He swung his sword in a crescent arc, then slammed it hard into the ground. Cracks formed at the tip of the blade, and he was thrown off balance by its momentum.
Rolling on the ground, Karon stained his clean bandages red once more.
As he swung the sword, his bare feet carved deep marks into the soil, kicking up clouds of dust.
The bandages lay on the ground, soaked in blood, sweat, dirt, and mud. Drinking water, Karon stared at the greatsword in exhaustion.
His basic level of training wasn't enough for this blade.
After drying himself with a towel, he walked toward a barren area where no trees or grass grew.
At the center of the area stood an orange sword.
Gripping it with one hand, Karon pulled it out and made a horizontal slash.
Flames born from that rotation struck the ground in a crescent shape.
He raised the sword above his head, swung it backward, then thrust it forward, following up by drawing a circle.
A wave of fire erupted from beneath his feet and traveled up to three meters.
Satisfied, Karon continued his training, no longer releasing flames but instead reinforcing the sword's heat.
By evening, he returned to his room and sat at his desk.
There were several books and an excessive number of notes scattered across it.
Picking up a pen, he added a human figure to the notes pinned on the wall.
With that new drawing, he had filled a quarter of the wall.
The greatsword, Zelit, along with torn pages from books, made the wall resemble a kind of library board.
Karon opened an old, purple book and began to read.
He read while taking notes, underlining certain parts and occasionally opening other books.
Losing track of time, his eyes slowly began to close, and he rose from the desk and moved to his bed.
***
Stretching, Karon opened the door and greeted the morning, feeling the sunlight on his body.
Without showing any sign of discomfort, he set his sights on the greatsword to begin his routine.
He warmed up with monotonous swings.
A strange, high-pitched sound began to come from the sword, making him stop.
Air passing through the crack he had accidentally made the day before created an irritating noise.
He sat down and began carving the sword.
He had never learned how to wield a greatsword or do carpentry, but in his mind, there was very little he couldn't achieve on his own.
Everything was a matter of time.
The silence of the surroundings was broken by the sound of blade against wood. Karon was using his mind more than his body.
His training was less about swinging the sword and more about thinking.
He stepped forward with one foot and swung the blade; riding that momentum, he rotated it behind his back, caught it with his other hand, and delivered a side slash.
Accustomed to using both hands, Karon wielded the greatsword with one. This allowed smooth transitions between hands.
While trying to get more used to the blade, he faltered in his last motion and loosened his grip.
The sword slammed into a tree and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
He wiped himself with a towel, sat down for a while, and rested.
Then he picked up the sword and stood before a large tree.
The tree was about six to seven meters tall and roughly three meters wide.
It wasn't particularly tall compared to others in the silent forest, but its width was striking.
Holding the sword upright for a moment, Karon closed his eyes, focused, and attacked the tree.
The wooden sword wasn't sharp—how could wood ever be sharp?
Yet with the sound of air splitting, Karon's blade struck the tree with force.
A cut a few centimeters deep appeared on the trunk.
Looking at it, dissatisfied, Karon muttered:
"Still not enough output or harmony."
There was only one way to perform an attack beyond human strength:
"Mana."
But the technique Karon used seemed weak compared to normal.
Closing his eyes again and straightening his posture, he focused.
Strangely, the depth of the cut fluctuated.
Each time, Karon tried something different, searching for the most optimal method.
As the sky turned orange, he left the greatsword behind and headed toward the barren land.
***
Near a small trap stood a well-built boy, around 1.70 meters tall, with black hair.
He disarmed the trap, grabbed the small animal inside by its ears, and headed home.
The creature had long ears, resembled a four-legged animal, and had sharp teeth.
Its body was small but muscular. It was fast and feral, but it posed no real threat to a human.
Before entering the house, Karon took two pieces of dried meat. He threw one into the caged room along with the animal and shut the door.
He removed his clothes and sat down cross-legged.
In front of him lay a knife and meat.
With his bandages and ointment prepared, he was ready to complete the ritual.
He had split the ritual into two parts as a precaution, and he was satisfied with that decision, as the first time had been extremely difficult.
This time, despite the risk of passing out, Karon took no precautions and calmly began making cuts.
Following each step carefully, he reached the final stage.
Despite the pain in his body, he focused on the weight in his stomach and began merging it with himself.
Covered in sweat and blood, Karon completed the ritual faster and more smoothly this time.
He opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
He couldn't remember the last time he had breathed in such clean air.
Feeling as if a new door had opened in his life, Karon stood up with a faint smile.
At that moment, the sound of scratching from the other room tore through the silence.
He turned to look—but his vision darkened, and he collapsed to the ground.