Plan (1)

After the entrance exam at the Sword Dragon Hall, the new cadets were granted a ten-day leave.

This time was given to treat the injuries sustained during the exam and to allow for rehabilitation.

Ian spent a full three days of that ten-day break focusing solely on absorbing the Heavenly Blood Pill.

As a result—

- Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ian had experienced a meteoric rise, going from low-intermediate-stage Expert to high-intermediate-stage Expert.

He could now handle Vladiark, which was much heavier than an average adult man, as if it were a light staff.

'This ridiculously huge greatsword now feels like a rapier.'

The aura of the Heavenly Sword Lord that had been condensed within the Heavenly Blood Pill was incredibly pure and impressive, but the physical strength gained from that blood's essence was nothing short of astonishing.

His body was still that of a 14-year-old boy.

But the power contained within was on par with even an adult barbarian.

An adult barbarian, even without aura, could easily muster over ten times the strength of an average man.

If a bear could tear apart a human, then a barbarian could tear apart a bear.

It was strength that could never be attained through ordinary training.

Thanks to the Heavenly Sword Family's blood, Ian was able to acquire physical power that would otherwise have been utterly unattainable.

'And on top of that...'

Currently, Ian's aura level was high-intermediate-stage Expert.

'To be high-intermediate-stage Expert at 14... Even Ragnar Hisperion, known as the strongest swordsman in history, is said to have reached mid-intermediate-stage Expert only at 15.'

What's more, it wasn't even late spring yet, and Ian was already at high-intermediate-stage Expert.

'This is insane growth.'

His rate of advancement was far faster than even Ragnar, the so-called strongest swordsman in history.

If he maintained this pace, reaching Swordmaster before turning sixteen wouldn't be impossible.

He could go down in human history as the youngest Swordmaster ever.

'But...'

Yet, even with this much power, he still couldn't subdue Yuria's Heavenly Flow 4th Form safely.

Of course, beating her itself wouldn't be an issue, but if he tried with his current abilities, just like in the entrance exam, he would end up hurting her again.

'To safely counter the Heavenly Flow 4th Form, I need, at minimum, intermediate-stage Master super-senses.'

If he used Frenzied Insight Style - Extreme Sense, he could counter the Heavenly Flow 4th Form, but since he couldn't control his strength, Yuria would surely get hurt.

Yuria would continue to develop various techniques, applying the overwhelming speed of the Heavenly Flow 4th Form.

To subdue her supersonic moves safely, he absolutely needed super-senses capable of smoothly keeping up with that speed.

'The best way is to quickly raise my aura level.'

Raising one's aura level naturally increases their sensory abilities as well.

However, even just reacting to the Heavenly Flow 4th Form required at least early-stage Master level.

To subdue them safely, being at intermediate-stage Master level or higher was required for stability.

At this point, reaching that level would take at least two to four years.

Since he could be facing Yuria again in just a few weeks, two to four years was far too late.

'I could consider using a super-sense artifact, but...'

Of course, using artifacts was strictly forbidden during Sword Dragon Hall examinations.

Sword Dragon Hall was a place for honing swordsmanship and aura levels.

Allowing artifacts would undermine that purpose.

'Hmm...'

There was, of course, a way to use artifacts in secret.

He could store them with the Authority of Projection, materialize them only briefly when needed, and use them.

'But the risk is too high.'

If he were caught even once, Ian's second life would be thrown into utter chaos.

It would mean exposing the power of Authority of Projection to everyone.

'What about projecting sensory traits from a monster or demi-human with super-senses?'

He considered this, but it was still too difficult to pull off right now.

To project super-senses capable of countering the Heavenly Flow 4th Form safely, he would need to capture a high-ranking lightning-attribute spirit or an Elder-class vampire at minimum.

Both were beings that even a Master might not be able to take down.

'Then... What about projecting sensory abilities from insects with great reflexes, like a fly...?'

Immediately rejected.

If only his reflexes became faster, it wouldn't be meaningful.

He needed super-senses that allowed him to control his strength in an instant.

Besides, even flies can't dodge an ordinary person's palm.

The same went for animals with extraordinary reaction speed, like cats or fish.

With those lesser creatures' traits, it was simply impossible to counter the Heavenly Flow 4th Form safely.

'There's also the method of obtaining a runestone from a dungeon, labyrinth, or gate...'

Runestones.

Stones imbued with mysterious magic power.

They were used when making artifacts at the Magic Tower, when enchanting equipment, or could awaken special abilities in the user through engravings—true treasures.

'I even know where a runestone for super-senses can be found...'

Among the dungeons Ian had conquered in his previous life, there was one that yielded a Super-sense Rune.

But—

'That place, too, is at least Master-level in difficulty.'

That required being a Master. So did something else. Master, master everywhere...

'That leaves, in the end...'

There was only one option left.

'I'll have to go the route of chemical enhancement.'

He would project a drug that boosts super-senses, and inject the pure liquid into his belly or veins whenever necessary.

'There are some side effects, but...'

They weren't severe.

He would just feel a little queasy and spacey for a while.

Resting would clear the symptoms, so it was merely a minor inconvenience.

'Of course, this isn't an easy path, either.'

The potion for super-senses: Elder Vampiric Sense.

As the name suggests, making this potion required the blood of an Elder-class vampire as an ingredient.

Meaning, the ingredient itself was of Master-level value.

'Currently, I'm at high-intermediate-stage Expert...'

Even if he obtained Elder Vampiric Sense, it would take quite some time to completely project it.

He would probably have to proceed bit by bit over several days, just like when he had projected Sophia's dantian and mana circuits before.

'And it will require a lot of magic power to manifest, too.'

That was inevitable, since the potion was made from Master-level ingredients.

Still, if he wanted to acquire super-senses right now, the Elder Vampiric Sense was the best option he had.

'For now, this is the fastest and surest method.'

Once he had Elder Vampiric Sense, he could deal with any shortcomings later.

At the very least, it was worth attempting to project it.

'Yes, I won't know for sure until I try.'

Once he had finished deliberating, Ian immediately sought out the mansion caretaker, Cheryl, and asked her to procure a bottle of 'Elder Vampiric Sense'.

Elder Vampiric Sense was mainly used by vampire hunters, but swordsmen also occasionally took it when training advanced techniques, so no one would find it odd that Ian was acquiring it.

However, after a while, the person who came to see Ian was not bearing Elder Vampiric Sense—but rather, it was the Alchemy Workshop Master of the Heavenly Sword Palace.

"... I'm sorry, Young Master Ian. Providing you with Elder Vampiric Sense will take a considerable amount of time."

"... Pardon?"

He explained that recently, there had been so much demand for Elder Vampiric Sense that their reserves were depleted, and all the ingredients were out of stock as well.

"..."

So, not only was there no stock, but even the ingredients were unavailable...?

In the Heavenly Sword Palace that had everything...?

- Downcast.

What unfortunate luck.

"How long would it take for new stock or ingredients to arrive?"

"... I feel ashamed, but as the ingredients are rare, it is difficult to give you an exact date."

"Ah..."

Well, it was not as if Elder-class vampire blood was common.

For a vampire to reach Elder-class was, for humans, equivalent to attaining Master-level.

"We're out of Elder Vampiric Sense, but we still have ample stock of Noble Vampiric Sense. Shall we provide you with that instead, if you'd like?"

"... Um. No, that won't be necessary."

Noble Vampiric Sense was a potion that boosted one's senses up to the level of Expert.

If Ian took Noble Vampiric Sense on top of his current abilities, his sensory power would overlap and he would benefit somewhat, but it was nowhere near enough to safely counter the Heavenly Flow 4th Form.

"I need Elder Vampiric Sense no matter what—is there really no other way?"

"... Well, we have been searching for ingredients ourselves, so there are a few options I can suggest..."

The Workshop Master proposed two solutions.

The first was an auction.

"There will be an auction held in the southern part of the Empire in one month. Rumor has it that Elder-class vampire blood will be up for sale, so we intend to send someone as well."

"In one month...?"

One month was too late.

He might have to face Yuria as soon as next week.

"Hmm... And the other method?"

"A gate."

The other method involved raiding a gate.

"A week ago, a gate opened in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Serion. Analysis shows that it connects to ancient vampire ruins."

Gate.

A dimensional portal connected to another world.

Though it seemed mysterious, its principles and causes were much more understood than people thought.

However, explaining it would take some complex terminology—fragments of destroyed dimensions, celestial sphere collisions, and so on—words only the mages of the Magic Tower would enjoy.

Anyway, to put it simply.

The materials and treasures found inside gates were highly lucrative.

For adventurers, gates were among the best sources of income, along with dungeons and labyrinth towers.

"If you go there, you can obtain Blood Demon Jade and Blood Light Mushrooms. If you use them as substitute ingredients, you should be able to craft Elder Vampiric Sense. However..."

The Workshop Master smacked his lips and continued.

"Since it's a foreign gate, it will be quite tricky for us to gain entry. And, as gates are extremely dangerous places with high casualty rates, it's a risky path."

He added that even if they managed to obtain entry permits, the most they could send would be one Expert and one User—two people in total.

"I see."

From a nation's standpoint, gates were vital resources.

Naturally, they would not want to let those resources be taken by another country, so restricting foreign participation made perfect sense.

Letting even two outsiders join was likely a minimum courtesy as an allied nation.

'One Expert and one User...'

He and Sophia—it was a perfect match.

Since there really was no other way, all that was left was to aim for the gate.

While Blood Demon Jades and Blood Light Mushrooms were rare, searching through an ancient vampire ruin would usually turn up at least a few, so with some work, it should be possible to obtain them.

"Understood."

As Ian rose and extended his hand, the Workshop Master bowed deeply and grasped Ian's hand with both of his.

"If we receive any new information, we will notify you at once."

"Thank you."

Even so, to think the Workshop Master personally came to inform him like this just because he was the honored guest of the Heavenly Sword Lord.

Once again, Ian realized just how high a position a Hisperion guest held.

* * *

After the Workshop Master left Lunabreeze, Ian began planning in earnest.

Now that he was headed for the gate, he had to consider what he needed to prepare and how his future schedule should look.

Sophia was currently napping, having trained hard all morning.

Once she woke up, he would tell her they needed to go to the gate.

As he considered various matters, scribbling plans on paper for the coming days—

"Young Master Ian!"

Housekeeper Cheryl burst urgently into Ian's office.

"Cheryl? Is something wrong?"

― Gasp! Gasp!

Cheryl caught her breath, forcing out her words.

"L-Lady Aris Hisperion! She has arrived at Lunabreeze!"

"... What?"

Aris Hisperion.

First daughter and third child of Heavenly Sword Lord Darkan.

And to Ian, the woman who most quickly sprang to mind at the words 'hypocrite' or 'crazy bitch'.

'Why, of all things, has that monster come here...?'

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

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