Chapter 65: Secret of the Sword [2]

What Craig had spoken was no lie.

This profound, forbidden truth was one of the greatest secrets he had unraveled after ascending to become the supreme Duke of the Rynchester Duchy in his past life.

Back then, upon seizing absolute authority over the realm, he had gained unrestricted access to the deepest, most heavily guarded archives that the Duke’s personal shadow network—the Red Angels—had buried away for half a century.

It was this very secret, this exact blueprint of the martial laws, that had allowed Craig.

A man who had originally been a talentless Superhuman—to defy his natural fate, break through impossible bottlenecks, and rise all the way to the realm of a Sword Grandmaster with the aid of the 8th-tier Chaosbringer’s traits before death finally embraced him.

Inside the sealed training hall, the atmosphere grew heavy and suffocatingly tense.

Neither Ser Hughway nor Ser Damian dared to breathe loudly. Their eyes were locked onto Craig, their ears sharp, hanging onto every single syllable that left the young Viscount’s mouth.

"Before you can understand the true structure of the sword, you must understand the world we inhabit," Craig began, his voice low, measured, and echoing with an ancient, eerie weight.

He explained that the sudden arrival of the First Apocalypse was no random, chaotic phenomenon of nature.

It was a fated, orchestrated event.

Although he did not claim to know the full, absolute truth behind its occurrence, Craig revealed that there were incomprehensible beings responsible for orchestrating the Apocalypse—beings who referred to themselves as gods.

In his heart, Craig knew this to be undeniable fact.

In this second life, after receiving two divine blessings from entities bearing the titles of gods, his suspicions had been completely validated.

Beings of absolute, terrifying power dwelt beyond the firmament of their mortal world, watching, guiding, and manipulating human destiny.

However, Craig intentionally kept his personal divine confirmations and memories of his past life buried deep within his soul.

Those secrets had to remain hidden forever.

"When the mana radiation of the First Apocalypse flooded our world," Craig continued, pacing slowly across the stone floor, "humanity split into two fundamental realms. Those blessed with the gift of refined spirituality unlocked the ability to manipulate ambient nature and reality, becoming Spirit Mages.

But those whose spirits could not directly command external mana turned their focus inward, molding their physical bodies and willpower into living weapons. Thus, the realm of the Sword Expert was born."

Craig stopped pacing, turning his dark golden eyes toward Damian and Hughway.

"The realm of Swordsmanship became a unique, absolute system governed by universal laws—divided into ten distinct classes.

Regardless of what talent you awaken, every single Sword Expert across this world is bound by these ten classes and their internal stages.

If you wish to grow stronger and successfully ascend without destroying your foundation, you must consciously navigate these exact concepts."

Craig raised his first finger. "We begin at the bottom: the Sword Apprentice class. Its entire foundation is built upon Knowing the Physical Self and Pushing Beyond Mortal Limits."

He began breaking down the class stage by stage, detailing the conceptual names that governed its progression:

"The Initial-stage is known as Knowing One’s Limits. It is the phase where a superhuman rigorously tests their body to map out their exact baseline constraints—their reach, grip, stamina, their mana reserves limits and reaction speed without delusion.

The Middle-stage is Understanding One’s Limits. Here, the practitioner learns why those physical limits exist, utilizing basic mana circulation to reinforce weak tendons and bones so their body doesn’t shatter under high-velocity swings.

Finally, the Peak-stage is the Breakthrough. It is the moment a superhuman shatters their mortal baseline in a explosive surge of physical effort, overcoming their greatest obstacles and ascending."

"The required ritual to ascend into the Sword Runner class is that the ascension must occur after overcoming a life and death situation"

Damian’s eyes widened in profound realization.

Every word Craig uttered mirrored his own excruciating years as a street-dwelling mercenary.

He had pushed his body to the brink of death, mapped his physical limits, and shattered his mortal threshold purely through desperate survival.

To hear it described not as random luck, but as a fixed, universal law left him speechless.

"Once you shatter those limits," Craig continued, raising a second finger, "you enter the second class: the Sword Runner. The core concept here shifts from the physical body to the soul—Awakening the Soul and Uncovering One’s True Identity."

Craig looked directly at Damian as he detailed the Sword Runner stages:

"The Initial-stage is Gaining Insight. The newly awakened Ranker or Superhuman looks inward to recognize the core nature of their spirit and fighting style—whether they are aggressive, defensive, fluid, or deceptive—rather than imitating others.

The Middle-stage is Gaining Enlightenment. The warrior achieves deep spiritual attainment, allowing them to understand spiritual matters through meditation and they allow mana to flow naturally through their weapon without resistance, drastically increasing strike speed and agility.

The Peak-stage is Creation of the True Sword. This is where a Sword Runner constructs their unique, original True Sword Art and must make it their signature True Sword Art"

"The ritual required to ascend into the Sword Sage Realm is through constructing your original, and defining your personal world philosophy that resonates with the Spirit Realm"

Damian took a sharp breath, his heart pounding against his ribs.

He stood precisely at the Middle-stage of a Sword Runner!

For months, he had been trying to figure out why his progression had stalled.

Now he knew: he needed to consciously construct his True Sword Art and understand his true nature

"When that creation is complete," Craig said, turning his gaze toward the veteran knight.

"Once the ritual is completed, you will ascend into the third class: the Sword Sage. The core concept here expands from the inner self to the universe—Understanding the World and the Nature of the Blade."

Craig meticulously laid out the three conceptual stages of the Sword Sage:

"Once ascended into the Sword Sage class, that’s when a Superhuman gets their first battle skill, a chance for those without talent to make themselves known across the world" Craig smiled.

"The Initial-stage is Sensing the Breath of All Things. Battle Skill permits One to perceive all things within a hundred meters, it doesn’t matter if it was sound, mana signatures and spirituality, allowing the warrior to slice through dense armor as if it were water.

The Middle-stage is the Formless Blade.

Battle Skill grants the Superhuman at the stage the ability to generate formless attacks.

Striking without rigid stances or predictable forms; every movement of the body becomes a fluid, lethal attack.

The Peak-stage is the Initial Sword Domain. Expanding one’s intent into the surrounding space to establish absolute authority over a set radius, perceiving and deflecting all incoming attacks within that field and merging, that is the Battle Skill of this stage."

"Merging One’s Mastered True Sword Art with the One’s talent is the ritual required to ascend into the Sword Master class" Craig added.

Ser Hughway felt a shiver run down his spine.

Years ago, when he had broken through the Sage realm, he had intuitively learned to sense the ’breath’ of stone and iron, but he had spent a decade wandering blindly before achieving his Domain.

Hearing Craig state these rules with absolute, mathematical precision made Hughway realize just how much time he had wasted in the dark!

"And that brings us to where you currently stand, Hughway," Craig said, his voice lowering with immense authority.

"The fourth class: the Sword Master. Its core concept is Mastery of the Self and Fusion of Intent."

Ser Hughway straightened his back, his breath catching in his throat as Craig dissected the Master class:

"The Initial-stage—where you currently reside—is Perfectionist. The Battle Skill of this stage may seem simple yet extraordinary as it increases the Ranker’s battle strength by a hundred percent. Executing your fused art without a single microsecond of hesitation or flaw.

The Middle-stage is One with All. The Battle Skill of this stage permanently advances the Ranker’s talent grade by one grade. Harmonizing internal intent, physical body, and talent so seamlessly that your original True Sword Art triggers purely by instinct without conscious effort.

And the Peak-stage..." Craig’s eyes glinted sharply, "...is the Manifestation of Sword Intent, commonly known as the Aura Blade.

The Sword Master in this stage transitions from wielding a physical weapon to projecting their true self outward, manifesting tangible, weapon-shredding Sword Intent that coats their blade and suffocates the surrounding air, that is the Battle Skill."

"The ritual required to ascend into the Sword Grand Master class is to challenge the Sword Master’s greatest fear and gain victory"

Ser Hughway’s eyes widened in absolute shock.

The path forward, which had been foggy and uncertain for the past three years, suddenly cleared into a pristine, golden highway!

He now knew exactly what he needed to refine to push his Initial-stage mastery into the Middle-stage and eventually manifest a true Aura Blade!

"Beyond the Sword Master lies the fifth class," Craig stated smoothly, sweeping his hand through the air.

"The Sword Grandmaster. Its core concept is Evolving the Domain and Materializing Conceptual Power."

Craig laid out the final class with terrifying clarity:

"The Initial-stage is the True Sword Domain. Solidifying your domain into a lethal conceptual field where your personal Sword Art governs the rules of engagement. The Battle Skill of this stage grants the Ranker absolute authority over everything within the True Sword Domain.

The Middle-stage is Blade Embodiment. The Battle Skill of this stage refines the physical body to withstand immense energy; your blood, bones, and muscles take on the literal traits of pure sword intent. To distort the flow of sword intent as well.

And the Peak-stage is Soul Forging. The Battle Skill of this stage Infuses your very soul and willpower into your weapon, establishing an unbreakable soul-bond so the blade becomes an immortal extension of your life force."

Silence descended upon the grand training hall like a heavy curtain.

Craig let the vast, overwhelming weight of the knowledge settle over the two stunned warriors.

He slowly folded his arms across his chest, offering them a calm, unreadable look.

"That," Craig lied smoothly, "is the absolute extent of the ancient knowledge I uncovered. I only know the principles up to the Sword Grandmaster class.

As for the Sword Dominator class and the divine realms above it... even the archives I accessed contained no details."

In truth, Craig knew the conceptual frameworks all the way up to the Sword Supreme rank.

But there was zero reason to overwhelm a Sword Runner and an Initial-stage Sword Master with details about crushing space, defying time, or cutting cosmic laws.

Giving them the precise roadmap up to the Grandmaster class was more than enough to turn them into unstoppable juggernauts.

Ser Hughway slowly fell to one knee, dropping his head in profound, absolute reverence. Beside him, Ser Damian immediately followed suit, slamming his fist against his chest.

"My Lord..." Ser Hughway spoke, his voice trembling with deep emotion. "This knowledge... it is a priceless treasure that entire royal empires would go to war to possess. To bestow such divine clarity upon us..."

"I didn’t tell you this so you could worship me," Craig smirked, stepping forward and looking down at his two loyal blades.

"I told you this so you can break your limits faster than anyone else on this continent.

Tomorrow, we hunt in the Jeju Forest. Master your concepts, refine your paths... and become the invincible vanguard of Myrain."

"Especially you Damian" Craig added. Damian raised his head with a confused look on his face and Craig smiled.

"I didn’t reveal this secret just because I am generous, I have given you the opportunity to be my blade...."

"Now prove yourself to me.....become a Sword Master as quickly as possible that you may be of great use to me."