‘Damn it.’

The Training Grounds where Jin and Altina were standing had become so familiar to him that it was now rather tiresome.

He had lost count of how many times he had been dragged here after just minding his own business and eating well.

By the way, what on earth was Altina’s purpose in bringing him to this place this time?

Judging by the icy smile she aimed at him, it seemed she wasn’t visiting for a pleasant reason…

‘Could it be that she found out all those things I said last time were just lies?’

What exactly had he told Altina last time? He had rambled so freely that he could hardly remember anything now.

— What did you say? First, you pointed out the basics of Altina von Rudel Sarias’s techniques and footing. Then, you gave her valuable advice to not get bound by formality when wielding her sword, right? Such advice was like gold for a foolish woman who had reached the realm of a Master but didn’t even know the path she should take.

As Erekaya’s mocking tone rang in his ears, Jin’s face contorted like a wrinkled piece of paper.

‘This is all happening because you didn’t cooperate!’

On reflection, the nonsensical things Jin had said to Altina were entirely due to Erekaya not providing any help in teaching her, weren’t they?

For someone who could effortlessly weave a cheap, melodramatic script to bring down his current self, it was quite absurd that she wouldn’t lend even a tiny hand when it mattered!

— I clearly told you. I’m not fond of Altina von Rudel Sarias. Besides, she doesn’t need help from you or me.

Erekaya spoke with a bored tone as if to imply she bore none of the blame.

But right now was not the time for a leisurely back-and-forth with Erekaya.

After all, right in front of him was Altina, looking at him with an unsettling gaze.

Without realizing it, Jin gulped as he looked at her.

They had spent quite some time together, and at one point, they had even been in a romantic relationship, so Jin knew quite well what kind of person Altina was.

She hated lies. She didn’t like deceiving others or being deceived herself.

When dealing with others, she was always honest and sincere.

In her view, trust deserved kindness, while lies deserved retribution.

That was precisely a belief that Altina, as a noble of the Empire, held dear.

‘Even so, she wouldn’t suddenly hit me without reason since I did save her once, right?’

Now that he thought about it, it indeed seemed like he had been deceiving her for such a long time.

No matter how inexperienced she might have been back then, the current Altina was an absolute powerhouse who had reached the rank of Master.

When it came to martial skill alone, she was a warlord far superior to Jin.

It was only natural that he, who had rambled about footwork and sword techniques without knowing the subject at hand, would find the outcome predetermined.

“Jin, you said this before. My sword is too perfect. Because it’s so perfect, it feels like it’s trapped by something. And because it’s trapped, my sword cannot be free.”

“…..”

Hearing his own words come out of Altina’s mouth, he realized how ridiculous they sounded.

And suddenly, he realized. Ah, his past self was nothing more than a fool who had rambled on to avoid an imminent crisis.

“Ever since I heard your words, I’ve been striving to swing my sword freely. However, I still don’t quite understand what you really meant. No matter how hard I try, I don’t know how to wield my sword beyond the confines of the techniques I’ve learned.”

That made perfect sense. Because the one who had spoken those words, Jin, didn’t know what it truly meant either.

“However, thanks to your advice, I’ve come to understand one thing very clearly.”

Saying this, Altina slowly drew her sword from her waist.

“That there is no right answer in how to wield a sword. And no matter how remarkable a sword technique may be, everything can change depending on the mindset of the one wielding it.”

“Mindset?”

With a click.

After saying this, Altina sheathed the sword she had just drawn.

If she was going to put it back right after drawing it, why had she even pulled it out in the first place? Just as Jin was pondering this in confusion…
“Whoa!”

The training dummy right in front of Altina was sliced in half. Without any warning, and without any sign!

“What the…?!”

Jin stood there, his jaw dropping as he witnessed the scene unfold.

He had not missed a single moment from when Altina drew her sword to when she sheathed it again.

But in the time it took him to register that, the dummy had been sliced. No, everything was already over before he even got a chance to comprehend it.

This was utterly absurd. Even when faced with the strongest human, the president, Jin could at least perceive their killing intent. Yet this time, he hadn’t noticed anything at all!

“W-What on earth just happened?”

“It was just a trivial trick. If I can envision the ideal trajectory for my sword, then I can imagine cutting down my opponent without even needing to swing it.”

“…What?”

Imagine? What kind of nonsense was that?

“Um… So, after swinging the sword, we check the state of our target, right? We see whether my swing struck, or if the opponent managed to dodge or parry the attack and it didn’t hit.”

“But if I swing my sword as freely and ideally as you described, then my opponent ultimately won’t be able to block it. Because that kind of sword can go anywhere and stretch in any way. Therefore, it would inevitably hit the opponent.”

“So I started to wonder, is it even necessary to swing the sword at all? If my reasoning is correct, then whether the sword strikes or doesn’t strike is already determined before I even swing it.”

Jin couldn’t help but shake his head at her calm explanation.

Had she really just cut down her opponent with nothing but simple thoughts and imagination? No way.

That wasn’t it. Just a moment ago, Altina’s sword had undeniably sliced through the dummy. It was just that the process of swinging the sword had been entirely omitted.

“…Ideation.”

That was it. Altina had surpassed the realm of a Master and had reached a stage where she could manipulate her own ideation.

 

Ideation.

It is the power that everyone possesses—a creativity that can distort the very world itself, surpassing the limitations of the physical body.

Some call this power “thought manifestation,” while others refer to it as “personal domain,” but essentially, it all means the same thing, so it doesn’t really matter what term is used.

Humans are, by nature, creatures of thought. They are beings driven by imagination.

Through their own will and thoughts, every human influences the world in their own small way, making it no exaggeration to say they can change their environment.

Now, here arises a question:

What would happen if the mental power of an individual exceeded their own physical body and began to influence the world itself?

The answer is simple: what they desire and envision manifests in the world.

An individual’s imagination bends and distorts the laws of the world, imposing their own rules upon it. That is the essence of the power known as ideation.

Of course, there are limitations to using ideation.

First, to utilize ideation, one’s mental strength must be extraordinarily powerful, able to exert influence on the world itself, rather than being confined to controlling their own flesh.

Additionally, distorting the world through ideation requires intense imagination and imagery from the user.

Because human imagination is fundamentally full of holes, vague thoughts alone cannot change reality.

Moreover, shaking the laws of the world through one’s will is a kind of cheat technique that can consume an immense amount of mental energy to use ideation even just once.

Therefore, those who wield ideation often combine their unique skills with it to enhance their abilities or utilize it to perform actions impossible through regular movements or manipulation of mana.

However, despite having so many limitations, those who do not understand ideation cannot stand against those who can be aware of and consciously utilize it.

This is because a ‘battle’ cannot exist between someone bound by the laws of the world and someone who is liberated and can wield their own laws.

Well, that doesn’t mean that someone who has realized ideation becomes invincible.

For instance, Jin also knows about ideation and can utilize it, but he might not be able to win against someone who has reached the Master level. This is because the fundamental difference in their basic specs is so vast that no matter how much one uses ideation, it’s practically impossible to deliver an effective blow against someone at that level.
However, if one makes excellent use of ideation, it is not impossible to win against someone who has reached the Master level.

Utilizing ideation essentially means being able to exert power that surpasses one’s limits.

And just now, Altina’s ability to “cut down her opponent without any intermediate process” undoubtedly involved the use of ideation.

Her intense imagination, which conveyed that a process was unnecessary for slicing through others and that her sword had already struck the opponent, distorted the laws of the world, resulting in her success in cutting the dummy without any trajectory.

“Damn it!”

Yet Jin felt a surge of frustration as he witnessed Altina’s remarkable achievement.

Realizing ideation is an incredibly difficult and challenging task. It isn’t a power gained merely from a high level of swordsmanship or understanding of aura.

To wield the intangible force of mental strength to influence the world requires tremendous concentration and self-discipline.

It took Jin fifty years to understand ideation and another fifty years to masterfully wield it.

And yet, Altina, within just a few days, had come to use ideation based on a few casual remarks Jin had made!

—I knew this would happen. That’s why I said in advance that it’s ridiculous for someone destined to reach the Master level to be taught by anyone.

“What do you mean?”

—Those who have reached the Master level are communicating with the world by transcending their own limits. The ability to draw out and utilize the mana in the air is conclusive evidence of their capacity to wield the forces of nature freely.

Erekaya scoffed, throwing Jin a derisive look.

—In other words, those who have attained the Master level have always been granted the right to exert influence on the world. The reason Altina von Rudel Seryas could not utilize ideation was not because she didn’t know about it, but rather because it was simply a matter of how early she realized it.

“But… this is too quick. To realize ideation in just a few days.”

—Objectively speaking, it is indeed quite rapid. But wouldn’t this have all been possible because you gave her a hint?

—A hint?

When did I ever do that? All Jin had done was spout nonsense in front of her.

—You clearly told Altina von Rudel Seryas something like this: Don’t be bound by your own sword. Don’t be confined to the art of swordsmanship itself, but rather free yourself from the very concept of a sword and swing it freely… Wasn’t that quite the profound piece of advice?

“Does that kind of nonsense really help Altina?”

If such gibberish could elevate someone’s abilities, then aura users would be as common as pebbles on the street.

—Of course, I’m not saying your nonsense was helpful. But it’s also undeniable that your words acted as a motivation for Altina von Rudel Seryas.

—Ideation starts from breaking free of commonly held beliefs and establishing one’s own laws in the world. What Altina von Rudel Seryas truly needed wasn’t your outrageous advice, but the process of discarding her long-held beliefs about the sword and forging her own path.

—If you hadn’t said anything, it likely would have taken her much longer to grasp ideation. Since Altina von Rudel Seryas is, after all, a rather rigid person, she wouldn’t easily dismantle her conventional wisdom to establish her own rules.

‘…..’

Jin let out a sigh as he gazed silently at the dummy, now sliced in half.

In the end, it seemed all this chaos stemmed from his inability to keep his mouth shut.

‘…I really don’t feel like getting close to Altina this time around.’

—Oh? Why’s that?

“It’s just… I feel like I’d end up being a husband who gets beaten later on if I dated her.”

Erekaya merely nodded, as if in agreement with Jin’s lament.

The lack of banter, unlike usual, made Jin feel even more miserable.