Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 7: Growth Period

After the duel with Taron, in the evening.

Everyone had finished their training and returned, yet Harang remained alone in the training ground as usual.

“Huuu…”

He slowly inhaled and exhaled repeatedly. It looked like simple breathing, but it was far from it. Silver aura slowly seeped out with his breath.

Harang opened his eyes slightly and felt the mana slowly filling his body. It was a sensation he couldn’t perceive just half a day ago.

Thanks to the quest reward, “Silver Heart,” Harang’s body had undergone significant structural changes.

It felt like a dragon’s heart had been implanted in his dantian; at first, his lower abdomen was so hot and painful that he couldn’t move and rolled on the floor.

It was to the point that they mistook it for the side effects of drawing sword energy at an early age and sent him to the infirmary.

Honestly, even now, the stabbing pain in his lower abdomen made cold sweat drip down his face.

There was a reason for this pain.

Ordinary children started by creating a mana core the size of a bean to begin storing mana within their bodies. However, Harang had immediately formed a mana core the size of a heart.

Given that a massive mana shell had taken root in his dantian, it would be strange if it wasn’t painful.

‘The more it hurts, the more effective it is.’

Unlike other children who slowly accumulated mana in a bean-sized core, Harang had gained a vast mana core from the start.

Though his current mana was no different from his peers, it meant his accumulation speed and limit far surpassed others.

Harang raised his left hand as if holding a smartphone.

━━━━━━

[Synchronization Rate] …… 1.978%

[Mana 0 Core]

[Swordsmanship 1 Star]

[Stamina 16] [Strength 20] [Agility 21]

──────────

One Sword, Two Halves

Kaladan Swordsmanship First Moon Form

Silver Heart

──────────

Heir of a Hero / World’s Greatest Champion

Conqueror of Another World

Unyielding Challenger

Stigma’s Curse

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

‘My stats are steadily growing. The mana core will soon be complete, so what I lack is….’

Swordsmanship, just that one thing.

He grasped his wooden sword tightly and closed his eyes, recalling the earlier duel.

‘The Kaladan swordsmanship taught in the training ground is just a simple foundation.’

Not all bloodlines used the same Speed Butterfly Sword, despite the First Form being the Speed Butterfly Sword.

Many swordsmanship styles branched out from the Speed Butterfly Sword, evolving into ultimate techniques passed down within bloodlines.

Naturally, as these techniques branched out from the foundation through long research, not just anyone could learn the ultimate techniques.

‘There’s no need to learn them.’

Harang realized what form of ultimate technique suited him best.

‘I can merge skills with swordsmanship. I can create ultimate techniques in my own way.’

This realization presented Harang with immense possibilities.

As a pro gamer, he had created dozens of skills.

While others would be celebrated for creating just one skill, it was as natural as drinking water for Harang to create skills.

Of course, he discarded most skills as useless, but some were overwhelmingly powerful even by his standards.

His created skills were so powerful that they were banned from tournaments for being too overpowered.

He was the first instance where the principle of using self-created skills in tournaments was broken.

‘If I could bring in a broken skill like Deep Meditation Breath, Winning Swordsmanship, or Dimensional Sword Dance…’

No, that was a distant future matter. Harang decided to focus on the present.

He merged Crescent Moon Step and the Kaladan ultimate technique ‘Pyo,’ creating ‘Moon Leopard.’

If he could merge skills and ultimate techniques to create more powerful techniques, it would apply to his current skill, ‘One Sword, Two Halves.’

However, there was an issue. One Sword, Two Halves had severe side effects, making it barely usable once every three days.

Moreover, he needed to find or create another Kaladan ultimate technique that perfectly matched One Sword, Two Halves…

‘I can find it.’

Harang grasped his sword with all his strength and swung it along the envisioned path in his mind.

Though he had just learned swordsmanship today, it was challenging to perfectly follow the Kaladan Swordsmanship First Form, but he kept swinging the sword until his body adapted.

He repeated this until his small, fragile body became fully accustomed to the Kaladan swordsmanship.

It was no easy task.

He nearly dropped the sword several times, and his legs almost gave out beneath him multiple times.

But Harang, as if nothing happened, grabbed the sword again and assumed his stance.

Anyone else would have collapsed on the floor to rest long ago, but even with his pupils dilated and half-conscious, Harang continued to swing his sword.

It was a state of ‘no mind.’

Completely forgetting himself, he became one with the sword, reaching a stage where it was indistinguishable whether it was him or the sword performing the Kaladan swordsmanship.

Now, Harang didn’t even need to think to perform the sword dance.

Considering even trainees who had practiced swordsmanship for months had to pay meticulous attention to each movement, his growth speed within a few days was unbelievable.

But Harang did not stop.

His goal wasn’t just to perform swordsmanship naturally without thought. That was merely a process; his true goal was the hidden ultimate technique within the swordsmanship.

The moon set beyond the horizon.

As the sun rose.

Creeeak…!

“Phew, who left the door unlocked?”

Hans, the instructor who came early in the morning to open the training ground, was startled.

“No way, Young Master Harang…?”

Harang had collapsed, leaning against the training ground wall, still clutching the wooden sword!

But what surprised Instructor Hans wasn’t just Harang.

“What the… who did this?”

Staring blankly at the training ground wall, Hans unconsciously lowered his gaze to the collapsed Harang.

‘No way, what are you thinking?’

It made no sense.

It was an impossible thought.

Because…

A giant sword mark was etched into the training ground wall!

Not even an ordinary knight could leave such a huge scar on the wall.

Moreover, countless cuts, as if carved with a real sword, covered the wall. There were hundreds of them.

‘Could a seven-year-old kid do this?’

And Harang wasn’t even holding a real sword, but a wooden one.

‘Ha, even a passing dog would laugh.’

Instructor Hans smirked and shook his head, but he couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling in his heart.

‘…No way, it can’t be.’

Even the head of the Kaladan family, known as the strongest swordsman alive, couldn’t accomplish such a feat.

If, indeed…

If it wasn’t someone’s prank, and all of this was truly Harang’s doing…

‘He’s a genius, a monster beyond that.’

Instructor Hans gulped.

* * *

Herrael Empire’s capital, Garandel.

The grand royal palace, Randalgates.

If one were to name the family with the greatest power, authority, and honor in the capital, everyone would undoubtedly point to the “Ducal House of Kaladan, the Master Swordsmen.”

A prestigious family with a long history, inheriting the honorable middle name “Paul,” and descendants of the hero Kaladan.

The strongest sword that always slashed through enemies at the frontlines of the battlefield as the Empire’s blade.

The Duke of Kaladan, who had reached the pinnacle of 10 stars and earned the title “Extinguish Disaster, Sever with the Sword,” one of the few transcendents in the world, ruling over the Kaladan Duchy.

Duke Kalel Paul Kaladan had visited the capital after a long time to see his young direct descendants.

Garandel, Kaladan’s White Night Castle.

This place was particularly special even to the Kaladan bloodline.

It was where the chosen ones, recognized by the family, including pure-blood direct descendants and branch family members given a chance at ascension, received their teachings.

“Have you arrived, Your Grace?”

It was only natural that all knights, bloodline members, and retainers gathered, startled, as the head of the family appeared in the White Night Castle.

However, as if holding the frigid cold of the northern hemisphere, he hadn’t opened his lips from the moment he appeared in the training ground.

Some close retainers and nobles of the Herrael Emperor were also visiting. They were following the Emperor’s order to ensure the Duke’s safety since he had visited the capital after a long time.

But no matter how close they were to the Emperor, they couldn’t dare to act rashly towards Duke Kalel, who was in a bad mood.

Though Kaladan was a powerful sword and shield, it could become a disaster if it ever pointed at the Emperor.

Of course, Duke Kalel had no such interests, but the Emperor was so anxious about such a possibility that he designated the Duke’s vast territory as a separate “Duchy.”

It was no wonder that even the Emperor’s closest retainers couldn’t dare open their lips before Duke Kalel.

“Ha!”

“Hah!”

The loud shouts of the young swordsmen echoed through the training ground.

Since it was extremely rare for the head of the family to visit the White Night Castle, everyone except the young swordsmen was tense, barely able to breathe.

‘Of all times, the head didn’t come to see the knights’ training but the young bloodline members who just started learning swordsmanship.’

It was natural for the instructors and teachers to be anxious!

The “Black Horse Knights,” who protected the capital of Kaladan, were recognized as excellent by both the world and the Empire, so they were confident whenever the head of the family arrived unexpectedly.

But the young disciples, who had not yet fully received Kaladan’s teachings, were a different story!

‘It might be alright, though…’

‘This batch of Kaladan is unusually talented.’

‘Yes. Perhaps the head came to personally verify their talents.’

As the family members whispered secretly, an old man approached Duke Kalel Paul Kaladan and whispered.

“Your Grace. As you instructed, your grandchildren have displayed their martial prowess.”

If it were anyone else speaking, Duke Kalel’s worries would not have ended, but hearing it from his lifelong friend and butler, Taran, he reluctantly nodded.

“Let’s return.”

As he turned to leave, Taran shook his head.

‘He is not satisfied with his children and grandchildren.’

Kalel Paul Kaladan.

Though he was of an age to relinquish his position as head of the family, he hadn’t passed it on to his children.

The children with suitable talent had all died or were incapacitated, and some simply didn’t meet his standards for swordsmanship.

Failing with the second generation, he sought potential in the third.

In other words, his grandchildren.

But even they didn’t satisfy him, leaving Kalel frustrated!

As Taran followed, worried about the family’s future, Kalel suddenly stopped.

“You’ve come, grandchildren.”

There were few to whom Kalel spoke in a gentle tone, not his usual cold voice. He only spoke this way to those he acknowledged.

Taran nodded at the sight of the young man and woman kneeling before Kalel.

“Garain Paul Kaladan. I report that I have successfully completed the mission given by the head and returned to the family.”

“Arihil Paul Kaladan. I report that I have successfully completed the mission given by the head and returned to the family.”

“Hmm, I see. You performed the mission to defeat the Ein squad. Was it a good experience?”

“It was an excellent experience. The unique martial prowess of the Ein warriors, who used their claws like swords, gave me new insights.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Garain cautiously lifted his head and looked at Duke Kalel.

A somewhat empty expression filled with loss. Though he had reached the pinnacle of 10 stars, was his worry for the family endless?

So, Garain decided to bring up a memory he had long been pondering.

“…Your Grace. There is actually one matter regarding the ‘Selecting of Raw Stones’ that I haven’t reported.”

“The Selecting of Raw Stones?”

Testing the talents of seven-year-old bloodline members through the divine tree was a task Garain had taken upon himself. It was his wish to do so.

Garain had never mentioned the Selecting of Raw Stones because no child had satisfied him.

But for him to bring it up now…

“Have you found a usable raw stone?”

“Yes. It’s not just usable; it’s already shining on its own.”

Kalel’s eyes glinted at those words. He knew Garain, a wise grandson, wouldn’t say such things lightly.

“Shining on its own. Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“I swear on my sword. The child’s name is…”

“No need for the name.”

Kalel shook his head sternly, unmoved by Garain’s words.

“If the child truly shines on its own… I will see them at the Proving Ceremony, even without you telling me their name.”

Garain and Arihil bowed respectfully and withdrew.

Though Duke Kalel’s expression didn’t change much, his lifelong butler Taran knew better.

‘Ripples have formed in the lake of his heart.’

Surely, he was curious. Who was this gem that even Garain admired?

‘I look forward to the Proving Ceremony…’