The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 16

The Child Magic Method.

The groundbreaking magic method developed by the genius of the Child family completely shattered the conventional framework of existing magic methods.

Throughout history, the way humans used magic involved storing magic power within their bodies and then transforming it into the desired form. Wizards used it for various forms of magic, knights for aura, and martial artists for enhancing their physical bodies.

While the forms differed, the commonality was that they artificially accumulated magic power within their bodies to increase its quantity.

But the Child Magic Method deviated from this approach.

“Hoo….”

Lying on the floor of Raymond’s personal training ground, Lian began to breathe slowly.

There was no specific posture required for the Child Magic Method. You just needed to be in the most comfortable position.

So Lian lay down. It was the most comfortable for him.

‘First, feel the magic.’

This might be one of the most time-consuming processes in the Child Magic Method.

Feeling the magic in the air and circulating it inside the body could take a considerable amount of time for beginners to even sense the magic itself.

Because of this, noble families later exposed their children to magic through wizards to help them learn this sense. But,

‘I can already feel the magic.’

Though not extensively experienced, Lian had encountered aura several times over the past 20 years and already knew what magic felt like.

Lian began to draw in the magic from the atmosphere through his breathing, slowly pulling it into his body.

‘Think of your entire body as a playground for magic and circulate it slowly.’

The Child Magic Method involved a continuous cycle where the magic in the atmosphere flowed into the body, circulated, and then flowed out again, repeating the process.

During this process, the pathways for magic circulation in the body expanded, allowing more magic to circulate within.

Therefore, the Child Magic Method didn’t require forcibly trapping magic within the body. It simply involved creating playgrounds and pathways for the magic to roam and circulate freely.

‘Drawing in and using the magic from the atmosphere.’

This was the revolutionary and unprecedented aspect of the Child Magic Method.

Of course, it required eliminating impurities in the body and starting at a young age when the magic pathways could be expanded.

Lian was 14 years old.

While not the optimal age to start the Child Magic Method, it was not too late either.

‘The next four years.’

When Lian turns 18, a great catastrophe will sweep over the continent.

That catastrophe could be delayed or brought forward.

But he would prepare as much as possible before its onset.

“Ssssss- Hoo….”

Lian continued to recall the contents of the Child Magic Method and breathed continuously until the sunrise.

—

Contrary to expectations, he didn’t feel fatigued.

Despite falling asleep late, he thought he would be somewhat tired,

‘Is it because of the magic method…?’

His body felt light as if he had slept deeply.

“Good morning, Squad Leader.”

“Good morning!”

Lian widened his eyes at the sight of the squad members approaching him with respectful greetings.

Can people change this much in just one day…?

“Good morning.”

“Are you heading out for morning training?”

“We will join you.”

“……?”

Seeing the squad members gathered in front of him, Lian turned his gaze to Isaac.

Isaac was smiling awkwardly,

‘This guy….’

It seemed like Isaac’s handiwork.

Lian didn’t know what Isaac had said to persuade them, but the squad members were brimming with enthusiasm.

‘Since I was going to train them all anyway, it doesn’t matter.’

It was pleasing to see them so eager, even if it might not last long.

“Let’s start with some light physical training.”

The squad members’ faces lit up with confidence at Lian’s words.

They seemed to think that they wouldn’t lose when it came to physical training, but only Isaac, knowing what was coming, had a stiff expression.

At that moment, Kyle patted Isaac on the back.

“Don’t worry, just follow me. If it gets tough, I’ll push you from behind.”

“Ah… yes.”

“Haha! I might have lost last time, but I’ll crush you in physical training.”

“I’m confident in my stamina too.”

Brent, standing next to Kyle, spoke confidently.

But Lian looked at the lined-up squad members and said,

“I’ll lead. It’s simple. Just follow me. Any questions?”

“No, sir.”

“Let’s get started, Squad Leader.”

“Let’s sweat it out!”

One cannot know until they experience it.

Lian grinned and started running lightly.

They began with a light run to loosen up. But at the slow pace, Kyle laughed and said,

“Squad Leader, isn’t this pace too slow?”

“At this speed, I wouldn’t break a sweat even if we ran until sunset.”

Snicker.

About 20 minutes had passed.

‘Now the body should be warmed up….’

His muscles felt appropriately loosened.

Lian glanced back at the squad members.

They all had relaxed expressions, as if they were out for a stroll, while following Lian at an easy pace.

Lian then said,

“Alright, from now on, we’ll get serious. Just follow me. Of course, if it’s too hard, you can sit down and rest. Like a straggler.”

“Haha, don’t collapse first, Squad Leader.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll follow you even if it kills me!”

With determined responses, Lian looked ahead again. And then, *sprint-!*

A full-speed sprint.

Even during his leave, he didn’t skip a day of stamina training.

Though it was a short time, his stamina had significantly improved compared to before.

“……!”

“What the…!”

The squad members were visibly shocked as Lian suddenly sped up. But even more surprising was,

“What’s with him?”

“Hey, hey-!”

Isaac, who was keeping pace with Lian almost perfectly.

The rest of the squad members hastily increased their speed to chase after Lian.

Running at nearly full speed, they quickly found their breaths catching in their throats, and their legs began to wobble.

‘What is this training!’

‘I think I’m going to die….’

Kyle and Brent barely held back the nausea and followed Lian.

Running slowly was a relative paradise, but the fear of not knowing when they would have to sprint again loomed over them.

“How are you guys holding up?”

The devil’s voice reached out to them.

‘This devilish…!’

‘Why isn’t the Squad Leader getting tired…?’

Lian noticed the wavering looks in their eyes and smiled calmly.

But that didn’t mean Lian wasn’t exhausted. He was just as tired and wanted to collapse then and there. What kept him going was the fact that he was leading the training.

The squad members didn’t know when they would have to slow down or speed up. They just had to follow Lian, which made it even more exhausting for them.

Moreover, they had no idea how long the sprint would last or how to recover their stamina while jogging. They were constantly tense, not knowing when the next sprint would start.

‘It’s time to wrap this up.’

Lian planned to push them to their limits today.

“Alright, time for a final sprint! Keep up till the end!”

The fact that they had held on this long was impressive. Their confidence in their stamina wasn’t just empty words.

*Dash-!*

Lian surged forward without a second thought.

“Damn it!”

“Let’s just stop!”

“Argh!”

Angry shouts erupted from behind him. Most of them were screaming in desperation, and those cries grew fainter.

“Impressive.”

“Pant! Pant! Pant!”

“Gasp… gasp….”

When Lian finally stopped, only three people were still following him: Brent, Isaac, and one more.

“Jedron, right?”

“Pant… yes, sir… Jedron.”

Unlike Brent, he had a leaner build. With fair skin and shiny brown hair, he collapsed on the ground.

Lian looked at the squad members who were now resembling zombies and said,

“Morning training ends here. Rest a bit, then proceed with your personal training.”

With that, Lian headed towards the company commander’s personal training room.

Watching him walk away, the squad members gave a thumbs up with shocked expressions.

“He’s really… a monster.”

“How can a 14-year-old be so strong?”

“Maybe he underwent some special training outside.”

“I heard his father was some kind of training instructor. Maybe he learned this from him.”

“I don’t know, but… he’s a beast.”

None of them could even think about personal training; they were completely spent and couldn’t get off the ground.

“Ugh!”

Lian entered the personal training room and, out of sight from the squad members, collapsed to the floor and gagged.

Luckily, he didn’t vomit, but his head was spinning from exhaustion.

‘I almost died.’

Especially when he pretended to speak casually at the end, it felt like something was coming up from his stomach.

The position makes the man; he couldn’t show weakness in front of his squad members.

‘Future stamina training will be really tough.’

If he evaluated it coldly, the squad members who followed him to the end had better stamina than him. If he hadn’t led the training himself, he might have been the first to collapse halfway through.

“There’s so much to do.”

If he was falling behind even against those rookies, there was no need for further explanation.

Lying on the floor, Lian began to regulate his breathing and use the Child Magic Method.

Strangely, as he continued the breathing exercises for the magic method, his rapid breathing normalized quickly.

‘I feel my body recovering.’

Perhaps because he was doing it while completely exhausted, he could feel the magic circulating in his body more vividly.

It was a new sensation, and Lian involuntarily swallowed.

‘Is this… magic?’

Feeling the magic moving more clearly inside his body was an odd sensation.

But Lian didn’t realize it.

At that moment, the pathways for magic in his body were widening.

A month passed.

*Clang!*

The moment the wooden sword and staff clashed, a tingling sensation spread through his palm.

For the past month, Lian had consistently conducted stamina training and sparring with his squad members without missing a day.

Lian, holding a wooden sword, stared at Brent, who was glaring back at him.

He had improved a lot since the beginning, but,

*Smack!*

Lian deflected Brent’s sword sideways and thrust his spear forward.

“Ugh!”

Brent quickly bent backward to dodge. But what seemed like a missed thrust suddenly changed direction and struck downward.

*Thwack!*

“Argh!”

Brent, struck on the ankle, collapsed to the ground, screaming.

He tried to get up quickly, but Lian’s staff was faster.

*Thunk!*

Lian’s staff pointed at Brent’s neck, making Brent flinch and look up at him.

“Haa… I lost.”

“But you’ve improved a lot.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but it still feels like I’m getting beaten up too much.”

Lian chuckled at Brent’s words.

This kind of determination was essential for a soldier.

Lian extended a hand to Brent and helped him up.

“You neglect defense too much when you attack. If you fix that, you’ll be much better.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Brent nodded.

Then he turned to look at someone else sparring nearby.

“Is he… a monster?”

Following Brent’s gaze, Lian saw Isaac wielding two swords.