Amon moved his attention internally to his Celestial Core.
Strangely, the Primordial Dragon had changed drastically.
From its previous size, barely fitting one's fist, it had grown further and was now twice the size of the cat it had been before.
The moment it sensed Amon, the cat lazily raised its eyes to look at him with curiosity.
Amon glanced at the cat briefly, noticing the changes that had occurred on its exterior.
Subconsciously, he guessed something in his heart.
His Celestial Gift might have evolved.
Amon's excitement was hard to suppress, but after seeing no changes aside from the increase in size, he left the world of his core.
Opening his eyes to the real world, Amon thought of something and began crafting a sword using his gift.
There was silence as images formed themselves in Amon's mind.
Before long, the system displayed a new line of words to Amon.
[Do you wish to proceed with creating a D grade sword? Or do you want to adjust its rank?]
Amon's eyes bulged in astoundment at the words.
D… D grade?
He read the runes once more to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
With just one trip to the Celestial Realm, he had actually achieved so much.
Then what if he entered there more times?
Many thoughts passed through Amon's mind in an instant.
Calming his excitement, Amon muttered 'yes' internally.
There was a flash of bright light, and to his surprise, fifty points were deducted from the creation points he had before a steel sword materialized in front of him.
Amon glanced at the sword curiously.
The sword looked like an ordinary blade, but it had a certain sharpness to it, and its hilt was firm and hard to grip.
Amon ran his finger along its edges, then winced slightly.
The sharpness of the blade had cut him just by rubbing his hand on it.
Amon was bewildered at the increase in the blade's strength.
He could also feel that, unlike the wooden sword, this blade could accommodate more primordial energy and make his attacks stronger.
An incredulous expression appeared on Amon's face as he quietly placed the sword on the ground, then proceeded to heal himself using his healing gift.
The wound on his finger closed rapidly, and in an instant his skin returned to its previous smoothness.
'And this is just D rank? How much higher do ranks go? Or are there an unlimited number of ranks?'
Although Amon guessed it might stop at SSS rank due to some novels he had read in his past life, he knew this world might turn out to be unconventional.
Resolving his thoughts internally, Amon placed the sword by the wall, undressed, and quickly took his bath.
…
After the meal, Amon told his parents most of what had happened, keeping it a secret how he had evolved his dragon but revealing to them that he could now create higher-rank treasures.
He even revealed the sword to them, causing their astonishment to deepen.
Of course, they praised him, and there was the talk of responsibilities again, but Vela shut down the topic.
After a happy night of discussion, Amon returned to his room and drifted back to sleep.
…
The next morning arrived, and as usual, Amon prepped himself and quickly walked to the grassland before sunrise.
Then, he began training with the sword.
Unfortunately, Peculiar didn't show up. Having been used to sparring with her every morning, the absence made Amon slightly sad.
But he knew it would only last a matter of time.
At the thought of Peculiar, his mind couldn't help but drift to her father.
He had to meet that man again.
What a mysterious man.
Was he perhaps planning something?
As Amon executed a sweeping downward slash, many thoughts flooded his mind.
He even compared the man to his father, wondering who would win.
Perhaps his father would…
But being able to manipulate speed to such an extent, it would be a hard-fought battle.
If he still had his legs, perhaps his father might have lost.
Quite miserably at that.
Amon didn't notice when the sun finally streamed through the clouds and bathed him in its radiance.
James walked into the courtyard alone, a faint smile on his face.
"I heard you've mastered the Sunset Sword Art?"
The moment James entered, he spoke with an interested expression.
Amon paused his sword movements and recovered from his lost state of swinging blindly.
"Greetings, instructor!" he said with a warm smile.
After James waved off the greeting, Amon nodded with an excited smile.
"Good," James exclaimed, pleased by Amon's growth.
Since he was Amon's teacher, he felt the most proud of all his achievements so far.
"Today we won't immediately start the next sword art. Rather, you and I will have… a duel," James declared, making Amon bewildered.
'Fighting with my instructor?' Amon thought internally.
"I will suppress my strength to your level, so you have nothing to worry about," James said with a smile, and Amon felt his aura decrease drastically.
If before he had been like a ferocious beast hiding its killing intent, now he had become a ferocious beast that had grown docile.
He was internally amazed by the change.
A wooden sword appeared in James' hand, which he tossed toward Amon, having heard from his parents that the one he was using before got damaged.
Then, he took out a wooden sword of his own.
Noticing the hesitation in Amon's eyes, James laughed wildly and lunged at him.
Panicked, Amon could only struggle to defend against James' downward slash.
"Always remain focused in battle no matter who the enemy is, be it friend or foe. You never know which might bring about your death."
Although just casual words from his teacher, they struck a deep chord that resonated with Amon.
BANG.
James' sword collided with Amon's, pushing the kid backward a few paces.
Amon stabilized himself and sensed James' attack coming from his right side.
His primordial energy flowed smoothly throughout his body, all the way to his arms in an instant.
Without hesitation, Amon blocked the attack.
Still, the force behind James' strike sent him reeling backward due to the sheer impact.
Amon stabilized himself, then raised his eyes to meet James.
He noticed a faint glimmer of excitement in James' eyes.
'He is impressed by my strength,' Amon thought, feeling acknowledged.
'Well then, it's best I don't disappoint him too much,' he mused internally and lunged at James with his small frame.
"Good. You're a truly impressive sword fighter."
James praised Amon from the bottom of his heart, having never encountered a five-year-old like him.
What was he doing when he was five?
Yes, he had just formed a bond with his Celestial Dragon, but he was still playing around like other kids his age.
Laughing wryly to himself, James calmly used his physical strength to overpower Amon, then released a downward slash that caused the air to ripple slightly.
Amon felt the biting wind on his face and stepped backward repeatedly.
His footwork impressed James so much that he couldn't help but pause for a brief instant, wondering how Amon had improved so much.
"Instructor, watch out!" Amon exclaimed and swung his sword toward James' abdomen.
James was startled and immediately brought his sword down to block the attack.
But it was a feint.
Amon's eyes lit up, knowing this was his only chance to gain the upper hand.
As soon as he tricked James, his primordial energy surged wildly throughout his body.
The movement of energy was so swift that, within a few seconds, it was already erupting violently from Amon.
"Sunset Sword Art," he muttered softly.
Then, like the sun setting in the sky, his sword moved in a fiery downward arc.
James was so stunned by the attack that he almost failed to react.
How had Amon been able to release a sword art so quickly?
Although astounded, James instantly executed a Sunset Sword Art of his own.
His sword, which had been blocking the feint, changed motion midair and swung upward.
Like two crescent suns crashing into each other, James' and Amon's swords collided.
The force of the attack was intense, causing James to take two steps back while Amon was sent flying due to his small frame.
Midair, he stabilized himself and landed on his feet with a loud crash.
"Impressive," James praised, bringing down his sword.
"Such tactical battle awareness." James couldn't help but admire Amon.
Panting heavily, Amon also brought down his sword and let a small smile touch his lips.
James stared at Amon, then curiously asked, "Why do you walk the divine path?"
The question surprised Amon. He fell silent for a long while, contemplating before answering.
"To… achieve my goals."
…
End of volume 1 arc 1: the beginning of my path
Volume 1 arc 2 begins: forging my path with an iron will.
…
A/N: Volume 1 included a few casual scenes to help readers understand and relate to Amon. In Arc 2, we will delve into action scenes and, of course… aura farming.
Hopefully, you enjoyed arc 1 so far, because arc 2 will be a really good arc that lasts a while and reveals interesting characters. Thank you for your company so far.
Please support the new arc with your powerstones and golden tickets. I just finished signing the contracts, so feel free to support me with gifts.