Book 4: Chapter 46 |
Claudia led Leon to another bookshelf.
Compared to the shelf that stored the primordial manuals earlier, this one held even fewer books—only a handful scattered sparsely across it.
“Is this also primordial magic?” Leon asked.
Claudia shook her head.
“I already told you—your current physique isn’t suitable for primordial magic. The cost outweighs the benefit. What I’m giving you… is this.”
As she spoke, Claudia reached out, took an ancient book from the shelf, and handed it to Leon.
Leon accepted it with both hands and looked down.
The cover was extremely simple. Black leather, with only a single title stamped in gold.
“Hyper-Perception?”
Books like The Nine Hells Gate clearly marked themselves as body-technique manuals.
This one had nothing.
“Is it a detection-type technique?” Leon asked.
Back at the Dragon Slayer Academy, all trainee slayers were required to learn some detection techniques.
Even though there were specialized scouting units, basic detection skills could still be useful on the battlefield.
However, Leon had never seriously trained in such auxiliary techniques.
After all, when he encountered enemies, he usually just crushed them head-on. By the time someone finished detecting, Leon would already be sitting on a Dragon King’s corpse drinking tea.
“It’s not detection magic,” Claudia said.
“Strictly speaking, Hyper-Perception is a form of body technique.”
Leon paused, disappointment slipping into his voice.
“Another body technique…”
His reaction was understandable.
Leon was no longer in his former weakened state.
With two dragon sigils, his magic reserves now exceeded even his peak years. That alone was enough for him to fight freely in any battle.
The Nine Hells Gate merely gave him an additional combat option.
In reality, as long as his magic reserves were sufficient, his devastating lightning spells alone could annihilate the battlefield.
Not to mention that The Nine Hells Gate placed an enormous burden on the body.
During the final battle against the Empire, Leon had opened the ninth gate. Without the heart-scale transplanted by Rosvitha, his heart would likely have been shattered by the backlash.
“Don’t be disappointed yet,” Claudia said with a faint smile.
“Although Hyper-Perception is classified as a body technique, what it enhances goes far beyond physical strength.”
Leon raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? Please explain, Senior.”
“Tell me, Leon,” Claudia said calmly.
“In a normal fight, when an enemy attacks, your eyes see it first, then the signal travels through your nerves to the brain. The brain processes it, makes a decision, and finally issues a command to the body—block or evade. Correct?”
Leon thought for a moment and nodded.
“Yes, that’s how it works.”
“The faster the reaction, the more likely one is to make the correct decision in a crisis and choose the optimal counterattack,” Claudia continued.
“And you’re excellent at this. You combine overwhelming offensive magic with real-time battlefield analysis, always choosing the most appropriate move for the situation.”
“But—”
The moment she said “but,” Leon instantly focused.
“You get tired.”
Leon blinked.
“Tired?”
“Yes,” Claudia replied.
“No matter how strong you are, stamina has limits. That applies to every living being on this continent.”
“The longer a battle drags on, the more fatigue builds up. Reaction speed inevitably declines.”
“Hyper-Perception was created by the ancients precisely to overcome this weakness.”
Leon took a slow breath in, then exhaled.
“So it lets me surpass my stamina limit?”
“That would be boring,” Claudia said with confidence.
“I wouldn’t give you something that dull.”
“Hyper-Perception brings your body into an entirely new state.”
“A new state?”
“Have you ever experienced this?” Claudia asked.
“You’re eating, accidentally knock a cup off the table, and before your brain can think, your body reacts and catches it.”
Leon recalled it briefly and nodded.
“Yes, I have.”
“Hyper-Perception turns that kind of ‘accident’ into a combat skill.”
After giving the example, Claudia explained its effect in detail.
“As your training deepens, all your senses become extremely sharp. Once fully mastered, when facing a sudden attack, your body will evade automatically—without the brain issuing any command.”
Leon’s eyes widened.
“Really… that powerful?”
Compared to the mysterious grandeur of primordial magic, Hyper-Perception didn’t sound impressive at first glance.
But the key was who used it.
If an ordinary weak fighter used it, dodging an attack wouldn’t change much.
But if Leon used it—
Imagine an enemy executing a perfectly planned ambush, convinced of success, only for Leon to casually step aside.
If you can’t hit Leon even once, then you’re in serious trouble.
The scene would probably go like this:
Leon walks into the trap.
Leon is completely unaware.
Leon has entered certain death.
Leon prepares to die.
Leon gives a victory speech.
Enemy: “Respect. This guy has hacks turned on.”
“Yes. But Hyper-Perception is extremely difficult to master,” Claudia added.
“Far more difficult than The Nine Hells Gate. Its only advantage is that once mastered, it becomes pure muscle memory—you don’t have to activate it consciously.”
“You know me, Senior,” Leon said confidently.
“I’m not afraid of difficulty.”
That was true.
Leon’s strength today wasn’t just talent—it was built on hellish training.
And his master’s hammer.
So he was determined to master Hyper-Perception.
“But why do you think it suits me so well?” Leon asked.
“A reckless brute with maxed-out evasion,” Claudia replied.
“Just imagining it is terrifying.”
“So you think I’m a reckless brute.”
“Yes. Very perceptive of you.”
“Then I’m a smart reckless brute!”
Claudia smiled knowingly.
“Alright. You’ve gained quite a lot from me this time. Start thinking about how you’ll repay those favors.”
“I won’t forget, Senior.”
She nodded.
“Come on. Let’s check on your master and mistress.”
“Alright.”
They left the archive.
Leon held three books in his arms.
The two in his left hand—Subjugating Flame and Heartfire—were for Constantine.
The one in his right was Hyper-Perception, his next training goal.
If Leon weren’t too embarrassed, he would have asked for something for his wife as well.
Sigh. No choice. I, Leon Casmord, simply have too much dignity and too firm a moral bottom line.
Who goes to a relative’s house and eats everything while packing leftovers to take home? That would be shameless.
As he praised himself internally, he heard Claudia speaking to a Sea Dragon maid ahead.
“Azura, go to the herb chamber and bring me a Ghost Lotus.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Ghost Lotus.
Leon froze mid-step and swallowed hard.
A buried memory suddenly resurfaced.
I knew it.
When Constantine mentioned Ghost Lotus, Leon had felt certain he’d heard the name before.
Now he remembered.
It was the herb Claudia had used when his master’s heart was severely injured by the Three Blades group.
She had even asked Leon himself to fetch the Ghost Lotus from the medicine chest.
Leon pressed his lips together.
Well…
Even though I have very high moral standards…
A moral bottom line is meant to be flexible, right?
“Um… Senior?” Leon asked cautiously.
“Yes?”
“What do you need the Ghost Lotus for?”
“Oh, it’s for your master,” Claudia replied.
“His body hasn’t fully recovered yet. He needs monthly medicinal therapy. Normal herbs take too long, and I lack patience, so I just use Ghost Lotus.”
“I see…”
“…Wait. What’s that look on your face?”
Claudia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
The next second, realization hit her.
“Casmord,” she snapped,
“I might as well just hand you all of Atlantis while I’m at it!”
…
Footnotes:
- Eating and packing leftovers
- A humorous way of describing someone who takes advantage of generosity without restraint.
- Hacks turned on
- Gaming slang implying someone is unfairly powerful, as if using cheats.
- Reckless brute
- A fighter who relies on aggression and power rather than cautious strategy.
- Flexible moral bottom line
- A self-mocking phrase implying that personal principles can be bent when the situation is tempting enough.