How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 17 - Moonlight Technique (3)

Contrary to my advice to eat quickly, the duke was not at the training grounds.

Lena called me separately and guided me to the underground chambers of the mansion.

It was my first time going to the underground chambers.

It wasn’t as spacious as a tennis court, well, maybe it was. Considering it was underground, it was quite large.

But that wasn’t important. After telling me to wait for the duke’s arrival, Lena stepped back.

I explored the chambers during the spare time I had.

It was made of black and blue emitting trees and stones, and it was not simple but rather aesthetically pleasing.

I was purely in awe. The things here were not just ordinary stones and wood.

‘So, these are the magic stones and magic wood.’

On a day when my condition was at its best, I accurately sensed the magic power through Sally.

Although it wasn’t as vivid as before, I could still feel it to some extent.

But I didn’t act rashly.

Since I didn’t know much about magic power, it was better not to meddle with it unnecessarily and cause problems later.

Besides, when I used Mystic, I only used the faint magic power within my body, so there were no issues.

Anyway, this place was probably the duke’s personal training room.

Magic stones and magic wood were incredibly expensive items found in places with unusually high concentrations of magic power.

I had encountered them while playing Valhǫll.

I didn’t know they looked like this, but I had even built a training ground with magic stones and magic wood.

At that moment, the duke opened the door and entered.

“Good morning.”

“Did you sleep well yesterday?”

The duke examined my face. It seemed like he was curious about the effects of the decoction I had last night.

I smiled nonchalantly.

“It was similar to usual.”

“That’s a shame. Let’s see how things progress for now.”

“Yes.”

The duke walked briskly toward me.

“Time is precious, so let’s start right away.”

It was natural for the duke, who mainly operated outside. He could leave anytime in the afternoon.

I widened my eyes and concentrated as much as possible.

“This place is a magic training ground made of magic stones and magic wood. Starting from the age of 15, you will come here often. Today, we came here to sense magic power.”

“Is there a specific reason why it’s at the age of 15?”

“Because your bodies are not ready yet. The magic power emitted by the magic stones and magic wood is not natural magic power. It’s already imbued with the properties of the stones and wood.”

Hmm, I didn’t understand what he meant. When I tilted my head slightly, the duke kindly explained.

If you encountered magic stones and magic wood from a young age, they could influence the nature of the magic power a person possessed.

You needed to accumulate natural magic power in your body first and stabilized it in order to easily absorbed the magic power of the magic stones and magic wood and made it your own.

It was the essence of what he said.

It was something I had never heard before.

In the game, I just built it and it was over. I didn’t personally train it.

There was an instructional system, but it was automatic.

‘By the way, he said we came here to sense magic power?’

I had already sensed magic power before. Thanks to that, I could clearly feel the abundant magic power in this chamber.

Considering that I had accurately sensed it on a day when my condition was at its best…

It didn’t seem like an easy task for an individual to sense magic power.

While looking around, the duke asked me.

“Do you sense anything?”

“Yes.”

“Can you express it accurately?”

Hmm, what should I say?

It felt like perceiving the presence of oxygen in the air, but I couldn’t say that since it was knowledge from Earth.

“Well, actually, I already sensed magic power before. It felt like a subtle foreign energy dispersing in the air…”

The duke showed a slightly surprised expression.

“Were you in a good physical condition that day?”

“Yes.”

“When exactly did you sense the magic power?”

“It was when Sally infused magic power into my body. It’s not as vivid as it was back then, but I can still feel the magic power.”

The duke’s eyes sparkled with interest.

* * *

In fact, it was normal to feel something strange within the chamber made of magic stones and wood.

Even for those without talent, a space rich in magic power gave a sense of oppression.

However, accurately perceiving magic power was a different matter.

Every person carried a small amount of magic power within their body. However, even the godfather cannot sense magic power.

And many people who could sense it were unable to use it.

Moreover, even for those with talent in magic power, it took several days in the introductory process to ‘accurately’ perceived magic power.

Even with exceptional talent, it would still take at least an hour in the chamber of magic stones.

‘It’s more satisfying than I expected.’

The duke recalled Sally’s report.

Magically, Carlyn’s talent was said to be inferior to Orhen’s, but his perception speed was faster than Orhen’s.

“You’re sensing it properly. Have you ever used the magic power you sensed?”

“No, I was afraid something might go wrong, so I waited.”

“You did well. But why didn’t you mention it when you sensed the magic power?”

“Um, was that a mistake?”

Carlyn cautiously observed the duke’s reaction.

“No, it’s praise. Sensing magic power is not an easy task.”

“Well, at that time, I didn’t know it was such a big deal. Since Denif and Orhen also used magic power.”

The duke nodded. It was a valid reason.

“Perhaps it’s because you had Mystic that you were able to do it.”

Mystic had a subtle effect on magic power. It didn’t require direct manipulation of magic power.

The duke thought that such an experience could have been helpful to Carlyn.

It wasn’t certain. Mystic was an unknown realm.

It could simply be that the child’s talent was not in magic but in the skillful manipulation of magic power.

Sometimes, such cases occur.

There were often knights who were better at handling magic power than magicians.

“In that case, there’s no need to waste any more time. Sit in the center with your legs crossed and close your eyes.”

“Yes.”

Carlyn felt the duke’s hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t know who the founder is, but the Moonlight Technique is a martial art inspired by the moon and shadows.”

The duke spoke with a more solemn tone than usual.

“When using the Moonlight Technique, you must be cool, discreet, and maintain a calm mindset. Remember that.”

Rather than replying, Carlyn paid close attention to the duke’s words.

“From now on, we will strengthen the foundation of the Moonlight Technique.”

“Yes.”

“Focus on the flow of magic power. Don’t miss a single detail. Follow along exactly.”

As soon as the duke finished speaking, his magic power flowed into Carlyn’s body.

Carlyn felt it as dark and cold, and he concentrated his mind on the flow of magic power.

The magic power that entered through his shoulder began to spread throughout his entire body.

It was the process of improving the magic power circuit for the Moonlight Technique, and the duke, who guided the magic power, couldn’t help but admire it.

‘It’s quite impressive.’

Despite being an orphan, Carlyn’s circuit was clean, wide, and sturdy without impurities.

It was hard to believe that he had never properly used magic power before.

“Were his parents really nobles?”

The duke had some doubts since Carlyn had a mystic power. However, he couldn’t find out with the kingdom’s information alone, so he let it pass.

In reality, there were precedents of commoners using mystic, although they were rare.

But now, with the combination of mystic and a remarkable circuit, his suspicions grew stronger.

It was almost impossible without inheritance.

Of course, it could be different. There were cases where commoners were lucky enough to possess talents.

Denif was an example, wasn’t he?

However, the combination of mystic and an exceptional circuit intensified the doubts.

The likelihood was higher that he came from a noble family than having an innate talent.

The duke thought he should broaden his investigation a bit more.

Considering the child’s age, he should look into noble families that had disappeared or become extinct during that time.

‘I should prioritize households related to Winds or those where rare prodigies were born.’

The duke’s thoughts deepened.

If he were to discover who the child’s parents were and if they were still alive.

All the effort he was putting in could turn out to be in vain. Orphans usually had an attachment to their biological parents.

But if persuasion didn’t work…

‘I will have to eliminate them.’

The duke made up his mind. He couldn’t let go of a gem that couldn’t be valued.

He intended to raise Carlyn using his most powerful tool.

‘Huh?’

The duke’s thoughts couldn’t continue any further.

The magic power he had infused to establish the foundation was rapidly being absorbed into Carlyn’s body.

Since it was the process of establishing the foundation of the circuit using the magic power of the Moonlight Technique, the absorption was expected.

However, this exceeded the amount that the duke had anticipated by far.

Even after increasing the amount of magic power he was transmitting, the absorption did not stop.

After about three minutes, the duke decided that he should stop the transfer of magic power.

If an excessive amount of magic power entered a young body, it could become a significant problem.

Accidents during the transfer of magic power could lead to the loss of control over one’s body, regardless of noble lineage.

But…

The duke couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was because he had noticed the crescent moon that had appeared on Carlyn’s forehead.

It was a small crescent shape, like a fingernail. However, its radiance and solidity were closer to a half-moon than a crescent.

It was due to constantly receiving the duke’s magic power in a small but concentrated form without burdening her body.

‘…….’

The duke momentarily lost his words and recalled the day he first started learning the Moonlight Technique in the past.

The crescent moon carved on his forehead was the same. However, it couldn’t be compared to what the child had.

A prodigy… no, even more than that.

The duke realized with his own eyes that Marhan wasn’t just speaking nonsense when he said he was the best on the continent.

The child’s ability was currently only at half-strength.

Given the circumstances, the duke found it hard to believe even when he saw it with his own eyes.

‘Is this truly a gift from the heavens to Haisen?’

The duke let out a wry smile.

The sarcastic remark he made when he first met the child might actually be true.

The duke stopped infusing magic power. The foundation had been perfected beyond measure.

Instead, he guided the child’s own magic power along the circuit.

“While breathing, remember this flow. It will be difficult at first, but you must maintain it even while moving and engaging in combat.”

After guiding the magic power precisely three times, the duke gathered the magic power and asked.

“Can you move it on your own? If not, retract the magic power.”

In a situation where he couldn’t answer, Carlyn moved his own magic power along the path the duke had guided him.

It was an incredibly clean and perfect control.

“…Good. Just like that.”

It wasn’t just a matter of following the path that the duke had shown him.

The speed at which the magic power moved and the smoothness with which it followed the circuit were perfect.

The duke recalled the past once again. He couldn’t do it like this at first.

No, perhaps even his master couldn’t do it like this.

‘It wasn’t because he got used to handling magic power with Mystic.’

He was the best among the children the duke had seen when it came to manipulating magic power, even though he couldn’t understand magic itself.

Meanwhile, Carlyn had almost completed a full rotation of the magic power.

“Now, gather it and stand up.”

Carlyn perfectly gathered the magic power.

With this, he had reached the 1-star of the Moonlight Technique. The duke roughly estimated the time.

‘Did it take about 40 minutes?’

It was unbelievable.

Considering that he had planned to spend the entire morning on it.

‘So, this is supposedly only half of his talent.’

In reality, his talent for magic power came from the Devil’s Blood, but as someone who didn’t know that, the duke could only be amazed.

Blushing a little due to the excitement of handling magic power for the first time, Carlyn spoke with a composed face.

“Is it over?”

“Yes. This is the 1-star of the Moonlight Technique. Can you maintain it while moving?”

“Yes. Although I reduced the amount of magic power, I am still circulating it along the circuit.”

The duke nodded, hiding his surprise.

“It took me a year and a half to reach the 2-star, but it doesn’t seem like it will take you that long.”

“You’re too kind.”

The duke smirked at his apparent modesty.

“Kindness has nothing to do with it. If your physical condition improves quickly, you might reach 2-star sooner.”

Carlyn simply lowered his head in response.

“As the inner moon waxes, your level will rise. And martial arts start from the 2-star. Focus on that until then.”

“Yes.”

“You have more talent than I expected. I like it.”

“Thank you.”

Although he was speaking casually, Carlyn was also surprised.

Even to his inexperienced eyes, this didn’t seem like a normal progression. Handling magic power for the first time felt strangely comfortable.

Just by seeing the duke’s surprised reaction, he could tell. It was the first time Carlyn had seen the duke surprised.

Carlyn continued to gauge the duke’s reaction.

‘When the inner moon appeared, I felt my blood boiling inside. It made handling magic power unusually easy.’

Instinctively, he realized it was because of Devil’s Blood.

And thanks to that, handling magic power was surprisingly easy for him.

He had known it even when playing games, but the trait that was supposed to be a penalty was never a bad thing.

But Carlyn’s concern was whether the duke had noticed.

Judging by his reaction, it didn’t seem like it, fortunately.

Phew.

Carlyn inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.