Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 446

System notification.

It was a notification of evolution.

[ Your understanding of the Heogong Style is higher than anyone else's. ]

[ The system has likewise decided to fully acknowledge the skill and effort you have put into the Heogong Style you have mastered. ]

[ As a result, your Heogong Style has fully acquired the qualifications to advance to a higher realm. ]

[ ■■ nods at your growth and blesses you. ]

[ ■■'s Will dwells in the Heogong Style. ]

[ Some of the information of the Heogong Style is altered. ]

[ You have mastered 'Heogong Style Form 5 - Jindan: Diamond Cutting (S+)'. ]

[ From now on, you can use Sword Aura. ]

[ You have mastered 'Sword Aura (S+)'. ]

[ You have become the first human to use Sword Aura. ]

[ For achieving a great feat, the system presents you with 10 bonus stat points. ]

Fwaaah!

Along with the system notifications, an effect occurred where blue light burst out and spread from Su-ho’s body.

At the same time, Su-ho smiled.

‘I finally awaken the Fifth Form.’

In his previous life, Su-ho had become the first human to obtain an SS-grade skill.

Although that was right before he died, he had beheld the ultimate secret of swordsmanship, and that ultimate secret was also the profundity of the Heogong Style, the realm of the formless sword called Body and Sword as One.

And to reach the formless sword, the Heogong Style’s ultimate art, several realizations were required, and among them, the Heogong Style’s Fifth Form was the stage that could truly be called the beginning.

‘Create an independent swordsmanship, inherit ■■’s will dwelling in the Nameless Sword, and then master the basic forms up to the Fourth Form.’

All of these could be seen as a series of preparatory processes for awakening the Fifth Form.

That was why Su-ho called the techniques from Form 5 to Form 8, which were existing basic forms upgraded by one step, “Awakening Techniques.”

Awakening Techniques, literally, were born from the existing basic forms becoming awakened by one step.

And Jindan: Diamond Cutting, the first Awakening Technique, was precisely the final trump card Su-ho had been aiming for.

Su-ho raised the Blood Sword.

Then blue mana gathered on the red blade, and a bluish heat-haze began to rise.

[ Sword Aura is activated. ]

Responding to Su-ho’s will, a blue haze rose on the Blood Sword.

Its name was Sword Aura, given because it allowed one to embody ki on the sword.

By another name, it was called the realm of the Sword Expert, but in the Asian sphere, where wuxia was familiar, most people called it Sword Aura.

‘If you sheath it around a bladed weapon, it’s Blade Aura, if you sheath it around a spear, it’s Spear Aura, if you sheath it around your hand, it’s Fist Aura... and if you know how to fire ki, it’s called Balgi (Emitted Ki).’

Names of {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} realms you could commonly see in wuxia novels.

Of course, there was another name corresponding to ki.

That was Aura.

Aura, like Sword Expert, referred to warriors’ mana instead of inner energy, and if someone could freely manifest mana not only in their dedicated weapon but also in objects or their body, the world called them Aura operators or Aura users.

‘You could say they were very much distinguished from simple mana users.’

Mana itself was something every class used, and by the latter half of the Great Upheaval there were many Aura operators.

“Bulbul!”

Sensing that his master had grown one step further, Bulgasari raised his short finger as if giving a thumbs-up while eating sand.

Yes, Bulgasari.

Your master has grown one step stronger.

It’s all thanks to you buying time while eating sand.

I will never forget this favor for the rest of my life.

Su-ho raised his sword and took his stance as he spoke.

“In that sense, when we get out of here I’ll treat you even better, Bulgasari!”

“Bulbul!”

With that shout, Su-ho swung his sword.

The sword he swung exploded toward Girard’s last finger.

Slice!

From Girard’s finger, which until now had only made a simple, heavy sound as if being clubbed with an axe, a clean cutting sound rang out once more.

Grrrk— Thud!

The severed finger tilted diagonally and then fell down like the neck of a beheaded enemy commander.

At the same time, the sand that had been spewing out also stopped.

[ You have successfully destroyed Girard’s Finger. ]

[ The accumulated sand disappears. ]

[ You have succeeded in destroying all of Girard’s Fingers. ]

[ You have successfully passed Girard’s Trial. ]

At last, he had passed Girard’s Trial.

And along with that—

[ Your level has increased. ]

[ All stats have increased by 1. ]

[ You have obtained 1 bonus stat point. ]

He had finally leveled up.

Seeing the level-up notification, Su-ho furrowed his brow.

‘After all that suffering, you’re only giving me a single level?’

Is this for real?

If you only added up the Sand Golems and the Gatekeeper he had killed so far and the number of Fingers he had destroyed, it would not have been strange to give him three or four levels.

[ You have reached Level 270. ]

[ The system wants you to become even stronger. ]

Strength (N): 63

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