As the days went by, Tae-Ryung Breathing Technique’s proficiency rapidly increased.

At first, Baek Yu-Seol had to sit quietly and concentrate for a while to use it, but now he could use it with some ease even while running.

Of course, using it while running still required more time for focus, so it was still difficult to use during urgent battles.

In martial arts novels, he thought of it as a passive ability that could be used automatically, similar to the techniques or spells, but it required considerable effort and practice.

Furthermore, using both Tae-Ryung Breathing Technique and Magic Concentration simultaneously in practical combat was almost impossible.

However, its power was undeniable.

He was confident that if one could focus mana on a sword, he could easily shred through shields of at least the Class 3.

However, he was still far from catching up to the protagonists.

The three female protagonists once displayed Class 4 magic in the Divine Realm.

Even achieving the Class 3 was no easy feat.

Since they experienced magic a step higher than themselves, they would likely reach the Class 4 level soon.

Due to the influence of the previous setback, Hae Won-ryang was pushing himself to the limits, and would also reach Class 4 in no time.

It was the same for Mayuseong.

Despite various reasons, Baek Yu-Seol continued to train diligently, as becoming stronger was a sure way to secure the future.

The magical training curriculum conducted directly by Instructor Lee Hanwol was tough, but such lessons were hard to come by anywhere else, so he participated enthusiastically.

They were an extremely great aid in practicing Tae-Ryung Breathing Technique.

It was extremely rare to find someone who could both fight well and teach as well as Lee Hanwol.

Well, that was why he was probably in charge of Class S.

The magical combat training covered a wide range of tutorials, starting with sensing the scope of Target Magic, finding advantageous positions in unfavorable situations, and employing magic that pierced the opponent's vulnerabilities.

Honestly, Baek Yu-Seol already knew everything.

Well, not exactly, but he developed those techniques in his own way in the game and even posted his strategies on the community several times.

So, the content of the lessons wasn't particularly new for him.

Only the fact that he could train was important to him.

After finishing his daily work, he headed straight to the training ground.

He’d significantly reduced strength training to about an hour a day.

Now, breathing technique was more important than strength.

"Inhale!"

Thud!

When the heavy barbell was set down on the floor, a loud noise reverberated through the training facility.

"You seem lively these days.”

Eisel was covered in sweat, and her hair was neatly tied up in a ponytail as she inquired with a sly smile.

"Oh, you know, health is paramount. If you exercise when your back and neck hurt later, it's too late."

"Are you an old man?"

"More appropriate would be mature and experienced."

"Oh... right...."

Baek Yu-Seol replied as he lifted the barbell with all his strength.

"Huff! This is how health should be maintained... for a long, healthy life!"

Thud!

"Whew, I'm exhausted."

Slowly, the muscles had been properly worked out. As Baek Yu-Seol wiped sweat with a towel, Eisel lowered her head with a dark expression.

"What now?"

"... Huh? Oh, no. Nothing at all. I'll just go now."

"Fine."

Baek Yu-Seol gulped down a protein shake and shook his hands, but she remained unresponsive, and the subdued atmosphere lingered.

‘Why is she acting like that again...?’

‘Women's psychology is beyond comprehension.’

Once one had learned the basics of magical theory, they could engage in practical sparring with other students.

Different classes come together for these lessons, and sometimes Class F and Class S sparred, while Class D and Class C engaged in prideful battles.

Today, Class S and Class A had a joint session.

While Class S students didn't pay much attention to meeting other classes, Class A was different. They discreetly cared about Class S.

This was because some Class S students had lower grades and ranks than Class A, which led to a number of them not standing out, and Class A nobles found this unfair, and felt that they were in Class S due to their low status.

It was not hard to understand.

If you've been listening to genius lectures and following an elite course from a prestigious institution since childhood, excelling in grades and ranks, it would be quite disheartening to end up in Class A instead of Class S.

And that was Baek Yu-Seol’s opponent.

"Baek Yu-Seol, there's been a lot of rumours about you lately."

"Oh, thank you."

Yuslek Czech Veilen.

Heir to the famous Marquis Czech family in the Skalben Empire, and at the Stella entrance ceremony, he ranked 29th impressively.

… That was his background, but honestly, from Baek Yu-Seol’s perspective, he was no different than 'Jeremy lackeys’ or even less.

Among those who enjoyed the Aether World, there was an occasional player who pursued Jeremy's path.

When screenshots of those players appeared, there were scenes that were hard not to laugh at.

Whenever Jeremy prepared a surprise gift or something appropriate for the situation, Yuslek and his attendants would appear in the background, making deliveries.

Well, even though it looked like that, he was still an heir from a prestigious institution, so when Jeremy wasn’t around, he seemed to play king.

"Both sides, arm your staff."

At the instructor's command, Yuslek and Baek Yu-Seol aimed their staff at each other.

He was a novice mage in the Class 3, but if it had been the old Baek Yu-Seol, he would have had to resort to some trickery to win.

However, things were different now.

Baek Yu-Seol’s goal for today was to completely defeat Yuslek.

Honestly, it might be a bit challenging.

He could handle the Tae-Ryung’s Breath Technique to some extent, but whether he could use it effectively in actual combat was uncertain.

But that Yuslek guy gathered his followers to continuously pester Baek Yu-Seol, which had been getting on his nerves.

It was about time Baek Yu-Seol teach him a lesson.

There was a limit to his patience as an adult.

"Let's have a little duel today."

"... What did you say?"

Yuslek seemed dumbfounded, his expression as if he misheard.

Even his aristocratic and somewhat irritating demeanor was getting tiresome now.

Perhaps it was because he bothered him so much back at the time of Edmon Atalek’s incident.

"Duel, begin!"

As soon as the instructor's signal dropped, Yuslek gripped his staff.

"Azure waves, rise!"

With that, a blue magic circle was drawn on the ground, and a small whirlpool of water surged up under Yuslek.

'Wow. Indeed, a prestigious student is just that.'

Their casting speed was much faster than the second-year senior faced by Baek Yu-Seol before.

Agh!

As this training ground wasn't a proper dueling arena, it was just an open field. It was advantageous to create favorable terrain first.

However, he didn't possess such magic, and since it was a plain field, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't use the same tactic as last time and escape to outwit his opponent.

Not that he had any intention of doing that. He stepped sideways slowly without activating the Argento Sword.

Yuslek observed Baek Yu-Seol’s movements carefully, worried that he would use it to attack any opening.

He was good at ignoring people but didn’t underestimate Baek Yu-Seol’s combat strength—that judgment alone was quite worthy of praise.

However, did Yuslek truly understand that his caution would only help Baek Yu-Seol?

[Tae-Ryung Breathing Technique]

Mana was like the wind. Always present, but invisible and intangible, and merely brushed past Baek Yu-Seol.

He imagined catching the wind with his hands.

But catching the wind was impossible.

So, he envisioned mana as water instead.

Holding flowing water was challenging... but at the very least, holding a little within his palm was possible.

Until now, the mana that grazed Baek Yu-Seol’s body was like wind, but now it was like flowing water.

[Blood Mana Circulation Rate is increasing.]

Even with just a tiny amount of mana accumulated in his body, his senses heightened dramatically.

Baek Yu-Seol’s senses became sharper, and the movement of mana became clearer.

"... You won't be the first to attack, huh!"

Agh!

In the end, the impatient Yuslek unleashed a cascade of waterfalls toward Baek Yu-Seol.

"Azure waves, create a tidal wave!"

As if small waves were crashing against Baek Yu-Seol, blue waves poured down.

Summoning water from nothingness was an impressive feat for a Class 3 mage, but the attack held little significance for him.

[Mana Concentration]

Focusing mana into the Argento Sword, he could normally only handle Class 3 or lower shooting-type spells.

But now, Baek Yu-Seol could attempt something different.

Waves surged toward him, resembling a minor natural disaster.

Baek Yu-Seol extended his sword towards the waves.

What he was about to do was a simple: Ignorantly slashing down without any sword techniques.

From below, upwards, a vertical cut.

Yet, the impact of this simple move was far from ordinary.

… Aaargh!!

Swish!!

As if a miracle like Moses', the frontal wave split, extending nearly 4 meters.

He didn’t just split the wave, he had severed the circuit connecting the structure of the magic itself, causing the wave to lose power and dissipate.

"Wha-what...!"

Now Baek Yu-Seol had a rough idea of his capabilities. Handling Class 3 magic was manageable with proper concentration.

'Impressive...'

He was somewhat surprised by his own abilities, but the training wasn't over yet.

[Flash]

As he darted within Yuslek’s range, water droplets burst out of thin air.

Deliberately entering his target magic range, Baek Yu-Seol aimed to exploit the advantage of quick casting but also the vulnerability of delayed follow-up attacks.

Guiding the target magic intentionally, he sidestepped and swung his sword.

'Dragon Cascade Strike'

Bam!

The flat ground churned as water resembling a dragon's form shot out, attempting to engulf Baek Yu-Seol.

It, too, was easily deflected.

"Ugh!"

Yuslek retreated slowly, and a blue magic circle appeared and disappeared as it rushed towards him.

The whip of water could slice through armor, yet it couldn't touch Baek Yu-Seol; the water cannon could shatter rocks, but upon contact with his sword, it exploded harmlessly like a water balloon.

As all his attacks were thwarted, Yuslek grew uneasy and he began unleashing stronger spells. While his magic was undoubtedly skilled, it also led to his downfall.

'Never lose composure no matter how dire the situation' - a key principle of magic combat, and his aggressive tactics rattled Baek Yu-Seol.

However, It worked to Baek Yu-Seol’s advantage. Unfortunately, maintaining Tae-Ryung Breathing Technique while using Flash had been a challenge, so leading to a prolonged battle might result in his defeat.

So, he had to make the most of Yuslek’s mistake.

[Flash]

"Smile...!"

As he teleported behind him, Yuslek hastily summoned a water shield.

The shield could only block in one direction since it maintained a flat shape, but creating a protective barrier with elemental magic made it weak in defense and that form became meaningless.

However, the water barrier was effective against fire or wind types, but it didn’t have much effect on a physical type like Baek Yu-Seol.

Without hesitation, he rushed towards Yuslek’s back, swung his sword heavily, and the water shield split into two by the Argento Sword enhanced with Magic Concentration, allowing Baek Yu-Seol to strike his back.

"Gah!"

The match ended with Argento Sword aimed at his neck.

"Practice over, both sides should retrieve their staff."

Following the instructor's orders, Baek Yu-Seol deactivated Argento.

"Damn..."

Frustrated, Baek Yu-Seol clenched the sand and turned away from Yuslek, who was gritting his teeth in frustration.

Baek Yu-Seol realized his shortcomings through this duel. He had become pitifully complacent with the increase in swordsmanship power.

It was fortunate that Yuslek, a novice in magical combat, was the opponent.

If he had faced someone attacking him systematically from the start, he might have lost.

Maintaining the Tae-Ryung Breathing Technique was already challenging, and it took considerable time to concentrate on using it, making it difficult to pull off in actual combat.

Thunk!

Baek Yu-Seol lightly tapped Yuslek’s shoulder, acknowledging his shortcomings, and walked past him.

"Thank you."

"........ What?"

He looked utterly baffled, but Baek Yu-Seol’s gratitude was sincere.

Magic users like Yuslek provided enough insight for him to reflect upon and serve as excellent sparring partners.