the process carefully to avoid overdoing it."
"I'm telling you, just don't do it at all!" my aunt shouted, exasperated.
I tilted my head.
"I was just training normally, though."
Since she seemed so alarmed, I decided to just agree for now.
Even after that, my aunt continued inspecting my mana circuit closely.
"Regardless, your mana and mana circuit have developed at an incredible rate. You could probably use Lightning Strike ten times now!"
"Ten times might be pushing it, but… if I manage it properly, it could be possible."
Aura skills consumed a significant amount of mana and put considerable strain on the mana circuit.
Before going to Mount Tianwei, my safe limit had been around three or four uses before I risked internal injuries.
"I've also become much more adept at controlling ice. I can use Cold Wind and Phantom Flame in succession now. I've trained in the other techniques as well."
"Excellent! Show me! You've got plenty of mana now—go all out!"
"Aunt, please supervise properly. We can't afford to destroy the training grounds."
"Don't worry about it!"
I had some concerns, but I gathered my aura anyway.
Boom! Crackle!
Aura radiates light.
Mine was a deep, jet-black color.
Not murky, but a soft glow, like the midnight sea.
Kwoooom!
Yet, despite its beauty, the force it unleashed was immense.
The air screamed as it was torn apart, and if my aunt hadn't dispersed the impact, the training grounds would have been wrecked.
"That's enough! Amazing! You really did it in just a year!"
My aunt jumped up and down in excitement before stroking her chin in contemplation.
"But I still see some areas for improvement."
"Yes, I feel the same."
"You know this, right? Your techniques are complete, but your mastery isn't. So don't go pulling any reckless stunts trying to reach the Fourth Star before you've fully mastered the Third."
"Yes, I understand."
Thanks to my training in Mount Tianwei, I no longer suffered from instability or fluctuating power levels.
Still, there was much room for improvement.
"The Third Star alone typically requires reaching the fifth level of mastery. I'm progressing abnormally fast. Trying to advance before solidifying my foundation would be reckless."
This was a lesson I had learned all too well in Mount Tianwei.
The importance of a solid foundation.
Rather than rushing ahead, I now wanted to ensure that every step I took was secure.
"Hehe, your aunt prepared a little gift for you, too!"
"Pardon?"
"I've completed the incantations for the other aura skills! Let's test them out!"
My aunt spread her arms wide with excitement.
I let out an awkward laugh, averting my gaze.
"Ah, well… Aunt…"
"Hm? What is it?"
"I can't do that right now. Actually…"
I told her about my upcoming mission.
Before I could even finish, she shouted,
"You brat! You're leaving again?!"
"I have no choice, Aunt. But I'm not leaving immediately, just in a little while."
After adding a lengthy explanation, I was finally able to calm my aunt down.
"Hey, kid. You don't have a wandering spirit, do you? Why don't you ever think about staying home?"
"It's something I have to do anyway, Aunt."
"Sigh… Yeah, well, that's true, but what does that have to do with your training?"
"I told you. The first condition."
At those words, my aunt furrowed her brows.
"So what! It's not like you're doing it today!"
"Actually, it seems like I will be doing it today."
"What?"
Creaaak!
Just then, someone pushed open the door to the training hall.
Surprised by the sudden presence, my aunt turned toward the person who had entered and widened her eyes.
"It's been a while."
I greeted the visitor with a smile.
A man had stepped into the training hall.
"You're still on good terms with Auntie, huh, youngest?"
It was none other than my eldest brother, Lee Myung-jung.
***
"Youuuu! You acted all busy, but now you're here to train the youngest? It was all a lie! Hmph!"
As soon as she saw him, my aunt stormed over and pointed an accusing finger at him.
"I really was busy, Aunt. I couldn't help you with your research, but I did help organize the old texts. And today, I came under Father's orders."
Could it be that my aunt even reached out to my eldest brother?
He was one of the busiest people in the family as a candidate for the next head. The fact that she had asked even him for help made me feel guilty.
Noticing my expression, my eldest brother waved a hand dismissively.
"It's fine. The materials Aunt brings in are incredibly rare, so they've been quite helpful in my personal training as well."
"See! It's good for him too! I mainly collect the latest studies from the academy… and I even add my personal interpretations and summaries—"
Aunt started rambling excitedly again.
I ignored her and approached my eldest brother.
"Have you been well?"
With a meaningful expression, he looked at me.
"Yeah, I've been fine. But you, running off to Cheonwisan without even giving your brother a heads-up? You little rascal."
"I apologize. You were on a mission at the time…"
"You could have at least left a message with my nanny."
He sounded genuinely disappointed.
"And then you come back and have Father summon me just because you need something."
I had no excuse for that, so I could only laugh awkwardly.
"I'm sorry for the trouble."
"It's fine. Besides, out of the people available right now, I'm the only one who has received full transmission."
Full Transmission (免許皆傳).
It was proof that someone had been taught all the fundamental techniques, secret arts, and ultimate skills passed down through the generations of the Soongmu family.
'That doesn't mean he knows every single technique accumulated over time, but it does mean he's mastered all the major ones designated by the Elder Council.'
To receive full transmission, one had to gain approval from the family head and all the elders.
As a result, fewer than ten people in each generation ever received it.
Those who did were granted the authority to teach, interpret, compile, and revise the family's techniques.
"Aren't there elders in the academy overseeing the Six Arts who have received full transmission?"
"I don't care about that. But do you really think they'd teach you properly?"
An elder from the main family sincerely passing down the fundamental arts to an illegitimate child?
I let out a bitter chuckle.
"…Thank you, Brother. Truly."
"Yeah, yeah."
Lee Myung-jung said that, but he kept sneaking glances at his younger brother.
"...To think you've grown this much."
Everything is unclear.
In the past, if I focused, I could even perceive the flow of my youngest sibling's magic. But now, there are parts I can no longer grasp.
It feels like just yesterday when they first started learning magic, yet they've already progressed this much.
— "The youngest must be taught the foundational techniques. Will you go?"
When I was suddenly summoned to the office, Taeshin specifically made the proposal to Myeongjeong first.
It was a little strange.
Of course, it would be better for the youngest to learn from him rather than from the elders, providing a more suitable learning environment. But their father wasn't someone who would normally concern himself with such details.
Moreover, Myeongjeong already had a mission assigned to him.
Still, he decided to follow his father's suggestion.
As he rose from his seat, his father gave him one final remark.
— "You should stay on guard."
He wondered what that meant.
Because of this, Myeongjeong wasted no time and immediately called for Cheol.
Myeongjeong narrowed his eyes as he observed Cheol.
'He passed the Bloodless Dream trial at Cheonwisan, didn't he?'
A trial even he had not been granted permission to take. Yet the youngest had passed it.
And to grow this much since then—
A chill ran down his spine.
Now, he understood why his father had specifically ordered him to pass down the foundational techniques.
'He wants me to be provoked. Or perhaps he wants to create competition.'
The growth of his younger sibling was abnormal.
Not even ten years into learning magic, and already at the fifth stage.
On top of that, receiving the foundational techniques at just fifteen.
'I can't say for certain now, but in twenty years, no—ten years… No, even that might be too long. He'll catch up soon.'
It was ridiculous to think this way about a much younger sibling, but Myeongjeong felt that it wouldn't take long for Cheol to close the gap.
'Even if he does catch up, I don't think I'd be particularly displeased.'
His father had sent him as a warning, telling him to stay on guard, but after witnessing his brother's growth, he felt more proud than anything.
Though, in a different way, tension did creep in.
He wanted to remain the older brother whom this extraordinarily gifted sibling could always look up to.
"Hey! You brats! An adult is talking, and you're chattering amongst yourselves?! How rude!"
"Haha, Auntie, please calm down."
The eldest brother tried to soothe their aunt, but she turned her head sharply and pouted.
"Enough! I'm upset! I'm leaving!"
I bowed my head to her.
"Yes, Auntie. Take care. I won't go far."
"You brat! You're not even trying to stop me?!"
"But we'll see each other at dinner, won't we?"
"You said you had training!"
"Training is training, and research with you is research."
"Huh?"
"Have I ever skipped a research session with you just because of training? It's just that I can't do it right now. How could I ever neglect research with one of the most knowledgeable magic scholars in the world?"
"One of the most knowledgeable? Scholar? You mean me?"
"Of course. Who else in our family could fit that title besides you?"
Her lips trembled.
She tried to keep up her angry expression, but the slight twitching at the corners of her mouth betrayed her.
"…Oh! My drama is starting! I'm leaving!"
She scurried out of the training ground.
As I turned away from her, my eldest brother looked at me with a complicated expression.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"…I was just wondering whether I should feel sorry for Auntie or for you."
He cleared his throat and stood before me.
"Anyway, I heard you're planning to leave for the Warrior's Journey?"
It seemed he had already been informed by our father.
"Yes. Learning the foundational techniques was the condition Father set for me."
One didn't have to master the foundational techniques to embark on the Warrior's Journey, but since it was an introductory skill required to learn the family's secret arts, most people acquired it before setting out.
Myeongjeong fell into thought for a moment.
He considered the implications of his younger brother's decision and the effects it might have.
There were some concerns, but he chose not to voice them.
"I see. Then, I'll make sure to teach you the family's foundational techniques properly so you can fulfill Father's condition."
With that, the eldest brother drew his sword.
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