Return Of The Strongest Player

'He spilled coffee on me.'

Those words lingered in Aryan's minds. They were comical yet worrying simultaneously. It was a petty reason to want to kill someone, but on the other hand, Aryan was almost certain Arthur was lying.

There was something else.

But there couldn't be. Oscar and Arthur were practically strangers… how could there be such a deep-rooted grudge between them. That sentence reinforced Arthur's words, his reason towards hating Oscar… 

But…

'I don't know what to think,' thought Aryan, letting out a bitter chuckle internally. He had no part in the conflict, and didn't need to interfere. However, a certain pulling force caused him to gravitate towards their matter.

Oscar seemed unbeknownst to the grudge. 

'He should be aware of it now… considering Arthur brutally beat him up for no good reason.'

Aryan pushed the matter to the back of his head. It couldn't interfere with his teachings. He swore to be a great teacher, and he couldn't allow a mere conflict to interfere with that goal. It didn't concern him.

As his gaze swept across the sea of newbies, he wondered whether he could even teach them. Some seemed to have amazing physical prowess, and others looked like twigs that separated from a dying tree.

"Firstly, we will observe the nature of a sword," explained Aryan. "A sword can come in various different sizes. Rapiers, greatsword, falchions, longswords, shortswords… even wielding a dagger can be considered part of swordsmanship."

"A sword, by itself, is a meaningless hunk of metal. What matters is the proficiency of its wielder, and the power ingrained in their clutches. The hilt will be your companion, and the blade will be your protector."

"Aside from artifacts and swords with different natures, most swords can be crafted by regular blacksmiths or even players. However, magical swords and artifacts have to be carefully forged by master blacksmiths."

"They also require a long list of ingredients to forge. The ingredients are usually spread across the tower, so at the start, many opt for a regular sword or buy an artifact using the money they gathered."

"Although, buying a sword is detrimental, as it costs much more than hiring someone to forge it. But ingredients are what makes them expensive, since many potential customers do not have access to certain floors."

Aryan's explanation was lengthy, and continued for several minutes. The ears of the newbies began ringing, but they still soaked up all the information they could. This was vital for their careers.

The path of a Swordsman was quite unique, as one did not pursue a certain, chosen path. Unlike magic, swordsmanship was not limited by certain types. Sword styles and skills were proof of that.

However, the path of the sword was also much more difficult in the beginning. As one did not immediately conjure power capable of rivaling a supernatural force, one was quite weak in their initial stages as a swordsman.

Only when they trained excessively did they gain power that could compare to magic.

'I hated swordsmen around this time in my former life,' thought Arthur, letting out a bitter chuckle internally. When he first entered Heaven's Spire in his former life, he did not understand the complexity of the sword.

He was dead-set on pursuing magic, and applied his blood, sweat, and tears towards perfecting the path. He did not once glance at swordsmen, as he found them vile creatures. That was because he believed magic was superior to simply waving a hunk of metal around.

However, that was until he discovered Sword Aura.

"The movements swordsmen usually practice are slash, thrust, and parry," explained Aryan in a detailed format. He then demonstrated the three moves. For a slash, he swung his sword horizontally. For thrust, he thrusted the tip forward. And for a parry, he called a volunteer and then instructed him to attack him. Aryan deflected the attack without using much force.

"There are other movements, but those three are the main components of any sword style or skill," Aryan explained.

"Instructor, is magic better or swordsmanship?" A burly man raised his hand before speaking. His eyes were filled with genuine curiosity, it seemed he hoped that the latter was better than the former.

"It truly depends on the person pursuing the particular path," Aryan replied.

"Is there an objective answer?"

"Yes," said Aryan. "In the beginning, magic is, by all means, better than swordsmanship. However, once one unlocks Sword Aura, everything changes. Both magic and Sword Aura require mana to use, and become equal at one point. So, in conclusion, magic provides better results during the initial phase, but the sword path quickly develops and becomes equal to magic later on."

The burly man nodded in satisfaction, having discovered the answer. He didn't seem to have any plans on defecting to the magic path, judging by the positive emotions his expression seemed to reflect.

On his waist was a regular greatsword.

"Instructor, what is Sword Aura?" Jenny asked, raising her hand. The others nodded. It seemed they were wondering the same thing. 

"Sword Aura is the manifestation of one's will," Aryan explained. "If a lifeform has intelligence, it will definitely have a will. It's all dependent on how strong that will is, and how proficient you are at the sword. Using mana, one can materialize that will, turning it into what we call Sword Aura. It is something that most strong swordsmen use."

"What's the difference between simply coating your sword with mana, and using Sword Aura?"

"Mana is weaker than Sword Aura, since the latter uses the former's capabilities and combines them with one's will."

The questions continued for a few minutes before Aryan finally extended his palm, motioning for the newbies to stop. Then, he unsheathed his longsword, pointing the tip towards the orange sky.

Suddenly, an amethyst glow burst from the sword, swirling around the blade. However, unlike mana, the glow was refined and a lot more powerful. The world seemed to shake at his Sword Aura.

"This is the Sword Aura."

Suddenly, the glow dimmed before dissipating into the air. 

Then, Aryan lowered his power to match the newbies before obstructing his mana, condensing it near his heart. He completely restricted his usage of mana.

"Come at me."